Continued support for the renamed Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics (CMDB) training program of the Johns Hopkins University is requested. The training faculty are drawn from the Departments of Biology, Biophysics, and Chemistry, and from the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Embryology Department. The strengths of the program are derived from the quality and diversity of the faculty and students and the integrative nature of the training program. Several steps taken in the last few years have contributed to increasing the quality of all aspects of the program. New hires have brought a new Chairman to the Biophysics Department and energetic young faculty members to all the units involved in the training program. The new hires in Biology and the Carnegie Institution have increased the number of training faculty interested in cell and developmental biology. The new hires in Biophysics and Chemistry have increased the number of training faculty interested in physical biochemistry. The development of a state of the art NMR center by the University has tremendously upgraded our ability to do structural biology research. The diversity of faculty research interests exposes the students to a wide variety of intellectual concepts and experimental approaches. Mechanisms are in place to ensure that the students benefit from the diverse interests of the faculty while maintaining a coherent training plan. A revised core curriculum during the first year guarantees that all students have a strong uniform background in biophysics, biochemistry, molecular, cell and developmental biology. A series of four rotations allow the students to explore a variety of research fields. A series of weekly Progress Report talks affords close interactions among students and faculty through presentations and discussions by all trainees of their ongoing research. The quality and diversity of the students attracted to the program has increased through improved advertisement, active outreach, and revised interview procedures. New fellowships established with University funds help the program attract the best applicants including underrepresented minorities. These new initiatives, taken together, have contributed to greatly enhance the overall quality of the training program. ? ? ?
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