Neuroscience Research Opportunities
Neuroscience Research at Ãļ§Ö±²¥
Neuroscience-affiliated faculty at Ãļ§Ö±²¥ are interested in a diverse array of scientific questions, including: how genes regulate biological clocks and sleep/activity cycles, how cannabinoids impact adolescent brain development and adult behavior, how neurodegenerative diseases can be understood at the molecular level, how hormones regulate behavior, how the brain processes music, and how the two hemispheres of the brain process information differently (plus much more!).
There are MANY research opportunities for Neuroscience students. Although carrying out research is not required to major in Neuroscience, we strongly encourage all Neuroscience majors to engage in independent research as part of their curriculum, and over 90% of majors end up doing some form of research during their time at Ãļ§Ö±²¥. We have many avenues into research, and hope that you begin this process sooner rather than later!
Below is more information about the various research opportunities available to Neuroscience majors. Click the links for more info about each item!
Research Facilities - students carrying out research with Ãļ§Ö±²¥ Neuroscience faculty have access to specific equipment within each faculty member's individual research space, and also several shared research spaces, such as the Ãļ§Ö±²¥ McGraw Microscopy Imaging Center, a vertebrate animal facility, etc. Many of these spaces are now housed in the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences, completed in 2024.
For-Credit Research - During the academic year, there are several for-credit research course options with different credit levels that Neuroscience majors can enroll in, with faculty research mentor approval.
Summer Research - Though more competitive, many Neuroscience majors complete summer research projects at Ãļ§Ö±²¥. Applications for the upcoming summer are due early in the Spring semester.
Conference Travel/Presentation
Many Neuroscience students have the opportunity to present their research. This can happen on-campus, for example at the culmination of summer research projects or during Academic Festival at the end of the academic year. Students can also present regionally, for example at the Hudson-Berkshire chapter of the Society for Neuroscience (SFN) in Albany, or at the NEURON conference at Quinnipiac University. And students can also present nationally or even internationally, for example at the annual SFN conference or Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) research symposium, among others.
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Top Left: Ariana Tucker '24 presents her neuroscience thesis research at Academic Festival. Top Right: Students pose at the Society for Neuroscience (SFN) annual conference in San Diego, 2022. Middle Left: A crew of Ãļ§Ö±²¥ students and faculty at the 2023 NEURON conference. Middle Right: A large group of Ãļ§Ö±²¥ neuroscience students, faculty, and alumni meet for dinner in San Diego during the 2022 SFN conference. Bottom Left: Victoria Thorpe '23 presents at the Ãļ§Ö±²¥ summer research symposium. Bottom Right: Vecsey Lab members enjoy a well-deserved ice cream break during summer 2023.
Publications
Neuroscience students at Ãļ§Ö±²¥ often contribute in meaningful ways to research projects, resulting in authorship on publications. Click the links to see some recent examples!
Ferro et al (2017) - Lagalwar lab
Wang et al (2024) - Vecsey lab
Pelz et al (2017) - López lab
Llabre et al (2022) - Possidente lab
How to get involved in research!
Starting in 2022, each Fall semester, the Neuroscience Program has been hosting a Research Fair, which includes an overview of research opportunities, brief introductions to the research going on in each faculty member's lab, and student-led tours of research laboratories. Attending this research fair is a great way to get to know the neuroscience faculty members and the types of neuroscience research they are currently doing at Ãļ§Ö±²¥, to meet upper-level research students, and to learn how to get involved. Keep an eye out for posters about this annual event!
Please note that you will need to e-mail/talk to your professors in order to enroll in these research courses. Approach them well before registration period to ask if you can join their lab – spots are competitive and labs can fill quickly. A good time to ask a professor about joining their lab is after you've just done well in a course taught by that professor.
Funding Options
Once you have started a research project in a faculty member's lab, you may want to apply for funding to purchase supplies/equipment, or to support travel either to complete the research itself or to present your results. Below is a list of some of the most common sources of funding for Neuroscience majors. Some of these are college-wide funding mechanisms, and others are specific to the Neuroscience program.
College-Wide Funding Sources
- Student Opportunity Project Funds - This funding source is perfect to purchase supplies for student research projects during the academic year.
- Student Opportunity Travel to Present Funds - This should be students' first stop to get funding to support travel to present their work at conferences.
- SEE Beyond Awards - These awards support student internships, research, etc. off-campus, especially during the summer.
- Summer Experience Fund (SEF) Awards - Another source of funding to support otherwise unpaid experiences off-campus.
Neuroscience Program-Specific Funding Sources
- Ketterer-Sykes Endowed Fund - this new (beginning 2024-25) source of funding is specific to the Neuroscience Program, and was established by Gwyneth Ketterer, mother of neuroscience major Ellie Ketterer-Sykes '24. This flexible fund can support research as well as travel. See more info HERE. [Stay tuned as an application form is developed to apply for funding from this source.]
- Neuroscience IDC Fund - this funding source has accumulated from the indirect costs (IDC) from neuroscience faculty members' grants, and can be used to support student travel to conferences, etc., when other funding options have been exhausted. Students can apply for this funding HERE.