The Behavioral Research Lab is open to all researchers who are affiliated with Columbia Business School. The Lab is maintained by the Lab Manager, who helps facilitate all the policy and resources listed below that are available to the research community at Columbia Business School.
Access to the Lab
The only way in and out of the Uris Lab is through the swipe access doors on the east side of Uris.
- Regular Access: Anybody with a CUID can get into the Lab by swiping their card during normal business hours, 10am-6pm, Mon-Fri.
- 24/7 Access: Outside of normal business hours only specific researchers granted swipe access by the Lab Manager will be able to enter. If you would like to request 24/7 access, please email the Lab.
- Access for Non-Columbia Researchers: Researchers without a CUID can request a Guest Pass that will allow them to swipe into the Lab. Contact the Lab to get a Pass.
Requesting a Room
The Behavioral Lab has several rooms that are available for researchers to run participants. Below are the steps to go about requesting a room.
- What Room? Decide which room best fits your research needs.
- Availability: Look at the Lab Calendar to figure out when the room you want is available.
- Make the Request: Email the Lab with the following information: Your desired room, the time and date you desire it, the name of the study, the PI on the study, and any Research Assistants who will be assisting you. The Lab Manager will respond promptly to confirm that your reservation has been fulfilled.
Room Reservation Policies
The Lab has several policies regarding room reservations that are in place to prevent monopolization of Lab space.
- Weekly Max: No single room can be reserved for one researcher for more than 24 hours in a one-week period.
- Allotted Hours: Faculty and Post-Docs have an allotted number of hours per semester they can use to reserve time. Faculty get 100 hours per semester, Post-Docs get 50 hours per semester. However, depending on when a reservation is made, it may count as "Free Hours" and will not be subtracted from a researcher's allotted hours.
- Regular Hours: A reservation will only be subtracted from a researchers's allotted hours if it meets both of the following criteria.
- 1) The reservation must be during normal business hours (10am-6pm, Mon-Fri).
- 2) The reservation request must be placed more than one week prior to the date for which the room is requested.
- Free Hours: Any reservation that is made for a time outside of normal business hours, or is made less than a week in advance, regardless of whether it's during normal business hours, will be free and will not subtract from a researchers allotted hours.
- Reservation Confirmation: No room reservations are complete until an email confirmation has been received from the Lab Manager.
Petty Cash
The Lab has a $7,000 petty cash fund that is maintained by the Lab Manager. The Lab's petty cash allows researchers to gain access to large sums of money for participant payment. All the paperwork regarding payment, reimbursement and charging is handled by the Lab Manager. If you would like to request petty cash for your study, please follow the directions below.
- Show Me the Money: Email the Lab with the following information:
- 1) How much money you'll need, and in what denominations.
- 2) Whose account that money should be charged to (you do not need to provide the account number).
- 3) What time you will be picking up the money.
- No Money Overnight: Petty cash can only be provided the day of the study, and all remaining money must be returned by the end of the day.
- Only Normal Business Hours: Petty cash can only be provided by the Lab Manager, and as such if the Lab Manager is not in the office, petty cash cannot be distributed.
- Receipts: When the Lab Manager hands you your petty cash you will also be handed personalized petty cash receipts that you and your participants must sign to confirm payment. These receipts are to be returned with the unspent petty cash by the end of the day.
After Hours Research
Regular Hours in the Lab are 10am-6pm, Monday-Friday, which is when the Lab Manager is in the Office. However, researchers are welcome to conduct research before 10am, after 6pm, or on the weekends! The only real limitation is that petty cash will not be available. Beyond petty cash, arrangements can be made to make sure all the resources you need are available to you outside of normal business hours. After hours research will never subtract from a researcher's allotted hours (see above). Contact the Lab if you're interested in after hours research.