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Science at Columbia — Brilliant Blue 2 Brilliant Science is…

Studying Cutting-Edge Interdisciplinary Fields Page 8

Working with Engaging in Faculty at the Forefront Research of Discovery from Day One Page 14 Page 20

Columbia Blue

Earning Joining a Core Distinction Community of in the Trailblazers World of Science Page 12 Page 26

Living in — A Premier Science City Page 28

…the imagination, creativity, and innovation of Columbia students.

3 “Research has been a defin ing aspect for me as a science major here at Col umbia. A year ago I could not have imagined that I would be flown out to Texas to be acknowled ged for the research I have been conducting. It is because of the opportunities I have been offered by Columbia and my professors that m y career as a successful scientist is already begin ning to take shape.” amanda olivo Biochemistry

4 “Research has been a defin ing aspect for me as a science major here at Col umbia. A year ago I could not have imagined that I would be flown out to Texas to be acknowled ged for the research I have been conducting. It is because of the opportunities I have been offered by Columbia and my professors that m y career as a successful scientist is already begin ning to take shape.” amanda olivo Biochemistry

5 Join a rich tradition of discovery and innovation Among the many that has changed history and human understanding research opportunities available to Columbia of the world. students, the SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) program allows undergraduates to In recent years alone, eight of our faculty members pursue stipend- supported, hands-on, have won the Nobel Prize. This includes Martin biology-related lab research, as early as the Chalfie, Professor of Biological Sciences, who shared summer after their first year on campus. the 2008 Chemistry Nobel Prize for his work in discovering and developing the green fluorescent protein (GFP), and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Richard Axel, CC ’67, who shared the 2004 Physiology Nobel Prize for his work in mapping the genes that govern the sense of smell.

Modern genetics, plate tectonics, robotics, the environmental movement, pioneering stem cell research, the discovery of deuterium, the first supercomputer and personal computer, and climate science have all been born out of Columbia Blue.

6 Some students are $900 guaranteed research Top 91% experiences for admit rate for M.D./Ph.D. programs in the past Million Fellow- three years. in sponsored research 4 years ships projects each year. at time of admission. The Rhodes Scholarship, Hertz Fellowship and 200+ Columbia has over Gates-Cambridge research institutes and 82 Scholarship and multiple centers, including a wide Nobel Prize winners are 1,000 Fulbright Fellowships, range of world-class Columbia alumni, faculty, or active patents across the full Truman Scholarships, laboratories. former faculty. More Nobel spectrum of research areas. Goldwater Scholarships, Laureates have graduated Udall Scholarships and from or taught at Columbia National Science Foundation than any other university in Fellowships have been the Ivy League. awarded to recent Columbia science majors.

7 22 Majors, 10 Departments: World Renowned Science

Columbia is at the center of many of the world’s most exciting scientific leaps. More than a third of Columbia College undergraduates choose science majors. When you include Columbia Engineering majors, half of all our undergraduates are majoring in science or related fields. Most science departments have a 3-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio.

No matter your major or department, at Columbia you join a collaborative science community that emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of scientific inquiry. So your opportunities for research are never bound by departmental structures and majors.

