Senior Thesis
Senior Thesis
The Senior Thesis offers NSB 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 study, and learn first-hand how to design and execute experimental research. During their final full year, NSB majors must complete two semesters of research (10-12 hours/week in the lab) and attend the senior research seminar both semesters. Also, the NSBV BC2001 lab course must be completed prior to the senior thesis.
The majority of majors will enroll in the following courses:
Individual research project and Senior Research Seminar (NSBV BC3593-3594). Students develop and conduct their own research project working in a lab under the supervision of an advisor. The year-long Senior Research Seminar helps students write their senior thesis and acquire scientific communication skills. Students must begin to develop a plan for their project in their junior year. (This was the only option available to NSB majors up until AY2023-2024.)
In special cases students may instead enroll in an alternative course:
Neuroscience Guided Research (NSBV BC3591-3592). This year-long course allows students to conduct experiments and contribute to original research under the guidance of a Barnard instructor. Students still complete a senior thesis, but the research topic and laboratory techniques are established by the instructor. This course has a very limited enrollment and is capped at 12 students. Completion of the NSBV BC2001 lab course is required prior to enrolling in Guided Research.
Examples of prior topics include the application of electroencephalography (EEG) for real-time recording of brain activity during mind wandering, a cognitive phenomenon characterized by dynamic shifts of attention away from the external environment to the inner world of self-generated thoughts. Students will learn to collect EEG and behavioral data and use programming for data analysis. Students will conduct independent research projects with the aim of testing hypotheses about the relationship between mind-wandering and spontaneous brain activity recorded with EEG.
Students who register for Guided Research with Professor Kara Pham will investigate and characterize a neurovascular portal pathway that links the brain’s circadian center to a nearby circumventricular organ. Techniques employed include immunohistochemical staining of brain tissue to visualize different elements of the portal structure, capturing images using high resolution microscopes, and analyzing images using software programs such as FIJI and Imaris.
All NSB seniors are expected to work on their senior thesis for a minimum of 10-12 hours of lab work per week regardless of which course above they are enrolled.
NSB seniors present their theses to the community during a two-day conference hosted by the NSB Department at the end of the academic year. Faculty, staff, families, and fellow students are invited to attend and hear about the majors' impressive work. It is always a wonderful culminating experience for both students and faculty.
Previously completed theses are available online to NSB majors and students who joined the department mailing list – if you want to join the department mailing list, please contact the Department Administrator (dfeinber@barnard.edu).
In the fall and spring semesters, the department holds a meeting to explain the senior thesis requirement to majors in their junior year. Please note that the senior requirement must be taken in the fall-spring sequence. If you plan to graduate in January, the senior thesis must be completed in the fall and spring of your junior year.
Selection of Thesis Topics
For many NSB majors, the senior thesis project is their most enjoyable and intellectually rewarding experience at Barnard. To make sure you have a similar experience, we can offer you several types of support:
- Attend the NSB program-planning meeting when you declare the major. We prepare you for the thesis process and discuss how to find a research lab.
- Attend the meeting the NSB department holds in the fall and spring semesters to explain the thesis options to junior majors.
- Meet with the Chair, Vice Chair or the administrator of the NSB department to discuss your interests.
- To learn more about the labs where you can conduct your research project, explore the research interests of the faculty in Barnard NSB Department, the Departments of Psychology and Biology at Barnard, the Departments of Psychology and Biological Sciences at Columbia University, the Zuckerman Institute, CU Medical Campus, NY State Psychiatric Institute, and nearby universities, including NYU, Rockefeller University and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
- Speak with your advisor or the Chair or Vice Chair to help you look into the labs in the many institutions in New York City; look at the webpage of labs in New York City; contact labs/mentors who have worked with Barnard NSB students in the past to see if there are openings at the present time.