Updated December 12, 2008

 

Spring 2009 GENETICS Rotation Students

                                                                                                                                                            Grad Student

Student Name                                       Temp Faculty Advisor                           Contact Information       Mentors_____

Ms. Aarthi Putarjunan, ?email@           Eve Wurtele mash@iastate.edu              294-8989                     Khushboo Hemnani      

Mr. Matthew Crispin, crispy11@                      Mike Lee, mlee@iastate.edu mlee@iastate.edu        294-7951                     xxxxx xxxxxx

 

Rotation Start Date:    please try and begin your first rotation by January 20, 2009

Rotations:                    you are required to participate in 3 rotations of 7 weeks in length.

Rotation dates:             January 20- March 6

                                    March 9 to April 17

                                    April 19 to June 5

Temporary Advisor Meetings:

                                    We encourage you to meet with your temporary advisors at least once per month.

 

Lab Choice Decision date:  June 9, 2009

 

Funding:  All Ph.D. students on regular assistantships are funded until June 30, 2009 by the Iowa State University Graduate College (students on Fellowships have varied lengths and sources of funding, contact Linda lmwild@iastate.edu if you have any questions).  It is expected beginning July 1, 2009 that your major professor will provide funding; thus it is very important that you make your decision regarding your lab no later than June 9, 2009  At the time you have made your decision, students will process a “Home Department for Students Admitted to Interdepartmental Majors” http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/forms/forms.html. The home department of your major professor must review your application to approve your participation (you are still a genetics major, but there is a University requirement that you belong to the home department of your major professor).  After review of your application and approval, the Department will process payroll for you beginning July 1, 2009.  To insure you continue to receive your assistantship, a decision regarding rotation choice must be made no later than June 9, 2009 so that all the approvals and documentation can be processed.

Who can I do rotations with?  You may contact any Genetics faculty member regarding rotations.  You are now a graduate student and it will be up to you to contact faculty in whose research you are interested.  We recommend you speak with at least 3 to 5 faculty before deciding on your first rotation.  We will provide guidelines, but ultimately you are responsible for contacting and setting up your own rotations.  Faculty funding resources change throughout the year so do contact those genetics faculty in whose research you are interested even if they are not listed below. 

 

The following genetics faculty, as of December 12, have indicated they will welcome rotation students during the spring 2009 school year.  Additional faculty will likely be added before January 5.

 

            Drena Dobbs, GDCB (spring semester only)

            Volker Brendel, GDCB

            Anumantha Kanthasamy, Biomedical Sciences

            Eve Wurtele, Genetics, Development and Cell Biology

            Allen Miller, Plant Pathology

            Ravi Singh, Biomedical Sciences

If you decide that you would like to do a rotation with an ISU faculty member outside of Genetics, please talk with us.   

 

When should I set up the 2nd and 3rd rotations?  This is tricky!  Some faculty want to know within a few weeks of your arrival if you are interested in doing a research rotation with them so that they can schedule your rotation and design a project for you to work on.  They will have other students meeting with them as well and they may only wish to have one rotation student at a time so as to be able to interact with you a reasonable amount during your rotation.  We encourage you to talk with as many faculty in whose research you are interested as early as possible.  You should have your 2nd rotation selected by February 16 and your third rotation selected by March 30.

 

Okay, I have my three rotations set, but now I have learned about a lab that I might prefer to do a rotation in; what do I do now?   Go ahead and talk to the faculty member about the possibility of a rotation, then decide if you would like to do the rotation and if so, where it would best fit (2nd or 3rd).  Contact the faculty member whose lab you originally planned to do the rotation with and let them know as soon as possible of this change. 

 

I started my rotation and it has been two weeks, and I know I will not select this lab; should I continue in the rotation?  No.  Begin looking for other lab rotation possibilities.  As soon as you have located another lab you are interested in, let the faculty member whose lab you are doing the rotation in know you are not that interested in the lab’s research and begin the other lab rotation.

 

What if the rotation project I am working on runs longer than expected?   The purpose of rotations is for you to discover if the lab you are working in--the major professor, lab mates, lab culture, and the research projects are a good fit for you.  By eight weeks you should have a good idea about this.  Do not stay in the lab rotation for longer than 7 weeks; this may mean that you leave without completing the project assigned.  Faculty are aware that you need to continue with your rotations since you are required to complete 3 and must make a decision regarding your lab by June 8.  Staying beyond the outlined lab rotation dates could mean that you will miss out on an opportunity in a lab where a decision is being made. 

I really liked my second rotation and I let the faculty member know that.  I am worried that if there is only one opening in the lab that unless I tell the faculty member I will take it, the faculty member will give the slot to someone else.  I still have my third rotation to go.  Most faculty members will allow you to finish your last rotation (as long as you are on schedule) before they make a decision as to whom to offer the opening in their lab to.  Let the faculty member know you are beginning your third rotation and that you need to be in that lab for at least six weeks before you can make a final decision.  Ask them by what date they will be making the decision. Most faculty will work with you.  If they have other students rotating in their labs, they likely will not be able to make a decision until the last student has completed their rotation.

