Second Year

Schedule and Calendar for Second Year Students:

First Semester (Quarters 1-2)

  1. Work in thesis lab has begun.

  2. Logic and Experimental Design (Course)

  3. Tri-Institutional RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research - required)

  4. PBSB Monday seminar (every other Monday)

  5. Meeting with faculty advisors.

Second Semester (Quarters 3-4)

  1. (January/Fabruary) Intro to the ACE exam.   (mini-course by Silvia Finnemann - students will be contacted by Dr. Finneman) 

  2. 1 Elective Course

  3. Scientific Presentation and Critique (2nd year students will present second paper in journal club format)

  4. PBSB Monday seminar (every other Monday)

  5. ACE exam. Form committee, research and write proposal. Director:  David Christini

  6. Meeting with faculty advisors.

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.