Graduate Training in Molecular Biophysics

描述(由申请人提供)：德克萨斯A&M大学和德克萨斯A&M大学健康科学中心的17个优秀研究小组创建了分子生物物理学(MB)跨学科研究生培训计划。培训教师的专业知识涵盖广泛的研究技术和生物系统，从生物物理化学和生物分子光谱学到结构和计算生物学。每个等电点都致力于在分子水平上探索复杂的生物过程，实验的重点从热力学到动力学，从单分子到多组分络合物，从可溶性到膜结合体系。这种多样性将为学员提供研究和课程的广度以及理解的深度，以确保甲基溴培训计划的成功。甲基溴教员在甲基溴领域建立了富有成效的、外部资助的和装备精良的研究方案，并在指导和培训研究生方面取得了成功。MB培训教员在五个不同的系担任主要职务，但在研究、教学和期刊俱乐部方面有很强的合作互动历史。与个别院系相关的研究生项目已经证明了它们有能力从全美各地招收优秀学生进行研究生学习，而MB招聘将补充这些努力。学员将进入MB项目，并通过两个系中的一个获得博士学位。三名新生每年将获得MB奖学金，每个人在最初两年的博士学习中都将得到支持。在第一年，每个学生在从MB教员中选择研究顾问之前将进行三次实验室轮换，无论他/她所在的系。在最初的两年期间，甲基溴受训人员将接受有关基本生物物理和生化原理、负责任地进行研究以及解释和介绍研究结果的正式培训。分子生物物理学各方面的高级培训将通过选修课提供。学员将在整个研究生生涯中参加生物物理学期刊俱乐部，以提高他们的演讲技能，并在第二年后保持对该项目的参与感。我们预计，MB培训计划的毕业生将处于有利地位，为后基因组时代的生物医学科学做出关键贡献。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Seventeen outstanding research groups at Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center have created an interdisciplinary graduate student training program in Molecular Biophysics (MB). The expertise of the training faculty spans a wide range of research techniques and biological systems, from biophysical chemistry and bio-molecular spectroscopy to structural and computational biology. Each PI is dedicated to exploring complex biological processes at the molecular level, and the experimental focus ranges from thermodynamics to kinetics, from single molecules to multi-component complexes, and from soluble to membrane-bound systems. This diversity will provide trainees with the breadth of research and course offerings and the depth of understanding that ensures a successful training program in MB. The MB faculty members have established productive, externally-funded, and well-equipped research programs in the MB area, and have been successful in mentoring and training graduate students. The MB training faculty members have primary appointments in five different departments, but share a strong history of collaborative interactions in research, in teaching, and in journal clubs. The graduate programs associated with individual departments have demonstrated their ability to recruit outstanding students from across the United States for graduate study, and MB recruiting will complement these efforts. Trainees will enter the MB program and receive their Ph.D. degrees through one of two departments. Three new students will receive an MB fellowship each year, and each will be supported for the initial two years of Ph.D. study. In the first year, each student will do three laboratory rotations prior to choosing a research advisor from the MB faculty, regardless of his/her departmental affiliation. During the initial two-year period, MB trainees will receive formal training in the fundamental biophysical and biochemical principles, the responsible conduct of research, and the interpretation and presentation of research results. Advanced training in various aspects of molecular biophysics will be provided by elective courses. Trainees will participate in the biophysics journal club throughout their graduate careers, both to improve their presentation skills and to maintain a sense of participation in the program following the second year. We anticipate that graduates of the MB training program will be well-positioned to make critical contributions to the biomedical sciences in the post-genomic era.