Department website: http://neuroscience.barnard.edu/
Office Location: RDSC 1019
Office Contact Info: 212-853-6807
Chair: Professor BJ Casey
Department Manager: Danielle Feinberg (dfeinber@barnard.edu)
Department Administrator: Elena Peng (epeng@barnard.edu)
Mission
The Neuroscience and Behavior major provides a strong background in the neural underpinnings of behavior and cognition. It is intended for students who plan to pursue a research career in neuroscience or a related discipline. Students electing this major are exposed to basic courses in biology, psychology and statistics, and to advanced courses in neuroscience and behavior.
The program offers a major but no minor.
Program of Study
Barnard Neuroscience and Behavior department offers a major but no minor. The requirements for the major are listed on the Requirements tab.
Program-level Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successfully completing the major, students should have:
- a broad foundation in the sciences for building knowledge in the neurosciences. Graduates will be able to discuss basic scientific principles and tools through the introduction of neuroscience and related disciplines including psychology, biology, chemistry, computer science, and physics.
- breadth and depth in the neurosciences across levels of analysis. Graduates will be able to discuss neuroscience phenomena across molecular, cellular, systems, cognitive, behavioral and computational levels of analysis demonstrating integrated knowledge of nervous system development, organization, signaling, and high-level processing.
- the ability to think like a neuroscientist. Graduates will be able to: generate testable hypotheses; develop controlled experimental designs with appropriate variables, controls, and statistical power using contemporary neuroscience methods; apply ethical and reproducible research practices; and critique and synthesize the neuroscience literature.
- the ability to conceive, execute, and defend an original senior research project in neuroscience, orally and in writing. Graduates will complete a year-long, faculty-supervised research project culminating in a written original research paper and oral presentation for specialist and lay audiences that demonstrate methodological rigor, analytical depth, and an original contribution to neuroscience and behavior.
Student Advising
Advising Resources
- The department website provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the Neuroscience and Behavior major as well as of the neuroscience courses available to Barnard students. The Program Planning meeting the department holds each semester offers students an opportunity to learn about our major and the department’s resources. For specific questions about the major or the department, students can contact the department chair or the vice chair.
- Each Neuroscience and Behavior major is assigned a major advisor who is a member of the Neuroscience and Behavior faculty. Majors meet regularly with their major advisor to receive guidance on course selection, research project, and post-graduation careers.
Guidance for First-Year Students
Introduction to Neuroscience is the course we recommend for first-year students. It provides foundational knowledge on the core aspects of the discipline and is a prerequisite for our more advanced courses. It is offered in fall and spring semesters.
Enrollment in Courses
Many of the courses required by the Neuroscience and Behavior major have Introduction to Neuroscience as a prerequisite.
Preparation for Graduate Study
Major advisors provide guidance on graduate studies and other career paths related to neuroscience. Every year the department organizes multiple meetings to highlight careers open to neuroscience majors.
Coursework Taken Outside of Barnard
Advanced Placement Credit
Our department does not grant major credit or exemption for AP exam scores.
Columbia College Courses
- Only approved Columbia University courses can be taken to fulfill our major. The list of approved courses is available on the department webpage.
- All Neuroscience and Behavior majors must take five core neuroscience courses that provide foundational knowledge and laboratory training. At least 4 of the 5 required core courses must be taken in the Barnard College NSB department; no more than one course can be taken in other departments for fulfilling these requirements.
Transfer Credit
- When students transfer to Barnard from other institutions, their coursework is first evaluated for college elective credit by the Registrar’s Office. If approved, the Neuroscience and Behavior department can consider these courses for credit toward its major.
- Our vice chair has to approve if a neuroscience course taken outside Barnard College or Columbia University counts toward the major. Students are required to contact the vice chair for approval of transfer credit.
- No more than one of the five core neuroscience courses can be transferred from other institutions.
- For detailed information about transfer credit, please consult the department webpage.
Study Abroad Credit
- Classes taken abroad through Columbia-led programs (i.e., those administered by Columbia's Center for Global Engagement) are treated as Columbia courses, equivalent to those taken on the Morningside Heights campus.