8 6. 9. Areas of Study, Ecology, Evolution Psychology Interdisciplinary and Environmental Major Biology (E3B) Psychology Majors Subfields Research, behavioral ; Environmental cognition; cognitive and Subfields Biology, neuroscience; decision- Evolutionary making; motivation; Biology of the neurobiology; social 1. 4. psychology; social Human Species cognitive neuroscience; Astronomy and Computer Science Subfields social relations; visual Astrophysics Majors animal behavioral biology perception Majors Computer and ecology; community, landscape and ecosystem 10. Astronomy, Science, ecology; conservation Astrophysics Information biology; demography Statistics Subfields Science and population biology; Major active galactic nuclei; Subfields evolutionary and Statistics galaxies; gamma-ray computational biology; population genetics; Subfields sources; large scale computer security; forensic osteology; actuarial science; data structure and cosmology; foundations of computer global change biology; mining; disease epidemic neutron stars and science; machine learning human evolution; and etiology analyses; supernovae; planetary natural language; paleoanthropology; plant financial mathematics; science; stars and stellar processing; network and animal systematics; neural coding; political evolution; surveys systems; software systems; skeletal biology; related data analysis; social vision and graphics fields including disease network analysis; 2. ecology and ethnobiology statistical genetics; Biological Sciences 5. statistical theory 7. Major Earth and Biology Mathematics Environmental Majors Subfields Sciences Interdisciplinary cell molecular biology; Mathematics, Majors developmental biology; Majors Applied Earth Science, neurobiology; structural Mathematics Biochemistry biology and molecular Environmental biophysics; systems and Subfields Biophysics computational biology Science algebraic geometry; Subfields geometric analysis; Chemical Physics aqueous geochemistry; mathematical finance; 3. atmospheric science; mathematical physics; Computer Science- Chemistry biogeoscience; number theory; partial Mathematics Majors climate science; differential equations; Chemistry, ecophysiology; geology; probability; representation Mathematics- marine geology and theory; string theory; Environmental geophysics; paleoclimate; topology Statistics Chemistry paleontology; physical Neuroscience and Subfields oceanography; 8. seismology and solid earth Behavior biological chemistry; Physics chemical physics; geophysics; solid earth environmental chemistry; geochemistry Major inorganic chemistry; Physics organic chemistry; Subfields materials chemistry; astrophysics; atomic, physical chemistry; molecular, and optical theoretical chemistry physics; biophysics; condensed matter physics; cosmology; high energy nuclear physics; high energy particle physics

9 “What is most impressive to me about research at Columbia is that it is so d ynamic and so cutting edge in every field. If it’s in the news or being talked about by leading r esearchers, then someone is working on it at Columbia. Not only do I get to hear about and discuss with faculty some of the big issues in physics like dark matter, supersymmetry, and non -proliferation, but I have many friends who are do ing so many interesting things in other fields fro m differential geometry to gene therapy.” stephen chan Physics

10 “What is most impressive to me about research at Columbia is that it is so d ynamic and so cutting edge in every field. If it’s in the news or being talked about by leading r esearchers, then someone is working on it at Columbia. Not only do I get to hear about and discuss with faculty some of the big issues in physics like dark matter, supersymmetry, and non -proliferation, but I have many friends who are do ing so many interesting things in other fields fro m differential geometry to gene therapy.” stephen chan Physics

11 Join a Community of Trailblazers

Astronomy and Astrophysics Biological Sciences New research Chemical biologist simplifies examines equation to “undruggable” determine how proteins to stars help find new cures The synthetic compounds Associate originated for disease Professor of Chemistry Scott Snyder has developed can prevent ultraviolet sun damage and modulate neurodegenerative disease among other benefits.

Chemistry Chemistry professor investigates ways nanoscience can increase solar cell efficiency

Computer Science Computer scientist uses modeling to demonstrate A computer models the first star—the generator for elements that created planets and, eventually, life. Columbia’s Astrophysics Laboratory helped track a key chemical reaction after the Big Bang complex movement that allowed stars to emerge from clouds. It’s a significant contribution to cosmologists pursuing universal truths. through animation

12 As a Columbia scientist you are surrounded by trailblazing ideas on a daily basis in every field. Here are just a few of the breakthroughs by Columbia professors and researchers that made the headlines recently.

Earth and Environmental Sciences Statistics Columbia geologists Professor uses discover that statistical analysis Antarctica ice sheets to examine voting refreeze and impact patterns glacial movements and reconstruct By studying certain finches, which learn to sing from their parents, Columbia climate history neuroscientist Sarah Wooley expands what we know about how we learn language.

Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology Neuroscientist studies songbirds Columbia geophysicist Robin Bell and Nick Frearson, lead engineer for Columbia’s to learn how polar research group, were part of a six-nation expedition to Earth’s last new languages are unexplored mountain range, buried under miles of ice in Antarctica. acquired

Psychology Physics Statistics Professor Andrew Gelman finds infinite possibilities in numbers, allowing him Study finds that Columbia physicists at to decode the climate history hidden in tree rings as well as unpack the American political using Internet search CERN assist in finding divide in his book, Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way engines changes the elusive Higgs They Do. the way our boson, seen as key to memory works the universe

13 Nobel Laureates with Open Office Hours

At Columbia, you work with many of the best and the brightest scientific minds in the world.

Being part of this community means learning, collaborating, co-authoring papers, and often forming lasting friendships with today’s and tomorrow’s greatest scientists.

Here are some of the passionate faculty who could help you realize your own potential for discovery and innovation.

