Campus Life

Fall Retreat

Since 1984 PiN has held a student-run retreat at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, the weekend after Labor Day each year. Students stay in cottages, prepare group meals, listen to talks by more senior students, and spend time on the beach, visiting Martha’s Vineyard, and looking for the local bioluminescence. The retreat gives first-year students the opportunity to bond as a cohort and get to know upper-year students and labs across the program.

Poster Session & Lightning Talks

PiN organizes a poster session in September with 40-50 affiliated labs presenting each year. In addition, PiN and the Center for Brain Science on Harvard's Cambridge campus co-host a series of faculty lightning talks for incoming PiN students every year in the fall.

Spring Symposium

The biennial spring symposium is a more formal event organized by a committee of senior students who select a developing or very active area of neuroscience investigation and invite 3 or 4 prominent scientists working in that area to come and present their research. The symposium is open to the broader Harvard neuroscience community, and PiN students are invited to join the speakers for dinner afterwards.

All-PiN Luncheon

Every year in May, PiN students convene with the program directors over lunch to reflect on the past academic year. Students share feedback on any and all aspects of the program to help steer program development.

PiN students founded and continue to lead United Scholars in Neuroscience (USN) and also participate in Women in Neuroscience (WIN).

Nocturnal Journal Club (NJC)

The student-run Nocturnal Journal Club meets biweekly throughout the academic year. Students volunteer to present papers and give data talks over dinner and drinks. NJC provides a friendly environment for students to practice their presentation skills and focus their scientific interests. PiN especially encourages first-year students and PiNBAC trainees to attend.

Computational Neuroscience Journal Club (CNJC)

Led by a group of students and post-docs, CNJC meets biweekly to discuss and learn about methods in computational and theoretical neuroscience and machine learning. Meetings focus on both theories about neural computation and computational methods to analyze neural data. Topics have included control theory, compressed sensing, reinforcement learning, sparse coding, and Bayesian networks. Attendance is encouraged for trainees of all backgrounds.

Conscious Systems Journal Club

Led by a group of PiN students and open to all HMS Neurobiology Department trainees, the conscious systems journal club meets biweekly over dinner during the academic year and takes as its scope unanswered questions in neuro, cogsci, and philosophy of mind.

Peer Mentorship Program

All first-year PiN students are paired with a more senior peer mentor within the program. PiN peer mentors complete training in culturally aware mentorship, mental health first aid, Title IX, and navigating student resources across the University. Peer mentors meet with their mentees regularly throughout the G1 year and organize regular themed hang-outs around topics like making the most of your rotations, choosing a lab, preparing for your PQE, time management, and work-life balance in grad school. 

PiNBAC

PiN students have the opportunity to mentor post-baccalaureate trainees in lab research, grant writing, and generally preparing for and applying to graduate school through PiNBAC.

NSF GRFP

PiN organizes a peer mentorship program to support students applying for the NSF GRFP.

Outreach

PiN encourages students to take full advantage of teaching, mentorship, and outreach opportunities through the many established programs & initiatives at Harvard and across the greater Boston area.