Q: Neuroengineering / Instrumentation / Classes

Does Neuroengineering have many than two years for classes? If you want to do instrumentation and more engineering, is the Neuro track the best way to go? Is Hopkins most known for Neuro, there seems to be a lot of professors.

Neuroengineering at Hopkins is more like a concentration. You're officially accepted into one department; in our case, it's Biomedical Engineering. Therefore, you need to fulfill the academic requirements for that particular department. I suggest looking at the PhD handbook on the JHU BME website; you have to take a certain number of biology-based and engineering-based classes, but once you fulfill your credits, you don't have to take any more classes. You can and should be doing rotations/research throughout the year.

Neuroengineering still covers a pretty broad spectrum. At Hopkins, it's more of an application. If you're focusing on instrumentation, and you'd like to specifically work on an instrument that focuses on a neurologically-based problem, then neuroengineering is a great venue. I suggest that you find a PI or lab that you like, and go from there.

Hopkins is one of the few neuroengineering centers in the country; as biomedical engineers, we've got a tremendous advantage b/c of the excellent research at the medical campus, and the possible connections in a very clinically applicable setting.

Take a few classes, talk to a few professors, come to the NETI meetings, and see what interests you. You're still a first-year, so shop around and ask lots of questions.

Good luck!

Neuroengineering 2: Mailing list for incoming students

"Neuroengineering2" is a new google-group for the incoming students who are interested in NETI, the NeuroEngineering Training Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.

Neuroengineering Website:
http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu

NETI Blog:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/

Neuroengineering: group for students on NETI funding
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering

Neuroengineering2: group for students interested in NETI funding
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering2

NETI Meeting Minutes:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/meeting-minutes.html

Summer 2006 Seminar Schedule:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/summer-seminar-series.html

Incoming Student Info:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/info-for-incoming-students.html

Questions/Comments: post on the blog
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/06/questionscomments.html

Email:
NETI Officers:
neuroengineering at gmail dot com

NETI Group:
neuroengineering at googlegroups dot com

NETI Interested Incoming Students Group:
neuroengineering2 at googlegroups dot com

If you have organizational emails about NETI (like seminar messages, picnics, etc), then email both neuroengineering@googlegroups.com (for the people currently on NETI) and neuroengineering2@googlegroups.com (for the incoming students).

Q: Thakor Lab

Can I speak to anyone who works in Dr. Thakor's lab?

Sure -- Karthik (karthik at jhu dot edu) said that he'd be willing to answer any questions that you might have.

Q: Course Registration

I'm definitely interested in NETI. Please keep me informed about the program.

By the way, do you know if there's anything I should be doing right now in terms of course selection/registration? I received some materials from Hopkins with course offerings, but I have no idea what I should be looking into and how the whole course registration process works. Let me know if you have any advice on the matter--I have not read everything thoroughly yet so it's probably in there somewhere. Thanks again for all your help over the past few months.

Last year, if we decided to take the medical school track, we emailed the departmental administrator, Hong Lan (hlan1@jhmi.edu). She'll probably send out an email or letter to you later this summer. Registration for the other courses occurs about a week before classes start. I'm also cc-ing this email to Misti Marr, a fellow second year NETI-trainee who took the alternate track, and Debbie Castillo, the current student president of NETI. Misti and Debbie, if you have any advice for choosing courses, registration, etc, please add more.

The course schedule for the fall can be found here:
http://www.jhu.edu/registrar/schedule.html
Requirements for PhD Coursework can be found here: http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm

Q: Finding a Residence

I am very interested to the neuroengineering, please keep me in touch about any seminar or news on this point. (However, I live out of the US, now and will arrive to Baltimore in the mid. of August.)

I wonder if you can help me find how it could be planned at present having a residence just for arrival to Baltimore and finding an appropriate place.

