Graduate Students and Knowledge Exchange with Local Stakeholders: Possibilities and Preparation

Tropical biologists are exploring ways to expand their role as researchers through knowledge exchange with local stakeholders. Graduate students are well positioned for this broader role, particularly when supported by graduate programs. We ask: (1) how can graduate students effectively engage in knowledge exchange during their research; and (2) how can university programs prepare young scientists to take on this partnership role? We present a conceptual framework with three levels at which graduate students can exchange knowledge with stakeholders (information sharing, skill building, and knowledge generation) and discuss limitations of each. Examples of these strategies included disseminating preliminary research results to southern African villages, building research skills of Brazilian undergraduate students through semester‐long internships, and jointly developing and implementing a forest ecology research and training program with one community in the Amazon estuary. Students chose strategies based on stakeholders' interests, research goals, and a realistic evaluation of student capacity and skill set. As strategies became more complex, time invested, skills mobilized, and strength of relationships between students and stakeholders increased. Graduate programs can prepare students for knowledge exchange with partners by developing specialized skills training, nurturing external networks, offering funding, maximizing strengths of universities in developed and developing regions through partnership, and evaluating knowledge exchange experiences. While balancing the needs of academia with those of stakeholders is challenging, the benefits of enhancing local scientific capacity and generating more locally relevant research for improved conservation may be worth the risks associated with implementing this type of graduate training model.     

Medical students as medical educators: opportunities for skill development in the absence of formal training programs

All physicians, at some point in their career, are responsible for the education of their peers and junior colleagues. Although medical students are expected to develop clinical and research skills in preparation for residency, it is becoming clear that a student should also be expected to develop abilities as a teacher. A handful of institutions have student-as-teacher programs to train medical students in education, but most students graduate from medical school without formal training in this area. When such a program does not exist, medical students can gain experience in education through participation in peer teaching, course design, educational committees, and medical education scholarship. In doing so, they attain important skills in the development, implementation, and evaluation of educational programs. These skills will serve them in their capacity as medical educators as they advance in their careers and gain increasing teaching responsibility as residents, fellows, and attending physicians.     

Design and implementation of a genomics field trip program aimed at secondary school students

With the rapid pace of advancements in biological research brought about by the application of computer science and information technology, we believe the time is right for introducing genomics and bioinformatics tools and concepts to secondary school students. Our approach has been to offer a full-day field trip in our research facility where secondary school students carry out experiments at the laboratory bench and on a laptop computer. This experience offers benefits for students, teachers, and field trip instructors. In delivering a wide variety of science outreach and education programs, we have learned that a number of factors contribute to designing a successful experience for secondary school students. First, it is important to engage students with authentic and fun activities that are linked to real-world applications and/or research questions. Second, connecting with a local high school teacher to pilot programs and linking to curricula taught in secondary schools will enrich the field trip experience. Whether or not programs are linked directly to local teachers, it is important to be flexible and build in mechanisms for collecting feedback in field trip programs. Finally, graduate students can be very powerful mentors for students and should be encouraged to share their enthusiasm for science and to talk about career paths. Our experiences suggest a real need for effective science outreach programs at the secondary school level and that genomics and bioinformatics are ideal areas to explore.     

“数据解读卡”文献阅读法在医学研究生文献阅读能力培养中的作用

阅读文献可以促进学生了解科学发现的过程,有利于提高学生解读实验数据的能力,培养科学研究兴趣,是基础医学教学过程中必不可少的环节。因此,有必要探索一些引导和训练学生高效阅读文献的方法。该研究旨在通过“数据解读卡”文献阅读法来引导和规范医学研究生阅读文献的过程,通过分析学生在文献文本和图片上阅读时间分配的动态变化、测试学生文献解读技能和实验设计能力以及调查学生满意度来评价“数据解读卡”文献阅读法在培养和提高医学研究生解读实验数据的能力中的作用。结果表明,“数据解读卡”文献阅读法能明显提高图片相对阅读时间,从第1周20％左右逐步提高到第12周45％左右;学生解读实验数据能力得分从第1周0分左右提高到第6N3分和第12周4分左右;平均86％左右的学生认为有利于提高文献阅读的效率和有助于论文写作。该研究结果表明,“数据解读卡”文献阅读法可以规范和训练研究生阅读文献的能力,是提高学生阅读文献效率的有效途径。     

Skill development in graduate education

The process of training new PhDs is complex and has significant dropout rates associated with loss of financial and time investments by the student, mentor, and program. One approach to improve graduate education is to make explicit the skills students need to develop and to put in place mechanisms to develop those skills.     

