(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Though it seems second nature to us, navigation is a remarkably complex behavior that involves a symphony of cognitive and physical processes connected by neural circuitry. How do we get our bearings in unfamiliar places? How do we find our way around obscure and uncertain environments?



These are just some of the mysteries UC Santa Barbara neuroscientist Sung Soo Kim is investigating. And now, with an award from the Searle Scholars Program, he’s that much closer to decoding some of the most fundamental animal behaviors.



“It is my great honor to be named a Searle Scholar,” said Kim, who is a member of the campus’s Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB). “This generous support will help me explore how the brains of animals collect and process information from the surrounding world to guide complex behaviors.”



CONTACT:
Sonia Fernandez

(805) 893-4765

sonia.fernandez@ucsb.edu

Shelly Leachman

(805) 893-8726

shelly.leachman@ucsb.edu