Orienting incoming PhD students through hands-on training in immunology research methods (EDU1P.220)
| Autor: | Johanna Sweere, Yekyung Seong, Steven Schaffert, Matthew Spitzer, Olivia Martinez, Manish Butte |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | The Journal of Immunology. 194:119.5-119.5 |
| ISSN: | 1550-6606 0022-1767 |
| Popis: | Students entering graduate study in immunology face a sharp transition into the autonomous world of laboratory research and a steep learning curve for the techniques particular to immunology. Our goal was to expose new graduate students to essential research skills to facilitate the transition into rotation laboratories and eventually a thesis lab. At Stanford University, over the past three years, we incorporated a weeklong intensive orientation (“Startup”) involving a series of guided, hands-on projects and workshops designed to introduce incoming graduate students to experimental methods in immunology research. Our curriculum posed questions in both mouse and human immunology, answered through pre-validated experiments including flow cytometry, quantitative PCR and fluorescence microscopy. For example, cytokines were measured by qPCR and intracellular staining of T cells. Data visualization and analysis were introduced through exposure to R, Flowjo and Fiji. The students attended lunches with senior graduate students, dinners with faculty, and tours of core facilities. Surveys of participants before and after Startup revealed improvements in experimental/technical confidence. Also, students reported that Startup built class cohesion and facilitated the selection of rotation labs. In summary, we provide a refined recipe for introducing students to immunology research through hands-on experimental modules that mitigate the pedagogical barriers of first-year graduate school. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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