Hi everyone! I’m CJ and I’m a sophomore studying neuroscience and dance. One of the best parts of college is getting involved in research! I started my first year at 61´«Ã½knowing I wanted to get involved in some kind of neuroscience research as soon as possible! Even without any formal lab experience, I met with different professors whose work I would be interested in learning more about. Keck Science Center (Scripps’ shared science department with Pitzer and CMC) has a great non-competitive environment that has allowed me to feel comfortable trying new things, like research!Â
After exploring some different labs, I ended up working in two labs my spring semester of my first year, both involving Neuroscience. One involved administering EEGs to assist a professor in their own research, and the other, which I continued over the summer, involved creating my own project and learning about the field of computational neuroscience!Â
In order to complete my research over the summer, I received the Johnson Grant for Interdisciplinary research. This allowed me to live in Claremont and spend my time working on my project. This was a truly great experience and inspired me to continue exploring computational neuroscience, something I never even considered before college! Research is a great way to explore different areas and see if you would be interested in any as a possible career.Â
In whatever capacity you want to engage in research on campus, chances are there’s an opportunity for you! There are also various funding sources at both 61´«Ã½and Keck that can provide any monetary needs for your work; that can include compensation or obtaining necessary materials.Â
I hope this gave you some insight into research at the Claremont Colleges! Please reach out with any questions!Â
CJ ([email protected])