Role of the undergraduate student research assistant in the new millennium

In this study, we analyze the contribution of the undergraduate student who participates in the process of generating scientific data and developing a research project using Brazilian research as an example. Historically, undergraduate students have performed the critical role of research assistants in developing countries. This aspect has been underappreciated as a means of generating scientific data in Brazilian research facilities. Brazilian educational institutions are facing major age-related generational changes among the science faculty within the next 5-10 yr. A lack of adequate support for graduate students leads to a concern that undergraduates will not be interested in choosing research assistant programs and, subsequently, academic research careers. To remedy this situation it is important to focus on ways to encourage new research careers and enhance university-industry collaborations.     

对医学研究生教育的实践与思考

医学研究生教育作为我国高等教育的重要组成部分,为国家培养了大批高素质医学人才。本文就我们医学研究生教育的实践,探讨医学研究生教育存在的问题。医学研究生教育应首先应加强医学专业知识的全面学习,做到博学而精深。同时,应注重科研素质和人文素质的培养。最后,医学研究生的教育国际化也是非常重要的一个问题。总之,医学院校研究生教育应更加注重创新性、科研素质、人文素质和国际视野的培养,培养具有国际竞争力的高素质专业医学人才。     

How should we be selecting our graduate students?

We use many quantitative undergraduate metrics to help select our graduate students, but which of these usefully discriminate successful from underperforming students and which should be ignored? Almost everyone has his or her own pet theory of the most predictive criteria, but I hoped to address this question in a more unbiased manner. I conducted a retrospective analysis of the highest- and lowest-ranked graduate students over the past 20 years in the Tetrad program at the University of California at San Francisco to identify undergraduate metrics that significantly differed between these groups. Only the number of years of research experience and subject graduate record exams (GREs) were strong discriminators between the highest- and lowest-ranked students, whereas many other commonly used admissions metrics (analytical, verbal, and quantitative GREs, grade point average, and ranking of undergraduate institution) showed no correlation with graduate performance. These are not necessarily the same criteria that matter at other graduate programs, but I would urge faculty elsewhere to conduct similar analyses to improve the admissions process and to minimize the use of useless metrics in selecting our students.     

Strength in diversity: a cross-disciplinary approach to graduate training in chemical biology

Chemical biology graduate programs that are jointly organized by chemistry and life science departments can offer a stimulating 'bicultural' training environment for students from diverse backgrounds. However, communication, flexibility and responsiveness are crucial for effectively structuring such programs.     

Strength in diversity: a cross-disciplinary approach to graduate training in chemical biology

Chemical biology graduate programs that are jointly organized by chemistry and life science departments can offer a stimulating 'bicultural' training environment for students from diverse backgrounds. However, communication, flexibility and responsiveness are crucial for effectively structuring such programs.     

Sino-U.S. partnerships in research,education, and patient care: The experience of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC

In 2011, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) and Tsinghua University formed a partnership to further the education of Tsinghua medical students. These students come to UPSOM as visiting research scholars for two years of their eight-year MD curriculum. During this time, the students, who have completed four years at Tsinghua, work full-time in medical school laboratories and research programs of their choice, essentially functioning as graduate students. In their first two months in Pittsburgh, the scholars have a one-week orientation to biomedical research, followed by two-week rotations in four labs selected on the basis of the scholars’ scientific interests, after which they choose one of these labs for the remainder of the two years. Selected labs may be in basic science departments, basic science divisions of clinical departments, or specialized centers that focus on approaches like simulation and modeling. The Tsinghua students also have a brief exposure to clinical medicine. UPSOM has also formed a similar partnership with Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine in Changsha, Hunan Province. The Xiangya students come to UPSOM for two years of research training after their sixth year and, thus, unlike the Tsinghua students, have already completed their clinical rotations. UPSOM faculty members have also paved the way for UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), UPSOM’s clinical partner, to engage with clinical centers in China. Major relationships involving advisory, training, managerial, and/or equity roles exist with Xiangya International Medical Center, KingMED Diagnostics, First Chengmei Medical Industry Group, and Macare Women’s Hospital. Both UPSOM and UPMC are actively exploring other clinical and academic opportunities in China.     

