Student
Life
The
first year of graduate work is somewhat structured
as students fulfill their core course requirements.
In addition to an intensive six credit course on the
cellular and molecular foundations of biomedical science
(which happens to be its name), students begin "lab
rotations" that serve to introduce them to the
various research projects ongoing in the departmental
research laboratories. A departmental seminar series
also helps introduce the students to the staff and
faculty and their areas of research interest. Students
supported by teaching assistantships (see below) also
begin to learn the art of teaching by assisting instructors
of neurosciences, histology, or anatomy. The Spring
semester continues the process, with coursework in
histology and/or developmental biology, seminars,
and rotations.
The second year (if not before) marks a time of decision
for the graduate student. Based on the experiences
of the first year, students decide which research
project seems most interesting (and doable) and what
teaching experiences will best serve her or his career
goals. Of course, nothing is set in stone since this
is a journey of discovery - personal, professional,
and scientific.
By
the end of the second year, Masters students have
finished, or are in the process of finishing, their
degree requirements. Doctoral students are focused
on their research projects, in which they will be
immersed for two or three more years.
In those (sometimes rare) instances when it is possible
to escape the demands of the research lab and classroom,
graduate students in Anatomy and Cell Biology find
a surprising number of opportunities for a variety
of experiences in the University, community, and surrounding
areas. For example, North
Dakota has many wild, scenic, and historical sites
such as the Theodore
Roosevelt National Park on the west side of the
state, National Historic Sites in central North Dakota
(Knife River
and Fort Union)
that describe North Dakota as it appeared to Lewis
and Clark's Corp of Discovery and as it was before
their passage, Turtle River State Park in Eastern
North Dakota, and natural
areas throughout the state. Just an hour to the
east of the infamous Red River begins the northern
forest regions of Minneota containing natural treasures
such as the old growth forest surrounding the source
of the Mississippi River (Itasca
State Park), a park on the pristine waterways
used by the voyagers (Voyager's
National Park) and the epitome of "getting
away" - the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. |
