Research

Courses

Nancy Kleckner joined the biology faculty of Bates College in September of 1994 after obtaining her Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1990) and doing postdoctoral research at Duke University and UNC. She helped develop the Program in Neuroscience, which allows students to major in neuroscience by combining coursework and research in biology, psychology, chemistry and philosophy.

Professor Kleckner is a neuropharmacologist interested in studying the neuronal receptors that respond to glutamate, a very common neurotransmitter in mammalian brains and invertebrate nervous systems. Bates undergraduate students have done research projects under her direction to investigate glutamate receptor pharmacology and function in two model systems, the central nervous system of the snail, Helisoma, and frog oocytes expressing rat brain receptors (see research interests and student projects).

She teaches courses in neurobiology, drug actions on the nervous system, cell and molecular biology, sensory biology and the science of alternative medicines. One of her primary teaching goals is to instill in her students an excitement about neurobiology, which she accomplishes through engaging students in novel laboratory and library research projects that utilize modern neuroscience methods. Mostly she strives to make neuroscience as fun for students as it is for her. Check out the neuroscience and biology web pages for information about other faculty interests and student projects. Please use the links on the left to find out more information about teaching and research interests.