At Bard, we believe that science is learned best through the experience of doing research. For this reason, we offer research opportunities available to ambitious Bard students throughout their college careers.
We also offer intensive experiences for students who want to work on their projects full-time. Students in the Bard Summer Research Program conduct 10-week investigations with Bard
faculty during the summer months. Juniors can apply to participate in the Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science Program (BRSS) during the spring semester. Students in BRSS live at Bard Hall in New York City, work 20-25 hours in the laboratory of a Rockefeller University scientist, and take special science classes with Rockefeller University postdoctoral fellows.
In their final year, all students at Bard complete a Senior Project for which they design, conduct, analyze, interpret, and present a scientific investigation of their own.
Below are descriptions of other opportunities for research in the sciences:
The Bard Rockefeller Semester in Science (BRSS)
The Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science in New York City (BRSS) is a one-semester program designed for advanced science students, particularly in the fields of neuroscience, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology, biophysics, and genetics. Students spend a semester in New York City working in the laboratory with faculty from Rockefeller University (RU) and taking specially designed classes at RU and at Bard’s Globalization and International Affairs Program in New York City. BRSS takes place in the spring semester, students apply to BRSS in early fall and decisions are made by late fall.
Website: http://www.bard.edu/brss/
The Laboratory for Algebraic and Symbolic Computation
The Bard College Laboratory for Algebraic and Symbolic Computation is committed to the advancement of the state of mathematical knowledge through computing. The ASC Lab's goal is to extend the capabilities of existing theorem provers, model searchers, and computer algebra systems through improved connectivity and knowledge management. Current domains of interest include universal algebra and the constraint satisfaction problem. At ASC, Bard faculty, students, and staff work together to produce new theorems and algorithms, solve intricate problems within metadata design, and develop websites that integrate several complex software systems.
Website: http://turing.bard.edu:8080/opencms/opencms/ASC Contact:
Robert McGrail
Research Experience for Undergraduates
The federally funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program offers students the opportunity to participate in research at various institutions across the country. Many recent Bard science and mathematics students have applied successfully for places in this highly competitive national program. They have spent their summers in REU programs at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Minnesota–Duluth, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and many other institutions.
Website: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&from=fund
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (SURF)
Rockefeller University reserves places for qualified Bard students in its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program.
Website: http://www.rockefeller.edu/surf/
Field Ecology Research Opportunities
Located on campus at the conjunction of the Hudson River and the Saw Kill, the Bard College Field Station affords research and teaching access to freshwater tidal marshes and the Hudson River National Estuarine Reserve of the Tivoli Bays. A library, herbarium, laboratories, classroom, and offices are open to undergraduate and graduate students and faculty.
Hudsonia Ltd., a nonprofit institute for environmental research and education, is also based at the field station. Campus employment and internships are available through these organizations.
The Institute of Ecosystem Studies (IES), in nearby Millbrook, New York, offers additional opportunities for undergraduates to pursue ecological research through laboratory and field work. The IES also offers REU positions for Bard students.
Independent Science Research Opportunity Program (ISROP)
At Bard, we believe that science is learned best through the experience of doing research. For this reason, we offer research opportunities available to ambitious Bard students throughout their college careers. As early as their first year, students can participate in the Independent Science Research Opportunity Program (ISROP). Students in ISROP conduct research with faculty for a semester or more of the academic year. Four students in the 2007-08 program, for example, are working with Professor Mike Tibbetts to investigate the biology of the NMDA receptor in zebrafish. Three other students are working with Professor Felicia Keesing to study interactions between an invasive plant species, a fungus that can kill ticks, and a disease transmitted by those ticks. For more information about this program contact Professor Mike Tibbetts.
Contact:
Mike Tibbetts
Computer Science and Mathematics
Students and faculty in computer science regularly attend the annual meeting of the
Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges, eastern region, and students participate in the programming conference at the conference. Also, students participate in the
Association for Computing Machinery’s International Collegiate Programming Contest. Each year students in mathematics participate in the
William Lowell Putnam Competition. The
Hudson River Undergraduate Mathematics Conference is held each spring and is always well attended by students and faculty in mathematics.
Neuroscience
Courses in the field of neuroscience are taught primarily in the Psychology Program, with some additional research participation by biology faculty. Students interested in neuroscience research can help design and conduct laboratory projects in developmental psychopharmacology, neurochemistry, neuroanatomy, and/or neurobehavioral teratology.
Website: http://inside.bard.edu/psych/area_neuro/
Engineering 3-2 Program
Students wishing to pursue a degree in engineering can spend three years studying science at Bard, then transfer for two additional years to the School of Engineering at Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis, or Dartmouth College. After five years students receive a B.A. from Bard and a B.S. from the other institution.
Website: http://www.bard.edu/academics/additional
Environmental Policy 3-2 Program
Qualified students can proceed directly from three years of undergraduate study at Bard to a two-year program leading to a master of science degree from the Bard Center for Environmental Policy.
Website: http://www.bard.edu/cep/academics Contact:
Bard Center for Environmental Policy
