A UC Davis biotechnology training program, aimed at preparing graduate students to bridge the physical and biological sciences, has been funded with a new five-year, $694,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The grant will support as many as six graduate students each year in the campus's Training Program in Biomolecular Technology. The program emphasizes research areas significant to both medicine and biotechnology, synthesis of information and research approaches from a variety of disciplines, and translation of biological information into a quantitative framework. During the first year, the grant will provide $106,786, for graduate student support.

UC Davis is one of only three California institutions to receive biotechnology training grants from the National Institutes of Health this year. The other two grants were awarded to UC Berkeley and Stanford University.

"The grant will enable us to take advantage of the expertise and collaborative culture found across the campus, while also better preparing students for careers in interdisciplinary areas in both industry and academia," said Bruce Hammock, an entomology professor and director of the training program. "Our goal is to focus the training in the truly cross-disciplinary fields of the biological and physical sciences-- especially engineering."

Students selected to participate in the training program must already be pursuing their doctoral degrees in one of the campus's 26 related graduate groups. In the training program they are provided with courses, experience in a faculty member's laboratory, and seminars and retreats aimed at giving a focus and identity to their interdisciplinary work. Through internships, they also have the opportunity to gain experience in industry research facilities.

"Our collaboration with industry will give students wonderful exposure to research in the industrial sector and expand their options for future careers," said Martina Newell-McGloughlin, assistant adjunct professor in plant pathology and co-director of the training program. "The internships also stimulate interaction between campus and industry scientists, creating opportunities for them to learn about technologies and equipment that are available in both sectors."

"Our training philosophy is that these young scientists need to have a firm command of their own disciplines, plus have the vocabulary and drive to reach out across disciplines to forge new fields and integrate research approaches to solve problems," explained Rosemary Smith, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and co-director for the training program.