Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests funding continuation for the Predoctoral Biotechnology Training Program at Northwestern University (NU). This interdisciplinary and interdepartmental Program offers biotechnology training opportunities for a select group of Ph.D. students from four participating units: the departments of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering (ChE), the Chemistry department, and the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences (IBiS) graduate program. Research opportunities, chosen from among a wide array of laboratories in the life sciences, are complemented by a core interdisciplinary curriculum. Three- to 6-month industrial internships expose trainees to the industrial environment of modern biotechnology. All trainees and most preceptors participate in the IBiS, two-day, off-campus annual retreat, which allows extensive interactions among students and faculty from many disciplines and increases the cohesiveness of the trainee group. The Biotechnology research club, which meets once a month or more during the academic year and twice a month during the summer, is the forum where trainees and faculty present their research results to and interact with other students participating in the Program. Several other interdisciplinary research clubs (e.g. Biophysics Club, Biomaterials Club) provide trainees with additional opportunities to broaden their knowledge and perspective. Trainees organize and host biotechnology seminars that bring industrial and academic scientists to campus for a seminar and discussions with trainees. Students also take advantage of several other life sciences-related seminar programs on campus. Instruction in the responsible conduct of research is carried out primarily through the course "Ethics in Biological Research". Trainees are recruited by the Program and the participating units, using posters, brochures, and WWW pages. Intensive efforts are made to recruit students from underrepresented groups, and have been quite successful. In the first 5 years of this Training Program a significant fraction of trainees has come from ChE because of the larger student-applicant pool. During the past 4 years, however, a diverse population of graduate students from BME, IBiS, and ChE has been supported in a balanced manner. The number of preceptors participating in the Program will increase from 18 to 31. An increase from 5 to 8 funded positions will support this expanded preceptor base and allow the support of some Chemistry students.