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Information for Current
MBRS-RISE M.S-to-Ph.D. Students
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Responsibilities
of Program Participants |
- As an MBRS-RISE M.S.-to-Ph.D. student,
it is your responsibility to succeed academically and to make
a strong effort in the research laboratory in preparation for
advanced work towards the Ph.D. and establishment of a career
in research.
- The responsibility of the MBRS-RISE
research directors is to provide scientific leadership to make
your laboratory research experience meaningful and productive.
They are also committed to serving as your academic and career
advisors.
- The responsibility of the MBRS-RISE
Program Administration is to provide resources and leadership
that will help you maximize your efforts to achieve success in
biomedical and behavioral research and completion of your immediate
degree goal. You, your research director, and the MBRS program
administration are expected to work together so that you attain
a level of achievement in the research laboratory and in academics
which makes you eligible and competitive for admission to strong
Ph.D. programs following completion of the M.S. or M.A. at Cal
State LA.
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| Tenure in the Cal
State L.A. MBRS-RISE MS-to-PhD Program |
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An student's maximum tenure in
the program to completion of the degree will generally be two
years (24 months) to complete their masters program. Under exceptional
circumstances, a student's tenure in the program may be extended
by petition to the program Advisory Committee.
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Research
Participation |
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The MBRS-RISE program is funded by a
grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
(NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The primary
mission of NIGMS is the creation of new, original knowledge within
the biomedical natural and behavioral sciences, and to support
training of new generations of biomedical and behavioral scientists.
There are 25 research laboratories involved in the Cal State
LA MBRS-RISE program. The MBRS-RISE program provides support
for your salary as a research assistant, research supplies and
equipment, and funds for your travel to present research results.
It is expected that the work you do in the research laboratory
in collaboration with your faculty principal investigator and
other research student colleagues will lead to publications in
professional research journals. The research progress of these
subprojects is reviewed annually by the NIH. Renewal depends
on research productivity of the laboratory as measured in peer
reviewed professional journal publications and the career outcomes
of the participating student research assistants.
The research participation of MBRS-RISE
students has been at a high level and their work has led to publication
of nearly 500 research journal articles. A list of these publications
is given at the link MBRS-RISE
Student and Faculty Publications.
There are opportunities for you to be
involved in research at one (or more) of the collaborating Ph.D.
institutions during the period of your masters degree work. Take
advantage of this to interact with graduate students and faculty
at the Ph.D. institutions.
Officially, your position in the MBRS-RISE
M.S.-to-Ph.D. program is as a research assistant. Currently the
salary level is set at $12,800. It will be increased on July
1, 2000 to $15,000 per year. You are expected to make a good
effort in the progress of your research project and, develop
your research skills in preparation to Ph.D. work.
Your progress in research is monitored
by quarterly reports, which your research director provides to
the MBRS-RISE program office.
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| Academic Progress |
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There are three very important intertwined
objectives of the MBRS-RISE program: 1) your progress in the
research laboratory; 2) your academic progress; and 3) the progress
of the research project in which you participate. The expectation
is that by participating in a research group performing contemporary
biomedical research, your academic achievements will be enhanced.
A major goal of the MBRS program is to increase the pool of talented
minority individuals who will eventually take leadership positions
in biomedical research and related disciplines. To this end,
your academic success as a participant in the program is essential;
strong performance in your masters program is necessary for admission
to strong Ph.D. programs.
The National Institutes of Health, the
research grant agency which funds MBRS-RISE, requires that students
be enrolled full-time (as determined by your academic department)
at Cal State LA in order to participate in the Program and that
satisfactory progress be made by participants. It is important
that your academic achievement allow you to pursue education
beyond the M.S. Your course work grades should be A's and B's,
and you are reminded that you must maintain a GPA of 3.00 or
higher to be in good standing with your department and the university.
If at any point your GPA drops below 3.0, you will have two academic
quarters to improve it or be terminated from the program.
