I usually don't just do whatever people tell me to, but in this case, I gave in. Everyone told me to apply for the NSF and HHMI predoctoral fellowships, so I did. I figured, "What the hey, no guts no glory, and if I don't get one it will be okay." I could still get into graduate school.

I took my time filling out the numerous application forms, and I didn't worry about the proposal. I hate competitions of any sort, so I purposely did NOT agonize about my application. It took a lot of artful procrastination not to worry.

Then one day, Dr. Vierling said, "Here, I thought you might like to read this review, since you are interested in this stuff." It was the "Role of Heat Shock Proteins in Protection" from Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases by Zugel and Kaufmann (1999). After reading about the trials and tribulations of using mycobacterial heat shock proteins as vaccines in mice, I was inspired and wrote my proposal in a weekend.

Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) are induced by heat and other stresses in all organisms. They act as molecular chaperones by folding or assisting in the degradation of denatured proteins within the cell. They are also induced in pathogenic microorganisms during the course of an infection as the host tries to kill the bacterial, filaremic or protozoan invader. Unfortunately, there is a correlation between the antibody recognition of HSPs from pathogens and the incidence of autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. HSPs, you see, are very well conserved across all species, and it is hypothesized that when a host makes antibodies against pathogen HSPs, those antibodies cross-react with their own HSPs to cause autoimmunity.

Small HSPs, (sHSPs) are molecular chaperones that are also induced by stress in all organisms. They also are developmentally expressed by many organisms (from plants to Drosophila to the protozoan Giardia) and are less evolutionarily conserved. I proposed using sHSPs instead of HSPs as vaccines. If sHSPs are immunogenic in people and are important in the pathogenicity of many microorganisms, it could mean that vaccines for wide varieties of pathogens could be developed.

It was the perfect proposal linking what I do now (plant sHSP function) with what I would like to study in graduate school (biochemistry of microorganisms). Unfortunately, NSF won't fund people who are remotely interested in medical research. I missed that part of the instructions. But luckily, the folks at HHMI thought it was worthy of funding my graduate education.

I don't have a stellar GPA, but I had good GRE scores and great recommendations. And of course, TONS of lab experience via a high school internship and UBRP in Dr. Vierling's lab (5 years). I will be attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. I was also awarded a training grant at UW-Madison and was heavily recruited even before I got the HHMI fellowship. So believe me when I say that if you learn what your professors want you to, you will easily compete with people from Ivy League schools (and you will have spent a lot less money on your degree). Oh yeah, and make sure to read the application instructions CAREFULLY.

Nicole Buan, UBRPer in Dr. Vierling's Lab, Biochemistry

My Thoughts On Applying to Graduate School

I think the most important reason to apply to graduate school in the biological sciences is the love of science. This may sound like a cliché, but it is absolutely true. Getting through graduate school is by no means a trivial task so you must ask yourself whether spending the next five to six years of your life doing research is appealing. As with many other MCB or biochemistry majors on campus, I came to the University of Arizona thinking that I would eventually go to medical school. During my sophomore year, I applied to the Undergraduate Biology Research Program, was accepted, and started working at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. As a result, my career outlook changed! I enjoyed my research experience so much that I decided to pursue a career in science, and in order to do that, I knew I would go to graduate school.

My advice to those of you planning to apply to graduate school in the biomedical or biological sciences is to get into a lab and start working! This will help you decide whether you like research or not, plus put you ahead of the game because graduate schools are interested in students who have plenty of research experience. Letters of recommendation are also important in the selection process. When asking for letters make sure it is a professor that knows you! Good choices are the professor you work with and professor(s) that you know from taking a small class. GPA and GRE scores are also important. For the GREs, plan on taking the subject test in the field you are going to focus your graduate studies. For the biological sciences, there are two tests you can choose to take which include general biology or biochemistry. The biochemistry test is very difficult (I know from personal experience) and covers genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology.

The deadline for applying to graduate schools ranges from December 15 to the end of January. If you pass their selection process, they will notify you about interview dates. The best part of the interview is that everything is paid for. They fly you to the school, put you up in a really nice hotel and wine and dine you for the duration of your stay. Once you make it to the interview stage, relax and enjoy it. If they are willing to pay for your airfare and hotel bills, then the chances of you getting into the school are good. Usually one day of the interview weekend is spent with current graduate students. Take advantage of this by asking them tough questions about graduate life and research at their institution. During the faculty interviews, ask questions about the professor's research so that you can determine if that is the type of research you want to be a part of.

