“The Penn Neuroscience Boot Camp was a fantastic crash course on the human brain. The instructors were first-rate. Just as enjoyable as the lectures and lab tours was the chance to get to know the other participants. As a science policy professional, it’s amazing how many ways I’ve been able to use what I learned.”
Erin Heath, M.Sc.
Office of Government Relations, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
“The Penn Neuroscience Boot Camp provides a well-planned and accessible introductory curriculum, delivered by a team of terrifically engaging speakers. Short of enrolling in a full-time neuroscience program, this is the best available immersion. So people wanting to learn the basics about neuroscience, and why it is so significantly affecting so many disciplines (including law), should take this course.”
Owen D. Jones, J.D.
Director, MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience; Prof. of Law & Prof. of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University
“It was an outstanding experience in every way. The lectures were consistently excellent and the field visits were highly informative. My fellow “students” were diverse, engaged, intelligent and interesting, with an extraordinary range of professional accomplishments.”
Tamar Szabo Gendler, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Philosophy, Yale University
“I cannot imagine a better highlight tour of brain research today for curious journalists than the Penn Neuroscience Boot Camp. It activated my amygdala, tuned up my temporal sulcus and buffed up my Broca’s area. My hippocampus still sings at the memory.”
Mark Roth, Senior staff writer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“I learned more in the ten days of the Neuroscience Bootcamp than in ten years of studying neuroscience on my own. Twist the arm of every administrator you know to get them to help you fund your attendance at this short course. It will launch you into an unbelievably well-organized and understandable wealth of information—and vastly improve your research!”
Barbara A. Oakley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Engineering, Oakland University in Michigan
“As someone who communicates regularly about neuroscience to a variety of public audiences, it was a pleasure to spend time at the “bench” and observe close-up how neuroscientists conduct their work. The combination of hands-on learning and strong presentations from leading scientists made for a great educational experience.”
Todd Bentsen
Director, Public Information & Outreach, Society for Neuroscience
“The presenters were uniformly excellent, and the program made a big effort to give us lab tours to see neuroscientific tools in action. Most of all, I value the friendships and contacts I made — there are half a dozen people with whom I still talk a year and a half later. This is a rewarding program for anyone who needs to know more about neuroscience for their professional lives.”
Michael Chorost, Ph.D.
Freelance science writer
“I cannot imagine a better way to improve my understanding of neuroscience and am eager to bring my new knowledge to bear on my scholarship in law and the medical humanities.”
Stacey Tovino, J.D., Ph.D.
Director, Health Law and Policy Center Drake University Law School
“A neuroscientist, a theologian, and a diplomat walk into a bar… The beginning of a joke for some but not if you’re at Boot Camp! Thanks for an incredible two weeks of engaging faculty, diverse participants, and in-depth learning.”
Jennifer Hoffman
Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State
“The Summer Institute is a perfect way for a bioethics scholar to get a grounding in neuroscience. The curriculum is well-structured, the instructors are thoughtful and attentive, and the other attendees –who come from a wide variety of backgrounds–are the icing on the cake!”
Jonathan H. Marks, M.A., B.C.L.
Associate Professor of Bioethics, Humanities and Law, Penn State
Director, Bioethics and Medical Humanities Program, University Park
“Neuroscience boot camp was fabulous. I got a basic overview of the field from first-rate researchers who also happen to be superb teachers. They were as open to answering basic questions about the science as they were eager to engage the larger philosophical and legal questions that brought many of us to camp. Spending time with a bunch of curious professionals who wanted to learn about a field other than their own was just really, really fun.”
Erik Parens, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scholar, The Hastings Center
“I wanted to get a truly rigorous introduction to neuroscience, even though I don’t have a science background. I got what I needed, and much more. I highly recommend this learning experience.”
Victoria Pitts-Taylor, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology, City University of New York
“The lecturers were outstanding, and they presented basic concepts of neuroscience in ways accessible to non-scientists. In addition, informal discussions with an incredible array of expert attendees refined my understanding of neuroscience and its many applications in sociology, public policy, ethics, law, and other disciplines.”
Kris Rusch, Science writer
“I am able to bring a new depth of knowledge and different perspective to my research as a philosopher of mind. It was also invaluable to my work as the director of an interdisciplinary cognitive science program, and has energized my work with undergraduate students working in many disciplines who are interested in exploring the intersections of neuroscience with other fields and broader questions.”
Laura Sizer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Hampshire College
“What I learned over the course of the ten days at Penn has made me look at my research in entirely new ways. The boot camp was an incredibly stimulating experience.”
Patrick Sharkey, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Sociology, New York University