Stem Cell Training Program Description
The Stem Cell Training Program will provide a framework within which trainees will gain a comprehensive understanding of stem cell biology and ethics through a number of interrelated mechanisms.
- Stem Cell Training Program Core Lecture Series
This lecture course will provide a thorough overview of all areas of stem cell research, from basic developmental biology, through organ-specific applications, bioengineering, and ethics. The course will meet for an hour once a week for a semester. Attendance will be obligatory for all first year entrants to the program. - Stem Cell Laboratory Meetings
This event is held in the center of campus at the Genetics-Biotechnology Center, making it easy for all groups to attend. It currently attracts up to 60 students, post-doctoral fellows, staff and faculty each week. The structure is flexible and will encompass presentations of current research as well as discussion of relevant journal articles often coinciding with a new course on the Fundamentals of Stem Cell Biology. A major goal is to maintain communication within the very diverse stem cell community at UW-Madison. - Stem Cell Retreat
All faculty and trainees will attend a one-day annual retreat. There will be very short research summaries from the major groups involved and a long poster session at which trainees can present their latest data and get feedback from others on campus working on stem cell biology. - Stem Cell Plenary Lecture Series
Eminent scientists from the international stem cell community will be invited to give lectures to the whole UW community. During their visit they will meet with all trainees from the Stem Cell Training Program and selected other postdocs and students. This will allow trainees to have direct interactions with international leaders in stem cell biology and ethics and put faces to the names they will read about in the literature. - Ethics Course
Trainees will be required to take one course in Responsible Conduct of Research. Several acceptable courses are held on campus by various departments; contact the program staff for details. - Progress of Individual Trainees
Trainee progress will be monitored through a Mentor/Advising committee, which will consist of three faculty: the PI of the trainee laboratory (primary mentor), a mentor from another part of the program but with insight into the field of study, and an "outside" mentor with experience in a different area of stem cell biology. A formal written progress report will be required at the end of the first year.