This program provides students with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics before they enter a degree-granting department. The departmental graduate program prepares individuals for careers as professional research scientists and educators in molecular genetics, immunology, microbial pathogenesis, and virology. Each student gains the knowledge and skills required for a research career by taking advanced courses and conducting research under the supervision of a selected faculty member. Departmental faculty members are currently conducting nationally funded research on herpesvirus gene expression, RNA splicing and transport, antiviral action of interferon, structure and function of bacterial toxins, site-specific recombination, autoimmune mechanisms of allergic encephalomyelitis, expression and secretion of Pseudomonas exotoxins, replication of yeast chromosomes, and regulation of vaccinia virus DNA replication, gene expression, and morphogenesis. This diversity of faculty research areas allows each student to select a specific thesis problem of interest.
Students have full access to the modern tools of molecular biology located within the department.
The department has recently acquired new instrumentation for single-cell microinjection, digital fluorescence imaging, ultracentrifugation, transmission electron microscopy, and phosphorimaging. Multiple facilities for liquid chromatography, eukaryotic cell culture, and recombinant DNA work are present within the department. Students also have access to shared facilities that are supported by the Cancer Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin, including instrumentation for automated chemiluminescence assays, protein sequencing, amino acid analysis, and molecular modeling. A thorough coverage of the relevant scientific literature is provided by the MCW library. Offices and laboratories at MCW are linked through central computer facilities that provide rapid access to e-mail, news groups, and the Internet.