As for finding a residence: most of the graduate students live around Homewood campus, and take the shuttle into the medical school. Mt. Vernon is also a popular place, with shuttle stops to the med campus and to Homewood campus. Downtown (Fells Point, Canton, Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, Butcher's Hill) tends to be safe and has tons of restaurants/bars, though it's also busier, and you usually need a car to get to class. (Many people in Fells Point also walk or bike to JHMI.) Mt. Washington is super safe, but farther away. If you want to be in between Baltimore and DC, then look at Columbia or Ellicott City. When you're considering a place, look at the parking situation, whether it's got a washer/dryer in the unit, where it's located, the crime around the area, etc.

More info can be found here:
http://www.aiyah.org/hopkins_urls#Housing
and especially on the Off-Campus Housing website:
http://www.jhu.edu/~hds/offcampus/

Q: Alternate Courses / IM Sports

Thanks for the email and the help during the visitings before. Hopefully I will pronounce the name right the second time. I am interested in the Neuroengineering Training program also. How have you liked it? I was curious on some of the classes for the program. I am not going to take the med school courses, so I was wondering if you knew what kinds of courses first years take for neuroengineering. Is it pretty flexible for the person or are there a 'core' neuro courses that a lot of students take? I've seen the website for the Neuro Training program, so I saw some of the courses listed there. I am just curious what was popular amongst first years.

And as for softball and intramurals in general, I would be interested in that too. I'm not coming up until August, so is that only for the summer or are there other intramurals during the year too? If you are the contact for all that, I would definitely be up for that.

Thanks for all the help and see you in the fall.

I enjoy being on the Neuroengineering Training Grant; in fact, I'm doing a rotation outside of the department right now, in the FM Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging. My PI is on the neuroengineering grant, but not part of BME.

The neuroengineering classes are pretty flexible -- you do have to make sure you fit the requirements on the PhD coursework handbook (http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm), which entails taking 600 or 400 level classes. I addressed some of these issues in a mass mailing to the rest of the first years. Which aspect of neuroengineering would you like to concentrate in? One concern that some of the alternate track students told me is that it's harder to get biology credits if you take the alternate track. However, you're also welcome to register for parts of the medical school classes; for example, some students take Molecules and Cells, Neuroscience, and Organ Systems, while opting not to take Genetics, Immunology, etc. Next semester, I'm taking Models of the Neuron, Applied Math for Engineering, Intro to Biostatistics through the School of Public Health, and an MRI course.

When are you coming up? We've got plenty of guys right now for the softball team, and I'm not sure when our games are ending. I'll ask our captain, though; there might be room if you'd like to play. :)

Q: Rotations / Joining NETI

I'm very intersted in the Neuroengineering Training Program. I was wondering about a couple of the things.
* Do NETI students have 18 months for rotations? I remember at the visit Dr. Winslow said we needed to pick a lab by the beginning of the second year.
* How do I go about joining the NETI?
* I had previous obligations and couldn't start in July. How important is it to nail down a fall rotation now? You mentioned that there's a showcase september 6th, but that seems like waiting until the last minute.

Hello!
I don't think there's a specific time restriction on rotations, but I think that all of the incoming students in biomedical engineering are supposed to commit to a lab by second year. Choosing a rotation or committing to a lab is governed by the department you're in, rather than NETI. NETI is primarily a source of funding, collaborations, and training opportunities; if you get on the grant, then you receive funding from the grant. However, your primary appointment as a Hopkins graduate student will be through biomedical engineering.

There will be an introductory meeting on September 6th, and we'll have more information for you then about joining NETI. NETI really has two purposes. Financially, it supports students who are training with extra money for conferences, workshops, or supplies. Organizationally, the students are initiating journal clubs, seminar speakers, and collaborations.

On the financial side, Dr. Thakor will ask for applications for the Neuroengineering Training Grant funding, and applicants must send him their resume, write an essay on why they want to go into neuroengineering, and ask two or three faculty members to recommend them to the training grant. Doing a rotation, attending the journal clubs or lab meetings, or talking to professors who run neuroengineering-affiliated labs is a good way to get to know the faculty.

For the student-organized portion of NETI, you're welcome to join the discussions, group outings, and other the student activities, like the seminar. Let me know if you'd like to join the google-group for interested students.

