Expanding Your Coverage of Neuroscience: An Interview with Michael Gazzaniga

Erin Rasmussen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Idaho State University where she teaches learning, behavioral pharmacology, senior seminar, and introductory psychology. She received her MS and PhD in experimental psychology (with a minor in behavioral pharmacology and toxicology) from Auburn University. She taught at the College of Charleston for 3 years before joining the faculty at Idaho State. Her past research involved examination of how prenatal exposure to heavy metals affects the behavior of offspring and the role of environmental enrichment in attenuating those effects. Currently, she is examining how prenatal food restriction affects food choices that lead to obesity. Michael Gazzaniga, the David T. McLaughlin Distinguished University Professor at Dartmouth College, is a pioneer in the field of cognitive neuroscience. He received his PhD from California Institute of Technology in psychobiology, where he conducted his famous work with Roger Sperry on the split-brain phenomenon. His research has provided insights on functional lateralization and how the cerebral hemispheres communicate with one another. He has written more than 20 books, many for the lay audience, and has well over 100 publications, including book chapters, interviews, and monographs. Currently, he serves as Director for the Center of Cognitive Neuroscience at Dartmouth. He was elected president of the American Psychological Society in 2004. He manages a summer school program in cognitive neuroscience and conducts many visiting professor seminars.