The environmental toxicology training program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison has been receiving support for the past 21 years. The training grant is administered by the Environmental Toxicology Center which is directed by Dr. Colin R. Jefcoate. The training program is actively managed by Dr. Jefcoate, the Program Director, and the Training Grant Committee. The committee is made up of six members selected from the 19 trainers from the program to serve three-year terms on a rotation basis. The committee also represents the special interest of the training grant with the Environmental Toxicology Center with respect to important training issues. The standing committees in the Center are responsible for standardized admission and curriculum activities. The standing committees are: Admission Committee, Graduate Achievement and Curriculum Committee and Steering Committee. The training faculty of the program consists of 19 individuals from 10 departments. All but four of them are also members of the Environmental Toxicology Center. In addition, most of them are also members of the proposed NIEHS Center for Developmental and Molecular Toxicology. The trainees will be educated in a curriculum involving biochemistry, genetics and cell biology disciplines. In addition to identifying immunotoxicology and neurotoxicology as new areas of toxicology during the last grant application, developmental toxicology will be developed as a new educational component for the trainees in this application. The application requests funding for eight predoctoral and two postdoctoral positions for five years. After admission to the program, predoctoral students typically select a mentor during the first semester rotation through three laboratories. The selection is based mainly on matching the interest between the student and the faculty as well as the funding support of the faculty. After selection of a laboratory, trainees typically work alongside a senior graduate student or postdoctoral associate who is working on a related topic. A research advisory committee will then be set up for each student. Trainees meet with advisors regularly, at least once per week to discuss course work and research. The curriculum for the NIEHS predoctoral trainees is being revised. Each of the required core courses: Toxicology I and II, Ecotoxicology and Chemicals in the Environment, has been or being revised. Each course is being established in a modular format with three one-credit modules. This revision is supposed to provide more flexibility for Ph.D. students. For example, it is under review that the NIEHS predoctoral trainees may take all modules of the two courses in Toxicology but only four or six modules from the other two core courses. The trainees will also take advanced courses: a two credit advanced course on Molecular Approaches to Toxicant Metabolism and two one credit Advanced Workshop courses. A new advanced course in Developmental Toxicology is being developed and the trainees are expected to take this course also. The remaining requirements for the trainees are six credits of Biochemistry and one credit/semester of Toxicology seminar. After completion of the courses, trainees will take a rigorous three-part Preliminary Examination. Their progress in research will be supervised by the Research Advisory Committee. A special training experience for the NIEHS postdoctoral trainees is that they meet regularly with a group of trainers and must write a proposal early in the support period for external support. These trainees present their research on a regular basis at the Environmental Toxicology Center evening meetings and at least once in the regular program seminar series. In addition, they submit a brief annual report on their research progress which stresses the toxicological relevance of the research.
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