As for your third question: When are you getting to Baltimore? I started in mid-July last year, and did a rotation w/ Dr. Xiaoqin Wang. If you're going to get here before the school year begins, I'd recommend looking at the various websites, figuring out which labs you're interested in, and emailing professors to see if they've got any possible openings. If you're not getting here until the start of the school year, you might need a bit of time to settle down -- organize your apartment/home, get used to classes, iron out financial/administrative details, etc. There's no pressure to start a rotation immediately, though I got a lot of advice from starting off early. The professors are quite approachable, and many people are willing to offer you advice. The NETI showcase will probably occur for a few weeks after Sept 6th, with several faculty members presenting possible rotation projects per meeting.

I hope that helps! I'll post this email on the neuroengineering blog (http://neuroengineering.blospot.com), as well. Have a good summer! ^_^

-Issel :)

Incoming Student Questions & Answers

Here's a list of questions that incoming / interested students have sent, and links to the accompanying answers.
Questions from Incoming PhD Students of 2007
Questions from Incoming PhD Students of 2006
Questions from Interested Undergraduate Students
(Last update: 7/28/07)

To see the information for 2007, please go to:
Incoming Students 2007: Questions and Answers
And/or:
For Incoming Students: 2007

Questions from 2007
7/24/07: Q: Med School vs. Alternative Track?
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-med-school-vs-alternative-track.html)

Hi,
I'm interested in neuroengineering, right now specifically clinical neuroengineering. I was wondering if you had any advice on what classes to take as an incoming first-year. What's your advice regarding the med. school classes vs. standard BME classes? And, are there any particular standard BME classes that are highly recommended? Any advice you could give would be a great help!

Thanks!

7/27/07: Q: Register for the Seminar?
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-register-for-seminar.html)

Hi,
I am very interested in the program. Is registration required for the seminar in Aug?

Questions from 2006
7/7/06: Q: Alternate Courses / IM Sports
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-alternate-courses-im-sports.html)

I am interested in the Neuroengineering Training program also. How have you liked it? I was curious on some of the classes for the program. I am not going to take the med school courses, so I was wondering if you knew what kinds of courses first years take for neuroengineering. Is it pretty flexible for the person or are there a 'core' neuro courses that a lot of students take? I've seen the website for the Neuro Training program, so I saw some of the courses listed there. I am just curious what was popular amongst first years.

And as for softball and intramurals in general, I would be interested in that too. I'm not coming up until August, so is that only for the summer or are there other intramurals during the year too?

7/8/06: Q: Course Registration
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-course-registration.html)

Do you know if there's anything I should be doing right now in terms of course selection/registration? I received some materials from Hopkins with course offerings, but I have no idea what I should be looking into and how the whole course registration process works.

7/9/06: Q: Finding a Residence
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-finding-residence.html)

I am very interested to the neuroengineering, please keep me in touch about any seminar or news on this point. (However, I live out of the US, now and will
arrive to Baltimore in the mid. of August.)

I wonder if you can help me find how it could be planned at present having a residence just for arrival to Baltimore and finding an appropriate place.

7/11/06: Q: Thakor Lab
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-thakor-lab.html)

Can I speak to anyone who works in Dr. Thakor's lab?

7/13/06: Q: Rotations / Joining NETI
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-rotations-joining-neti.html)

* Do NETI students have 18 months for rotations? I remember at the visit Dr. Winslow said we needed to pick a lab by the beginning of the second year.
* How do I go about joining the NETI?
* I had previous obligations and couldn't start in July. How important is it to nail down a fall rotation now? You mentioned that there's a showcase september 6th, but that seems like waiting until the last minute.

7/28/06: Q: Neuroengineering / Instrumentation / Classes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/q-neuroengineering-instrumentation.html)

Does Neuroengineering have many than two years for classes? If you want to do instrumentation and more engineering, is the Neuro track the best way to go? Is Hopkins most known for Neuro, there seems to be a lot of professors.

8/13/06: Q: Classes / Registration
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-classes-registration.html)

Are there suggested classes for students who are interested in neuroengineering? If not, are there some you suggest? Are we supposed to register for the neuroengineering seminar, or is that for people already in the NETI program? Should I register soon or should I wait until orientation? Anything else I need to know about classes?

