The First Year
During the first year, the student must complete:
- Core Curriculum
- Three laboratory rotations (10 to 12 weeks each). Students are required to write a report for each lab rotation.
- Two Leading-Edge Lecture Seminars
The Core Curriculum is the main lecture requirement. It consists of seven courses, one lab and an advanced topic course.
- Responsible Conduct of Research (taken during First-year Orientation)
- Advanced Biochemistry
- Advanced Molecular Biology and Genetics: Principles of Gene Expression
- Advanced Cell Biology
- Biostatistics/Bioinformatics
- Current Topics in Biology
- Scientific Writing
Laboratory Education is the foundation of the Ph.D. program. The lab rotations enable the student to focus on a research topic and mentor.
The Leading-Edge Lecture Series is a student-run endeavor. Each year the students select eight biomedical scientists to present a research seminar. Before each talk, the students and a faculty administrator will meet for a presentation and discussion session. Here, a student sponsor will summarize one or two of the most relevant articles by the invited scientist and lead a discussion of the techniques and data with the other students. Students will then attend the seminar and lead the question and answer session that follows. First-year students are required to attend at least two Leading-Edge Lecture events.
At the end of the first year, students are required to write three short proposals based on the Current Topics in Biology course. They then prepare and orally defend a research proposal based on an original topic unrelated to previous work conducted by the student.