 

I really liked my second rotation and nothing could be better.  I told the faculty member I would be back after my third rotation.  Only now I really really like my third rotation and I want to stay with this faculty member and research project.  We remind the faculty that they should not put pressure on the students to make decisions prior to the end of their last rotation, but sometimes it happens.  If you change your mind, let that faculty member know.  If you feel you need assistance in talking with a faculty member, talk with your temporary advisor or contact the Chair of the Genetics program.

 

Finding my second or third lab is hard.  I can’t seem to find one that meets my interests, indicates they have funding to support me, and is available during one of the lab rotation periods.  As a graduate student it is your responsibility to keep looking and talking to potential faculty about research projects.  You can contact your temporary advisor for advice and you can contact Linda Wild regarding potential faculty rotations.  You are responsible for making the most of the time you have to participate in rotations. 

 

Opportunities to meet with faculty about rotations:

 

üDuring Orientation you will have a chance to meet with several faculty and graduate students on Friday, January 9, 2009

 

üTalk with your temporary advisor about what you are interested in and let them help you find the research and researchers you are most interested in.

 

üLinda Wild (lmwild@iastate.edu) will have listing of faculty looking for rotation students

 

üRead about their research and contact faculty:  http://www.genetics.iastate.edu/faculty.html 

 

üTalk to the other graduate students.  Sometimes you will hear things about a lab that is not positive.  Make your own decisions; what was not a good experience for one student, might be a good fit for you.

 

If you are interested in other genetics faculty then those listed below
(http://www.genetics.iastate.edu/faculty.html) please feel free to contact them.  Faculty funding
situations change all the time.

           

Rotation Checklist (from the IG handbook)

 

You can find information on genetics faculty research:

 

      ·Homepages of the individual faculty:    

      http://www.genetics.iastate.edu

Click on the “Faculty” link.   

 

·Discussions with individual faculty members.  Faculty can provide curriculum vitae and recent publication references.  We would encourage you to contact and interact with a minimum of six different faculty during the rotation selection process.

 

·Research talks given by faculty at the IG fall retreat and in the various faculty seminar series through IG and the departments.

 

Once you have decided with whom you would like to rotate, follow these guidelines:

 

______You need to personally ask the faculty member whether you can rotate in his or her laboratory and before committing to a rotation, ask whether the faculty member will be able to take on and fund additional graduate students that year.

 

______In consultation with the faculty member, decide on dates to begin and end your rotation in the lab.  If your rotation includes holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas you should ask about the work schedule during this time and indicate if you plan to take any vacation days.

 

______ Discuss with the faculty member if there is an expectation of a presentation or short paper so you can plan for this during the rotation.  Also discuss with the faculty members their expectations regarding your work schedule (arrival and departure times in the lab). 

 

______Rotation schedules are somewhat flexible.  However, if you decide to extend or to rotate in a different lab than you had originally planned, then you must notify any faculty member whose schedule may be impacted by this change.

 

______ Ask who your main contact in the lab will be during your rotation.

 

______You do not have to stay past the agreed upon lab rotation completion date to finish a project.

 

______ If you know after two weeks that this is not the area of research that you wish to pursue, you should work with faculty member and the rotation lab manager to terminate this rotation.  The IG program is willing to assist you in this as well.  This will allow you to do at least 3 full-term rotations in labs that perform research in your area(s) of interest.

 

_______You must meet with the faculty member at the end of your rotation.  Topics of discussion may include

 

·        Your research progress during the rotation (Your notebook should be complete and legible.)

·        What you learned during the rotation.

·        Which questions addressed by the research group interested you the most.

·        If you are interested in joining the research group, you should state that after your rotations are complete.  You may also choose to discuss possible projects if you were to join the lab.

·        You MUST NOT COMMIT TO A LAB UNTIL YOU FINISH YOUR ROTATIONS.  The faculty member may not be aware of your rotation schedule and may ask you to commit to a decision prematurely.  In this case, you may discuss your interest in the lab, but you must state, “I can’t actually commit to a lab until my third rotation is completed.”  Remember that as great as your present rotation may be, there is always the possibility that the next rotation will be even more interesting or promising.

 

      On completion of each rotation, your performance will be evaluated and the faculty member will provide a written evaluation to the Chair.  These evaluations will be used in the annual review of each student.  Although research will be conducted during these rotations, the completion of a project is not required.  You will be asked to evaluate the rotation experience in an interview with the program Chair at the end of the spring semester.

 

______ After you finish all of your laboratory rotations, ask the faculty member with whom you would like to work whether he or she can accept you into his or her laboratory and arrange for your future financial support.

 

______ Ask regarding the amount of the stipend.  These are things you need to know when deciding whether to join a specific lab.  IG Faculty are located in 14 different departments and stipend rates and tuition support differ within each department and laboratory.  You can approach this question by indicating the present amount you receive from IG and ask if the faculty member will be able to provide the same support.   

 

______ Once a mutual agreement has been reached, please inform the INTERDEPARTMENTAL GENETICS program chair and program coordinator.  Students should initiate a “Request to Establish a Home Department for Students Admitted to Interdepartmental Majors” form found at: 

http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/forms/files/EstablishDepartment.doc  and bring that form to the IG administrative office.

 

We hope that your rotation experience is rewarding and beneficial.