Research at Barnard
One of the many privileges that comes with attending Barnard is having the opportunity to engage in cutting edge scientific and humanities research with some of the best professors in the country. For students looking to do academic research with a Barnard or Columbia professor, there are countless opportunities to do so. Even better, you don’t need to be a senior to land one of these positions: there are always openings that are seeking to add students to their teams.
Many opportunities for research exist in the science departments. The biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and psychology departments at both Barnard and Columbia all accept students to work year-round. These labs give students the chance to collaborate with a team of other students and established scientists in order to solve a real-world problem. The experience students gain from these research opportunities is extremely useful when deciding what to do post-college or applying for jobs and internships.
The view on the way to my lab!
For me, I have taken advantage of scientific research opportunities at Columbia. I am part of a lab at Columbia’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, the science research wing of The Earth Institute. My lab uses ocean floor mapping techniques to explore and study the seafloor, and we are contributing to an international push to get the entire ocean floor mapped. Being part of this lab has allowed me to take the theories and ideas I have learned in my classes and apply it to a real world example, which has even further cemented the things I learn in school.
In addition to doing research for the experience, many departments at Barnard, both humanities and science, require students complete a senior thesis. This is typically a year-long endeavor that requires working with a professor or faculty member to conduct research on a novel concept and report your findings. I am currently doing my senior thesis on the ocean floor mapping research, and have been working on it since the beginning of summer 2016. Being part of the research and writing process is a challenging yet equally rewarding process, and has helped me figure out what I want to with my life post-college.
I’m a firm believer that the research opportunities at Barnard are what sets it apart from many others, and being part of the process has given me ample experience that I plan on using in both my professional and personal life.
If you have any questions about research, or just general questions about life at Barnard please feel free to reach out to me at hes2142@barnard.edu.
Main image by Barnard Communications Flickr Account