Early Indications: As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to work in James L. McGaugh's lab at the University of Oregon under the sponsorship of a National Science Foundation undergraduate research program. Once I realized that universities would actually pay people to do this, my course was set.
How I Got Here: I did graduate work at the University of California, Los Angeles, which, in 1964, was a Mecca for interdisciplinary neuroscience, although the term they used then was "brain research." As Viet Nam was the alternative, I went directly from graduate school to the University of Illinois, intending to move elsewhere when the war ended ... and I've stayed there for the entire 35 years of my career.
Pivotal Paper: The 1972 Science paper with Fred Volkmar that made a convincing case for dendritic field growth in response to the stimulation provided by the housing environment [in rats] clearly ...
