The aim of the Cellular Biotechnology Program (CBTP) at the University of Michigan is to expand the educational experience of graduate students training in disciplines that contribute to the rapidly changing field of modern biotechnology. The Program with 44 faculty trainers draws students from a diverse group of well-established departments and programs. The varied programmatic activities of CBTP are designed to provide forums, both formal and informal, that provide students the opportunity to acquire insights into the basic concepts and experimental paradigms underlying a wide range of disciplines that contribute to biotechnology. These activities include: (1) course work and research in biotechnology-related disciplines, (2) monthly student dinner meetings at which research is discussed in an informal setting designed to encourage meaningful interactions, (3) a biotechnology core course designed to provide a background to a number of the discipline composing biotechnology, (4) seminars by outside speakers co-sponsored with the allied programs and departments that provide exposure to leading scientists in academia and industry, (5) internships and other interactions with the biotechnology industry, (6) faculty presentations with a social hour, and (7) a yearly symposium with a poster session for faculty and students with a speaker usually from industry. Students participating in CBTP are drawn from 10 different departments and programs that include: Chemistry, Biology, Bioengineering, Biological Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cell Biology, Human Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Bioengineering and Physiology. CBTP is currently expecting additional faculty to join from the newly formed Program in Bioinformatics. There is also a highly supportive industrial presence provided by Parke-Davis division of Warner-Lambert. Meaningful student interactions continue to be a centerpiece of CBTP. The highlight of these interactions is the weekly dinner-research meetings. Because the Program strives to maintain a student body from diverse disciplines, these meetings provide a forum for students to gain an understanding how training in other disciplines influences scientific thinking and how to productively interact with scientists with training in different disciplines. The strength of the CBTP has been recognized by the University as evidenced both by the significant financial support it receives and by its elevation to a Certificate-granting program.
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