The aim of this Chemistry-Biology Interface predoctoral training program at UC Berkeley is to provide graduate Ph.D. students with a unique depth of training in the application of chemical principles and techniques to the investigation and modulation of biological systems. This program [Chemical Biology Graduate Program (CBGP)], has now been operating for three years with a present total of 14 students and 24 anticipated by August 2003. This program was created in response to a recognized need expressed by the graduate students and faculties of the Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Bioengineering, and Chemical Engineering Departments at UC Berkeley. The importance of chemical approaches in biological research is becoming ever more appreciated, and the interface between the disciplines holds enormous opportunities for advancing biomedical science. However, the physical and cultural boundaries that separate the disciplines in most universities have created a divide between chemical and biological research, and between the corresponding graduate training programs. The goal of the Chemical Biology Graduate Program (CBGP) to provide the structure and resources for a rigorous training experience in the principles and techniques of both chemistry and biology. This will encourage further integration of the fields and prepare students for a future in research at the interface. The program offers a curriculum of graduate courses in both disciplines, and opportunities for laboratory training in numerous techniques. The goals of the program will be accomplished through: 1) lab rotations for first-year graduate students, chosen from at least 34 participating laboratories, 2) a core of didactic courses, with specific additional courses to be selected based on the student's individual interests, 3) numerous seminar programs already in place in the participating departments with speakers whose research spans chemistry and biology, 4) an annual retreat to foster interactions among its students and faculty, 5) poster sessions at the end of each rotation period during which first-year graduate students present their research results, and 6) a Ph.D. dissertation at the chemistry-biology interface. We request support for 10 students each year for their first year rotation period. Students will be recruited with backgrounds in chemistry, biology, biochemistry and chemical engineering. Minority recruitment will be aggressively accomplished through the Berkeley Edge Program and other related campus programs.
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