Training Program
1. Recruitment and initial selection
MBTG trainees are selected from the pool of applicants to campus Ph.D. programs that specialize in the cellular, biochemical and molecular sciences. Shortly after the deadline for applications, in late January, we solicit nominations for the MBTG program from all Ph.D. programs with MBTG trainers. The applications are distributed to the Steering Committee such that each is read by 3 faculty and one student member. Each application is ranked by each reader, and then we meet to select the top-rated nominees.The major criteria for trainee ranking are:
1) the strength of the student's academic and research records as evidenced by grades, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation
2) the commitment of the student to a career in the cellular, biochemical and molecular sciences as communicated by the statement of purpose.
Traineeships are not distributed among Ph.D. programs by a pre-determined formula, rather selection of the most promising students is the overriding concern.
The MBTG program plays an active role in recruiting trainee nominees to UW-Madison. Soon after the candidate trainees are selected, each is contacted in person (by phone or email) by a faculty member of the Steering Committee and is encouraged to visit the campus. Each candidate who decides to visit is scheduled to meet with the same faculty member during her/his recruiting trip in February or March. The Steering Committee member describes the MBTG program to the student, and explains how it will enhance and integrate with the training that their prospective Ph.D. program provides.
Visiting students are sometimes overwhelmed by the variety of graduate programs available in the biological sciences at UW-Madison. This variety is a strength, because it allows the student to pick the Ph.D. program that best matches both their research interests and the level of personal attention they desire. However, some students are concerned that they will pick the wrong degree program. The MBTG program allows students to sample labs from several different Ph.D. programs before making a final decision, and many prospective students find this opportunity very attractive. In essence, the MBTG program allows us to recruit students to the campus as a whole, rather than to any particular Ph.D. program.
We encourage participating Ph.D. programs to assign current MBTG trainees as the student hosts for visiting MBTG candidates. At Madison, we find that our students are our best recruiters. They know what concerns are foremost in the prospective students' minds, and they can best describe the benefits of the MBTG program and the UW campus. At the end of the recruiting day, prospective students from all of the participating Ph.D. programs, and their student hosts, meet together with program faculty at a reception sponsored by the Graduate School. This gives the visiting students a view of the tremendous size and diversity of scientific talent in the biological sciences at UW-Madison, and demonstrates the collegiality between and among faculty and students at this campus.
After the trainee candidates have chosen their schools, we fill any remaining open positions in a second ranking held in May or June. Again we solicit nominations from the participating Ph.D. programs, but now these are students who have already committed to matriculating to UW-Madison. The same selection process and criteria are used as in the earlier ranking, but we only make as many offers as we have positions available. Because about half of the MBTG candidates are also awarded a one-year fellowship from the Graduate School, we are actually able to accept more than 10 trainees each year. In fact, we typically accept 12 each year to achieve a steady-state level of 36 trainees, six of whom are supported by Graduate School fellowships. Trainees supported by the Graduate School still participate fully in the MBTG program during their first year, and continue with the program through their fourth year of graduate training.
Occasionally, trainees are awarded extramural fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ford Foundation, etc. These students are encouraged to continue to participate in MBTG program activities even though their stipend support is terminated. We currently have three NSF fellows as "unfunded trainees". Open positions created by such awards are typically filled by ad hoc nominations of promising students at a similar stage in their training (to maintain class balance).
2. Orientation of new trainees
2005 Orientation Retreat Presentation (Powerpoint)Because most or all of our new trainees are also new to graduate school, the MBTG program plays an important role in the orientation of these students. Decisions made in the first semester or two will influence the student's entire graduate career, so it is crucial that students get good guidance early on. We have four main mechanisms for providing this guidance to MBTG trainees.
Poster PresentationFall Orientation Retreat. To assure that MBTG trainees take full advantage of the unique opportunities provided by the training program, it is necessary that they learn about these opportunities before choosing their research rotations. We therefore schedule an orientation retreat for the Sunday immediately preceding orientation week of the major participating Ph.D. programs, in late August. This retreat is attended by all MBTG trainees, all members of the Steering Committee, and any trainers that have joined the program in the last year. Ongoing MBTG trainers often also attend at least a portion of the retreat. The retreat is organized and conducted by the program director, with help from the program administrator. It typically runs from about 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, and is held on campus at the student union or a nearby conference facility. The brief duration and central location of the retreat is designed to minimize disruption of the trainees' busy first-week schedule.