Be sure that you take exams required
by the University, such as the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE),
in a timely fashion. The MBRS-RISE program is bound by University
regulations, and if you are not allowed to register any given
quarter because you have not completed the WPE requirement by
the University-set deadline, your continuation in the Program
is also in jeopardy.
Your academic progress is monitored
by quarterly reports, which are made available by the Registrar
online to the MBRS-RISE Program Office.
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Biomedical
Sciences Seminar Series |
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The program hosts, in cooperation with
the Cal State LA Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program,
a seminar series which is held most Friday afternoons (1:10 PM)
during the academic year and occasionally during the summer.
The goal of the seminar series is to
expose the MBRS-RISE students, and the Cal State LA scientific
community as a whole, to a wide range of biomedical scientists
representing various disciplines, with the intent of broadening
the student research coworkers' scientific perspective. The presenters,
which have included former Cal State LA MBRS students, are leaders
in their scientific disciplines, and are frequently minority
scientists. Also integrated into the series are presentations
by more advanced undergraduates and graduate students. A schedule
of the seminars for the current term are available online at
Biomedical Sciences Seminar
Series (this seminar schedule site
also includes biographical information about the seminar speaker,
an abstract of the presentation, and recent references you may
want to read as background for the seminar). These seminars are
an integral part of the MBRS-RISE program and attendance is mandatory.
Refreshments are available at 12:55;
seminars begin promptly at 1:10. Please be on time.
The seminar coordinator for the 1999-2000
academic year is Professor Donald Paulson (Physical Sciences
702; 343-2332; dpaulso@calstatela.edu). If you have suggestions for seminar topics
or speakers, please let him know.
In addition we encourage your attendance,
as your schedule and other commitments allow, at the seminar
series hosted by your major department (Chemistry
& Biochemistry Departmental Seminars
on Tuesdays at 4:30 PM in Physical Sciences 306; Biology
& Microbiology Departmental Seminars
on Tuesdays at noon in Bio Sci 144). All seminars present an
opportunity for you to interact with a practicing scientist or
a more advanced student. Take advantage of these opportunities.
It is important that you begin to forge
links with biomedical and behavioral scientists. If you are interested
in going to lunch or dinner with a particular seminar speaker
(either in the Biomedical Sciences Seminars or in your major
departmental seminar series), please let your research director
know ahead of time so they can arrange through Lisa Bautista,
program administrative assistant, for funds to be made available
for this.
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Special
Workshops and Seminars |
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The MBRS-RISE M.S.-to-Ph.D. Program
will host a variety of special workshops, seminars and short
courses designed to enhance your background in the sciences,
and better prepare you for a research career. These will be scheduled
to be complementary to your academic course load.
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Academic
and Career Advisement |
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Your research director recognizes that
part of his/her job is to serve as academic and career advisor.
A good advisor will be an ally in helping you make your way through
your academic program with high achievement in a reasonable length
of time, and with most of your humor and sanity intact. You should
also see your official departmental graduate advisor at least
once a quarter. This team of graduate advisor and research advisor
will work together on your behalf. However, if you feel you need
additional advice beyond these individuals, seek out other advisors.
As soon as possible but not later than
the fifth week of your first quarter in the Program, you must
submit to the MBRS-RISE program office (PS 628) a quarter-by-quarter
plan (on an MBRS-RISE
M.S. Scholar Program Plan form) which
outlines the courses you intend to take from the time you enter
MBRS-RISE to graduation. This form should be signed by you, your
research director, and your departmental graduate advisor. This
tentative plan of course may change with time. Any decision concerning your academic program
for any quarter must be made only after consultation with your
MBRS research advisor.
In addition to your Cal State LA Research
Director, you will select a co-mentor from the faculty available
in the appropriate graduate department at the Ph.D. institution.
This individual will be available to provide counsel, make accessible
to you the facilities and staff at that institution, and be a
member of your M.S. (or M.A.) thesis committee.
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Tutoring |
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We view tutoring as a valuable performance
enhancement tool. Use tutors to help you get a better understanding
of the subject matter, and consequently, enhanced academic achievement.
Be sure to establish good relationships with your instructors
so that you can use them as a resource in their office hours.
