Developmental Biology Training Program -- Requirements

Predoctoral Trainee Requirements

All pre-doctoral trainees are required to fulfill the degree requirements for their respective departments and/or graduate programs. Detailed course descriptions and requirements can be accessed through the Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology (PMCB; http://www.ohsu.edu/pmcb/index.shtml) or the Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP; http://www.ohsu.edu/ngp/) websites. Graduate students are expected to rotate through the laboratories of three potential mentors during their first year. Once mentors have been chosen, those students that are selected for the Developmental Biology training program will be required to take at least one of the following three courses as advanced electives that fulfill departmental or NGP requirements:

CELL 620 Model Systems Biology (3 credits, winter term). This course provides an introduction to the biology and genetics of the major animal model systems as well as laboratory demonstrations of state-of-the-art techniques. Students will gain a solid understanding of how mice, zebrafish, Xenopus, chickens, flies, moths and nematodes are used as tools to study key cell and molecular biology problems.

CELL 618 Mechanisms of Development (4 credits, even years, Winter quarter) This course offers an advanced and in depth overview of a current "hot" topic in the field of Cell and Developmental Biology. The topic is explored primarily through student- and postdoc-led discussions of the current literature. Each participant contributes to writing a section of a mini-review focused on the topic with the goal of submitting the review for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Topics covered in previous course offerings include noncoding RNAs, asymmetric stem cell division and endocytic regulation of signal transduction.

CELL 615 Developmental Neurobiology (4 credits, taught odd years, Winter quarter). Introduction to neural development. Topics covered include (i) Patterning of the vertebrate nervous system, (ii) mechanisms of cell determination, (iii) neural cell migration and growth cones, (iv) mechanisms of target recognition and synaptic plasticity, and (v) role of cell death in modeling the central and peripheral nervous system.

All trainees are required to enroll for credit in the Developmental Biology Journal Club (CELL 606A) that meets every Tuesday at 9 am. To subscribe to the mailing list for this journal club, send an email to majordomo@ohsu.edu with the following message in the body (not the subject line): subscribe devbiojc. Students, post-docs and faculty present current literature in the field of developmental biology. Trainees are required to attend weekly and present twice yearly.

The developmental biology training program hosts an informal research in progress meeting at 5 pm on the second Wednesday of each month. This meeting gives students and postdocs an opportunity to become skilled and comfortable with oral presentations and to get feedback on their ongoing research. Trainees are required to present once yearly.

Another important component of the training program is the annual Developmental Biology Symposium that will be held for the first time in July 2007. The Symposium is an all-day event, with meals and social events to encourage informal conversations among trainees, their peers, and faculty. Trainees invite a prominent developmental biologist to present the keynote address and host additional speakers from within and outside the OHSU community. Predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees will have the opportunity to present their research as a short talk or poster.

Trainees must maintain current membership in the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) (http://www.sdbonline.org/join/) and attend the Northwest Regional or National meeting of the SDB. Group transportation to the Northwest Regional meeting, held on San Juan Island in Washington State, is provided each year. Travel funds are available to partially defray the costs of meeting attendance. To apply for a travel award, send a request that includes the name and dates of the meeting, along with an abstract of research to be presented, to Jan Christian.

Each trainee is required to submit a progress report at the end of each year (Fall) to the Steering Committee. This report describes his/her recent research achievements, including manuscripts that have been accepted or submitted for publication, submission of grant applications, and goals for the following year. The progress report should also include any other related training activities that occurred such as attendance at meetings, oral or poster presentations, awards received, completion of required coursework and teaching or mentoring students in the lab.

Awardees must remain involved in all training grant activities for the duration of their graduate education, regardless of the number of years of stipend support that they receive.

Postdoctoral Trainee Requirements

Postdoctoral trainees in the developmental biology training program are required to conduct novel research relevant to developmental biology. They are also required to participate in and serve as discussion leaders in CELL618; Mechanisms of Development. Depending on the level of previous experience, postdoctoral trainees are also encouraged to either audit or participate as lecturers, demonstrators or discussion leaders in other development-based graduate courses (CELL 620; Model Organisms, CELL 615; Developmental Neurobiology). Postdoctoral trainees must participate in all the other training activities that are required of pre-doctoral trainees as described above. These include two presentations per year at the Developmental Biology Journal Club,one presentation per year at the research in progress meetings and regular attendance at both. Trainees also host speakers , and present in either oral or poster format at the annual Developmental Biology Symposium.

Postdoctoral trainees must maintain current membership in the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) (http://www.sdbonline.org/join/) and attend the Northwest Regional or National meeting of the SDB. Group transportation to the Northwest Regional meeting, held on San Juan Island in Washington State, is provided each year. Travel funds are available to partially defray the costs of meeting attendance. To apply for a travel award, send a request that includes the name and dates of the meeting, along with an abstract of research to be presented, to Jan Christian.

Each trainee is required to submit a progress report at the end of each year (Fall) to the Steering Committee. This report describes his/her recent research achievements as well as goals for the following year. The progress report also describes any other related training activities that occurred such as attendance at meetings, writing or editing manuscripts, and teaching or mentoring students in the lab.

Postdoctoral trainees must remain involved in all training grant activities for a minimum of three years, regardless of the number of years of stipend support that they receive.

Updated on March 24, 2008