Curriculum

The goal of our program is to train independent principal investigators; this program does not include the training of clinicians or residents. Each trainee will learn contemporary techniques in molecular genetics and molecular biology and apply them in research that addresses fundamental aspects of aging processes. In our current grant period, we have annual support from the NIA for 8 predoctoral students and 8 postdoctoral associates.

Features of the curriculum include:

Seminar and Proseminar Courses

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Genetic Approaches to Aging Journal Club

This biweekly meeting is attended by all pre- and post-doctoral trainees, as well as other interested trainees, faculty and staff. Each meeting consists of a 30 min. oral review by one of the trainees of their ongoing research progress, followed by a 30 min presentation by another trainee (or occasionally faculty member) of a current and topical journal publication or meeting summary. This format was chosen so as to enable each trainee to present one of each type of presentation within a 3 quarter interval.

Predoctoral Training

The essence of the training program consists of original research under the tutelage of an experienced investigator. For the case of predoctoral trainees, this is supplemented by both required and elective course work. Such requirements vary among the several participating departments (Pathology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Biological Structure, Physiology & Biophysics, Microbiology, IMCBP). Predoctoral trainees are expected to attend the annual Seminar Series in the Basic Biology of Aging. We recognize our responsibility to ensure that trainees in our program have a firm foundation of knowledge in molecular and cellular biology as well as in gerontologic research. Most departmental programs require trainees to take for grades the complete three-quarter course in molecular and cellular biology (UConj 501, 502, 503) as well as one other didactic course in advanced biochemistry, advanced genetics or tumor cell biology. The UConj 501 series is the conjoint course for all students in cell and molecular biology at the UW and many members of our faculty teach in this course. Each student must also complete two proseminar courses, in which trainees and faculty examine together current literature in a well defined area of cell biology; for our trainees one of these is the annual proseminar in Basic Biology of Aging, linked to the Seminar series of the same title.

Trainees attend a series of seminars, journal clubs and lab meetings related to the program and Department of the sponsor. In addition, there is a bi-weekly Aging Journal Club.

In the first year, prior to selecting a faculty sponsor, each potential trainee carries out short research projects in three different laboratories. These "three month rotations" are required. All of the graduate students participate in weekly laboratory meetings throughout the course of their research programs. During the first year, the progress of each trainee is carefully evaluated by a graduate committee in the department or program in which the student is enrolled, and at the end of the year, by a meeting with the Genetic Approaches to Aging Training Program Director or Associate Director.

After the student chooses a mentor, an individual graduate committee is established, which consists of three members of the departmental faculty and one or two outside scientists whose areas of research are particularly relevant to the proposed research. This committee convenes two to three times a year, and conducts an oral thesis examination, as required by the School for admission to candidacy for a Ph.D. Completion of a doctoral thesis requires in-depth original research which must be approved by the departmental committee plus an outside faculty member appointed by the Graduate School. It is usual that one or more member of this training program serves on the thesis committee of trainees funded under the auspices of this program.

All participating departments require a qualifying oral examination (the General Exam), generally based upon written materials outlining two different propositions - the main thesis proposal and an alternate proposal, both representing original proposals for a research project. This exam generally lasts some two to four hours and is monitored by a representative of the Graduate School, who prepares a report of the nature of the exam and of its results. Participants must include all members of the student's Supervisory Committee. The exam generally takes place after the trainee has satisfactorily completed a set of basic courses (with grades of at least 3.0, equivalent to a "B"), has chosen a thesis research sponsor and has spent one or more quarters of supervised preliminary research in the sponsor's laboratory. Following a successful general exam, there is a period of full time research generally lasting about 3 years, the total period of predoctoral training usually lasting about 5 years. (For M.D./Ph.D. trainees the period of training is generally around 7 years.)

During the final year of predoctoral training we encourage and support the attendance of our predoctoral trainees at an appropriate aging-related national meetings or Gordon Conference in order that they have the opportunity to present the results of their thesis research and obtain exposure to such a national forum, including opportunities to discover potential post-doctoral sponsors.

Finally, trainees have access to a large number of visiting scientists who are invited to give seminars by our participating departments or other sponsoring groups (e.g., the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center). Examples have included Ed Masaro (caloric restriction), Raj Sohal (oxidative damage), Phil Hanawalt, Mark Meuth, Raoul Schaaper and Larry Grossman (mutagenesis); Alan Bradley and Mario Capecchi (targeted mutagenesis in embryonic stem cells); Stanley Prusiner and Bert Sackmann (Neurobiology); M. Stephen Meyn and Stanley Fields (novel systems for functional screening of cDNA libraries).

Trainee progress is monitored via regular meetings (typically weekly with research sponsors, individual lab meetings, presentations at seminars and journal clubs and, in the case of graduate students, via the formal mechanisms conducted by the individual department graduate programs.

Postdoctoral Training

Postdoctoral training is devoted primarily to research in an individual laboratory and is augmented by attendance at weekly laboratory meetings, journal clubs, and seminars. The Departments of Pathology, Genetic and Biochemistry sponsor weekly or biweekly seminars, as do many other departments at the UW.

A programmatic focus is provided by attendance at the annual course on the Basic Biology of Aging. For post-doctoral trainees, attendance at the proseminar portion of the course is optional. Attendance and presentation at the biweekly Genetic Approaches to Aging Journal Club is also required.

Each of the departments at the UW that participate in our program, and the Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, sponsor a required annual retreat and multiple forums for the presentation of research by postdoctoral as well as predoctoral trainees. Similarly, the closely affiliated Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) has an extensive outside speaker seminar series in molecular biology. There is also opportunity for some of our postdoctoral trainees to teach both undergraduate and graduate students, but teaching is voluntary, is limited to at most 10% of their time and occurs only during the third year of training. This provides valuable experience for future employment. We also encourage and support the attendance of our postdoctoral trainees at appropriate aging-related national meetings and Gordon Conferences.

For postdoctoral trainees, the typical period of research training is 3 years. We anticipate that most of our postdoctoral trainees will obtain positions as independent investigators at universities or sometimes in private sector biotechnology. This is documented by the past record of the career outcomes for our former trainees.