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Brent Stockwell and one of his students in the Stockwell Lab, which focuses on the interface of chemistry and biology. The lab’s approach is interdisciplinary, combining chemical design and synthesis with genomics, biochemistry, and cell biology, with the ultimate goal of revealing new basic biological mechanisms and disease pathophysiology.

14 Eric Kandel Professor Department of Neuroscience Mentor to the Columbia Neuroscience Society, a community of students majoring in a variety of majors, including Neuroscience and Behavior.

Neuropsychiatrist Eric Kandel, who was a recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the physiological basis of memory storage in neurons, is the subject of the documentary “In Search of Memory.” He mentors undergraduates in his Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons lab every summer.

15 Virginia Cornish Brian Greene Shahid Naeem Helena Rubenstein Professor of Professor of Mathematics and Physics Professor of Ecology Chemistry Department of Physics Chair of the Department of Ecology, Department of Chemistry Co-Director of Columbia’s Institute Evolution and Environmental Biology for Strings, Cosmology, Director of Science at The Earth Institute’s Undergraduate Courses & Research and Astroparticle Physics Center for Environmental Research Frontiers of Science and Conservation Chemical Biology Undergraduate Courses & Research Frontiers of Science Undergraduate Courses & Research Virginia Cornish, CC ’91, Professor of Intro to Quantum Mechanics Environmental Biology I Chemistry and an alumna of Columbia Climate and Biodiversity College and its Chemistry Department, Professor Brian Greene is recognized for Directed Research works closely with students as an a number of groundbreaking discoveries undergraduate biochemistry major in his field of superstring theory. He Professor Naeem studies the ecological advisor and in teaching a wide array teaches several undergraduate courses and environmental consequences of classes. She also mentors students and mentors students. His books include of biodiversity loss, which he calls the in her laboratory, where her group’s The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, single most significant problem in award-winning research brings together Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the contemporary ecology. He co-chaired the modern methods in synthetic chemistry Ultimate Theory, which was adapted for 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and DNA technology to expand a Peabody Award-winning television Biodiversity Synthesis Report, a project the synthetic capabilities of living cells. special on PBS. He is one of the founders created to set a scientific basis for of New York’s World Science Festival. sustainable development. He and his team, which includes undergraduates, pioneer ways of understanding how ecosystems are affected by the loss of species. Their motto is “Ecology with no apology.”

16 Darcy B. Kelley Ruben Gonzalez, Jr. Elena Aprile Harold Weintraub Professor of Associate Professor Professor Biological Sciences Department of Chemistry Department of Physics Chair of Frontiers of Science Undergraduate Courses & Research Undergraduate Courses & Research Undergraduate Courses & Research General Chemistry Intermediate Laboratory Work Frontiers of Science Biophysical Chemistry Advanced Laboratory Work Developmental and Systems Neurobiology Professor Gonzalez helped pioneer Professor Aprile leads the XENON Dark Independent research and mentor the first single-molecule fluorescence Matter Experiment designed to search in the Summer Undergraduate investigations of the ribosome, the RNA- for the invisible matter that makes up Research Fellowship program based biomolecular machine responsible nearly a quarter of the universe. The for protein synthesis in all living cells. experiment, built largely at Columbia’s In 2002, 20 scientists were chosen to His undergraduates are now working Nevis Laboratories before installation receive $1 million each as the first with him on award-winning research at an underground lab in Italy, uses Howard Hughes Medical Institute focusing on the biophysical chemistry hundreds of kilograms of liquid xenon (HHMI) Professors. Their charge was to and biochemistry of the ribosome and as target and detector for Weakly innovate undergraduate science education. nature’s other RNA-based biomolecular Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), Professor Darcy Kelley used her grant machines. Studying these machines the theoretically favored candidate for to work with other faculty members will lead to a deeper understanding of dark matter. The XENON Collaboration to help create Frontiers of Science, which the mechanisms underlying gene currently includes multiple universities expanded Columbia’s Core Curriculum expression and the deregulation of in the US, Europe, China and Israel. with an interdisciplinary course that gene expression that is associated with introduces students to the types of numerous human genetic diseases, questions scientists ask and the sort of including cancer and viral infections. research they are pursuing. Dr. Kelley’s own research uses the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, to study the neurobiology, genetics and evolution of social communication and to analyze sexual differentiation.

