Hopkins, Carl D
Professor
Carl D. Hopkins is Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. Trained at the Rockefeller University in New York (Peter Marler, mentor) and at the University of California, San Diego (Theodore Holmes Bullock, mentor) Hopkins is interested in the neural basis for animal communication behavior, especially electrical communication in fish. His current research explores temporal coding in the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish from Africa. He is an experienced field biologist with over 30 years of accomplishments in field work in South America and Africa. His most recent interest is in the mormyrid electric fishes of Gabon and other areas of West Central Africa, where he has discovered a species flock of weakly electric fish in the family Mormyridae. He is using electrophysiological, behavioral, ecological, and molecular techniques to study the biodiversity of these fishes and their evolution.
research
research and scholarship focus
My research on temporal coding in the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish is exploring the nature and timing of neuronal responses to complex species-specific signals used for species and sex recognition. The electrosensory system is a model system for human hearing which performs similar coding responses to sounds. Our research explores the neural mechanisms of generating the timing code in the periphery and the synaptic mechanisms of decoding the signals in the central nervous system. We are using modeling, optical imaging, and electrophysiology to study this system.
primary investigator of
- AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO NEUROBIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR | Research Grant
- COLLABORATION RESEARCH: MECHANISMS OF SIGNAL DIVERSITY IN COMMUNICATION | Research Grant
- TEMPORAL CODING AND COMMUNICATION | Research Grant
research areas
- biodiversity | collaborative research area (CALS)
- communication | collaborative research area (CALS)
- computational biology | research concentration area (Engineering)
- evolution | collaborative research area (CALS)
- neuroscience | collaborative research area (CALS)
international geographic focus
- Gabon | country
submitted impact statement
- Biology Dining Discussion Group: Introducing Cornell freshmen to the biology research faculty|| | 2007 Impact statement
- Communication signals and speciation: electric organ discharge signals in mormyrid fish from Africa and their role in speciation | 2006 Impact statement
- Introductory Biology at Cornell University | 2006 Impact statement
- Biodiversity of freshwater fishes of Lower Guinea, Central West Africa | 2005 Impact statement
- A biodiversity survey of freshwater and brackish-water fishes of central West Africa: Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo | 2004 Impact statement
affiliations
faculty appointment in
- Neurobiology and Behavior (BIO NB) | Cornell department
member of graduate field
- Neurobiology and Behavior | graduate field
teaching
teaching focus
Hopkins has directed and taught BioG101, the introductory biology course for science majors. With more than 650 students, this is the largest and most important of the introductory biology courses offered by CALS. Hopkins developed innovative teaching methods including in-class dicsussions, use of theater to teach research ethics, use of personal response systems ("clickers") to evaluate student performance, web-based quizzing, and weekly dining discussions.||Hopkins has directed and teaches BioNB222, Introduction to Neurobiology intended for Sophomores. This is a team taught course intended for students concentrating in Neurobiology and Behavior as part of the Biology major.
teaches
- BIOG 2990 - Introduction to Research Methods in Biology (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- BIOG 4990 - Independent Undergraduate Research in Biology (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
- BIONB 4240 - Neuroethology (MWF 10:10:AM-11:00:AM) | fall 2009 class
- PSYCH 4240 - Neuroethology (MWF 10:10:AM-11:00:AM) | fall 2009 class
- BIOG 2990 - Introduction to Research Methods in Biology (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
- BIONB 2220 - Neurobiology and Behavior II: Introduction to Neurobiology (MWF 12:20:PM-01:10:PM) | spring 2009 class
- BIONB 2220 - Neurobiology and Behavior II: Introduction to Neurobiology (MWF 12:20:PM-01:10:PM) | spring 2009 class
- BIONB 2220 - Neurobiology and Behavior II: Introduction to Neurobiology (MWF 12:20:PM-01:10:PM) | spring 2009 class
- BIONB 4200 - Topics in Neurobiology & Behavior (M 04:30:PM-05:30:PM) | spring 2009 class
- BIONB 4200 - Topics in Neurobiology & Behavior (W 02:55:PM-04:10:PM) | fall 2008 class
service
outreach focus
N/A
background
featured in
- Electric fish conduct electric duets in aquatic courtship, Cornell neurobiologists discover | Cornell Chronicle feature
- Merrill scholars honor high school, Cornell teachers | Cornell Chronicle feature
publications
Keywords: animal behavior, animal communication, brain and behavior, electrical communication in fish., molecular phylogeny, neuroethology, neuroethology of animal communication, neuroscience, sensory neurophysiology, sensory physiology, species and speciation, systematics: teleost fish, temporal coding, temporal coding in neurobiology