Also take advantage of the (generally free) tutoring provided
by the Learning Resources Center, the Chemistry & Biochemistry
Club, the Biology Club, the Department of Physics, and others.
More advanced members of your research group may also be good
tutors in courses they have already completed successfully. Enlist
their help.
The MBRS-RISE program has a limited
fund for tutors beyond the sources above. If you need the assistance
of a tutor, we can help defray the cost. We have located some
tutors and maintain a list in PS 628. You may, however, find
your own tutor. We can pay up to $10.00 per hour for tutoring;
beyond that you must pay the difference. If you are interested
in taking advantage of this, please see Lisa Bautista (PS 628)
before your tutoring starts, so that arrangements to pay
your tutor can be made. If you have any questions, see Dr. Anthony
Fratiello, Tutoring Coordinator (PS 620, x2326; afratie@calstatela.edu).
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Writing
Support Program |
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The ability to write well is among the
most valuable skills one can develop in support of a successful
career, invaluable for scientific work. It is through the written
word that we communicate ideas in grant proposals, report progress,
and publish completed studies. We have secured the services of
two graduate students in the English department to work with
MBRS-RISE students to develop writing skills. The writing specialists
are Hugh Bonar (hbonar@calstatela.edu) and Erica Hylton (ehylton@calstatela.edu). They have office space in Physical Sciences
512. Contact them to begin work on improving your writing. They
will not write for you, but they will critique your writing and
work with you so you learn to write better. Be sure to give yourself
enough lead-time so that you may go through several drafts before
the final document is turned in to a professor (such as a class
paper) or research director (such as a research report, or chapters
of a thesis).
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Priority
Registration |
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The University Registrar has granted
MBRS-RISE students priority registration. Your name and SID have
been sent to the Registrar. Please take advantage of your priority
registration status so that you enroll in the classes you need
and make good progress towards graduation. The priority registration
periods during the current academic year are available at Priority Registration Periods 1999-2000.
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Graduate
Record Examination |
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A major goal of the MBRS-RISE program
is to increase the pool of talented minority scientists who earn
the Ph.D. and enter biomedical research careers. Strong performance
on the GRE is useful in winning admission to good Ph.D. programs.
In support of this goal, the Program provides a GRE preparation
course through Kaplan Testing Services which you will take in
the first year in the Program. The MBRS-RISE Program will also
pay fees associated with the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). If you
plan to take the graduate record exam this year, please let us
know as soon as possible so that we may have a check issued to
the Educational Testing Service, which administers the GRE.
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Registration
Fees |
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Your registration fees for three academic
quarters per year are paid by the Program. Please check with
Lisa Bautista well in advance of the priority registration period
to make sure that your fees have been paid and received by the
Registrar.
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Travel
to Professional Meetings |
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A significant advantage of the program
is the availability of funds to pay for your travel expenses
to professional meetings to present research results and to interact
with other investigators in your research area. The decision
of which meeting(s) to attend must be made in consultation with
your research director, and it is at his/her initiative that
Lisa Bautista will arrange for transportation, lodging, payment
of registration fees, and securing a per-diem advance for your
meals and incidentals. Ms. Bautista handles the travel arrangements
for all students in the program (and faculty if they so request).
Since meetings are announced months in advance, be sure that
your travel arrangements are made as early as possible so we
may get the best rates on airfare and hotels. The available funds
are limited, so the more wisely we use them, the more students
can travel. Discuss with your faculty research director your
interest in attending a scientific meeting, and if he/she approves,
have them complete and send to Lisa Bautista a travel request
form (available online at MBRS
Travel Request Form) at least one month
in advance, or earlier if the meeting has an earlier registration
deadline. Several weeks in advance of your approved travel, you
will want to talk to Ms. Bautista to confirm that your reservations
and meeting registration are in order prior to travel.
Besides air transportation and lodging,
MBRS-RISE provides for meals ($32/day), incidental costs ($5/day
after the first 24 hours), and ground transportation (variable)
for each complete day (7 a.m. - 6 p.m.) you are away from home.
