1980s - 1996
The idea of a Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) program started with William (Bill) Hodos, a professor in Psychology, in the 1980s. Bill saw the need for neuroscience on campus and was pushing for it. He and Arthur Popper, a professor in Biology, were able to get more interest on campus and some funding for seminar programs and for bringing people together in formal ways.
In the 1990s Avis Cohen, a professor in Biology, saw that a training program in Neuroscience was needed on campus. She understood the power of Linguistics in studying science and approached the deans about developing a Neuroscience program that included Linguistics and Cognitive Science.
A proposal for a Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Program was submitted and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) approved NACS as a Ph.D. program in 1996.
Director: Avis Cohen
Departments and units affiliated with NACS: Animal and Avian Sciences, Biology, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, English, Human Development, Hearing and Speech Sciences, Institute for Systems Research, Kinesiology, Linguistics, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Philosophy, Psychology, University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies.
Highlights:
- The first NACS Office is room 2239 in the Biology Department in the Biology-Psychology Building.
- The Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing (C-CEBH) is established.
