Leah A. Krubitzer, a University of California, Davis, neuroscientist who studies the relationship between brain organization and brain function across numerous species, is one of 29 individuals nationwide who will receive a 1998 MacArthur Fellowship. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowships, known popularly as "genius" awards, range from more than $200,000 to nearly $400,000 over five years, depending on the age of the recipient. The "no strings attached" MacArthur awards support an individual's creativity, not a particular project, and may be used for anything recipients choose, according to the foundation. Recipients do not apply for the program; they are nominated by anonymous "talent scouts" across the country. An assistant professor, Krubitzer joined the UC Davis psychology department and the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience in 1995. Her studies focus on the relationship between brain organization and brain function through a comparison of different species. She combines anatomical and physiological techniques to map the areas of the cortex sensitive to touch and vision. Her research has provided new insights into the development of the cerebral cortex and the evolutionary forces driving brain adaptation, the foundation noted in making the award. Krubitzer's research is unique, says Sally Mendoza, a UC Davis psychology professor and chair of the psychology department. "She looks at how the cerebral cortex is organized in terms of the areas that respond to stimulation of the body surface in different species," Mendoza said. "The interesting thing is that she takes a comparative approach and an evolutionary approach to understanding how the cerebral cortex is organized and processes information, working with everything from the Australian platypus to rhesus monkeys in India," Mendoza said. That combination of inquiry, Mendoza says, "allows for a detailed understanding that you wouldn't have from behavior alone about how information is processed and how evolution has changed information processing." Krubitzer also has "an infectious enthusiasm about her research, which students gravitate toward," Mendoza said. She received her bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and her doctorate from Vanderbilt University. Krubitzer is the second UC Davis faculty member to win a MacArthur Fellowship; geology professor Geerat Vermeij received one in 1992. The MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition. The foundation supports research, policy development and education.