BioSciences at Rice offers a set of optional activities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers interested in enhancing and documenting their teaching, mentoring, and professional development experiences at Rice. A document verifying completion of the training program will be awarded upon completion of the four components outlined below. Prerequisites for eligibility include successful completion of the candidacy (for graduate students) and a letter of support from the research advisor (for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers).
Participants are responsible for tracking their training activities and communicating about completed activities with the Graduate Program Administrator, who will keep a progress record on file with the department. Interested students should speak with the Graduate Program Administrator or Assistant Chair (Susan Cates) about starting the training program.
Teaching Training (2 of 3)
- Attend the BioSciences Teaching Assistant training workshop; typically held annually in August (Instructor: Purugganan)
- Attend at least 8 approved teaching workshops. Many annual offerings by the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Rice Center for Teaching Excellence, Rice Information Technology, and others.
- Complete BIOC 520: Teaching Biology via Active Learning (Instructors: Beason & Eich)
Teaching Experience (2 of 5)
- Serve as a teaching assistant for two undergraduate courses at Rice
- Present a 2-lecture module in BIOC 112: Biology for Voters (Instructor: Caprette)
- Present 2 guest lectures in a 400-level course
- Develop and teach 1 section of BIOC 115 or EBIO 116 — Freshman Seminar on Local Biology Research
- Co-teach an RCR bioethics short course for undergraduates in the BioSciences Summer Research Institute (Director: Cates)
Mentoring Training & Experience (2 of 4)
- Complete presentation coach training; servce as a coach for BIOC 582 speakers for 1 semester (Instructor: Purugganan)
- Complete a mentoring workshop and spend 2+ semesters mentoring a student in BIOC 310; 401/402 or EBIO 306; 403/404, RUSP, Century Scholars, or summer undergraduate researchers (Instructor: D. Phillips)
- Serve as mentor to undergraduates in the BioSciences Summer Research Institute (SRI) journal club, or mentor students in another approved undergraduate research intern program (Directors: Cates, Eaton)
- Serve as a writing/presentation mentor for 3 first-year BCB graduate students enrolled in BIOC 587: Proposal Writing (Instructor: Purugganan)
Professional Development (2 of 4)
- Attend at least 4 different topics in the BIOC 581/582 communication series; typically 2 topics per year (Instructor: Purugganan)
- Complete NSCI 521: Writing & Pubishing Science (Instructor: Purugganan)
- Attend 4+ professional development workshops offered by the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Rice Center for Career Development, and/or approved alternative workshops*
- Participate in 2+ semesters of EBIO 520, the EEB gradaute student professional development seminar
*Postdoctoral researchers can complete the "Professional Development" component by attending 8 professional development workshops.