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New Student Information

Typical First Semester Registration

Normal load is 9 credits with no assistantship or 6 credits with an assistantship

MCB 5899-001 Graduate Seminar (1 credit)- This is a seminar series given by graduate students to learn the art of presenting seminars and to hear what other students are doing in the lab. Cell Biology students are required to present once each year.

MCB 5899-002 Introduction to Faculty Research (1 credit)- Presentations by faculty members who have openings in their labs about their research projects.

MCB 6897 Research (variable credits) - This is the course number for research credit. You should register for 1 credits so that you can begin a research project in a lab even if you are rotating through the lab.

MCB 5217 Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids and Proteins (3 credits)- This is a core course and should be taken as soon as possible

Fill in the schedule with other seminar courses (5099, 5683, 5699) or courses that are of interest for you. Remember that seminar/journal club courses can be taken multiple times since topics change from year to year. Find out what the topic is for this semester from the instructor.

 

Timeline of Activities

Year 1:

Rotate through 3 labs

Take courses

Pick a lab for thesis work

Form a committee

Year 2

Present research in MCB 5899

Finish courses

Year 3

defend research prospectus/grant proposal

Year 6

Finish PhD

New PhD Student Rotation Program

Rotations are an important step in choosing a thesis lab.  They allow a student to learn new techniques, get to know students and faculty in the department, be exposes to the kind of science that goes on in each lab, and appreciate that different labs operate in different ways.  All of these are important for insuring that there will be a good fit between student and lab.

 

Students in the Cell Biology program are expected to rotate in three labs during the course of their first year, after which they will declare a major advisor and choose a thesis lab.  It is expected that at least two  rotations will be in labs of faculty with a primary appointment in the Cell Biology program. 

 

In both the Fall and Spring Semester, students should register for MCB 6897 (Research) for 1 credit with Dr. Zweifach, who will act as rotation coordinator, regardless of which labs they are rotating in.

 

The schedule for these rotations will be as follows.

 

            Rotation 1: Monday, September 7, 2009- Friday, November 20, 2009.

            Rotation 2: Monday, November 30, 2009- Friday, February 5, 2010.

            Rotation 3:  Monday, February 12, 2010- Friday, April 29, 2010.

 

On the Friday following the end of each rotation period, Students will present a brief (10 min.) talk describing their rotation experience to the members of the Cell Biology program.  The time and venue of these talks will be announced.

 

Students with an advanced degree such as a Masters, or those who have extensive research experience, may petition to be exempted from lab rotations.  These students will be required to choose an advisor and form a preliminary committee with two other faculty members, submit a change of advisor form and have the committee approve the omission of lab rotations by the end of September in lieu of registering for the rotation program.

 

 

Labs accepting students for rotations in Cell and Developmental Biology:

 

Thomas Chen

David Goldhamer

David Knecht

Juliet Lee

Michael Lynes

Wold-Dieter Reiter

Adam Zweifach