8/14/06: Q: Classes / Locations / Books
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-classes-locations-books.html)

i did not get a registration packet but i filled out a couple of forms (i believe one of them was green) that hong gave me so i think i'm registered (i hope). when does the neuroengineering seminar meet? oh, speaking of which, how do we find out where our classes are meeting (i can't find room locations for any of my classes at all), and how do we find out what books we'll be needing?

8/16/06: Q: Alternate Track / Medical School Classes
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-alternate-track-medical-school.html)

If I choose an alternative track curriculum, can I still take two of the medical school's courses? I only have interest in Molecules and Cells, and Neuroscience. Is there anybody who has also done this way before? Just chose one or two course of SOM ?

8/16/06: Q: Access to the Gym
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/08/q-access-to-gym.html)

How can I get access to the gym?

Questions from Interested Undergraduate Students
7/26/07: Q: Undergraduate Major + Neuroengineering
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2007/07/q-undergraduate-major-neuroengineering.html)

Hi, I'm an undergrad intending to major in Neural Science, and wanted to ask you something after coming across the Neuroengineering Facebook group. I was wondering whether an undergraduate degree in a field of engineering is required to pursue/gain admission into grad/PhD programs in Neuroengineering. Is it required to have previously studied biomedical engineering, or is it enough to have a Neural Science background in order to apply to and succeed in these programs? I have recently decided that I would like to study/pursue Neuroengineering after graduation. However, my college does not have an engineering school, and am thus considering transferring. I was also wondering whether or not you began this PhD program at Johns Hopkins immediately after graduation from the college you went to?

Info for Incoming Students

To see a list of questions and answers from incoming/interested students, refer to:
Incoming Student Questions & Answers

To see additional/updated information for and from the incoming class of 2007, please refer to:
For Incoming Students: 2007
Incoming Students 2007: Questions and Answers


General Infomation from Emails:

Sent on 7/7/06:

Hello, First Years! :)

Welcome to Hopkins and Baltimore! I'm a rising second year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins, and I'm also the "big sibling" for the neuroengineering students. If you are interested in NETI (the NeuroEngineering Training Initiative), email me (issel at jhu dot edu). This summer, we're running a weekly student seminar with free lunch, and we'll be having an introductory seminar on September 6th to showcase research opportunities for new students. (More details will be sent to those interested.)

Alternatively, if you've got questions (on residences, neuroengineering, or life in general), feel free to send me an email or IM (azngeekgirl). I emailed quite a few of you about transportation during the Interview Weekends, and am offering advice, social invitations, general guidance, etc. If you'd like to come see/play softball or soccer w/ the BME team(s), if you'd like to go salsa/swing dancing or shopping or barhopping, or if you'd like info on what to do in Baltimore, let me know! :)

Here's a list of useful URLs: http://www.aiyah.org/hopkins_urls
And a few guides to Hopkins: http://www.bme.jhu.edu/%7Ercheong/Baltimore/

Congratulations! We look forward to meeting you all soon. :)

Sent on 7/10/06:

To answer a couple of questions:

Last year, if we decided to take the medical school track, we emailed the departmental administrator, Hong Lan (hlan1 at jhmi dot edu). She'll probably send out an email or letter to you later this summer. Registration for the other courses occurs about a week before classes start. I'm also cc-ing this email to Misti Marr, a fellow second year NETI-trainee who took the alternate track, and Debbie Castillo, the current student president of NETI. Misti and Debbie, if you have any advice for choosing courses, registration, etc, please add more.

The course schedule for the fall can be found here:
http://www.jhu.edu/registrar/schedule.html
Requirements for PhD Coursework can be found here: http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phdstudhandbook/coursework.htm

The Neuroengineering summer seminar is at 100p on Wednesdays. To see more details, check out "Summer Seminar Schedule" on the NETI blog: http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com
We'll also be making updates to the website throughout the summer, and we are currently working on a recommended curriculum for the students in Neuroengineering. Some of the classes that most people have taken include "Models of the Neuron," taught by Dr. Eric Young, "Neuroscience" (either through the medical school track in the spring, or the year-long course in the medical school catalog), Intro to Probability and Statistics (there are a couple of versions of these; depending on your math background, you might want to consider taking the Intro to Biostatistics Class through the School of Public Health), and an Applied Math in Engineering course (the most commonly taken class is taught through the Department of Geographical and Environmental Engineering). People also take Learning Theory, Theoretical Neuroscience, Microfabrication Lab, etc. It depends on what you would like to focus on, in particular.

