Rae Silver
, Helene L. and Mark N. Kaplan Professor of Natural and Physical Sciences, co-edited a special issue in January 2020 of the European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN) — on the topic of circadian rhythms — with Karen Gamble of the University of Birmingham. It marks “the first-ever scientific journal to have all women senior authors, at least 30 folks,” Silver said. “This is exceptional and very exciting.” To mark the occasion, EJN published “Profiles of Women in Science: Rae Silver, Neuroscience Program and Psychology at Barnard College and Department of Psychology at Columbia University,” where she has been a section editor for over a decade.
Silver, who joined Barnard’s faculty in 1976, researches behavioral neuroscience and circadian rhythms (internal clocks) and their impact on performance at her Silver Neurobiology Laboratory on the Columbia campus.
As an advocate for students and the importance of laboratory access, Silver, who teaches courses on quantitative reasoning, neuroscience, and psychology, always has open slots for Barnard students at her lab.
Silver works to increase the presence of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and motivated the Athena Center for Leadership to create the Athena Digital Design Agency. (Read more about Silver’s innovative career in Barnard Magazine’s Fall 2017 issue.)
For more on how Silver works with students to study circadian rhythm, watch the video below, featuring Summer Research Institute student Shruti Varadarajan ’20: