Page Contents

Program Description
Research Facilities

What are the admissions requirements

What are the degree requirements

Who are the faculty and what are their interests

How can I get more information

Program Description

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of North Dakota provides a highly individualized graduate student-oriented educational experience in which research is emphasized.  The student to faculty ratio rarely exceeds 2:1.  The small size of the department allows for plenty of interaction among faculty and students, and a cohesive, collegial atmosphere.

The 10-16 students in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are part of a larger group of students in the three other basic biomedical graduate programs.   First-year students from all programs participate in a fall-semester 7-credit interdisciplinary course in Cellular and Molecular Foundations in Biomedical Science, a statistics course, and a yearlong research seminar series.  They also participate in an annual Biomedical Science Retreat where they get to know graduate students and faculty in other departments and hear about their research interests. Biochemistry students take advanced courses offered by the department in the spring.   They begin research projects in their first semester and by the end of their first year are established in the laboratory of their thesis adviser.

Students may enroll either as M.S. or Ph.D. candidates.  M.S. students have the option of petitioning to enter the Ph.D. program after their first full year.  In their second year, students complete most of their formal course requirements.  Beyond the second year, students spend most of their time doing research.  They also make regular oral presentations and are provided opportunities to attend local, regional and national scientific meetings. Doctoral students must pass a comprehensive examination before they can defend their dissertation.  The rate of completion of M.S. and Ph.D. degrees by students is very high.  In general, at least two years are required to complete a M.S., whereas Ph.D. degrees are usually completed in four to six years.  The Department has also trained several M.D./Ph.D. students.  Students who have earned degrees from the program have gone on to many excellent post-doctoral positions, continued their education in biomedically-related professional disciplines, taken positions in industry, or assumed teaching positions at four-year colleges.

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Research Facilities

              The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, along with the three other basic science departments of UND’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences is located in the Edwin C. James Medical Research Facility.  Opened in 1994, this $10 million structure provides about 90,000 square feet of laboratory and office space.  It is one of four units making up UND’s principal medical education complex.  Specialized classrooms, auditoriums and the Harley E. French Library of Health Sciences are located in the adjacent Karl Christian Wold, M.D., Bio-Information Learning Resource Center.  A 20,000 square foot $6 million Biomedical Research Facility designed for state-of-the-art animal care was completed in 2001.  In 2004, a 14,000-square-foot, Neuroscience Research Facility was constructed for $3 million.

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What are the Admission Requirements?

              An applicant for admission to UND’s graduate program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have earned at least 20 semester credits in chemistry or chemistry plus biology, including at least six hours of organic chemistry (analytical chemistry and biology are highly desirable).  The applicant must have completed the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  A subject GRE in a science area of choice is recommended.  International students must have a TOEFL score of at least 550.  Students may apply at any time, but those seeking financial assistance should apply as early as possible, since funds are limited and awarded on a competitive basis.

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What are the Degree Requirements?

              The Master of Science requires completion of at least 30 semester credits (including research and thesis), achievement of an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0-point scale), satisfactory preparation of a thesis, and a successful performance on an oral examination covering course work and thesis-related material.  Emphasis is placed on the research experience.

              The Doctor of Philosophy requires completion of at least 90 semester credits (including six credits outside the department, a scholarly tool and research and dissertation), achievement of an overall grade point average of at least 3.0, and satisfactory preparation and oral defense of the dissertation.  Strong emphasis is placed on an original research project intended to result in peer-reviewed publication.

              The Doctor of Medicine/Doctor of Philosophy (M.D./Ph.D.) program requires initial admission into UND’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences and completion of all requirements for both degrees, although a number of didactic course credits apply to both programs.  Course and research work for the Ph.D. occurs between the second and third years of medical school, and usually requires at least two years to complete.

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Who are the faculty and what are their areas of interest?

Gene A. Homandberg, Professor and Chair, William Eugene Cornatzer Chair of                      Biochemistry (Ph.D. University of South Dakota 1976): Roles and Mechanisms of               Extracellular Matrix Degradation Products in Cartilage Degeneration and Homeostasis;        Structure and Biology of Connective Tissue Proteins.

Siegfried Detke, Associate Professor (Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1976): DNA

       amplification and drug resistance; endocytosis of plasma membrane proteins.

James D. Foster, Research Assistant Professor (Ph.D., University of North Dakota,

       1994): metabolic roles and regulation of the hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase under

       normal and pathologic conditions.

David O. Lambeth, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor.  (Ph.D., University of  

       Wisconsin 1971): Roles of ATP- and GTP-specific succinyl-CoA synthetases and

       isoforms of nucleoside diphosphate kinases in mitochondrial metabolism.

Barry I. Milavetz, Associate Professor (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1976): Regulation of

       chromatin structure; interactions between nuclear factors and enhancer elements.

Masaru Miyagi, Assistant Professor (Ph.D., Osaka University, 1997): Protein nitration in

       retina, Development of mass spectrometry method for studying protein post-

       translational modification

Linda Ray,  Instructor, CLS (B.S. Medical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Science,

       University of North Dakota, 1983). Chondroprotective agents in models of cartilage

       degeneration.

John B. Shabb, Associate Professor (Ph.D., West Virginia University, 1984): Regulation

       of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, including protein stability, subcellular localization,

       phosphorylation and cyclic nucleotide-receptor interaction.

Brij Singh, Assistant Professor (Ph.D., University of Bonn and Bhopal University, 1997):

       Characterization of calcium channel proteins, including regulation, membrane targeting,

       structure-function relationship, mechanism of activation and inactivation.

Katherine A. Sukalski, Associate Professor (Ph.D., University of North Dakota, 1981):

       Director of Education: curriculum development and reform, faculty enhancement.

Roxanne A. Vaughan, Associate Professor (Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and

       State University, 1985): Structure-function properties of the dopamine transporter – a

       regulator of dopaminergic neurotransmission and site of action of cocaine and  

       amphetamines.

Min Wu, Assistant Professor (Ph.D., University of Leeds, UK): Mechanism of DNA

       damage and repair in lung oxidation and inflammation.

Adjunct Faculty

              Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center. The Center provides an opportunity for studies with interests in micronutrients and role in metabolic regulation.

W. Thomas Johnson (Ph.D., University of North Dakota, 1979): Understanding how

       trace element nutrition affects cell membrane function and signal transduction.

Forrest H. Nielsen (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1967): Nutritional importance of the

       mineral elements boron, nickel, silicon, copper and magnesium.

Philip G. Reeves (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1971): Relationships among nutritional zinc

       status and the function and activity of bioactive peptides; copper-zinc interaction; safe

       and adequate dietary intake of cadmium.

Gerald F. Combs, Jr., (Ph.D., Cornell University, 1973):  Metabolism and mechanisms of

       nutritional and anti-carcinogenic actions of selenium and related nutrients.

Eric O. Uthus, (Ph.D., University of North Dakota, 1982):Role of methionine sulfoxide

       reductases A and B in oxidative damage;selenium-folate interaction in

       methyl/methionine metabolism, DNA methylation and  carcinogenesis.

Huawei Zeng,  (Ph.D., University of Wyoming, 1996): The molecular mechanism of cell

       cycle, apoptosis and cancer cell invasion related to selenium and colon cancer risk.

Faculty with joint appointment

              Department of Pathology, University of North Dakota

Mary Ann Sens (M.D., Medical University of South Carolina, 1981; Ph.D., University of

       South Carolina, 1976): Invovlement of MT-3 in breast cancer.

Donald Sens (Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1976): Cadmium toxicity and  

       carcinogenicity in bladder and kidney and the involvement of MT-3 in bladder cancer,

       cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity, and normal differentiation of proximal tubule cells.

Scott Garrett (Ph.D., University of South Dakota, 1989): The regulation of zinc transport

       in normal and transformed human prostate cells and tissues.

Seema Somji (Ph.D., The George Washington University, 1996): The involvement of

       arsenite (As+3) in bladder carcinogenesis using the UROtsa in vitro model system.

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How can I get more information?

              Information about procedures for admission to UND’s graduate programs in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology may be obtained by contacting:

Graduate School,

University of North Dakota, Box 8178

Grand Forks, ND  58202-8178

Phone:  (701) 777-2784

Web site: http://www.und.edu/dept/grad/index.html

Or

Dr. Kathy Sukalski,

Director of Education

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

School of Medicine and Health Sciences

University of North Dakota

Box 9037

Grand Forks, ND  58202-9037

Phone: (701) 777-3937 or (701) 777-2250
Web site: http://www.med.und.nodak.edu/depts/biochem/
Email: sukalski@medicine.nodak.edu

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Revised on March 16, 2007