Predoctoral Program in Cellular, Molecular, and Quantitative Biology Activities

Since 2009 we have been sponsoring an annual CMQBTP Symposium that allows advanced CMQBTP students to present their work and interact with two outside speakers. The format consists of four short (15 minute) talks by CMQBTP trainees (senior students formerly supported by the CMQBTP), and two longer (60 minute) talks from prominent outside speakers. We usually seek to invite a former CMQBTP trainee as one of the visiting scientists. The invited former CMQBTP trainees have included: Gia Voeltz (2012, University of Colorado, Boulder); Samara Reck-Peterson (2013, Harvard University), Marc Freeman (2014, UMass Worcester), Kim Mowry (2015, Brown University) and Phoebe Rice (2016, the University of Chicago). An organizing committee composed of both junior and advanced CMQBTP trainees chooses and invites the outside speakers with input from two CMQBTP Executive Committee members, John Carlson and Anthony Koleske, who serve as faculty advisors to the student organizing committee.

The Yale community is invited to the Symposium through advertising and postings designed and arranged by the student organizing committee. CMQBTP students interact with the outside speakers and among themselves during lunch and at a post-symposium reception. All speakers, as well as the organizing committee, take the outside speakers to dinner in downtown New Haven.

The CMQQBTP Research-in-Progress series provides a valuable and unique opportunity for students with diverse interests in cellular mechanisms to come together and become familiar with a variety of research projects. It also provides a valuable opportunity for students to develop their oral scientific communication skills. Second- and third-year students attend the CMBTP Research-in-Progress talks which are held for an hour monthly during the academic year and alternate from one side of campus to the other. Second-year students organize dinner (pizza, sandwiches, Indian food, for example) and second and third-year students present their work, though preference is given to third year students. The training grant Program Director (Susan Baserga) and the Research-in-Progress faculty coordinators (Trainers in Cell Biology, Patrick Lusk and Topher Carroll) also attend the meetings.