Undergraduate Global Engagement

formerly the office of Global Programs

The Columbia Summer Practicum in Global Neuroscience: Next Gen Scholars of Consciousness is a global program that gives enrolled students the opportunity to take a deep dive into the field of Neuroscience of Consciousness, one of the hottest topics in the sciences. Taking part in the course will allow students to develop a network of international researchers, first by meeting with them in the classroom, and then by attending the annual meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC). Students will have the opportunity to practice how to discuss, conduct, and analyze research studies that draw on current state-of-the-art technological advancements in neuroscience of consciousness. The program will take place in Tokyo, Japan in Summer 2024.

Eligibility and Application

• Open to undergraduate Columbia and Barnard students in good academic and disciplinary standing. This program is also open to visiting students from other universities.
• Students are expected to have basic knowledge of the nervous system, and completed some coursework in one of the following departments: Psychology, Neuroscience, Biology OR possess a strong computational and statistical background (e.g., Computer Science, Statistics Departments).
• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.

How to apply?

Want to apply? Click the “Start Your Application" button at the top of this page. If the button doesn't appear above, the program is not yet accepting applications. You will be asked to set up a short profile, which will allow us to send you relevant information about your application. Once you’ve created a profile, you will see a checklist of items that you will need to submit. These generally include:

• Application questionnaire(s)
• Personal statement
• Official transcript(s)
• Resume
• Academic Recommendation
• Interview may be requested

Academics

PSYC3226OC: Columbia Summer Practicum in Global Neuroscience. 4 points.

Instructor Alfredo Spagna, Department of Psychology

Modern theories attempt to characterize the human mind in terms of information processing. But machines that process information do not seem to feel anything; a computer may for instance receive inputs from a video camera, yet it would be hard to imagine that it sees or experiences the vividness of colors like we do. This course explores behaviors by understanding the influences of biological processes. What does a prototypical neuron look like? How do neurons talk to each other? How does neuronal communication produce behavior? Then we will move into asking deeper questions like: What happens in the brain when you want to move? Why do we dream? How do we form memories? Nobody has yet provided a convincing theory as to how to explain the subjective nature of our mental lives in objective physical terms. Over four weeks, the Columbia Summer Practicum in Global Neuroscience: Next Gen Scholars of Consciousness (NGSC’24) attempts to provide a strong introductory foundation to the field of human neuroscience.

Specifically, the course will:

1) Introduce theories, research, and experiments that provided the basis for most debates on consciousness and perception.

2) Provide overview of structure and function of sense organs and discussion on the role of psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments in providing insights in our understanding of consciousness.

3) Introduce case studies from neuropsychological patients for discussion, with the goal of demonstrating how data from patients with specific types of brain damage provide important insights into the neural bases of normal cognitive functioning.

4) Meld together the data from both the behavioral evidence and neurobiological sources how consciousness is instantiated in the brain, and how it is mapped onto specific brain networks and the nature of the calculations performed in the different nodes within these networks.

PROGRAM DATES

The course will meet for a week of virtual study between June 3rd and June 7th. Classes will take place from 10am -12:30pm, and students will be expected to prepare for and attend class, and complete all homework. The course will then meet in person in Tokyo, Japan for three weeks, including the ASSC conference.

Students should expect to arrive in Tokyo on Saturday June 15th and depart on Saturday July 6th.

GRADES AND TRANSCRIPTS

Grading Policy

Click here for the Columbia summer program grading policies.

Transcripts

Upon successful completion of the program, grades are entered into Columbia's online grading system.

No credit is granted to students who do not complete the full program.

Columbia students: Grades appear on SSOL and your transcript as semester grades from courses taken at Columbia. For more information, please see the section on Academic Credit in Steps to Study Abroad.

Barnard students: Grades appear on eBear and your transcript as any semester grades from courses taken at Barnard. For more information, please see the section on Credit and Transcripts for Barnard Students on our Barnard student pages.

Life in Tokyo

Students will live in a University of Tokyo-affiliated residence hall and take classes on the campus of the University of Tokyo. More details regarding housing and excursions will be added soon.

People

Program Director: Alfredo Spagna

Alfredo Spagna, is a Faculty of the Psychology Department and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Neuroscience and Behavior Major. His teaches a variety of lecture and seminar courses for the Psychology Department, including Behavioral Neuroscience (UN2450), Human Neuropsychology (UN2470), Attention and Perception seminar (GU4229), Consciousness and Attention seminar (GU4225), and a newly created Human Neuroimaging Course (GU4990) that will be delivered starting Fall2020. His research interests span across different but related fields, including attention, perception, consciousness, and visual mental imagery and mainly on healthy adults. His involvement in international and national research grants is at the core of the program, since enrollees will be visiting the labs in which the Program Director international research collaboration is ongoing.

Program Coordinator: Zhexi Shan ’22GS

Financial Considerations

*Summer 2024 Tuition and Fees

Resources for Accepted Students