The HHMI and NSF Fellowships: APPLY for these fellowships. If you receive one, you can go to any school because you would be bringing your own money to the institution (they like that). This may seem unimportant because the school already gives you a stipend to live on but by bringing your own money you can basically get into any lab and work for any researcher at the institution. There are also certain advantages to the fellowships. For example, the HHMI fellowship gives the fellow $2,500 each year for research expenses. This means that you can buy a computer, any other tools essential for your research, or you could go to research conferences.

The application process is almost the same as most applications for graduate school. They require you to submit a personal statement, research experience statement, GPA, and GRE scores. The one aspect of the application that is different is the research proposal written in research grant format. I began my proposal with a general background about the biological problem summarizing what is currently known in the field. The next step is the hypothesis, which will tell the readers the biological issue you will address. You can also make some predications about what you would expect the results to be. The remainder of the proposal should address how you plan to prove your hypothesis.

I am currently working in Dr. Roger Miesfeld's laboratory, in Biochemistry, finishing up my senior thesis. I have just finished sequencing a gene that is a novel glucocorticoid induced gene in mouse thymocytes. The question we are trying to address is what gene products of the glucocorticoid receptor (nuclear hormone transcription factor) are responsible for causing apoptosis (programmed cell death) in immature mouse thymocytes. I am now trying to determine if this novel gene can induce apoptosis by overexpressing the gene in our cell line.

This fall, I will be going to Stanford University Medical School to pursue my graduate degree. I will probably wind up in the developmental biology or genetics department. If you have any questions about the graduate school application process or HHMI or NSF fellowships, please do not hesitate to contact me at sen@u.arizona.edu.

George Sen, UBRPer in Dr. Joy's lab at Barrow Neurological Institute and Dr. Meisfeld's lab, Biochemistry, at the UA.

"I Successfully Competed...

...for a position as a Howard Hughes HHMI-NIH Research Scholar for the 2000-2001 year (there are forty taken each year). It is an incredible program designed for medical students who want to take a year "away" to conduct basic science bench research. The application was very detailed and an interview "weekend" was involved. The program perks are incredible including on-campus housing at NIH (highly subsidized), an annual stipend, Monday night science dinners where you meet with respected Howard Hughes scientists and NIH mentors, Thursday night dinners, and an opportunity to engage in any kind of research. There is even an opportunity to compete for a continuing scholarship, which helps to fund your last two years of medical school!

I feel privileged and honored, and even though I am leaving my classmates behind, I will be right up the street in Bethesda, so it is really not like leaving at all.

If anyone is interested, I would love to talk with him or her. My current email is shankarp@ gwu.edu. It is a great program for medical students interested in research, and you don¹t have to have years of experience and multiple publications -- they are looking for a variety of students.

I have not let go of my research connections. In fact, the first two years of medical school have made me realize how much I miss research and want to make it a part of my life. I have been to a few meetings, presented a bit, and worked at NIH last summer just to ensure that one day I might have a niche in research. Hopefully, this program will help to solidify that even more.

I have not forgotten about UBRP. It was such an incredible program. I know that it gave me the wings that I needed to come to this point.

Pragyna Shankar, second year medical student at George Washington University School of Medicine. UBRP alum from Dr. Berens' lab at Barrow Neurological Institute, Dr. Hall's lab, Molecular & Cellular Biology, and Dr. Halpert's lab, Pharmacology & Toxicology

NSF Scholarships go to Suzanne and Xi

Susanne Rafelski is a UBRP alum from Dr. Galbraith's laboratory in Plant Sciences, and a BRAVO! alum from Dr. Jiri Macas' laboratory at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Ceske Budejovice, The Czech Republic. Suzanne is enrolled in a doctoral program at Stanford University in biochemistry.

Xi He is a UBRP alum from Dr. Restifo's laboratory in Neurobiology and Dr. Gillies' laboratory in Biochemistry, and a BRAVO! alum from Dr.Axel Ullrich's laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute, Munich, Germany. After graduation, Xi returned to the Max Planck Institute working as a research technician for a year before enrolling in a doctoral program at Harvard in virology.

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