First Year

Schedule and Calendar for First Year Students:

First Semester (Quarters 1-2)

  1. Cell Physiology (CORE Course 1) - Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00pm - 5:15 pm.
    Physiology and Biophysics 5th floor Conference room.

  2. Essentials of Human Physiology (CORE Course 2) - Mondays and Wednesdays 1:30-3:30 pm.
    Physiology and Biophysics 5th floor Conference room.

  3. It is MANDATORY for all 1st year students to attend the Tri-Institutional RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research) course unless you have an unavoidable class conflict.  Those who have the conflict should NOT register, but need to notify Debra Schaller-Demers so that she can enter your name for next year.

  4. Faculty research lunches - Wednesdays 12-1 pm.

  5. Monday after Labor Day - Submit laboratory rotation agreement to Program Director and begin laboratory rotation #1

  6. December 20th - End Laboratory rotation #1 

  7. December 20th - Laboratory rotation #1 report due

  8. December 30th - Faculty evaluation of rotating students due

  9. PBSB Monday seminars (every other Monday)

  10. Meeting with faculty advisors

Second Semester (Quarters 3-4)

  1. 2 elective courses

  2. Scientific Presentation and Critique (1st year students will present 1st paper in journal club format; Directors: David Christini and Emre Aksay)

  3. First two weeks of January - Submit laboratory rotation agreement to Program Director and begin laboratory rotation #2 

  4. March 30th - End Laboratory rotation #2 

  5. April 1st - Laboratory rotation #2 report due

  6. April 30th - Faculty evaluation of rotating students due

  7. First two weeks of April - Submit laboratory rotation agreement to program Director Begin laboratory rotation #3 

  8. June 30th -  End Laboratory rotation #3 

  9. July 1st - Laboratory rotation #3 report due

  10. July 30th - Faculty evaluation of rotating students due

  11. PBSB Monday seminar (every other Monday)

  12. Meeting with faculty advisors.

Summer

Students may choose to enter lab chosen for thesis work or;

  1. First two weeks of July - Begin laboratory rotation #4 

  2. August 31st - End Laboratory rotation #4 

  3. August 31st - Laboratory rotation #4 report due

  4. September 5th -  Faculty evaluation of rotating students due

  5. Meeting with faculty advisors

Next: Second Year

Notes:

Elective courses can be chosen from any of the existing graduate school offerings.  

All students must complete at least three laboratory rotations; one of these is usually in the Thesis Advisor's laboratory.

The Thesis Advisor is usually chosen early in the second year (summer or fall). A special committee consisting of the thesis advisor and two other faculty members will be constituted to guide the student in his/her research preparation. Students start their thesis research before completing their formal course-work, but they are not admitted to Ph.D. candidacy until passing their Admission to Candidacy Exam (ACE) at the end of the second year.