Financial
support. Trainees in good standing will be supported by a combination of NIH, institutional and mentor-provided funds for their entire graduate career. This involves direct financial support equivalent to a research assistantship, waiver of out-of-state tuition and payment of in-state tuition. In general, the first two years involves support by institutionally supplemented NIH funds and subsequent years by funds from the mentor. Employment as a teaching assistant will occur only in conjunction with a specific teaching requirement of the trainee's Ph.D. program and should generally involve no more than one semester.
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Laboratory
rotations. Trainees appointed as entering graduate students are able to become involved immediately in graduate research through laboratory rotations because trainee support does not involve the time demands of a teaching position.
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Travel
stipends. Up to $300 per year is available by application for each trainee to defray part of the cost of attending a scientific meeting. Preference is given to trainees presenting results of their own research, but trainees at all stages of their careers are eligible to request this support. Application can be made at any time to the Director and involves only a brief written statement of the meeting to be attended, identification of other attendees from the trainee's laboratory, description of the results to be presented and the format of the presentation (poster, short talk, invited talk by mentor, etc.). After return from the meeting, a 1-2 page report must be submitted to the Director.
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Internship.
The Training Program has an ever-growing network of contacts with biotechnology firms in Seattle and the San Francisco bay area as well as across the country. A notebook describing these firms is available in the Biochemistry and Biophysics office. These contacts, plus the initiative of trainee and mentor, provide a wide range of opportunities for trainees to do an internship. The Training Program requires that the internship firm provide financial support to the trainee doing the internship, in the form of salary or another mechanism, that covers, at minimum, all living expenses incurred by the trainee during the internship. In addition, during the internship, the trainee continues to receive a stipend/assistantship through WSU.
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Interaction
with distinguished guests. For the biennial Biotechnology Symposium and at various times throughout the academic year, the Training Program sponsors visits by distinguished scientists and engineers. Besides hearing formal presentations from these guests, trainees have the opportunity for informal contact at receptions and dinners in conjunction with the visits. Trainees with special interests in particular guests should contact the Director or the appropriate member of the Training Faculty to insure that there is an opportunity for such informal contact.
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Unique
opportunities and membership in a select group. The Biotechnology Training Program provides opportunities for cross-disciplinary contacts and for educational experiences not usual in conventional graduate training. Your training will prepare you for a promising future and your participation in this innovative program will mark you as one of a select group of talented, specially trained scientists and engineers.
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