17 “Being a science student a t Columbia means that you are a full memb er of a major research institution. All of our fac ulty members mentor undergraduates in their l abs, and because of the large number of scien ce faculty, every student has an opportunity to do research. You can begin research the day you arri ve and continue right on to graduation.” james j. valentini Dean of Columbia College and Vice President for Undergraduate Education Professor of Chemistry November 21, 2011

18 “Being a science student a t Columbia means that you are a full memb er of a major research institution. All of our fac ulty members mentor undergraduates in their l abs, and because of the large number of scien ce faculty, every student has an opportunity to do research. You can begin research the day you arri ve and continue right on to graduation.” james j. valentini Dean of Columbia College and Vice President for Undergraduate Education Professor of Chemistry November 21, 2011

19 Research from Day One

From the smallest molecules to the farthest reaches of the universe, Columbia scientists are at the vanguard of discovery. Search, build, study, and seek out what’s next.

Search for the Higgs Build perfect Investigate how Explore how cultural boson at the Large crystalline materials mutations in HELLS psychology overlaps Hadron Collider near using a nanopencil. genes are involved with economics as Geneva. in leukemia. it applies to individual group membership.

Study the leading Research primate social cause of hereditary Research the behavior in Kenya. blindness worldwide by thermoelectric and Study marine sediments modeling anatomical magnetothermoelectric to reconstruct past and behavioral damage transport properties changes in climate. in the retina. of graphene. Map the movement of glaciers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Seek the origin of Observatory. Study social Investigate the ecologi- the universe by communication and cal and environmental observing the cosmic language development consequences of microwave background in Zebra and biodiversity loss. from the Big Bang. Discover new ways to Blackheart Finches. predict and monitor Alzheimer’s disease in the brain. Help create mathemati- Measure the electrical Research renewable cal models of visual conductivity of single energy resources processes taking place DNA molecules. through The Earth within the brain. Institute.

20 Carbon Nanotubes. Graphene. Quantum Dots. albert rigosi Major: Physics

“My research interests include low-temperature physics in semiconductors like Gallium Arsenide. I am also interested in nanotechnology, which incorporates new materials like carbon nanotubes, graphene, and quantum dots. In working for Professor Aron Pinczuk, my favorite part of the research is taking data. To do so, we use a powerful laser, liquid nitrogen, and liquid helium.”

Mentor Professor of Physics and Professor of Applied Physics Aron Pinczuk, whose primary research is in nanostructures, an area that has revolutionized the technologies of contemporary microelectronics and optoelectronics.

21 Geochemistry. Ice Age Floods. “I’m studying the climate history of the last ice age Deep Sea Evidence. using deep-sea sediments off Vancouver Island. My joel gombiner project focuses on the Major: Earth Science Missoula Floods” — a cycle of catastrophic flooding that helped carve the landscape of the Northwest.

Mentor Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Sidney Hemming, who researches geochronology, sedimentary geochemistry, paleoclimate, and continental crust evolution at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

22 “Computers convert text to speech and vice versa. They identify voices and dialects, detect deception, recognize human emotions, and more. I’m creating a program that infers emotions from text — not just whether that emotion is positive or negative, but if the actors in the sentence are angry, sad, happy, surprised, disgusted, or afraid. As yet, there are no systems that do this multiple-emotion detection effectively.”

Mentors Professor of Computer Science Julia Hirschberg and Bob Coyne, a member of the Hirschberg research team in the Natural Language Processing (NLP) Group.

Text and Speech. Emotion Detection. Software Invention. cecilia schudel Major: Computer Science

23 “Imagine sitting around a table with twenty classmates who are as tal ented as you are, but in fields about which you k now nothing. Imagine that they were all drawn to that table because they, like you, do not wa nt to be bound to a single discipline. And now, ima gine spending four hours a week with them, analyzing Plato’s Republic or the late work s of Virginia Woolf to shape and add nuance to your own views. That is the essence of Columbia’ s Core Curriculum.” mollie schwartz, CC ’09 Ph.D. candidate in chemistry, 2008 Goldwater Scholarship winner

24 “Imagine sitting around a table with twenty classmates who are as tal ented as you are, but in fields about which you k now nothing. Imagine that they were all drawn to that table because they, like you, do not wa nt to be bound to a single discipline. And now, ima gine spending four hours a week with them, analyzing Plato’s Republic or the late work s of Virginia Woolf to shape and add nuance to your own views. That is the essence of Columbia’ s Core Curriculum.” mollie schwartz, CC ’09 Ph.D. candidate in chemistry, 2008 Goldwater Scholarship winner

25 Earn Core Distinction in the World of Science

As a scientist you work to solve some of the most difficult challenges facing humanity today — disease, energy, hunger, poverty, the Earth’s sustainability, global health, economic solvency, freedom and democracy, safety and security. These complex challenges call on your creativity, your analysis, your sense of ethics, your global understanding, the breadth of your knowledge, and the depth of your expertise.

