Chemistry-Biology Interface Program Details

NIH Predoctoral fellowships at the Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) are available to first or second year students in the Chemistry or BGS Graduate Groups. Students who have selected to carry out dissertation research with one of the 26 trainers in the program and within the theme of the program are eligible to apply for a fellowship. To insure cross-fertilization between the chemistry and biology students, those selected for support by the training grant will be required to also participate in the following activities:

(1) A course curriculum that crosses the chemistry-biology academic boundary and centers around the mechanistic chemistry of proteins. Specifically, students must complete the following 4 course requirements by the end of their second academic year.

1. Organic Mechanisms (CHEM 441)
2. Cell Biology and Biochemistry (BIOM 600)
3. Literature course at the Chemistry-Biology Interface (BMB 571)
4. Practical Modern Enzymology (BMB 523/PHRM 523) or Mechanisms of Biological Catalysis (CHEM 557)

Only second year students who have already completed this course curriculum will be considered.

(2) Active participation in the Chemical Biophysics Minisymposium (involved in the organization of at least one minisympoosium per year) that is jointly sponsored by the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry & Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania.

(3) Participation in a monthly luncheon in which students and faculty informally discuss their research among themselves. This will be initiated in 2007.

(4) Participation in an annual Chemistry-Biology Interface Symposia in which students interact and formally present their work to each other and other trainees. This will be initiated in 2007.