What are the requirements for participation?

Funded fellows:

1. Courses: Completion or a plan allowing completion of the prerequisite courses (BMB960 in Fall Semester, BMB864 in Spring Semester) and a relevant quantitative skills building course) by the end of their third year of predoctoral studies is a requirement for second year of funding of fellows (during their third year of predoctoral studies).
2. Active participation in each annual symposium, including helping to organize and run the symposia in year 2 and beyond. 
3. Each NIH funded fellow will work with their mentor and the Executive Committee (EC) members to identify and organize an 8-12 week industrial internship to be completed before the end of their 3rd year of graduate studies. In addition to being an excellent career development opportunity, this is a requirement of the NIH T32 Biotechnology Training Program. Limited funds will be made available for fellow travel associated with this internship. While the Executive Committee has identified several organizations that have agreed to consider hosting students
4. In addition to their primary mentor, all fellows will have another trainer or EC member on their advisory committee. 
5. All participants will work with their mentors to develop and annually update their Individual Development Plant (IDP). The first IDP discussion with your mentor should occur prior to applying to the program, and the second before the start of your 5th semester. NIH funded fellows will include internship planning as part of their IDP process. All fellows will maintain a list of seminars that they attend each year as part of their IDP. All participants are expected to attend at least 20 seminars annually, including a mix of talks outside of their field of interest as well as those closer to their discipline and research interests. Five short written analyses of talks attended in different seminar series (for example, BMB, CHE, CHEMS, HRT, PLB, Science at the Edge) should be included as part of your IDP.
6. Fellows will be expected to develop competency in statistical/quantitative analysis and computational biology approaches. Completion of at least one course in this general area will satisfy the requirement for quantitative competency. 
7. Fellows will participate in mentoring training activities associated with the program and mentor one or more undergraduate students for a minimum of 10 weeks.

Non-funded trainees

PhD students can participate in the training program even if they do not receive an NIH training fellowship. These would include applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents and citizens and those students who are not awarded fellowships.

1. Courses: All trainees of the program will complete the Fall Semester BMB960 level Plant Biotechnology Research Forum on Plants for Health and Sustainability seminar course by the start of their fifth semester (end of the second year).
2. Trainees will attend meetings with Executive Committee (EC) members to plan the annual symposium and how the program participants can strengthen the research community at MSU.
3. All program trainees are expected to attend and participate actively in the annual symposium each year.