225 7 The Neuroscience Training Program of UWMadison

225. 7 The Neuroscience Training Program of UW-Madison Re-Evaluates its Involvement with the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate H. 1 Neuroscience ABSTRACT The Neuroscience Training Program (NTP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was one the neuroscience partner programs that participated in the ground breaking Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate (CID) starting in 2003. The CID was a multi-year long, nation-wide project that focused on improving doctoral education in U. S. universities through the analysis of the participating programs’ training activities. The CID recently has ended and the NTP now is assessing the progress made through the initiative. During the CID, the GPN created several subcommittees (Faculty, Student Recruitment and Retention, Training) that efficiently critiqued and revised the way our program functions. A Coordinating Committee met monthly to discuss the recommendations of these subcommittees and send their suggestions to the program-wide Steering Committee. This system led to several beneficial changes within the GPN, including a refined structure and timeline for the oral preliminary exam; creation of a Student Board to increase and organize communication between the student body and faculty; a written preliminary exam with questions that integrate the curriculum of the four core neuroscience courses; and new faculty membership requirements that attempt to increase faculty involvement within the GPN. With the end of the formal CID process, the CID-specific committees have dissolved; consequently, the efficiency with which new, graduate education-related ideas are implemented within the GPN has decreased, and students are less involved in this process. The Student Board now is attempting to rejuvenate the spirit of the initiative by increasing the dialogue between the Board and the incoming Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Our goal is to create a process within the GPN that will maintain the advanced communication among the students, faculty, and administrators of the GPN that was achieved during the CID’s tenure. Equally important is to create a lasting culture within the GPN that will foster new, graduate-student related initiatives in the spirit of the initial CID-inspired advancements. 1 Gerstein , Training Program, 2 Graduate Recap: CID Goals A) Evaluate NTP to identify areas where student and faculty conflicts exist B) Evaluate advisor/student relationship C) Develop non-traditional career paths to reflect shift in demand in Neurosciences A) Evaluated NTP to identify areas where student and faculty conflicts exist Results from the questionnaires revealed the following notable differences in perception between faculty and students on a number of key issues. How often advisor promoted the following topics? • Networking • Writing journal articles • Grant writing • Teaching • Postdoctoral advice • CV preparation • Giving job talks Where do you think student learn the following skills? • Critical thinking and analysis • Literature searches • How to integrate a body of knowledge Graduate Program Overview • UW Madison Neuroscience Training Program (NTP) is an interdisciplinary, cross campus integrated graduate program founded in 1971. NTP has received continuous funding from NIH for over thirty years. • NTP currently has 89 faculty and 60 current grad students. • Over 135 Ph. D. degrees have been granted with over 90% of students remaining in the biomedical sciences. • Research strengths range from cellular/molecular studies to behavioral and systems neuroscience. H. B) Evaluate advisor/student relationships • Rotation evaluations from both professor and student to identify potential problems ahead of time. • Did a survey of all past alumni as well as all graduating students upon program completion to assess what aspects of the program students like and what areas need improvement • Encourage mediation and open dialogue conversations with program administrator and director 2 Daniels School, and T. C. T. 3 Dept 1, 3 Yin of Physiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison C) Develop non-traditional career paths to reflect shift in demand in Neurosciences Neuroscience and Public Policy Dual Degree Program: • N&PP Program was created to meet growing need for neuroscientists with strong research and public policy skills. Prepares students for careers in science policy, academia, government and the private sector. • La Follette School of Public Affairs Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree program is designed to be flexible, thus well-suited for accommodating N&PP program students. 42 credit program includes core courses, electives and summer internship, and is usually completed during first three years of study in the N&PP program. • Current enrollment is three students, with continuing enrollment of 1 student annually, pending funding. • Applied for NSF Science and Technology Policy grant to support stipend, tuition and internships for current N&PP students. Program is member of ANDP (Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs) • Features weekly special Neuroscience & Public Policy Seminar • Courses for N&PP Program include: Intro to Policy Analysis, Public Management, Science Policy Electives, Bioethics & Law Electives, Public Policy Internship Teaching Opportunities: • Teaching Fellows in Neuroscience Program (TFN) Aim of the new program is to allow interested NTP graduate students to obtain training in teaching while they maintain traditional research-oriented training leading to a Ph. D. in neuroscience. Includes coursework in college-level teaching, teaching internship and mentoring practicum through the Delta program (below). • Delta Program Certificate (part of the NSF Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching & Learning) Program serves as community for research, teaching and learning community made up of faculty, academic staff, post-docs, and graduate students to help scientists succeed in the changing landscape of science, engineering, and math higher education. Uses core ideas of teaching-asresearch, learning-through-diversity, and learning community to support teaching. Includes coursework, internship, participation in Delta Learning Community and completion of Teaching Portfolio. • PEOPLE Program PEOPLE is a pre-college pipeline for students of color and low-income students, most of whom are the first in their families to potentially attend college. The NTP participates each summer by running a variety of one week-long neuroscience courses for 10 th and 11 th graders, taught by NTP graduate students. • Outreach Programs Science Expeditions NTP participates in UW-Madison's Annual Science Outreach Day. We host several hands-on activities at a Neuroscience specific table staffed by graduate students. Approximately 1500 community members (children and adults) attend each year. Brain Awareness Week at the Madison Children's Museum Approximately 500 parents and children attend the museum event annually. Multiple stations are set-up around the museum that children navigate via a “passport. ” Following completion of all stations, each child received a certificate and a prize. Edgewood Science Night Annual fair held at local middle school. NTP ran activities such as clay modeling of neurons and brains. Approximately 75 parents and adults attended the science night. Partnered with Science Alliance (science. wisc. edu) A UW-Madison campus wide scientific outreach collaborative coordination effort. Promoting interaction and collaboration across campus for multiple scientific programs. Science Master’s Institute Course on Human Brain and Senses Yearly course with 20 hours of contact time for Madison School District 8 th grade science teachers to help them teach a module on the brain. Future Directions Expand N&PP Program • More opportunities for career planning • Outreach events that are specific to Policy, such as work with high school debate teams, political groups • Waisman Center collaboration for outreach and education on addiction and mental illness Additional Professional Development for all NTP students • Senior level (5 th/6 th year) professional development seminars, focusing on post-doc applications, securing funding, balancing work and home life • Further NTP-wide social events, to foster cohesive and collaborative atmosphere