Predoctoral Training in Neurobiology

描述（由申请人提供）：这是为加州大学旧金山分校神经科学研究生课程的成功培训项目提供续期支持的申请。该培训计划的目标将继续是为学生提供现代神经科学概念和方法方面的最佳教育和培训，以便为这些学生提供在其整个职业生涯中为神经科学做出创造性贡献所需的技能，知识和热情。神经科学专业目前有72名教职员工，分布在18个不同的基础科学和临床科室及附属研究所。计划成员仅限于为计划活动做出贡献的教师，并且定期审查教师成员资格。几乎神经科学的所有领域都被我们的教师的研究兴趣所涵盖，他们获得了许多荣誉，包括诺贝尔奖和其他享有盛誉的奖项。我们的教师包括许多来自美国国家科学院、医学研究所和美国艺术与科学学院的成员。在过去的30年里，这个项目招募了许多对神经科学感兴趣的最有能力和最有想象力的学生。他们中的许多人现在已经在美国或国际一流大学和其他地方开始或建立了自己的职业生涯。我们的一些年长的毕业生已经有了杰出的职业生涯，获得了著名的奖项，如麦克阿瑟和麦克奈特教师奖。我们最近的毕业生也获得了著名的奖项，包括海伦·海·惠特尼博士后奖学金，以及哈罗德·温特劳布和唐纳德·b·林德斯利杰出博士论文奖。在第一年，学员将通过2个季度的核心入门课程、强化迷你课程、拨款写作工作坊和书面辅修提案的口头答辩，在现代神经科学、科学写作和口头表达技巧方面打下坚实的基础。这些迷你课程是与其他生物医学科学研究生课程合作举办的，旨在激发学科界面的创造性论文，并提供如何有效识别新研究领域进步和机会的主要障碍的培训。学员将参加每周的系列研讨会和每周的学生-教师期刊俱乐部。在选择论文实验室之前，他们还将在一个以上的神经科学领域完成至少三次实验室轮换。该项目通过教师和高级学生/博士后在我们的年度静修会上的演讲，以及与教师小组一起为一年级学生举办的一系列晚宴，向学生介绍我们的许多实验室。在第二年，学生将完成科学伦理学课程，开始为二年级和高年级学生开设高级文学专题课程，并继续参加研讨会，期刊俱乐部和年度务静会。他们还将撰写和口头辩护的论文提案，以推进候选资格。所有受训者都将在其博士导师的实验室接受全面的研究培训，这将是他们晋升为候选人后的主要承诺，尽管他们有望继续参加项目的智力活动。学生至少每年与他们的论文委员会见面一次，至少每六个月与他们的论文委员会主席见面一次，他不是他们的研究导师。学生的进步也由学生进步监督委员会监督，审查论文委员会的报告。在培训的每个阶段，学生都可以参加由加州大学旧金山分校医学科学研究生教育项目（GEMS）赞助的活动，该项目是HHMI和医学院资助的项目，旨在赞助旨在提高研究生医学素养和知识的课程和活动。加州大学旧金山分校职业和专业发展办公室为我们的学生举办了许多研讨会，帮助他们发展领导能力、时间管理、口头和书面表达以及其他技能。该办公室还举办了许多研讨会和信息会议，旨在增加学生对未来职业选择的了解。在过去的30年里，这项培训补助金一直是我们项目成功的最重要的支柱。这项培训补助金用于支持学生在第一年和第二年的学习，然后他们进入候选资格并开始全职博士论文研究。持续的支持对于我们继续为研究生提供他们未来成为各自领域领导者所需的教育至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for renewal of support for a successful training program for students admitted to the UCSF graduate program in Neuroscience. The goal of this training program will continue to be to provide the best possible education and training of students in concepts and methods of modern neuroscience in order to give these students the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm needed for them to make creative contributions to Neuroscience during their entire careers. The Neuroscience Program currently has 72 faculty members in 18 different basic science and clinical departments and affiliated institutes. Program membership is restricted to faculty who contribute to program activities and faculty memberships are periodically reviewed. Virtually all areas of neuroscience are encompassed by the research interests of our faculty who have received numerous honors, including Nobel and other highly prestigious prizes. Our faculty includes many members of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Over the past 3 decades this program has recruited many of the most able and imaginative students interested in Neuroscience. Many of these have now initiated or are well established in careers at leading American or international universities and elsewhere. Several of our older graduates already have careers of distinction recognized by prestigious awards, such as MacArthur and McKnight faculty awards. Our more recent graduates have received also prestigious awards, including Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral scholarships, and Harold Weintraub and Donald B. Lindsley Awards for outstanding Ph.D. theses. During their first year, trainees will receive a strong foundation in modern neuroscience as well as scientific writing and oral presentation skills through an introductory 2-quarter-long core course, intensive mini- courses, a grant-writing workshop, and oral defense of a written minor proposal. The minicourses are sponsored in collaboration with other biomedical science graduate programs and are intended to stimulate creative theses at the interface of disciplines as well as provide training in how to efficiently identify the major obstacles to progress and opportunities in a new research area. The trainees will attend a weekly seminar series and weekly student-faculty journal club. They will also complete at least three laboratory rotations in more than one area of Neuroscience before choosing a thesis laboratory. The program introduces students to our many laboratories through faculty and advanced student/postdoc presentations at our annual retreat and a series of dinners for first year students with small groups of faculty. During their second year, students will complete a Scientific Ethics course, begin advanced literature-based special topics courses for 2nd year and more senior students, and continue attendance at seminars, journal clubs, and the annual retreat. They will also write and orally defend a thesis proposal in order to advance to candidacy. All trainees will receive comprehensive research training in the laboratory of their Ph.D. supervisor and this will be their major commitment after advancement to candidacy although they are expected to continue participating in program intellectual activities. Students meet no less than annually with their thesis committees and at least every six months with their thesis committee chair, who is not their research supervisor. Student progress is also supervised by a Student Progress Oversight Committee that reviews thesis committee reports. At every stage of their training, students have access to activities sponsored by the UCSF Graduate Education in Medical Science Program (GEMS) which is an HHMI and School of Medicine-funded program that sponsors courses and activities aimed at increasing the medical literacy and knowledge of graduate students. The UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development sponsors many workshops for our students to help them develop their leadership, time management, oral and written presentation and other skills. This office also sponsors many seminars and information sessions aimed at increasing the knowledge of our students about their future career options. This training grant has been the single most important pillar underlying our program's success over the past 30 years. This training grant is used to support students during their first and second years of study before they have advanced to candidacy and initiated full-time Ph.D. thesis research. Continued support is essential for us to continue to provide graduate students with the education they will need to become leaders in their field in the future.