Transportation for Researchers

The Transportation for Researchers Program is CLOSED during the months of May through August. Return here in September, and in the meantime, have a great summer!

The Transportation for Researchers Program opens on September 1, 2025.
Read on for more information about the program, and which labs (geographically) are eligible or ineligible for employing the Transportation for Researchers program.

But first... is your lab at the Longwood Campus? Then you are not eligible for this program, but the M2 Shuttle service from Lamont to Longwood is FREE for Harvard undergraduates traveling from the Cambridge campus to the Longwood Medical Area and MIT. Click here for more information and the schedule.

And now... is your lab located entirely off-campus? Welcome to the...

Transportation for Undergraduate Researchers Program

MBTA T-Pass reimbursements & CharlieCards 

The Office of Undergraduate Science Education encourages Harvard undergraduates to pursue science research opportunities at laboratories that best suit their interests, regardless of location or concentration. Realizing that the cost of an MBTA pass can quickly add up, we have created a fund to help defray transportation expenses for students who are conducting research in the life and physical sciences in Harvard-affiliated, off-campus laboratories that are not serviced by the M2 shuttle (or who need to to work in the Longwood Medical Area during off-hours, when the M2 isn't running, e.g. late nights—see above for a link to the M2 schedule). *

  • Eligible laboratories include those accessible by MBTA subway or bus, and not serviced by the M2 Shuttle, or those in the Longwood Medical Area which need to be reached during off hours when the M2 isn't running. Examples of eligible labs include, but are not limited to: Massachusetts General Hospital and MEEI; MGH's East Campus at the Charlestown Navy Yard; McLean Hospital in Belmont; the Broad and Ragon Institutes near Kendall Square; and the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. If you are unsure, send an email to James.
  • Ineligible laboratories include any lab on the Longwood Medical Area campus or otherwise serviced by the M2 Shuttle. Such institutions include Brigham & Women's, Joslin Center, DFCI, Children's Hospital, the Med School in general, and others. For more examples, consult the M2 Shuttle schedule.
  • If you often need to reach one of these labs when the M2 isn't running—i.e., you are regularly traveling to or from the lab in the middle of the night to perform research—and you would like to be eligible for the T-Pass program, then you will need your PI, daily research supervisor, or lab administrator to submit a brief confirmation email of this necessity to jp@mcb.harvard.edu.

Note that this program supports only subway and bus transportation on the MBTA—other transportation options (e.g. MBTA commuter rail, Lyft/Uber, etc.) are outside the scope of this program.

What are other conditions for eligibility?

Any student conducting Fall (September 1 to December 15) or Spring term (Wintersession through April 30) research in the Life and Physical Sciences at an off-campus, MBTA Subway- or Bus-route-accessible laboratory is eligible, regardless of year in school or concentration.

  • If you are currently enrolled in a departmental research course (e.g. MCB 91r, SCRB 99, Neuro 91, etc) and your laboratory is located off campus and not at the HMS quad or Longwood Medical area, and is on an MBTA Subway or Bus route, you are automatically eligible; however, you need to complete the •Transportation for Researchers Qualtrics application• each time you'd want to receive a CharlieCard or be reimbursed for Monthly Passes.
  • If you are not currently enrolled in a departmental research course, but conduct regularly scheduled onsite research and your laboratory is located on an MBTA Subway or Bus route and not at the HMS quad, you are eligible as well; fill out the the •Transportation for Researchers Qualtrics application•.

Can I receive a T pass for summer research or Winter Break?

  • The T pass program is funded for research only during the Spring and Fall semesters, and Wintersession. We cannot accommodate requests for funding for summer research.

How do I obtain a pass or get reimbursed for my T pass?

Determine how often you go to the lab:

• If you visit your lab four times or more per week throughout the semester, you should buy a monthly T Pass at any MBTA station for $90.00. The Science Division Undergraduate Education Office will then reimburse you.

Instructions:

  1. Fill out the online •Transportation for Researchers Qualtrics Application•
  2. When you buy the monthly T-Pass, keep the receipt and take a snapshot of it, or save a copy of any electronic receipt! (Central Finance does not accept screenshots of bank accounts or credit card statements, etc.)
  3. Fill out and sign the •PDF reimbursement form ("NERF") linked here•, and email it, along with the image of the original receipt, to James Poolner, jp@mcb.harvard.edu.

NOTE: To be accepted, the Application and Reimbursement Forms must be submitted during the same month during which you are using that pass (or earlier if bought before the first of the month). Batched receipts from multiple past months will not be accepted!

 

• If you visit your lab three or fewer times per week, you should pick up a prepaid CharlieCard from the MCB/CPB Undergraduate Office:

Instructions:

  1. Fill out the online •Transportation for Researchers Qualtrics Application•
  2. Once James Poolner has confirmed receipt of your application form, visit the Life Sciences Education Office located at BioLabs 1082, 16 Divinity Ave. (Look for the life-size Rhinoceros sculptures in the courtyard.) Your CharlieCard will be loaded with $50 in credit, which will allow you approximately (20) one-way trips on the subway, or thirty (30) one-way bus trips, and should last you three or more weeks.
  3. When the card is about to run out of credit, follow these three steps again. (You can save the spent CharlieCard for your own purposes, too—give to visiting family, guests, etc...)

...and GOOD LUCK WITH THE RESEARCH! You are already helping to grow the corpus of knowledge. Great job!

Questions about the Program?

Contact James Poolner (jp@mcb.harvard.edu) for procedural details, questions and suggestions.

* On a related note, we want to make sure students who are working at the Longwood campus are aware of Sebastian's (The HUDS cafe at the School of Public Health) - as a dining option where students can use BoardPlus.