Information for Juniors in Mind/Brain/Behavior Tracks
Spring 2008-2009
(If you did not receive this information in an e-mail, please e-mail Shawn Harriman at shawn_harriman@harvard.edu so we can add you to our records. If you have dropped MBB since the fall, please also e-mail Shawn so we can remove you from our e-mail lists. If you would like to remain on our e-mail lists, please still e-mail us your change of status. And if you have dropped an MBB track but are interested in seeing whether you could quality for a secondary field in MBB, please also e-mail Shawn.)
Welcome to the spring 2009 semester! This letter will highlight several aspects of your MBB experience, including course work and activities, that will take place this spring.
Course Work
- If you have not yet taken either of the two foundational MBB courses, you may do so this spring:
- Science B-62, The Human Mind: Intro to Mind, Brain, & Behavior
Steven Pinker
Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:30-3 p.m., Science Center B
Note: if you took Science B-29, Evolution of Human Behavior in
2006-2007 or earlier, you may count that as a foundational course
instead of Science B-62. - Molecular and Cellular Biology 80, Neurobiology of Behavior
Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman
Tuesdays and Thursdays 1-2:30 p.m.,
Northwest Labs B-103 - MBB 92, Conscious Experience: Image, Space, and Self
Daniel Pollen
Mondays 2-4 p.m., 14 Story Street, room 412 - MBB 93, The Bio of Conscious States: Waking, Sleeping, & Dreaming
Robert Stickgold
Tuesdays 1-3 p.m., 14 Story Street, room 412 - MBB 96, The Science of Happiness
Nancy Etcoff
Thursdays 1-3 p.m., 14 Story Street, room 412 - NEW COURSE - MBB 97, Why We Hate
Lawrence Friedman
Wednesdays 1-4 p.m. plus occasional Wednesday 7-8:30 p.m.
14 Story Street, room 412
Note: this course was originally advertised as MBB 153 - additional departmental courses noted at
http://mbb.harvard.edu/undergrad/progjun_sem0809.php - Tuesday, February 17th, 4 p.m., Totally Informal Seminar
Professor Joshua Sanes - Tuesday, February 24th, 4 p.m., Totally Informal Seminar
Jonah Lehrer, author of Proust was a Neuroscientist and the new How We Decide - Tuesday, March 17th, 4-6 p.m. with dinner reception to follow, Symposium
Economic Decision-Making: Perspectives from Neuroscience, Economics, and Psychology
This year you should also complete an interdisciplinary seminar. If you did not take one this fall, a number of spring options are available:
Some tracks approve alternate arrangements for these requirements and you should consult your concentration advisor or your concentration’s MBB track faculty head about such a possibility. You should also check with your concentration about your progress in meeting additional track requirements
Finally, this spring MBB is offering a new elective research course, MBB 90r: Supervised Research, to give academic credit to students engaged in research on a mind/brain/behavior topic. The course requires regular work in a laboratory or research program, and an end-of-semester written research report. In most situations, students in MBB tracks should conduct individual supervised research for course credit through a tutorial course (e.g., 91r, 910r) in their home department/concentration, but occasionally MBB 90r will be appropriate. If your concentration does not give you credit for junior-year research leading to your senior thesis, or if you wish to do research supervised by a faculty member outside your department (e.g., from Harvard Medical School), MBB 90r might be appropriate (although it will probably not count toward your track/concentration requirements). If you have questions about this course, you may contact Shawn Harriman at shawn_harriman@harvard.edu. Additional information and a link to the required application link is available at http://mbb.harvard.edu/mbb90.php.
MBB Advising Meeting: Monday February 2nd, 4-6 p.m., Ticknor Lounge (Boylston Hall)
The undergraduate group HSMBB and the MBB office are co-sponsoring a shopping week advising meeting featuring MBB faculty, advisors, and students who will be available to chat with students about MBB programs and courses. If you have questions about fitting MBB courses into your concentration or secondary field, would like to talk to spring MBB course instructors, or would like to hear about the student perspective on MBB offerings, we think you will find this event very helpful as you plan your spring semester and beyond. Refreshments will be provided, and we hope to see you there!
Thesis Work
Your MBB certificate requires you to complete a senior honors thesis, and you will be working with your concentration advisors this spring to plan your thesis. If you plan to spend your summer doing research for your thesis, you are welcome to apply for a Mary Gordon Roberts Summer MBB Award. These grants are competitive and help finance research and living expenses. To apply, you should use the common grant application through the Harvard College Research Program, which is due on Wednesday, April 1st, and indicate that you are an MBB student. Click here for information on the common application. MBB-specific information about the application process is available at http://mbb.harvard.edu/undergrad/summerthesis.php.
Junior Symposium
This past fall MBB held a very successful symposium for juniors on Autism. If you were unable to attend this symposium, you should plan to attend the symposium at the beginning of next year. The symposium usually takes place just before the start of classes in September. If you need to complete this requirement for the MBB Certificate, e-mail Shawn Harriman to be added to the symposium mailing list; details will be available later this spring.
Special Events and Activities: MBB and HSMBB
The larger MBB community will gather this spring for several exciting events we hope you will be able to attend. These will include the annual distinguished lecturers, scheduled for April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, to be delivered by Daniel Dennett.
In addition the MBB student group, the Harvard Society for Mind/Brain/Behavior (HSMBB), is planning a busy and interesting series of spring term activities, including weekly teas, an April event highlighting the Intersection of Art and Mind/Brain/Behavior, a neuroeconomics symposium, and a continually of this past fall’s totally informal seminar series. Dates for some events have already been set (locations TBA):
HSMBB also publishes The Harvard Brain and is currently accepting submissions through this Friday, January 30th. The editors are seeking writing from MBB-related fields, including (but not limited to) psychology, philosophy, neurobiology, history of science, computer science, public health, linguistics, behavioral economics, human evolutionary biology, and organismic and evolutionary biology. Work from previous years is welcome, and there are no specific length requirements. The author of the best article will be awarded $75. Send documents or questions to harvardbrain@gmail.com.
To receive additional details on these and other HSMBB events and activities, join the group’s mailing list by visiting http://lists.hcs.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/hsmbb-list or e-mailing hsmbb-list-request@lists.hcs.harvard.edu with “help” as the subject line or message.
If you have any questions about any of the information in this e-mail, feel free to contacte Shawn Harirman at shawn_harriman@harvard.edu.
We at MBB wish you a productive and exciting semester!
