The objective of this proposal is to establish a new and unique graduate training opportunity at Ohio State University (OSU), the Cellular, Molecular and Biochemical Sciences Program (CMBP). This program will draw faculty and trainees from five related molecular life sciences graduate programs: Biophysics, Microbiology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Molecular Genetics, and the Ohio State Biochemistry Program. While these programs are very successful in training students in particular disciplines, they have not focused on providing additional coordinated interdisciplinary training opportunities as historical precedents make introduction of changes in curriculum or addition of new training modules somewhat difficult. The goal of the CMBP is to create new opportunities for student training by introducing career-advancing components. Starting with orientation week activities where students are assigned a faculty and peer mentor, and continuing with monthly research meetings, annual symposia, career workshops, ethics training, CMBP-specific courses, optional internship programs, annual evaluations, and career monitoring, CMBP trainees will experience training not available through other programs. Special CMBP features also include the requirement for a co- advisor, who will provide expertise complementary to that of the advisor on a routine basis, and a mandatory scientific writing workshop specifically developed for this program. CMBP will be a rigorous and demanding program designed to attract top students to OSU, and the breadth and depth of the training provided will position CMBP graduates to make significant contributions to biomedical research in academia, government, and industry. In the past few years, significant institutional support, together with a new Arts and Sciences College structure, has facilitated interdisciplinary research and graduate training at OSU. Thus, we feel the time is right to bring these opportunities to a new level. The resources requested in this proposal would now allow us to build on existing strengths to develop a new graduate training program that spans a broad range of topics and activities in the cellular, biochemical and molecular sciences. The unique combination of opportunities offered through the CMBP will also increase recruitment and retention of the very best graduate students, in particular from underrepresented minorities (URM), thereby building upon recent successes in similar undergraduate recruitment activities at OSU. Matching institutional support towards our goal of having one quarter of new fellowships awarded to URM students each year has been secured.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter