Research Resources and Facilities
The
department occupies approximately 40,000 square feet of laboratory and office space in Meliora Hall, a modern building
close to the heart of the University's River Campus. Individual laboratories are well equipped with facilities and
instruments that meet more specialized needs. These range from a molecular biology laboratory and a neurochemistry
laboratory to laboratories that provide a variety of instruments for delivering visual stimuli (for example, laser
interferometers, and image computers, including a virtual reality engine and helmet-mounted display system), and a range
of sophisticated systems for measuring various behaviors and physiological responses. These include several devices for
monitoring eye-movements during perceptual, cognitive and visuomotor tasks, and physiological recording systems that
monitor activity of single neurons or groups of neurons. In other domains laboratories are equipped for the analysis
and synthesis of speech, and for recording and analyzing the gestures in signed languages. Most laboratories have
sophisticated real-time computing systems for controlling experiments.
Among the
department's many resources are a centrally supported network of computers used for managing experiments,
analyzing data and modeling results. The network is managed by a systems analyst who also provides users with advice
and support on a range of computing issues, including application programs and Internet services.
In addition to the resources available in Meliora Hall, members of the department have access to a shared machine shop, staffed by skilled technicians, and to University resources such as the Optical Fabrication and Testing Facility. Other special resources, such as MRI machines, are available for research use in the Rochester Center for Brain Imaging, which is a five-minute walk from Meliora Hall. The RCBI includes a research-dedicated state-of-the-art 3T magnet equipped for conducting fMRI during a wide range of cognitive and perceptual tasks.