# Campus Life ## expand\_more ![PiN students at Woods Hole retreat](/sites/g/files/omnuum5476/files/2024-10/Tess%20Whitwam%20-%20IMG_8421.JPG) In partnership with faculty, postdocs, junior trainees, and staff across PiN, the [Department of Neurobiology](https://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/), the [Harvard Brain Science Initiative (HBI)](https://brain.harvard.edu/), the [HMS Office for Graduate Education (OGE)](https://ogephd.hms.harvard.edu/), the [Graduate School of Arts and Sciences](https://gsas.harvard.edu/), and individual [labs](/pinphd/faculty), our students work together to foster an inclusive program culture that reflects our [core values](/community "Culture & Community"). PiN students participate in numerous groups and clubs across the university and are encouraged to develop new initiatives with the support of the program as needs and interests arise. ## PiN Student Life ### Annual Events expand\_more ##### Fall Retreat Since 1984 PiN has held a student-run retreat at the [Marine Biological Laboratory](http://www.mbl.edu/) 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](https://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/) 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. ### Student Groups & Clubs expand\_more PiN students founded and continue to lead [**United Scholars in Neuroscience (USN)**](https://engage.gsas.harvard.edu/organization/usn) and also participate in [**Women in Neuroscience (WIN)**](https://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/community-building/women-neuroscience). ##### 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](https://www.pinbac.org/) 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. ### Mentorship & Outreach expand\_more ##### 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](https://www.pinbac.org/). ##### 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](/community/outreach-recruitment "Outreach & Recruitment") at Harvard and across the greater Boston area. #### HMS Department of Neurobiology PiN students are invited to join all [Department of Neurobiology](https://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/) events, including the Monday seminar series, systems journal club, computational journal club, Friday pizza talks, weekly happy hour, the annual holiday party, and the annual departmental retreat, which gives them the opportunity to mix & mingle with department faculty, postdocs, and research staff. PiN students have spearheaded department initiatives like Listening Labs (workshops designed to facilitate open inquiry and constructive dialogue), Neuro Lunch Days (small group lunches that bring faculty and trainees together across the department), and the NerveImpulse survey. #### HILS & GSAS PiN students benefit from STEM-focused identity groups that span the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences consortium (HILS) and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS), such as [BGSO](https://engage.gsas.harvard.edu/organization/bgso) (the Biomedical Graduate Students Organization) and [MBSA](https://engage.gsas.harvard.edu/organization/mbsa) (the Minority Biomedical Scientists Association), in addition to many other student groups focused on [professional development](/career#career-student-groups) and [community & belonging](/community/student-groups) at Harvard. GSAS also sponsors vibrant [Student Center](https://gsas.harvard.edu/student-center) programming, a Graduate Student Council (GSC), and numerous identity and interest groups. See [GSAS Engage](https://engage.gsas.harvard.edu/) for a full listing of events and organizations.