The primary goal of this successful predoctoral Training Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology at UC Davis is to provide Program Trainees, who represent the best students in molecular and cellular biology, with the breadth of knowledge and research training that will prepare them for their own successful careers in the national biomedical workforce. Training is provided by 50 Trainers in 14 academic departments, with wide- ranging interests including genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, cell and developmental biology, physiology and neuroscience. Trainers are selected from the top molecular and cellular biologists on campus, each with an active research program and a successful track record of mentoring. Trainees are selected from the top graduate students across six different Graduate groups. The Training Program hones Trainees' critical thinking abilities, oral and written communication skills, career development and networking, and responsible conduct of research. The Training Program also serves as a mechanism for both integrating and appreciating the diverse array of interdisciplinary molecular and cellular biology research performed, and for increasing diversity in graduate education, across the UC Davis campus. This Training Program requests support for 15 predoctoral student slots to support 7-8 trainees for 2 years each, typically during the second and third year of their PhD training, a modest increase given the success that this Training Program has demonstrated. Institutionally, UC Davis has made a major commitment to establish the faculty and infrastructure in molecular and cellular biology to achieve these training goals, and to support such training in the form of this Training Program through substantial institutional support for the future. With such support, this Training Program will make these trainees fluent in the multidisciplinary languages and integrative methods needed to address important problems in molecular and cellular biology, ranging from molecules to disease. While supported by this training grant, Trainees will be involved in 1) research training in Trainers' laboratories and discipline-specific presentations; 2 presentations to interdisciplinary audiences; 3) research skills workshops across all areas of molecular and cellular biology; 4) a career development/networking series; 5) a trainee-organized seminar series; 6) a course on teaching biology to undergraduates; and 7) an annual research retreat, and training in the responsible conduct of research throughout. We believe that this combination of discipline-specific training in Trainers' research laboratories, interdisciplinry scientific training in cutting-edge molecular and cellular biology, and career development offered by this Training Program will make our trainees better prepared for the changing technical and intellectual climate faced by the next generation of basic biomedical scientists.
This grant will provide a continuation of support to a successful program of high quality predoctoral training in molecular and cellular biology. Program activities enhance the interdisciplinary research skills and professional development of a diverse group of future contributors to the national biomedical workforce. Through these activities this Training Program will continue to significantly contribute to achieving the mission of the NIH.
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