- Classes taken abroad through other institutions or programs are treated as transfer credit and are subject to the same policies as other transfer courses. Accordingly, there will be a limit on the number of study abroad courses that can be counted toward the major.
- To receive credit toward the major for a study abroad course (whether taken through a Columbia program or another institution/program), students must submit a Study Abroad Approval form through Slate and obtain the approval of the chair or vice chair.
Summer Credit
- Summer courses at Barnard are equivalent to those taken during the academic year. Courses that have been approved for the fulfillment of departmental requirements will automatically count toward the major.
- Courses taken at other institutions (including Columbia) are considered transfer credit and are subject to the same policies governing other transfer courses. To receive credit for a summer course taken at another institution, students must submit a Summer Course form through Slate and have it approved by both the Registrar's Office and the department representative.
Research Methods in Neuroscience and the Senior Capstone Project
Coursework in Research Methods
Students may participate in supervised research projects as part of the Independent Study course that our faculty offer every semester. Detailed information about the Independent Study course is available on the department webpage.
The Senior Capstone Project
The senior thesis offers Neuroscience and Behavior majors a unique opportunity to conduct their own research project and gain a deeper understanding of scientific research. Students apply the knowledge they have acquired in multiple courses to conduct an original empirical study. By working on their own project, students learn first-hand how to design and execute experimental research. During their final full year, Neuroscience and Behavior majors must complete two semesters of research and seminars. They can choose among two thesis options that differ primarily on whether students conduct their own research project in a lab or as part of a course. For more information about the senior thesis, please visit the department webpage.
Other Research Opportunities
Most of our students conduct research projects in neuroscience laboratories in the New York area as part of their Senior Thesis, the Summer Research Institute, and/or the Independent Study course. Students are encouraged to secure a position in a research laboratory so they may gain valuable experience prior to embarking on their senior thesis project. Students with a lab position may apply to the Summer Research Institute and/or earn academic credit for independent Study.
Departmental Honors and Prizes
Departmental Honors
Departmental Honors are awarded to students who show excellence in learning and research.
Academic Prizes
Our department confers the following academic prizes to Barnard students in recognition of outstanding achievements in learning, research, and dissemination of scientific knowledge:
- The Capstone Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience
- The Foundations of Neuroscience Prize for Outstanding Research Achievement
- The Synapse Prize for Contribution to Barnard Neuroscience and Behavior Community
- The Neuron Prize for Distinguished Accomplishment in Neuroscience
- The Young Scholar Prize for Outstanding Research Project
- The Faculty Recognition Prize for Excellence in Neuroscience
- The Spirit of Inquiry Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience
- The Christina L Williams Prize for Original Research Publication in Neuroscience
Chair
BJ Casey (Christina L. Williams Professor of Neuroscience)
Vice Chair
Kara Pham (Senior Lecturer)
Professors
Peter Balsam (Samuel R. Milbank Professor)
Kevin Bath (Helman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience)
Elizabeth Bauer (Professor of Neuroscience & Behavior)
John Glendinning (Professor of Biological Sciences and Neuroscience & Behavior))
Russell Romeo (Professor of Neuroscience & Behavior)
Rae Silver (Helene L. and Mark N. Kaplan Professor Emerita of Natural and Physical Sciences)
Assistant Professors
Gabrielle Gutierrez
Alexis Hill
Alex White
Senior Lecturers
Kara Pham
Lecturers
E'mett O. McCaskill
Tommy Lee
Adrienne Santiago
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Syntia Hadis
Ines Maria Caldara
Adjunct Associate Professors
William Fifer
Ari Shecther
Emily Sherman
Alessia Mastrodonato
Major Requirements
The new NSBV curriculum requires the completion of a minimum of 13 courses (5 core neuroscience courses; 3 introductory courses from cognate disciplines; 3 elective courses; a year-long research seminar counting as 2 courses) and a senior thesis. All NSBV majors must take 5 core neuroscience courses that provide foundational knowledge and laboratory training. No more than 1/5 core neuroscience courses can be taken outside the NSBV Department, including Columbia University or other institutions. For many courses, NSBV majors have multiple options. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of our discipline, students can select introductory and elective courses offered in other departments either at Barnard or Columbia.
Approved electives are listed on the department webpage. One elective course must be a 3000-level seminar.