As for finding a residence: most of the graduate students live around Homewood campus, and take the shuttle into the medical school. Mt. Vernon is also a popular place, with shuttle stops to the med campus and to Homewood campus. Downtown (Fells Point, Canton, Inner Harbor, Federal Hill, Butcher's Hill) tends to be safe and has tons of restaurants/bars, though it's also busier, and you usually need a car to get to class. (Many people in Fells Point also walk or bike to JHMI.) Mt. Washington is super safe, but farther away. If you want to be in between Baltimore and DC, then look at Columbia or Ellicott City. When you're considering a place, look at the parking situation, whether it's got a washer/dryer in the unit, where it's located, the crime around the area, etc.

More info can be found here:
http://www.aiyah.org/hopkins_urls#Housing
and especially on the Off-Campus Housing website:
http://www.jhu.edu/~hds/offcampus/

There are tons of intramurals! :) We usually do softball and soccer in the summer, soccer/dodgeball/basketball in the fall/winter, and soccer again in the spring. Most of the summer rosters are full, but if you'd like to play sports/pick-up games, let me know when you get here, and I'll give you the contact info for the team captains.

Again, if you're interested in the seminar, NETI, or have questions, let me know.

To see a list of specific emailed questions and answers, refer to:
http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com/2006/07/incoming-student-questions-answers.html

Incoming Firsties, T-shirts, Neuroengineering Gmail

This schedule has been posted to the blog
(http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com). Andrew, do you want to post it on the website (http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu)? Also, Francesco, could you please send me the log-in info for editing the website?

I've also emailed Hong asking for a list of the incoming first years and their contact info. If anyone would like to help out as an additional "big sib," or help in planning the intro meeting, please let me know.

Oi -- and how about T-shirts? Perhaps a "brain-storming" idea, or even an ASCII brain w/ "neuroengineering" and "Hopkins" and everyone's names? What symbolizes neuroengineering? I've made a few T-shirts and I'm probably going to order T-shirts for the BME Beasts softball team, so please send ideas and I can order 'em all in one fell swoop. Alternatively, if someone else wants to be in charge of these, that'd be
awesome...

By the way, if you have projects, papers, progress reports, anything you'd like to go on the website, or anything "official" for the NETI, please cc a copy to "neuroengineering@gmail.com" -- that way, we'll have a backup copy just in case something happens to the email account of the person in charge of that particular field. For example, please email your progress reports to Christina and email a copy to neuroengineering@gmail.com. (As the current secretary, I'd originally asked for a cc to my JHU address so we'd have backups, but it'll be easier for incoming secretaries and officers to keep track of and pass on information via the Gmail account.) Sending email to "neuroengineering@googlegroups.com" will send a copy to the Gmail account, as well as post an entry on the googlegroups website:
http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering

Summer Seminar Series

From Misti:
All of the seminars will be at 1pm in either Clarke or the
Hearing Science Library on 5th floor Ross.

Here's the schedule that can be posted to the webpage:

July 5 - Andrew @ Med School
July 12 - N/A
July 19 - Christina @ Homewood
July 26 - Francesco @ ?
August 2 - Bennett @ Homewood
August 9 - Debbie @ Med School
August 16 - Minnan @ Med School
August 23 - Issel @ Med School
August 30 - Misti @ Med School
Sept 6 - Intro meeting with new students

I'll try to talk to the secretaries again about setting up a room at
Clarke for the dates we are at Homewood.

(Issel has emailed Hong to ask for a list of students, and will hopefully email them about the introductory meeting soon.)

...This has also been posted to http://groups.google.com/group/neuroengineering :)