Resources and practices to help graduate students and postdoctoral fellows write statements of teaching philosophy

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows currently encounter requests for a statement of teaching philosophy in at least half of academic job announcements in the United States. A systematic process for the development of a teaching statement is required that integrates multiple sources of support, informs writers of the document's purpose and audience, helps writers produce thoughtful statements, and encourages meaningful reflection on teaching and learning. This article for faculty mentors and instructional consultants synthesizes practices for mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members as they prepare statements of teaching philosophy. We review background information on purposes and audiences, provide writing resources, and synthesize empirical research on the use of teaching statements in academic job searches. In addition, we integrate these resources into mentoring processes that have helped graduate students in a Health Sciences Pedagogy course to collaboratively and critically examine and write about their teaching. This summary is intended for faculty mentors and instructional consultants who want to refine current resources or establish new mentoring programs. This guide also may be useful to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members, especially those who lack mentoring or who seek additional resources, as they consider the many facets of effective teaching.     

James F. Crow: his life in public service

The readers of this journal may well be aware of Professor Crow's scientific achievements and his role as the editor of Perspectives. In addition, for many thousands of students at the University of Wisconsin over many generations, James F. Crow was one of the most memorable teachers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. What is less known is his major role in public service where he served as chair of many important committees for the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Justice as well as various international programs. In all of these efforts, Professor Crow has left a lasting impact.     

应用心理学专业研究生实践能力培养策略研究

实践能力是应用心理学专业研究生重要的素质,培养应用心理学研究生实践能力需要构建有利于实践能力培养的专业课程体系;优化应用心理学专业课程的教学方法;转变应用心理学研究生教育管理观念;发挥导师在应用心理学研究生实践能力培养上的影响;研究生自身加强实践能力的培养。     

开展综合性基础医学实验课程,提高医学研究生科研技能

随着高校研究生招生规模的不断扩大,研究生教育的质量问题日益引起社会广泛关注。本文分析了研究生科研实验中存在的主要问题及现行实验课程中的不足,并对实验课程如何适应科研的需要进行了阐述。强调研究生实验课程应注重突出学科交叉性、先进性、实用性和研究性,并形成集生物化学、分子生物学、病理学、遗传学、细胞生物学和免疫学等多学科相互渗透、相互交叉、相互补充的系列性、综合性、研究性的基础医学实验教学课程,旨在使学生更系统、更全面地掌握医学实验技术和技能,为后续的研究性实验工作和科研水平的提高打好一个坚实的基础。     

Evaluating a science diversity program at UC Berkeley: more questions than answers

For the past three decades, much attention has been focused on developing diversity programs designed to improve the academic success of underrepresented minorities, primarily in mathematics, science, and engineering. However, ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in science majors and careers. Over the last 10 years, the Biology Scholars Program (BSP), a diversity program at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, has worked to increase the participation and success of students majoring in the biological sciences. A quantitative comparison of students in and out of the program indicates that students in BSP graduate with a degree in biology at significantly higher rates than students not in BSP regardless of race/ethnicity. Furthermore, students who are in BSP have statistically lower high school grade point averages (GPAs) and Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores than students not in BSP. African-American and Hispanic students who join BSP graduate with significantly higher UC Berkeley biology GPAs than non-BSP African-American and Hispanic students, respectively. Majority (Asian and White) students in BSP graduate with statistically similar UC GPAs despite having lower SAT scores than non-BSP majority students. Although BSP students are more successful in completing a biology degree than non-program members, the results raise a series of questions about why the program works and for whom.     

Testing the Controversy

Critics of evolutionary psychology and sociobiology have advanced an adaptationists-as-right-wing-conspirators (ARC) hypothesis, suggesting that adaptationists use their research to support a right-wing political agenda. We report the first quantitative test of the ARC hypothesis based on an online survey of political and scientific attitudes among 168 US psychology Ph.D. students, 31 of whom self-identified as adaptationists and 137 others who identified with another non-adaptationist meta-theory. Results indicate that adaptationists are much less politically conservative than typical US citizens and no more politically conservative than non-adaptationist graduate students. Also, contrary to the “adaptationists-as-pseudo-scientists” stereotype, adaptationists endorse more rigorous, progressive, quantitative scientific methods in the study of human behavior than non-adaptationists.     

Gas Law for the Classroom

The author provides information on how science teachers can write science literacy objectives that help English language learners (ELLs) develop the scientific literacy needed for academic success in the science classroom. The article offers suggestions on how teachers can determine the vocabulary, language functions, and sentence structures that their students need to engage in critical thinking in science. An approach for collaboration with students' English as a second language (ESL) teacher is discussed.