Summer 研究 Institute

Finding an SRI 研究 Mentor

教师 mentor and student mentee researching bee colonies

To participate in SRI, students must identify a research mentor in whose lab they will work over the summer. It is each student's responsibility to contact faculty, discuss the possibility of working in their lab, and secure confirmation of faculty interest.

Steps to Finding a Mentor

Think about interesting classes you took, or something that you read about in the news, heard about from faculty and friends, or through social media. Perhaps you thought, “This is really cool – I’d like to hear more about it.” This is a good indication that you would enjoy working on this topic longer term.  You can also consider whether you want to work with humans, animals, or cells (for example).  Do you want to work in a large or small lab?

Look at faculty profiles on websites at Barnard/Columbia and beyond. Often the best way is to talk to your academic advisor or the SRI representative in your department. They know a lot of people and probably can point you in the right direction.

Approach the potential research mentor by email, express your interest in their work and ask if they have room for an undergraduate student in their research group. Don’t be shy – all those people know that it is your job to look for research opportunities and they will expect these requests. When you contact them, be specific about your interest in their work so they realize that you have done your homework and know what you are talking about.  Follow up on their response and ask them for an appointment. If you have not heard back after one week, it is reasonable to call to ask if the potential mentor has had a chance to review your request. In case you reach only voicemail, leave a brief message confirming your name, your hope to be able to work with him/her and that you will resend your original email in the event that it had not been received. Then resend your email.

Meet with the potential mentor and discuss possible opportunities. Be flexible in terms of your project ideas – the students/mentor partnership works best when both sides are excited about the project. Talk about the SRI timeline and whether there is an opportunity to build a senior thesis on the summer project in the subsequent year if that is your interest.

If you are planning to work with an external mentor, do mention that there are limited funds at Barnard to support students over the summer through the SRI program and that any contribution your mentor can make  will help the overall program to fund more students.  Again – all mentors know that research costs money and you don’t need to feel that this is an awkward question. If they have no funds to help support you, say that you hope that the Barnard SRI will be able to cover you. Remember that there are several funding sources that support SRI students.

Don’t hesitate to be in touch with multiple potential mentors at the same time. Some may never respond to you because they are away or currently have no opportunities and/or are too busy to respond.

Remember that your SRI Departmental Representatives are sources of insight and ideas about mentors. 学生 are encouraged to reach out to them. You may also send questions about the selection process to sri@rockmark.net. 最后, if you would like additional advice about reaching out to mentors, you can schedule a conversation (or complete a walk-in appointment with a Peer Career Advisor) at 世界十大电子游戏平台.

Mentors at Barnard & 在其他地方

About one-third of SRI students in a given summer work with mentors whose academic home is at Barnard College. All other students work with mentors at Columbia (including the Medical School, Mailman School of Public 健康, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Zuckerman Institute, 和其他人), 纽约大学, the 伊坎 School, The 洛克菲勒 University, and 许多 others across 纽约市. Below, find a list of Barnard mentors participating in SRI this year:

生物学

化学

  • 奥斯汀,瑞秋, raustin@rockmark.net, Environmental Bioinorganic 化学 C-H and C-O bond activation Inorganic neurochemistry
  • Buzzeo,玛丽莎, mbuzzeo@rockmark.net, Biological Physical 化学 (The Buzzeo group uses electrochemical techniques to study fundamental properties and develop sensing applications of redox-active biological molecules.)
  • Campbell, Michael, mcampbell@rockmark.net, Inorganic 化学 (The Campbell group studies structure/function relationships in transition metal complexes and materials, for applications including catalysis and chemical sensing.)
  • 克劳瑟, 安德鲁, Vibrational Properties of Nanomaterials, 化学 of Graphene, Raman Spectroscopy, Reaction Dynamics
  • Rojas, Christian, crojas@rockmark.net, Organic Synthesis (Rojas and his students develop and apply new reactions for organic chemical synthesis, especially in the area of amino sugar synthesis. Another current interest is working with Prof. Christina Vizcarra's group on the synthesis of small-molecule inhibitors of actin assembly)
  • Vizcarra, Christina, cvizcarra@rockmark.net, 生物化学 (The Vizcarra lab studies the biochemical mechanisms of proteins that regulate the cytoskeleton, with wide-ranging applications in metalloneurochemistry, the auditory system, and drug discovery.)

Computer Science

Environmental Science

数学 & 统计数据

  • Knizel,艾丽莎, aknizel@rockmark.net (Probability/统计数据)
  • 学生 should be in touch with Barnard 教师 Department Rep Daniela De Silva (ddesilva@rockmark.net) to discuss possibilities of working with Columbia University mentors.

神经科学 & 行为

物理 & 天文学

心理学

To find a Mentor at an institution at another institution takes a bit of research and additional time on the part of students; but 许多 SRI students have successfully secured the support of mentors at institutions around 纽约市 (including Columbia's 许多 research centers and schools, 纽约大学, 伊坎, 爱因斯坦, 洛克菲勒, 还有更多). Each department at Barnard has specific resources, and can provide specific insights, about labs that have previously hosted SRI students.

除了, a great resource are the lists of previous mentors found in the booklets for previous Lida Orzeck '68 Poster Sessions (found on this 页面). General questions about identifying a mentor at an institution outside of Barnard can be addressed to SRI@rockmark.net.