Most members of the Steering Committee, including the student representatives, speak to the collected trainees during the before-lunch session. This introduces the trainees to the members of the committee, and gives them an idea of who to go to with any questions they might have. During these talks, the variety of program benefits available to the trainees are described, and the rotation and thesis lab selection policies are explained. Lunch provides an opportunity for the trainees and trainers to socialize and get to know one another at a more personal level. After lunch, all third and fourth year trainees (and any second year trainees that wish to) present posters on their thesis research. This helps the new trainees get an idea of the range of research opportunities available on campus.
MBTG faculty advisors. Each new trainee is assigned a MBTG faculty advisor who is a member of the Steering Committee and is affiliated with the trainee's Ph.D. program. At the orientation retreat, the trainees meet their advisors and make an appointment for an office visit with the advisor later that week. The faculty advisor assists the new trainee in integrating the MBTG training program with his/her Ph.D. program, with respect to both course work and lab rotations.
Resource materials. Because not all new trainees find it easy to ask lots of questions, we also provide printed materials to which the trainees can refer. At the orientation retreat the trainees receive two important books. The first is a compilation of one-page research descriptions of all the MBTG labs that are accepting rotation students that year. The lab descriptions are solicited from the trainers each summer, so they are always up to date. The book also includes a description of the research rotation and thesis lab selection policies, as well as a directory of all MBTG trainers and trainees.
The second book distributed to new trainees at the orientation retreat is purchased from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, and is titled "At the bench: a laboratory navigator". This is a wonderful "how to" book for people new to the laboratory environment. Although most new MBTG trainees have some previous laboratory experience, it may have been in an environment quite different from the labs they will rotate through at UW-Madison. Even second and third year trainees have said that they find this book very useful. We feel that providing this resource to trainees before they start their first research rotation increases their chances of having successful and rewarding laboratory experiences in the busy first semester.
MBTG trainee seminar series. Every semester that a trainee is enrolled in the MBTG program, he/she participates in the MBTG student seminar series. This series is described in detail below, but here we note that this series provides an opportunity for new trainees to interact with each other and with more senior trainees throughout the sometimes tumultuous first year. The seminar meets one evening a week and refreshments (funded by faculty donations) are provided, so the atmosphere is quite casual and conducive to conversation. Before or after the scheduled talk (by a second- or third-year trainee), the new trainees can discuss their rotation experiences and get suggestions for additional rotation lab selections. At least one trainer is always present and is available to answer any questions new trainees may have. Attendance is taken each meeting (via a sign-in sheet) and is monitored by Dr. Brow and/or Dr. Voss. If a trainee is absent two weeks in a row, Dr. Brow or Dr. Voss contacts the student to see if they are having problems.
3. Laboratory rotations and thesis lab selection
MBTG Rotations.html
MBTG Rotations.pdf
MBTG Rotations.xlsThe goals of laboratory research rotations are to: i) familiarize trainees with the broad range of experimental approaches used in the cellular, biochemical, and molecular sciences, ii) provide an opportunity for trainees to evaluate potential thesis labs, and iii) provide an opportunity for trainers to evaluate potential thesis students.
Each MBTG trainee participates in at least one full semester of laboratory rotations and rotates through at least 3 different labs. All of the participating Ph.D. programs have one-semester rotation programs, which include orientation activities that assist students in selecting rotation labs. However, MBTG trainees have the freedom to select rotation labs outside of their Ph.D. program. For example, Biomolecular Chemistry Ph.D. students have access to about 20 labs in which to complete four 4-week rotations. The number of labs increases to about 100 if the Biomolecular Chemistry student is also an MBTG trainee. In contrast, the CMB Ph.D. program's trainer pool is approximately the same size as the MBTG program's, and is largely overlapping. The trainer pools for the Microbiology and Biochemistry Ph.D. programs are intermediate in size. We encourage the new MBTG trainees from the smaller programs to attend the CMB program's orientation talks to hear about the research interests of MBTG trainers outside of their Ph.D. program, as a supplement to the information provided in the lab rotation handbook.
