About Us
Environment
Boston is arguably the greatest center for biomedical research in the world. Within a third of a mile of Harvard Medical School are the Harvard School of Public Health, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Within three miles are Harvard University’s main campus in Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Mount Auburn Hospital, and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Many are affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and all have research laboratories that are among the best in the country.
Neuroscience is particularly strong in Boston. Harvard’s graduate Program in Neuroscience has about 90 faculty located at 11 Harvard institutions, and many more research neuroscientists not affiliated with the Program. MIT, Tufts and Boston University also have strong neuroscience departments. The Harvard Medical School Department of Neurology has over 300 clinical faculty located at associated hospitals. For almost any research area or technique in biology or medicine, there is an expert in Boston available for advice or collaboration.
Boston is also one of the world’s great college towns, with over fifty colleges and universities in the greater Boston area. There are about 200,000 students among a population of less than a million, who bring a vibrant energy to the city’s culture.
Boston is not a big city: the important institutions are clustered within a few miles and there is good public transportation, so a car is not a necessity. The lack of urban sprawl means that there are leafy suburbs not five miles from Harvard Medical School, where many faculty and some students live. Sailing clubs on the Charles River and Boston Harbor are inexpensive and open to all; good beaches are within a half hour, and there are mountains for hiking or skiing within two hours.
The climate in Boston is more variable than some parts of the country. Average daily high temperatures range from 37°F in January to 80°F in the summer months. Buffered by the ocean, winter temperatures are not as cold as further inland, with average daily lows during the coldest months of 22-24°F. Rainfall of 3-4” per month is typical, but storms leave as quickly as they come, so it is said “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.”