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The UMBC Chemistry/Biology Interface Program is
an NIH supported training program designed for incoming graduate
students who are interested in both the areas of chemistry and
biology. This program aims to prepare students for the challenges
of the 21st century, which will surely reward those who have expertise
in more than one area of science. Even now, those scientists who
can bridge the gap between biology and chemistry are in high demand
in such areas as the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, synthetic
chemists who are knowledgeable about metabolism, and biologists
who understand the physical principles governing the interactions
between macromolecules are widely sought after. CBI students obtain
their Ph.D. degree in an area of the chemical or the biological
sciences, but with an additional focus in the other discipline.
Degrees may be obtained in chemistry,
biology
or biochemistry
and molecular biology. Each course of study is individually
tailored to take into account students' strengths and interests,
but all include coursework at an advanced level in both the biological
sciences and chemistry, as well as biochemistry. Highlights of
the program are:
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Each student does a laboratory rotation of
approximately 10 weeks in both disciplines. This helps the
student get exposure to the type of thinking that is required
for research in both areas. It also helps to alleviate the
fear factor that students (and graduates) often have to dealing
with the unknown. Thus, a synthetic chemist might work in
an immunology lab or a genetics lab, and learn to be comfortable
with how these scientists approach research. Ultimately, this
would allow the synthetic chemist to interact with biologists
to design drugs, for example.
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Each student takes an advanced graduate level
course in the "other" discipline, also to broaden
perspective and to learn to talk comfortably with professionals
that have a different interest.
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Students attend biweekly meetings of the
CBI participants at which issues at the interface are discussed.
This may involve the visit of a guest speaker who discusses
crosscutting research, or it may involve presentations by
the CBI students themselves. This also serves to ensure that
students learn effective oral presentation skills.
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Students act as judges for UMBC's annual
undergraduate research day, at which students from area colleges
and universities present the results of their undergraduate
research. Last year over 100 students from 8 states and DC
presented their work. CBI students work with faculty to judge
this research, and learn how to evaluate research results.
CBI students also may invite and host selected outside speakers.
UMBC offers students the opportunity to do cutting edge research
with state-of-the-art equipment and an internationally known
faculty, in areas such as the Determination of Biological
Structures by NMR and Mass Spectrometry, Molecular Biology,
Immunology, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, RNA Structure and Function,
Enzyme Mechanisms, Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions, Synthetic
and Mechanistic Organic Chemistry, Biochemical Energetics,
Inorganic Chemistry, Cell Biology, Enzyme Model Systems, Gene
Regulation, Analysis of Biological Molecules, Carbohydrate
Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics, Marine Biology, Neurobiology,
Signal Transduction, Bioinorganic Chemistry, Biomedicinal
Chemistry, Protein Structure, Bioorganic Chemistry and Developmental
Biology.
If you are interested in the CBI program, please contact the
Program Director:
Katherine Seley-Radtke Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry
UMBC
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
E-mail:kseley@umbc.edu
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