Partial travel day amounts are prorated.
The MBRS-RISE program office will, on
request, contact your instructors to let them know you will miss
some classes during the period of your trip. This information
is also collected on your MBRS
Travel Request Form. The letters will
be generated and distributed to your instructors two weeks before
you travel.
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Payment
of Research Salary |
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A salary of $12,800 per year (increasing
to $15,000 on July 1, 2000) is provided for graduate students
since it is presumed you will devote full-time effort to your
masters program so it may be completed within two years. Graduate
students are paid on a 50% research effort basis (the other 50%
is presumed to be course work and other requirements of your
M.S./M.A. program). The salary is paid in 26 equal biweekly installments.
The University Auxiliary Services (UAS),
the accounting enterprise which handles all fiscal transactions
for grants, has established a biweekly schedule for payment of
salary for your work in the MBRS-RISE program. You should fill
out and give your research director a time sheet (available online
at UAS Payroll Timesheet), which s/he will sign, certifying the percent
effort you have worked. You must then deliver the time sheet
to UAS Contract and Grants Administration, located in Administration
307, not later than 12 noon of the day it is due. Alternatively,
you may take your completed and signed timesheet to the MBRS-RISE
Program Office in PS 628 by 11:30 AM of the due date and we will
deliver it to UAS for you. Please consult a UAS time sheet schedule
for due dates -- your laboratory likely has one posted. This
schedule of due dates is also available online at UAS Pay Period Schedule.
Your research director is the only one
who can legitimately certify that the salary to be paid is for
work actually done. In exceptional cases (e.g. the student's
research director is-off campus), the Program Director (Prof.
Carlos Gutierrez) or Associate Program Director (Prof. Anthony
Fratiello) can sign a time sheet so that it may be processed
by UAS. When someone other than your PI signs your time sheet,
UAS is instructed to hold the paycheck until your PI authorizes
its release by countersigning a copy of that time sheet.
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Graduate
Students Employed as Graduate Assistants/Instructors |
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Graduate students in the MBRS-RISE M.S.-to-Ph.D.
Program are eligible to work as graduate assistants or instructors
for their academic departments not more than one quarter per
year.
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Parking
Permits |
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MBRS-RISE M.S.-to-Ph.D. students are
eligible to purchase faculty/staff parking permits. Please contact
UAS Human Resources for authorization to purchase faculty/staff
parking permits.
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MBRS-RISE
Program Evaluation |
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The MBRS-RISE M.S.-to-Ph.D. Program
is evaluated by the Program Evaluation and Research Collaborative
(PERC). The goal here is to use the results of on-going evaluation
to improve MBRS-RISE Program effectiveness. Your cooperation
with the external evaluators is appreciated.
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Scientific
Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research |
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Scientific research is based on trust
and honesty, as is all scholarship. You are expected to exercise
the most ethical conduct in your academics and research. The
notions of scientific integrity and ethical conduct of research
are fundamental to the establishment of a research career. The
Cal State MBRS-RISE Program provides a workshop for student participants
where the topics of experimental design and the philosophy and
ethics of research are presented. MBRS-RISE. Scholars receive
a copy of On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct In Research
published by the Committee on Science, Engineering and Public
Policy (COSEPuP) of the National Academy of Science as background
for this workshop.
In addition, throughout the year special
seminars will be presented in the Biomedical
Sciences Seminar Series devoted to
issues dealing with the responsible conduct of research and ethical
issues. Finally, we expect that the continual informal conversations
between the faculty mentor and the student regarding integrity
and ethics will reinforce the material presented in the workshop
and in the seminars.
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Useful
Forms |
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The following forms, lists, and schedules
(in PDF format) may be useful to you. Any other forms you may
need are available in the Program office in PS 628.
If we can be of assistance in furthering
your academic or research goals, do not hesitate to approach
your research director, or the Program Coordinator (Dr. Raymond
Garcia), or Directors (Drs. Carlos Gutierrez and Anthony Fratiello),
or Lisa Bautista, Administrative Assistant. We'll try to help
as much as we can and are able.
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