{"id":7414,"date":"2025-01-31T03:30:56","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T08:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/?p=7414"},"modified":"2025-12-15T15:37:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T20:37:44","slug":"the-cbr-internship-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/2025\/01\/31\/the-cbr-internship-program\/","title":{"rendered":"The CBR Student Research Assistant Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interview with Scientific Director Maria Varkanitsa and Student Research Assistant Isabel Yu<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Undergraduate Research Assistant Experience<\/b><\/p>\n

Isabel Yu, is an undergraduate neuroscience student at Boston University and has been a member of the Center for Brain Recovery (CBR) Student Research Assistant Program since the fall. Through working with Manuel Marte on his \u201cNaturalistic Neuroimaging for Presurgical Language Mapping\u201d research project, she explained that she has \u201clearned a lot about conducting tests on aphasia patients and data analysis through Python and R\u201d noting that these skills are key components of research in the field of brain recovery. Yu also hopes to pursue medical school upon graduation, thus, having an research assistantship with the CBR gives her the hands-on experience and mentorship from members of the team that will help her during the application process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interview with Maria Varkanitsa<\/b><\/p>\n

Maria Varkanitsa, the Scientific Director of CBR, further explained the importance of this program for providing students with <\/span>hands-on experience in research to develop the skills needed for a successful career in the field of brain recovery. To get a better understanding of the program, Varkanitsa responded to several questions outlining the program in this recent interview:<\/span><\/p>\n

What does an research assistantship with the CBR provide? How does it prepare students <\/span><\/i>for the field?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

An research assistantship at CBR offers valuable hands-on experience in research within the <\/span>fields of neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, and brain rehabilitation. Student RAs are <\/span>involved in various aspects of research, from data collection and analysis to project <\/span>management and collaboration. They have the opportunity to be exposed to advanced <\/span>neuroimaging methods and become familiar with all steps of neuroimaging data <\/span>collection, preprocessing, and analysis. Depending on the project, student RAs may also be <\/span>involved in manuscript preparation, contributing to conference presentations or <\/span>publications. This exposure helps students develop critical skills in research <\/span>methodology, data management, scientific communication, and professional <\/span>collaboration, preparing them for careers in academia, healthcare, and the <\/span>neurorehabilitation field. Additionally, student RAs participate in lab meetings and journal <\/span>clubs, which provide further professional development and knowledge sharing.<\/span><\/p>\n

How long do student RAs typically work with the Center?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Student RAs at the CBR typically work with us for a couple of semesters <\/span>or more, depending on their availability and the nature of the projects they are involved <\/span>We offer flexibility in the duration of the assistantship, with opportunities for summer placements as well. In many cases, student RAs extend their involvement beyond a year <\/span>depending on the project needs and their academic commitments.<\/span><\/p>\n

How many student RAs are usually accepted during the year? What qualifications <\/span><\/i>should they have or usually have?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We typically accept 10-15 student RAs per year, with new students joining each semester. <\/span>While the qualifications can vary, we generally seek students with a strong academic <\/span>background in fields related to neuroscience, psychology, speech-language pathology, <\/span>biomedical sciences, or computer science. Ideal candidates are motivated, detail- <\/span>oriented, and have an interest in research. We also welcome students with expertise in <\/span>big data analysis, programming, and computational techniques, as these skills are <\/span>valuable in neuroimaging and data analysis tasks. Familiarity with research methods, <\/span>data analysis software, and neuroimaging techniques is a plus, but not always required, <\/span>as we provide training.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does the CBR benefit from having student RAs?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The CBR greatly benefits from having student RAs as they contribute fresh perspectives and <\/span>valuable support in various aspects of our research projects. Student RAs assist with tasks <\/span>such as participant recruitment, data collection, data management, and literature <\/span>reviews, which significantly enhances the productivity of our research teams. <\/span>Additionally, having student RAs\u00a0helps foster a collaborative, dynamic environment where <\/span>new ideas and enthusiasm are always welcome. Student RAs also become part of the CBR <\/span>community, contributing to the ongoing growth and development of our projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits of the Program<\/b><\/p>\n

Many students have pursued higher education as a result of the CBR Student Research Assistant Program. The skills gained during their research have played a key role in their preparedness for graduate level education including masters and PhD programs at BU and around the world. Directly following the program some students have also transitioned into undergraduate research opportunities where they develop and lead their own research project or contribute to the CBR\u2019s existing projects as full time research assistants. Joining the Student Research Assistant Program opens doors for students with a passion for fields in <\/span>neuroscience, psychology, speech-language pathology, biomedical sciences, or computer science, and connects students with the resources they need to make an impact in the field of brain recovery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Join the CBR Student Research Assistant Program<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are a student interested in joining the CBR Student Research Assistant Program please reach out to brainrec@bu.edu<\/a> to get in contact with us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Support the Next Generation of Researchers<\/b><\/p>\n

If this story inspires you to support the Center for Brain Recovery\u2019s effort, consider contributing to our research fund by visiting our website\u2019s <\/span><\/i>support our work page<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interview with Scientific Director Maria Varkanitsa and Student Research Assistant Isabel Yu The Undergraduate Research Assistant Experience Isabel Yu, is an undergraduate neuroscience student at Boston University and has been a member of the Center for Brain Recovery (CBR) Student Research Assistant Program since the fall. Through working with Manuel Marte on his \u201cNaturalistic Neuroimaging […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22217,"featured_media":7415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18522],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7414"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7414"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10651,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7414\/revisions\/10651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cbr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}