The students then develop and prepare their own research proposals on this topic through weekly meetings. Near the end of the term, faculty and students critique the proposals in an NIH-style grant study section. The students then revise their proposals in light of the written critiques, and resubmit them for final evaluation and grading. Each fall semester, two topics of current interest selected from general areas of physical chemistry, metabolism, cell biology, and molecular biology are treated intensively. Papers are selected by the faculty from current literature and assigned to participating students for review and oral presentation.
Emphasis is on application of scientific methods and interpretation of experimental data.
Students are required to participate in at least one semester. The exercises are designed to provide familiarity with concepts and methodology in the analysis of enzyme catalysis, protein-nucleic acid interactions, and protein function and regulation. Students learn to independently investigate available information and resources, design experimental approaches, evaluate data, manage time in independent study, and discuss and defend the rationale for their research plans and expected results. Electives Students may choose to take additional courses outside the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department. Each of the five graduate programs in the School of Medicine offers a wide variety of graduate courses in, for example, virology, signal transduction, and pharmacology.