Exciting (?) new topics in Human Neurobiology - HMB300H1F?

I can't wait for things to get started in this course. It's been awhile since we had a major overhaul of the course (in fact the last big one was when I took over 3 years ago). One of the things that we'll try to do is to concentrate a bit more on the basics at first and then hopefully build up to more complex and potentially crazy things. So we need lectures on material we have never covered before:

• neuroglia and their role in development
• why proteins like neurotrophic factors are so important to the nervous system
• neurogenesis and why it doesn't occur everywhere
• what models do we currently have for brain development - real and virtual
• can we really engineer a brain from scratch (as part of the final module)

Hopefully we'll be able to generate alot of interest and discussion in the smaller course

Changing the grading scheme for the course

We haven't gone over either the FAS or HMB course evaluations yet but just based on what has been relayed to me I think the one thing that students would like to have is a larger component of their final grade based on the neurowiki since it is so much work (and everyone does a good job). If you'd like to help in the process I'm putting together a course-management team so please let me know.

HMB300 in both semesters in Fall 2012 and Winter 2013

After much discussion with students and other members of the Neuroscience community we decided to launch both HMB300H1F on Wednesdays 3-6 as well as keeping HMB300H1S on Tuesdays 9-10 and Thursdays 9-11 (i.e. no change). It's hoped that the change will allow a bit more flexibility for students as well as allow for slightly smaller class sizes. HMB300 has been growing too quickly at this point - from 62, 115 to 148 over 3 years and I can't honestly say that I know everyone by name personally any more which is very important to me. So I hope that having classes of 50 students in HMB300H1F and 100 in HMB300H1S will be helpful to me too. If you have any ideas for topics that you want covered please let me know!