Year 1:  Laboratory Rotations (VTMB 521, 522, and 523 - 2 cr)

Each VMB graduate student must complete three laboratory rotations during their first year of graduate study.  Each Laboratory Rotation is ~12 weeks in duration that is designed to allow the student to explore a potential avenue of research for their thesis/dissertation research.  Students should become familiar with the relevant literature, concepts, and methods needed to achieve the goals of their research project.

At the end of each Rotation, students will present a 15-20 minute seminar on their rotation project. These presentations will be judged on preparation, coherent presentation of the project, and understanding the theoretical basis of the work.

VTMB 521 (Rotation 1) will be assigned a letter grade in Fall. VTMB 522 and 523 (Rotations 2 and 3) will be assigned letter grades in Spring.  The weight of these letter grades is based on the faculty mentor's evaluation of the student's laboratory skills and organization, comprehension of the subject area, effort, and quality of the seminar.  The criteria for this evaluation are defined in the Rotation Evaluation Form.

Performance in Rotations is the opportunity to impress faculty with his/her capacity and enthusiasm for independent scientific research. Effective use of research time is the key to convincing at least one faculty member that both student and mentor would benefit from working together on a thesis or dissertation research project.

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 06/19/2006