Ready to explore the brain? Enroll now and take the first step toward a future in neuroscience! Use discount code LAUNCHNEURO to save $500.
Date: June 22–26, 2026, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: University of Delaware Main Campus, Newark, Del.
Planned for release soon, subject to Faculty Senate approval. Registration will begin once approved. Submit your email address to be notified when the course opens.
- Hands-On Learning: Conduct real experiments in UD’s state-of-the-art labs.
- Expert Guidance: Learn from UD faculty and graduate students specializing in neuroscience.
- College Readiness: Gain exposure to research methods, campus life and academic rigor.
- Career Insight: Explore pathways in neuroscience, psychology, biology and pre-med.
- Recognition: Receive a personalized program reference letter for your college application portfolio, plus a digital badge to display on social media or online profiles.
Discover the fascinating world of the human brain in this immersive, weeklong Neuroscience Pre-College Summer Program at the University of Delaware. Designed for motivated high school students, this noncredit program combines hands-on research experiences with conceptual learning to provide a realistic preview of college-level neuroscience.
Students will explore the core principles of neuroscience, visit cutting-edge research facilities — including UD’s Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging (CBBI) — and engage in experiments under the guidance of UD faculty and neuroscience experts. Ph.D. students from UD’s interdisciplinary neuroscience graduate program will mentor small groups, offering insight into academic pathways and research careers.
The program culminates in team-based capstone projects, where students present their findings to a panel of neuroscience experts and their families. This experience not only builds scientific skills but also strengthens communication and leadership abilities.
Curriculum Highlights
- Neuroanatomy and neurophysiology: Understand brain structure and function.
- Neuroimaging techniques: Explore EEG and fMRI methods used in research.
- Behavioral assays: Learn how scientists study cognition and behavior.
- Data analysis: Interpret neuroscientific data and draw valid conclusions.
- Capstone project: Design, execute and present a research experiment.
REGISTRATION AND SCHEDULE
Neuroscience Pre-College Summer Program — Noncredit Program — Planned for release soon, subject to Faculty Senate approval. Registration will begin once approved. Submit your email address to be notified when the course opens.
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PROGRAM DETAILS
Who should participate in this program?
Rising high school sophomores through seniors interested in neuroscience or related fields such as psychology, biology or medicine.
Learner outcomes
- Think like scientists by asking critical questions, testing ideas carefully and using evidence to support conclusions.
- Explain fundamental concepts of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.
- Understand how brain cells communicate and how researchers study this in the lab.
- Engage in neuroscience research methods, including neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), as well as behavioral assays.
- Analyze and interpret neuroscientific data to draw valid conclusions.
- Comprehend the basis of cognitive processes such as language, attention and learning.
- Grasp the role of neural circuits in behavior and emotion.
- Understand the basics of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
- Apply these concepts through hands-on activities.
Course outline
Monday: The Basics of Neuroscience and Research
Topics Covered: Introduction to neuroscience, scientific method, research design and ePrime programming
Activities:
- Stimulus software: Learn to design and run simple psychological and cognitive experiments using ePrime
- Animal research and cell staining: Practice preparing and staining brain cells for microscopic observation
- Hormone sample collection: Learn proper procedures for collecting biological samples like saliva for cortisol or DNA analysis
Tuesday: Exploring Brain Activity
Topics Covered: Neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, EEG basics and fMRI basics
Activities:
- EEG basics: Learn to set up an EEG to measure brainwaves
- fMRI basics: Introduction to how fMRI maps brain activity
- Programming workshop: Develop and refine experimental protocols using programming tools
Wednesday: Group Experimentation and Analysis
Topics Covered: Data analysis and interpretation, experimental replication
Activities:
- Run group-designed experiments as both experimenter and participant
- Swap groups to replicate each other’s experiments
- Begin analyzing collected data
Thursday: Continued Group Experimentation and Research Exposure
Field Trip:
- Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research: See research in action and meet scientists
- UD Psychological and Brain Sciences labs: Tour labs focused on cognitive, motor and behavioral neuroscience
Continue data analysis and prepare final presentation
Friday: Presentations and Program Conclusion
Topics Covered: Scientific communication, career pathways
Activities:
- Present group findings to UD faculty, experts and guests
- Lunch with guests and students
- Department session on majors, research and careers
- Program wrap-up and UD admissions-led campus tour
Instructors
Philip A. Gable is a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware and director of the interdisciplinary neuroscience graduate program. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Texas A&M University in 2010. Gable teaches graduate courses such as Affective Neuroscience and Research Design, as well as undergraduate courses including Brain and Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience. His research explores the neurophysiological basis of emotion, motivation and cognition, with nearly 20,000 citations and funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense. He has mentored over 100 undergraduates and numerous graduate students, many of whom have advanced to faculty and research positions. Recognized for research excellence and student mentoring, Gable has been featured in major media outlets like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for his insights on time perception and emotional effects during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ho Ming Chow is an associate professor in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Delaware and associate director of the interdisciplinary neuroscience graduate program. He earned engineering degrees from the University of Hong Kong and a Ph.D. in cognitive science from the University of Osnabrück, followed by postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. Chow’s research investigates neural mechanisms of speech and language and their role in communication disorders, integrating neuroimaging, genetics, computational modeling and molecular biology. His work on developmental stuttering has received multiple National Institutes of Health grants. Dedicated to mentoring, Chow has guided trainees from high school to postdoctoral levels and fosters an inclusive, supportive environment for scientific growth.
Keith Schneider is the director of the Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging and a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware. He earned degrees in physics (Caltech), astronomy (Boston University) and brain and cognitive sciences (University of Rochester), with postdoctoral training at Princeton. Before joining UD in 2016, he directed neuroimaging centers at York University and the University of Missouri. Schneider’s research focuses on sensory perception using neuroimaging, psychophysics and theory, including studies on dyslexia supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Research Council of Canada. He also teaches functional MRI courses and leads initiatives advancing neuroimaging research.
Amy Griffin is an associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and director of graduate education at the University of Delaware. She earned her B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from Miami University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University’s Center for Memory and Brain. Griffin studies neural circuitry underlying learning and memory, using rat models to explore spatial navigation and communication between brain regions. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in neurophysiology and neuroscience and mentors students at all levels, many of whom advance to top graduate programs. Passionate about hands-on research and critical thinking, Griffin is committed to fostering scientific curiosity and discovery.
Roxana Burciu, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology and director of UD’s Parkinson’s Disease Registry, researches how brain circuits control movement and how these processes are disrupted in Parkinson’s disease. Her work, which uses structural and functional neuroimaging, clinical assessments and wearable motion technology, spans early disease stages through progression and subtypes, aiming to develop noninvasive interventions to improve motor and cognitive function. Burciu earned a B.A. in psychology from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Romania, an M.Sc. in cognitive neuropsychology and rehabilitation from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, investigating cerebellar dysfunction in movement disorders, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Florida specializing in basal ganglia disorders.
