Page Contents:
- Benefits of MBTP Traineeship
- Selection of MBTP trainees
- MBTP Faculty
- Training in Molecular Biophysics
 | | [+] Enlarge | Caption
The X-Ray Crystal Structure of the Bacterial Type IV Pilus Retraction Motor, PilT (Image courtesy of K.A. Satyshur and K. Forest lab) |
|
|
|
NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Grant
Overview
The Molecular Biophysics Training Program (MBTP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison receives funding through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Institutional Training Grant mechanism (NIH T32 GM08293) to train outstanding students in molecular biophysics. The trainees typically earn doctoral degrees in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry, Physiology, or a closely related field. Trainees receive a stipend from NIH that replaces the need for a research assistantship funded by a professor’s research grant. These prestigious positions are offered only to students entering graduate school with outstanding credentials and a strong interest in pursuing a career in biophysical science. The traineeships are open to citizens and permanent residents of the United States.
The Molecular Biophysics Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is administered by a Director (James C. Weisshaar , Dept. of Chemistry) and a Steering Committee of six faculty and two student representatives. This group jointly administers the Biophysics Degree Program and Molecular Biophysics Training Grant, providing integration and consistency between these components.
A. Benefits of MBTP Traineeship back to top
Trainees on NIH sponsored institutional training grants are recognized on campus for the prestige of the appointment and the leadership they bring to their research. The MBTP enhances a trainee’s Ph.D. program through coursework , poster sessions, special topics meetings, and an open, collaborative atmosphere. Trainees will generally have expanded thesis lab opportunities by virtue of the stipend support that the position carries and the recognition of their status as trainees.
Trainees on active training grant support may request travel awards to promote participation in scientific meetings and research supplies awards to support novel experiments connected to the thesis project.
B. Selection of MBTP trainees back to top
Typically, two or three new NIGMS training grant positions open up each year . The normal funding period is three years. The trainee remains an active program member throughout the Ph.D. but is supported by other funding mechanisms after the training grant appointment.
Graduate students who are accepted for admission into the Biophysics Ph.D. Program are automatically considered for training grant positions – no separate application is required. The competitive selection process is based on undergraduate grades, test scores, letters of recommendation, and demonstrated research capability . Candidates in other participating Ph.D. programs can also become trainees, typically in a second competition that occurs late in the first semester just after students have joined the lab of a Molecular Biophysics trainer. The selection criteria are essentially the same.
C. MBTP Faculty back to top
The faculty trainers. that participate in the MBTP apply to participate in the program and are approved by the MBTP Steering Committee. The Steering Committee considers the research interests of the faculty member, the training environment provided by that lab for graduate students, the record of funding to support graduate student trainees to completion of the degree and the trainer’s willingness to participate in the program. The group of faculty affiliated with the MBTP (presently 28 members) is a subset of the slightly larger group of faculty who are members of the Biophysics Degree Program. The MBTP group is distinguished by a clear biomolecular, mechanistic focus in their research as well as development and advancement of physical chemical methods that probe molecular details of important biological systems.
D. Training in Molecular Biophysics back to top
Biophysicists frequently emerge from the traditional disciplines of Biochemistry, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, and Physiology. Their research demands an interdisciplinary approach that combines sophisticated physical methods with modern molecular biology to answer questions about complex biochemical systems at both the molecular and cellular level. Our trainees who pursue the Ph.D. in a traditional field move freely between their home department and the vibrant UW-Madison biophysics community. Important training elements of the MBTP at UW-Madison include formal coursework, informal special topic get-togethers, sponsored poster sessions and the network of collaborative interactions that are fostered.
Coursework. All trainees enroll in the Biophysics Seminar course each semester and complete a course in Research Ethics (usually in the 2nd year). Trainees who enter the UW-Madison as Biophysics Ph.D. candidates naturally take the required Biophysics core courses (Biophysics Degree Handbook), augmented by additional coursework in more specialized areas. Trainees who are pursuing the Ph.D. in other departments are also required to complete the Biophysics core courses as part of the minor requirement for the Ph.D.
The core course requirement stipulates that the trainee complete at least three of four designated courses that together provide broad exposure in important fundamental areas of biophysical science. Generally these courses are completed within the first year and a half and leave openings to take additional specialty courses .
The Biophysics Seminar course focuses on exciting topics from the current biophysics literature. Each week the group dissects a recent research paper, with one student providing an overview talk to stimulate discussion. In each semester, the papers are selected from three distinct topics chosen by the students and three participating faculty. This interactive forum builds community among biophysics students and faculty. Seminar participants make at least one oral presentation to the group each year, an important means of sharpening communication skills.
The Research Ethics course requirement is generally met by taking the Chemistry 801 course Responsible Conduct of Research . It follows a “case scenario” format in which the trainees participate in the discussion and dissection of such pertinent issues as mentor-trainee relationships, authorship, data ownership, manipulation of data, human subjects, and others. The MBTP further reinforces this area of training by devoting a Biophysics Evening meeting each year to a topic in research ethics.
Biophysics Evenings. The joint degree and training grant programs organize and sponsor at least one Biophysics Evening each semester. These meetings provide an informal atmosphere, with pizza and drinks provided, in which to learn more about topics of interest to all biophysics students. Session topics have included Research Ethics, starting an academic lab, working in industry, and presentations of current research by senior trainees. Other program business is covered as needed in these sessions.
Annual Poster Sessions. Poster sessions open to all students and trainees in Biophysics are organized two times a year to coincide with the orientation activities for the incoming class of graduate students in September and with graduate recruiting visits in March . The poster sessions provide the trainees another opportunity to exchange information about their research and to learn about opportunities for potential collaborations. Trainees gain experience designing and presenting posters in a setting similar to scientific meetings and conferences.
Inter-lab Collaborations. Trainees often benefit from inter-lab meetings and mini-symposia that grow out of collaborations between labs. The MBTP is one of the contributing forces on the UW-Madison campus that supports an open and collaborative atmosphere between departments and labs.
For further information contact:
Molecular Biophysics Training Program
Director:
Prof. James C. Weisshaar
4211 Chemistry 1101 University Avenue,
Madison, WI 53706 (608)262-0266;
weisshaar@chem.wisc.edu
Administrative Office:
Kim Voss, Ph.D.
421 Bock Laboratories, Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-9880; fax (608) 262-7414
krvoss@wisc.edu
|
|
