Click here to view a list of opportunities and events posted on the BiologyStudents listserv. 

If you are a student and would like to join the listserv, email the biology department administrator.

The 2024 SRI application opens February 1 and is due March 6.

The Summer Research Institute (SRI) is a 10-week program for Barnard students who want to conduct scientific research during the summer. Students work directly either with a faculty mentor on campus, across the street at Columbia, or at other institutions such as the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. If your research mentor is not a Barnard faculty member, you will also need to identify an internal mentor.

SRI provides a common experience for undergraduates, providing additional training and opportunities to build empirical and analytical skills along with faculty lectures, alumnae panel discussions, social events, and more. All students selected to participate in SRI have access to subsidized on-campus housing. The summer concludes with a capstone poster session, where students present the progress of their research.

Eligibility: Full-time Barnard students working full-time with Barnard faculty in good financial, conduct, and academic standing; a GPA of 2.00

See Faculty Research Interests for potential Barnard Biology faculty mentors. See a list of former biology SRI research mentors here.

Important SRI Links

• Tentative Schedule for Summer 2024

• Frequently Asked Questions about SRI

• Information Session Slides

• Presentation on strategies for finding a mentor

• List of Barnard Faculty Reps and Mentors for 2024

• List of former Biology SRI research mentors/principal investigators

• Links to previous Poster Session materials (with information on previous faculty mentors from all participating institutions)

Questions? Email SRI@barnard.edu.

Applications are accepted until 5pm on February 1st, 2024. If you are a Columbia University undergraduate student and wish to be considered for the Amgen Scholars program, you should apply to the SURF program and you will automatically be considered for both programs.

The Amgen Scholars Program runs for ten weeks, beginning the Tuesday after Memorial Day. During the 10-week program, students work full-time (about 40 hours/week) on independent research projects under the guidance of a research scientist. Once a week, students gather to hear a scientist describe his or her research, hear about a peer's research, or present their own research to the other Amgen Scholars. Amgen Scholars are required to write an original research article (due after the program ends) and present their findings orally to their peers. Additionally, all Amgen Scholars participate in the Amgen Scholars National Symposium in California. Columbia students are required to present their work in poster format at a symposium, held the winter after the program.

Eligibility:

• US citizen or permanent resident
• Currently a sophomore, junior, or non-graduating senior at a four-year college or university in the United States, Puerto Rico or other US territory.
• No previous research experience is necessary and you do not need to be a biology major to apply.
• Students are expected to work full-time for the duration of the program, so participation is not compatible with attending summer school or working at another job.

For more information, visit https://biology.columbia.edu/content/amgen-scholars-program.

Applications open on January 3rd and are due by 5pm on February 1st, 2024. All recommendations must be emailed through the application website by February 1st, 2024, at 5pm.

SURF program runs for 10 weeks, from May 28th through August 2nd, 2024. During the 10 weeks of the program, the students work full-time (about 40 hours/week) on independent study projects under the guidance of a research scientist. At the beginning of the program, the students also have an orientation program that includes laboratory safety and selected topics on biological research. In addition, once a week SURF students get together to hear a scientist present a research seminar or to describe their own research to the other SURF students. All students are required to present orally, write an original research article describing their research due in August and present a poster of their work at the annual SURF Symposium during the spring semester. Participants receive a stipend of $5000. SURF does not pay for housing.

SURF applicants are automatically considered for the Amgen Scholars Program.

Eligibility: Students from Barnard or CU or who are working with an established SURF mentor. You do not need to be a biology major or have prior research experience to apply.

For more information, visit https://biology.columbia.edu/content/apply-SURF.

The 2024 Beckman Scholars application is due February 15, 2024.

The Beckman Scholars Program is open to students who are mentored by select faculty in Biology, Chemistry, or Neuroscience & Behavior (see program mentors listed below). Students must commit to an appropriate academic major (see below). We anticipate supporting two outstanding students each year.

We encourage interested students, especially sophomores, to explore the Beckman Scholars Program. Scholars and mentors participate in a 15-month research experience that extends over two summers and the intervening academic year. Scholars are provided continuous and generous stipend support during summers, and support for supplies, equipment, and publication costs, and travel to conferences. Faculty mentors furnish hands-on guidance throughout. 

Eligibility: Full-time Barnard students with a declared major in biology, chemistry, or neuroscience & behavior. Students planning to graduate in 2024 are NOT eligible for awards during the cycle beginning in 2024. 

For more information, visit Beckman Scholars.

Applications for 2024 Summer Program are due on February 22, 2024.

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Summer Intern Programs for Undergraduates are 10-week undergraduate research programs in all areas of earth, atmospheric, oceanic, and environmental sciences. Available programs include the Lamont Summer Intern Program for Undergraduates and the Earth Intern Program for Columbia & Barnard Undergraduates.

Eligibility: Students at Barnard, CU, or elsewhere should have an interest in conducting research in the Earth or ocean sciences. Two previous Earth- or ocean-science courses are desirable if they are available to the student. The program is open to US citizens or permanent residents who have completed their junior or sophomore year in college or community college with majors in earth science, environmental science, chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, or engineering. Neither graduating seniors nor international students are eligible for this internship. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

For more information, visit https://lamont.columbia.edu/education-outreach/student-summer-opportunities-intern-programs#!#cu_accordion_item-589. 

To apply, click here. 

Learn more about scholarships, research, & opportunity programs that provide funding to qualified Barnard STEM students during the academic year by clicking here.