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Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Life Sciences Fellowships
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Last update: 11/19/07 |
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Life Sciences Fellowships Program
Policies for Predoctoral Fellows
1. Timelines for progress
Fellowship support beyond the first semester of the second year requires submission of a completed “Program of Study” form to the Graduate School (prior to the end of 18 months of Fellowship support). Support beyond the third year requires that the Comprehensive Exam be passed before the end of 36 months of Fellowship support. The Life Sciences Fellowships office (LSFO) may be petitioned in writing for prior approval to extend these deadlines in extraordinary circumstances.
2. Annual reports to document progress
Annual continuation of the fellowship is also based on satisfactory performance and progress toward the Ph.D. degree in the chosen degree program. This is documented by completion of a brief annual report (due on June 15). Forms are available from the LSFO, but an equivalent departmental annual report form can be submitted as a substitute. A signed statement from the advisor evaluating progress must be included in each annual report. Short personal interviews will be conducted by the Life Sciences Fellowships Committee during the summer to discuss the Annual Report.
3. Research rotations for first-year students
Life Sciences Fellows will obtain formal research experiences outside of the laboratory in which they perform their dissertation research. This must include at least one (for students with earned Master's degrees) or two (for post-baccalaureate students without an earned Master's degree) research experiences outside their chosen department or laboratory during the first year of study. The length of each outside research experience is flexible, but is typically 10-12 weeks. The purpose of the experiences is to assist students in choosing a mentor, to facilitate networking with other students and faculty, and/or to learn techniques potentially applicable to the Thesis research. An intensive summer course may qualify as a rotation with advance permission from the LSFO. Students who enter with a Ph.D. mentor already chosen still benefit from the opportunities to learn new research techniques in other laboratories or field locations (at MU or elsewhere) or from an intensive short course in a new subject area. Students must inform the LSFO when beginning and completing each rotation. Short reports/evaluations from the rotation supervisors become part of the student’s file.
4. Coursework and seminar requirement
Students must participate in the Life Sciences Seminar (Bio Sci 8187 RSD 10, #15265) every semester. Excuses for course conflicts or special circumstances may be requested from the LSFO.
One 50-minute seminar must be given in this forum after the student’s second year at MU.
Students must participate in Ethical Conduct of Research (Bio Sci 8060) for one credit hour.
Students must successfully complete one course in each of two areas, broadly defined as:
(a) Suborganismal Life Sciences: Courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, cell biology, immunology, microbiology.
(b) Organismal or Systems Life Sciences: Courses in ecology, evolution, statistics, bioinformatics, genetics, nutrition. CECS 9001 (Advanced Topics in Computer Science-Bioinformatics/Computational Biology) may be substituted for the Organismal or Systems Life Sciences.
At least one of these courses must be at the graduate level (8000-level or higher). The other course may be at the 4000-level.
5. Research Presentation
Students must make a research presentation annually at Life Sciences Week. First-year students may assist with event organization in lieu of a research presentation.
6. First-year Travel Awards
Travel awards (up to $700) are available on a competitive basis for first-year Fellows to attend a national scientific meeting of their choice. The purpose is to provide an immersion experience in mainstream science as early in the graduate career as possible, and help students choose a thesis topic. Normally, Fellows decide on a meeting in conjunction with one of their rotation advisors. The meeting must be approved in advance by the LSFO; travel must be within the first 12 months of Fellowship support; and a brief report on the benefits of the meeting must be submitted upon return. A research presentation is not required.
7. Leave Policy Statement
It is the policy of the Life Sciences Predoctoral Fellowship Program that fellowship recipients not have other employment during the period of this support. If desired, a Life Sciences fellow may receive a leave of absence from their fellowship to serve as a paid teaching assistant or in other non-thesis related activities for up to two semesters. The fellowship will then be extended beyond the previous end date by the number of semesters the student was absent from the fellowship program.
Approval for this action can be obtained upon written request by the mentor to the Life Sciences Fellowship Committee. It should be noted that fee waiver eligibility is limited to five years for doctoral students. Therefore, should a leave of absence result in fellowship support occurring beyond that five-year limit, the student, mentor, or host department will be responsible for paying all associated fees. Serving as a teaching assistant or other activities on a volunteer-basis does not require approval of the Life Sciences Fellowship, but should be approved by the mentor.
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