MBTG trainees have the option of extending their laboratory rotations through their second semester, an option not normally available in the participating Ph.D. programs. This allows MBTG trainees to experience more labs, or to increase the duration of each rotation, as they choose. The trainee's MBTG faculty advisor helps to facilitate this process and coordinate it with the trainee's Ph.D. program. Each year several MBTG trainees take advantage of this option, although the majority choose a thesis lab at the same times as their fellow Ph.D. students.
MBTG trainees select a thesis laboratory no sooner than the end of their first semester, and no later than the end of their second semester. Most trainees chose a lab within their own Ph.D. program. However, trainees have the option of choosing any MBTG trainer's lab, even if the professor is not a trainer in the trainee's Ph.D. program. In this case, one of two things must happen: i) the trainer successfully petitions to join the trainee's Ph.D. program, or ii) the trainee changes Ph.D. programs. All of the major participating Ph.D. programs except Biochemistry are interdepartmental, so the first option is often feasible. There are generally no barriers to the second option since MBTG trainees' credentials are excellent.
If a MBTG trainee chooses the lab of a non-MBTG trainer for his/her thesis work, one of two things must happen: i) the professor successfully petitions to join the MBTG program, or ii) the student withdraws from the MBTG program. This situation rarely arises.
4. Courses in cellular, biochemical & molecular sciences
MBTG trainees must fulfill the major and minor course requirements of their respective Ph.D. programs. To assure that trainees experience adequate breadth in their didactic training, the MBTG program requires completion of course work in three disciplines: cell biology, macromolecular biochemistry, and molecular genetics. Most trainees satisfy these general requirements without increasing their credit load. Below we list a variety of "pre-approved" courses that satisfy the cross-disciplinary breadth requirements. Trainees may request approval of alternative courses to meet these requirements. In particular, trainees with an exceptionally strong academic foundation in a given area are encouraged to substitute higher-level courses for those listed.
Trainees must take one course from each of the three areas listed below, plus a fourth course from any one of the three areas.
Cell biology. Any one of the following courses satisfies this requirement: Cellular and Molecular Biology/Pathology (Pathology 750, Prof. Rapraeger); Biochemical Mechanisms of Regulation in the Cell (Biochemistry 702, Prof. Craig); Carcinogenesis and Tumor Cell Biology (Oncology 703, Profs. Alexander, Bradfield, Lambert, and Ross); Plant Cell Biology (Botany 860, Profs. Bednarek, Fernandez, and Spalding, offered alternate years).
Macromolecular biochemistry. Any one of the following courses satisfies this requirement: Biophysical Chemistry (Chemistry/Biochemistry 665, Prof. Record); Protein and Enzyme Structure and Function (Biochemistry 601, Profs. Rayment and Holden); Chemical Biology (Biochemistry 604, Profs. Raines, Belshaw and Kiessling); Mechanisms of Enzyme Action (Biochemistry 624, Profs. Cleland, Frey, and Reed); Coenzymes and Cofactors in Enzymology (Biochemistry 625, Profs. Frey, Fox and Reed); Microbiology at Atomic Resolution (Bacteriology 668, Prof. Forest).
Molecular biology. Any one of the following courses satisfy this requirement: Fundamentals of Eukaryotic Molecular Biology (Biochemistry/Pharmacology 620, Profs. Ansari and D. Wassaraman, starts Spring 2004); Topics in Eukaryotic Regulation (Biochemistry/Genetics 703, Profs. Anderson, Kimble, Wickens, previously 603); Prokaryotic Molecular Biology (Bacteriology/Biochemistry/Genetics 612, Prof. Gourse); General Virology - Multiplication of Viruses (Oncology 640, Profs. Ahlquist, McClain, and Compton); Advanced Microbial Genetics (Bacteriology/Genetics 607, Profs. Culbertson and Roberts).The weekly MBTG trainee seminar series is held during Fall and Spring semesters at 5:00 pm on Tuesday evenings. Attendance is mandatory for all trainees and compliance is monitored with a sign-in sheet, which is used to construct a tracking record. Trainees are excused for illness and for professional duties (exams, scientific conferences, etc.), but are expected to inform the Director or Program Administrator of absences. The seminar is conducted by the Director each Spring semester, and by a trainer volunteer in the Fall semester (recent volunteers are James Dahlberg, Michael Sussman, and Jon Woods).