Columbia scientists know how to weigh scientific questions along with human ones. For almost 100 years, the Columbia Core Curriculum has cultivated a critical and creative intellectual capacity to prepare students to lead in the field of science and beyond.

26 Preparing to Solve Pressing Issues The Core Curriculum is a set of classes you take with your fellow Columbians regardless of major. Core seminars thrive on debate over the most difficult questions of human experience.

Literature Humanities Confront issues of the individual versus community — questions at the core of Some people are science policy. suspicious of vaccination Contemporary yet the public health Civilization benefits are many. The world’s most enduring How can we balance philosophers will individual and community, help you think deeply about and develop vaccines that power, democracy, and are acceptable to all? responsibility — concepts that drive debates about technology and ethics.

Engineering and other Scientists can identify Scientific Questions scientific disciplines genetic markers for more can respond to climate change, inherited characteristics, that Require but focusing on new including diseases innovative solutions may as well as benign conditions More than cause people to believe like left-handedness. the problem will just be solved Can we draw a line between by technology. acceptable and unacceptable Science How do we balance short term use of this data? and long term needs?

University Writing It is possible to develop Develop grant proposals, driverless automobiles that publish research results — would reduce congestion successful scientists are dramatically. Yet people are compelling communicators. likely to be unwilling to put You will read and discuss up with the loss of control such a texts from a number system would require. of fields, learn to write How can scientists help to usher critically and persuasively Art and Music Humanities in advanced technologies and undertake a Innovation in science is while remaining sensitive to collaborative project of similar to innovation in society’s occasional your own design. other fields. Branching out to resistance to change? study the arts, literature, and philosophy improves your facility with science by giving you the ability to think without restriction.

27 New York City — A Premier Science City

New York City gives you an unparalleled place to come of age as a scientist. As a major center for research, science, and technology, the city allows Columbia scientists — both Beyond our own extraordinary students and faculty — to work at their most laboratories, Columbia science students innovative edge. can start right away on pursuing significant research and forming important ties with the world’s scientific community through New Many of the world’s leading science and York City’s great institutions and technology organizations, institutions, and organizations, such as the American Museum of Natural History and the foundations are here. And that means the World Health Organization. people behind the game-changing work being done in science are here, too. Our city extends 3 and amplifies options for scientific fieldwork, 1 4 research, and internships.

9 The fact that you also live, work, and play 5 in the middle of one of the greatest arts, media, 6 8 and financial capitals in the world expands 2 and deepens your thinking and experience even further. 7

28 1 2 3 Columbia University Medical Center World Science Festival Bronx Zoo

4 5 6 New York Botanical Garden New York Hall of Science World Health Organization

9 7 8 Rose Center for Earth and Space, Wall Street Silicon Alley featuring the Hayden Planetarium

29 Columbia … In 1910, the Columbia Alumni Association proposed and adopted Where every day we are pushing the conversation the lion as the university’s official mascot. Unofficially, of discovery forward. the lion motif had been part of Columbia long before, appearing on the roofs of Low Library Where you can pursue emerging fields like and other buildings. Today, you will find the disease ecology and conservation medicine as well Columbia Lion in many forms, from a friendly as fundamental disciplines like chemistry and Roar-ee greeting visitors at sporting events to Scholars’ physics, all at the highest level. Lion (pictured at right), crafted by noted sculptor Greg Wyatt ’71, which stands near Where your mentors will invite you into the Havemeyer Hall. global science community, guiding you, teaching you, and inspiring you.

Where your studies span not only science but other fundamental human questions, making you a better scientist.

Where New York City is an integral part of who you become as a person and a scientist.

Where the future is unfinished and the world is waiting.

Be part of Brilliant Columbia Blue.

30 31 Office of Undergraduate Admissions Columbia University 212 Hamilton Hall, MC 2807 1130 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10027

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