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Grants for undergraduate research in computational neuroscience

January 20, 2021 By

The Division of Science is pleased once again to announce the availability of Traineeships for Undergraduates in Computational Neuroscience through a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Traineeships will commence in summer 2021 and run through the academic year 2021-22.

From former trainee Dahlia Kushinksy’s first-author paper published in Journal of Experimental Biology, “In vivo effects of temperature on the heart and pyloric rhythms in the crab, Cancer borealis”

Please apply to the program by March 2, 2021 at 6 pm to be considered.

 

Traineeships in Computational Neuroscience are intended to provide intensive undergraduate training in computational neuroscience for students interested in eventually pursuing graduate research. The traineeships will provide approximately $5000 in stipend to support research in the summer, and $3000 each for fall and spring semesters during the academic year. Current Brandeis sophomores and juniors (classes of ’22, ’23) may apply. To be eligible to compete for this program, you must

  • have a GPA > 3.0 in Div. of Science courses
  • have a commitment from a professor to advise you on a research project related to computational neuroscience
  • have a course work plan to complete requirements for a major in the Division of Science
  • complete some additional requirements
  • intend to apply to grad school in a related field.

Interested students should apply online (Brandeis login required). Questions may be addressed to Steven Karel <divsci at brandeis.edu> or to Prof. Paul Miller.

Filed Under: grants, Neuroscience, Undergrads Tagged With: , , , ,

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Applications for 2021

January 20, 2021 By

In spite of all the uncertainty about the summer to come, it is time for Brandeis Science undergraduates doing research to think about applying for summer fellowships. The Division of Science, through a variety of sources, will likely have enough money to support roughly the same number of students as in recent years. For the most part, funding comes in the form of $5000 stipends that are paid directly to students to support them while working in labs in the summer.

There are also full-year Computational Neuroscience traineeships to support students. We will be looking for 6 students to appoint for 2021-22.

While there is a variety of funding mechanisms, students can apply via a single unified application. 

To apply, students will need to have a commitment from a faculty mentor to supervise their research in Summer 2021. Applications will be due on March 2, 2021. Students will need a single letter of reference from their faculty mentor.

The SciComm Lab is hosting a workshop for Brandeis undergraduates who are interested in learning about application strategies for summer science research opportunities at Brandeis University.
Filed Under: grants, Undergrads Tagged With: , ,

Hunting Novel Viruses in a Lab Course

November 5, 2020 By

Last Fall the Biology department mounted a new course (BIOL 152B),  the Virus Hunter Lab. This course combines practical experience in the lab with computer based approaches in bioinformatics. Students in the class isolated a type of virus that infects bacteria called a bacteriophage. In the wet lab, they learned basic microbiology techniques for isolating the viruses and basic molecular biology techniques for extracting the DNA of the viral genomes. With the biological material in hand the class prepared next generation sequencing libraries. The students assembled and annotated the complete genome of two previously unknown bacteriophage using next generation sequencing data from the samples they prepared. To find out more about it you can read their paper. Grad students Meghan Harris (MCB), their TA, and Tereasa Ho (Biotechnology) along with the inaugural group of undergraduate students are all authors on a paper recently published in the journal Microbiology Resource Announcements (MRA).

Harris MT, Ho TC, Fruchtman H, Garin ME, Kubatin V, Lu T, Xue L, Marr MT. Complete Genome Sequences of Two Vibrio natriegens Bacteriophages. Microbiology Resource Announcements. 2020;9(45).

Electron microscope image of the novel bacteriophage (VH2), photo by Jesse Cochrane

Filed Under: Biology, labs, teaching, Undergrads Tagged With: , , , , ,

Undergrad summer research funding, 2019

January 20, 2019 By

The Division of Science announces the opening of the Division of Science Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship competition for Brandeis students who will be doing undergraduate research in Summer 2019.  These fellowships are funded by generous alumni donations and by grants. Winners will get $5000 stipends for the summer.

Some funding programs have changed since last year; please see the Div Sci website for details of the programs which fund students across all the sciences. We expect to fund about 30 students this summer.

The due date for applications  is February 27, 2019  at 6:00 PM EST.

Students who will be rising Brandeis sophomores, juniors, or seniors in Summer 2019 (classes of ’20, ’21 and ’22), who in addition are working in a lab in the Division of Science at the time of application, are eligible to apply. A commitment from a Brandeis faculty member to serve as your mentor in Summer 2019 is required.

The Division of Science Summer Program will run from June 3 – Aug 9, 2019. Recipients are expected to be available to do full time laboratory research during that period, and must commit to presenting a poster at the final poster session (SciFest IX) on Aug 8, 2019.

Interested students should apply online (Brandeis login required). Questions that are not answered in the online FAQs may be addressed to Steven Karel <divsci at brandeis.edu>.

Filed Under: grants, Undergrads Tagged With: , , , , ,

SciFest VIII wrap-up

August 22, 2018 By

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The Brandeis University Division of Science held its annual undergraduate research poster session SciFest VIII on August 2, 2018, as more than one hundred student researchers presented summer’s (or last year’s) worth of independent research. We had a great audience of grad students and postdocs (many of whom were mentors), faculty, proud parents, friends, and senior administrators.

SciFest VIII by numbers

  • 105 posters
  • 105 student presenters out of approx. 175 summer student researchers
    • 84 Brandeis students
    • 2 international students (from India)
    • 19 visiting domestic students
  • 41 Brandeis faculty advisors from 7 departments
    • Biochemistry (7)
    • Biology (17)
    • Chemistry (5)
    • Computer Science (1)
    • Mathematics (1)
    • Physics (7)
    • Psychology (4)
  • 12 different Brandeis undergraduate majors represented
Filed Under: labs, Undergrads Tagged With: , , , ,

JBS Voice/Web/Mobile Showcase

July 30, 2018 By

The 2018 Voice/Web/Mobile JBS will have their final product showcase this Thursday 8/2 from 3-5 in Schwartz 112.

Six teams of three students each have built apps which can be accessed either through voice or through a browser (or both). The presentations will be from 3-4 (right after SciFest though in a different building) and you’ll be able to play with their apps from 4-5 at the reception.

The six apps are ( https://sites.google.com/a/brandeis.edu/jbs-2018-cosi/home/teams):

  • PresentationApp/SpeechFlow — control your computer during a presentation entirely with your voice (visit link A, pick a random student to answer this question, to to slide 10, etc.)
  • CollegeInfo — allows you to ask complex questions about the Brandeis course schedule, such as which Computer Science courses are offered this semester on Mondays at 3:00, and you can also use it to build and view your schedule.
  • SeniorCenter — matches seniors based on their interests in books, movies, and TV series. This is designed to fight the isolation and depression common in seniors while allowing them to use their voice rather than click buttons on their computer or phone.
  • DeisTransportApp — allows you to make reservation on the BranVan and query arrival times and bus locations all by voice!
  • HumanGainz — allows your phone to serve as your personal trainer at the gym. Reminding you of which exercises are next in the workout you selected.
  • SON – this is a next generation calendar app which incorporates social media so you can ask which of your friends are free at a particular day/time as well as handle all of the usual calendar operations.

Please join us to see the presentations, ask questions,  and interact with the apps.

— The JBS Team—

Filed Under: Computer Science, Undergrads Tagged With: , , , ,

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