Dr. Stuart Ravnik, assistant dean of the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, not only presented a seminar providing information about the graduate program in the Division of Basic Science, but he graciously took us to dinner afterward where we were able to get to know him better. Dr. Ravnik is very energetic and took time to talk to every student to learn about his or her individual interests. He talked about the various aspects of the UT Southwestern graduate program; as well as, what it is like to live in Dallas, Texas. For example, all first year students are required to take a common curriculum and later they have the opportunity to complete rotations in different labs. UT Southwestern offers many areas of research to pursue. An interesting feature is that they do not have an undergraduate campus so there is no teaching requirement for graduate students as there is at the UA.

Although the seminar was focused on all the aspects of research UT Southwestern has to offer, dinner was filled with many interesting conversations. We were able to learn about differences between working in industry as opposed to teaching at a university and how we can decide which path would be best for us. Dr. Ravnik is involved in a new program where the graduate students and faculty work in conjunction with a charter high school to teach students science. He gave us insight into some of the work involved in obtaining grants to do research as well as the possibility of doing collaborative research with different groups. Dr. Ravnik was very interesting because he seemed to understand what it is like to be a student, and he was very easy to talk to. It was helpful being able to meet on a more personal basis because we were able to learn about and understand the many facets involved in research career -- from the initial application process to graduate school and to starting a career upon graduation.

Nikita Patel, UBRPer in Dr. Chuck Gerba's Lab, Microbiology & Immunology