In the Fall semester, second-year trainees present a literature seminar in the area of their thesis research. This is an opportunity for the trainees to prepare for their thesis proposal, which will take place during the following semester or two. In the Spring semester, trainees in their third or later years present a research seminar that includes some of their own research results. Presenting trainees email a brief abstract of their talk to all trainees several days before their talk. For all trainee seminars, trainees in the audience fill out an evaluation form to give the speaker feedback on the presentation. In addition, the seminar is videotaped if the trainee so requests.
For students who wish to give a computer-based presentation, a lap-top computer (Mac or PC) and an LCD projector is made available. Often, the trainee's thesis advisor and/or other lab members will attend the presentation, although this is not required. The trainees receive academic credit for the seminar course, which is cross-listed with all the major participating departments so that it can be applied to the major credit requirement. Students who are not MBTG trainees are also welcome to enroll in the course, although they give a seminar only if there are openings available in the schedule.
The trainee seminar series also provides a venue for special talks. For example, in Spring 1998 the MBTG program organized a "Young Investigator" seminar series, in which past MBTG trainees and others who had recently become assistant professors were invited to campus. The invited speakers gave a public scientific seminar at noon, lunched with a group of interested MBTG trainees afterwards, and then met with the trainees as a group at 5:00 pm in place of a trainee talk. The visitor discussed his/her experiences as a student, postdoc, and new professor with the trainees over refreshments. This series was very popular with the trainees and will be continued in the future.
In years that we don't organize a visiting speaker series, we instead invite individual past MBTG trainees to speak to the current trainees. In 1999, Dr. Michael Kaiser (MBTG trainee 1990-93) spoke about his experiences as a Scientist at a local biotechnology firm, Third Wave Technologies. This year, Dr. David Casimir (MBTG trainee 1994-97) spoke about his training as a patent lawyer for a firm that represents biotechnology companies.
6. "Appropriate conduct of science" course
In addition to the breadth requirements and the trainee seminar series, all trainees are required to take a one-credit course titled "Appropriate conduct of science". The objective of this course is to teach graduate students about ethical issues in science. The course is organized around small group, roundtable discussions of specific case histories in which issues commonly faced by scientists are considered. Topics include: appropriate recording and treatment of data, scientific misconduct, assignment of credit, privileged communications, conflicts of interest, use of animals in research, use of human embryos in research, and gender/minority equity issues. Students prepare written assignments for each case history prior to its discussion. Faculty provide introductory lectures on each issue and in some cases, experts on a particular subject will present guest lectures and contribute to discussions. Student-led roundtable discussions are designed to allow each group to develop a well-reasoned solution to the ethical dilemma being discussed. Prof. Lambert, who is a member of the MBTG Steering Committee, chairs this course.
7. "Life Sciences Careers Day "
The MBTG program cooperates with other graduate programs on campus to organize a "Life Sciences Careers Day" symposium, which has run every other year beginning in 1995. The goal of this symposium is to provide graduate students (and postdocs) with perspectives on career paths, and to allow them to make contacts with individuals who have chosen careers of interest to the students. Careers Day features presentation by individuals from campus, small private and public colleges, small and large industrial research facilities, government laboratories and agencies, and law firms that specialize in science, as well as self-employed scientific writers/consultants. Sessions consist of short presentations by the panel of visitors, followed by informal discussions with the students. MBTG Steering Committee member Rick Gourse has served multiple terms as organizer of this event with the assistance of various MBTG trainees. The MBTG program provides funds in support of this valuable resource for the trainees.
8. Continuing evaluation of trainees
Progress Report Form.doc
Progress Report Form.pdfTrainees establish a student advisory committee by the end of their second semester in graduate school. This committee consists of five faculty members, including the thesis advisor. At least three of the advisory committee members must be active trainers of the Molecular Biosciences Training Grant. When the student's Ph.D. program also requires such a committee, that committee serves to meet the Training Program requirement, as long as it is composed as described above. On an annual basis, the trainee's advisory committee meets with the trainee and send the MBTG Steering Committee a report on the student's progress. The student is also asked to report on his/her progress. Both progress reports are reviewed by the Steering Committee. Any student who is judged, after a meeting of the Steering Committee with both the student and his or her advisor, to be making inadequate progress will have a specific plan developed to address his/her problems or, if the situation is not remedied, will be removed from the training grant.
