TheaimoftheCellBiology(CB)trainingprogramistodevelopadiversepoolofwell-trainedscientists throughhighqualityresearchtrainingandmentoredresearchexperiences.Theprogramhasthreeoverarching goals.1.Academicgoals.Totraina?completecellbiologist?whohastheskillsetstoidentifycriticalquestions anddesignoriginalandimpactfulexperiments.Thisisachievedbyprovidinganintellectuallydiverseand rigorousresearchenvironmentthatemphasizesthebasicprinciplesofcellorganizationandfunction.Students willbetrainedtobeversantinscale-crossingexperimentalapproachesusedincellbiologyfrommolecules,to cellularorganizationandtissuemorphogenesisandwillbeexposedtotraininginanarrayofdisciplines includingmolecularbiology,genetics,genomics,cellimaging,biochemistry,structuralbiology,proteomics, bioinformatics,andcomputationalandsystemsbiology.Multi-scaleandmulti-disciplinarylearningwillbe supportedbyencouragingstudentstocollaborate,toeffectivelyleadorintegrateinteamsandtoshare knowledgeandresources.2.EducationalGoals.Tofosteratrainingenvironmentthatencouragesstudent participation.Thisisachievedbyequippingtraineeswiththetechnical,operational,andprofessionalskills requiredforacareerinbiomedicalresearchandotherscience-relatedfields.Throughinteractivelearning,the programwillfosterskillstothinkcriticallyandindependently,andwillprovideastrongfoundationforscientific reasoningandrigorousexperimentaldesign,analysis,andinterpretation.3.PersonalDevelopmentGoals. Totrainresponsiblescientistswhocanproductivelyengageandlead.Thisisachievedbyatrainingprogram thatemphasizestheimportanceofreproducibilityandrigorintheexperimentalapproach,and?lives?acodeof conductamongtraineesandteachersthatstressesmutualrespectandvaluesintegrityanddiversity.Through individuallytailoredandpersonaldevelopmentstudies,studentswilllearntobeawareoftheirstrengthsand weaknessesanddeveloppresentationskillstocommunicatetheirworkacrossdisciplinesandeffectively addressaudiencesofvariedbackgrounds.Thesegoalswillbeaccomplishedwithstrongprogrammatic leadershipandguidance,engagedfacultymentors,astronganddiversetraineepool,astructured,yet individualizedtrainingprogramandevaluationplan,andanoutstandingresearchenvironmentwithcritical mass,breadth,anddepthincellbiology.Ultimately,wewillimbueourstudentswiththeskills,expertise,and experiencesneededtosuccessfullytransitiontothebiomedicalworkforce. Traineeswillbeappointedtothetraininggrantduringtheirsecondandthirdyears.Basedonthe numberoftraininggranteligible(TGE)traineesinthelaboratoriesofCBfacultymentors,wepredictan averageof16TGEstudentswilljointheCBtrainingprogrameveryyear.Wearerequestingatotalof16 graduatestudenttrainingpositions.Thiswillallowustoselectanaverageof8studentseveryyearona competitivebasis(top50%ofTGEstudents)toreceivetwoyearsoftraininggrantsupport.
Thegoalofthistraininggrantistodevelopadiversepoolofwell-trainedcellbiologiststhroughhigh qualityresearchtrainingandmentoredresearchexperiences.Studentswillbetrainedtobeversantin scale-crossingexperimentalapproachesusedincellbiologyfrommolecules,tocellularorganizationand tissuemorphogenesis.Adeepunderstandingofcellbiologywillbeanessentialunderpinningforresearch inareasthatwillimpacthumanhealthincludingaging,cancer,andinfectiousandinheritedhuman diseases.
