SRI Eligibility & Requirements
It is highly recommended that all SRI students complete the Program Interest Form to ensure that they are receiving important updates prior to the application deadline. Note that all students intending to participate in SRI must fill out the application for the program by the stated deadline (March 5, 2025 at 12PM Eastern).
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about SRI are linked here.
General Eligibility Requirements:
- Any rising Barnard College sophomore, junior, or senior who (a) Is majoring or intending to major in one of the SRI-supported departments (Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Mathematics & Statistics, Neuroscience & Behavior, Physics & Astronomy, or Psychology), and (b) has made a meaningful mentor match, and has a STEM-focused project for the summer may apply to the Summer Research Institute.
- By the time of application, students must identify — and have talked to — a faculty mentor at Barnard or another institution who has confirmed their willingness to mentor the student.
- Projects must take place under the mentorship of a faculty member at Barnard College or Columbia University (including its schools and associated institutes), or with a faculty member whose primary affiliation is with a university or research institution located in the New York Metropolitan Area.
- With very few exceptions, projects must take place in person.
- There are no formal coursework prerequisites.
- All students intending to participate in the Summer Research Institute must submit an application to the program by the deadline (March 5, 2025).
- Late submissions will only be considered after those that meet the deadline.
Please note that several programs at Barnard — including (SP)^2, Bridgewater Scholars, Beckman Scholars, and E(SP)^2 — have funding for the Summer Research Institute. Students intending to participate in SRI through these programs must still submit an SRI application. Please be in touch with your program directors if you have questions about participation and funding.
We recommend that students who are being mentored by Columbia University faculty, or faculty at other research institutions, ask about the mentor’s ability to provide funding to support their stipend.
Prioritization for SRI
- Effort is made to support as many SRI projects as possible, but submission of an application is not a guarantee of acceptance into SRI.
- In cases where demand for SRI is exceptionally high, priority for participation is given to rising seniors and juniors.
Other eligibility requirements are found below. Questions can be sent to sri@ballballu.com.
Eligibility
Students must be enrolled at Barnard during the spring semester to be eligible for participation in SRI. Students who have withdrawn from Barnard before or during the spring semester are not eligible without clearance from their class dean.
Students must be in good academic standing during the spring semester. Previous semester and cumulative GPA at least 2.00. Satisfactory academic progress required: rising sophomore standing = minimum 24 points; junior standing = minimum 52 points; senior standing = minimum 86 points.
Students must be in good conduct standing and maintain that standing throughout the 10 weeks of the program by observing Residential Life policies and the Student Code of Conduct, as laid out in the Barnard Student Handbook.
In order to be admitted to the SRI program, students must have outstanding College bills paid in full.
Lab Safety Training
All students, staff and faculty are required to attend a laboratory safety training session prior to conducting research in a faculty laboratory. The training is offered three times a year—i.e., at the beginning of each semester and the summer. Ask your mentor for the time and location.
There is also an online version available for those who are unable to attend the review course. To become certified, students must pass the test associated with the online course.
When a laboratory is open and running, New York City requires at least one of the occupants to be C-14 certified.
To obtain certification, Barnard students must take a test in Brooklyn. To qualify you must have completed the following:
- 21 credits in a science course
- 60 credits
To prepare for the test, we recommend that you either attend the review class or review the material online.
When planning to take the test:
- Confirm that they are open and bring necessary materials by visiting the NYC Business site with information on the C-14 certification.
- Double check the requirements as the requirements change.
- Review the study guide and online materials.
- Fill out the A-20 form
- Bring two forms of identification and a letter of recommendation from your PI
Please note: the testing fee is $25. You may be reimbursed by your department or Beyond Barnard. To this end, make sure you keep your receipt.
Traveling to the test site:
NYC Fire Department (FDNY)
Public Certification Unit
9 MetroTech Center, 1st Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 999-1988
pubcert@fdny.nyc.gov
- Take the 1 train to 59th (Columbus Circle) and transfer to the A train to Metro Tech/Jay Street
- Use the Myrtle Promenade/Jay St. Metro Tech exit from the station
- Walk east to the Flatbush Ave. entrance
Instructions for Barnard students to complete RCR.
Frequently Asked Questions about RCR
All SRI students must complete the RCR training and upload the completion certificate to Courseworks.
If you are planning to conduct research on vertebrate animals (e.g., mice), then please speak with your mentor about obtaining approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Columbia.
Before you can begin research on vertebrate animals, you must be trained and appropriately qualified. To this end, you will need to attend training courses, obtain occupational health approval, and be added to your mentor’s research protocol. For a summary of this process, see the Training Flowchart.
The training and certification process is conducted by the Institute of Comparative Medicine (ICM) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Columbia. Given that the training process varies depending on the vertebrate species you intend to study (e.g., mouse, rat or pigeon), you will need to speak with your mentor about the specific training requirements.
For occupational health approval, you will need to:
- Fill out the occupational health clearance form with your mentor.
- Obtain clearance from a health care provider (note: during the academic year, go to BC health services; during the summer, go to CU health services in John Jay).
**Note: this training and certification process often takes 3-4 weeks to complete, so begin early.
Program Expectations
All participants in the Summer Research are expected to produce and present a poster for the Lida Orzeck '68 Poster Session. Students should discuss the contents of their poster with their faculty mentor. Workshops on poster creation are held in the weeks leading up to the Poster Session, and special advising sessions on poster creation are available through the Science Fellows. Questions can be sent to sri@ballballu.com.
SRI is expected to be a full-time commitment for 10 weeks (35 hours per week), typically between the last week of May and first week of August. Juneteenth (or the day on which Barnard College observes Juneteenth) and the Fourth of July (or the day on which Barnard College observes the Fourth of July) are Barnard College holidays in summer. Any revisions to the program schedule must be cleared by a student's mentor and reported to the SRI Planning Committee.
The logistics for delivery of payment will be communicated to students. In some instances, hourly wages must be reported. In others, students will receive stipend checks. The specifics of a student's payment will be shared prior to the start of the program.