During the half-century since the elucidation of the structure of
DNA, there has been a remarkable increase in the rate of biological
discovery. Making sense of the ever-increasing amount and scope of
biological information-at levels of complexity ranging from molecules,
through assemblies of molecules, to cells-requires sophisticated
mathematical and computational tools outside the realm of mainstream
biology. The BIOMAPS program seeks to train a new generation of
scientists who will be able to use these tools to achieve a new level
of understanding of biology. The graduate program will be administered
under the umbrella of the BIOMAPS Institute for Quantitative Biology,
the goal of which is to foster interdisciplinary research and education
at the interface between Biology and the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (BIOMAPS).
The BIOMAPS graduate program`s curriculum, course prerequisites, and
admission requirements have been designed to serve the needs of
students with diverse backgrounds, particularly those with quantitative
training in the physical, mathematical, and computer sciences. The
BIOMAPS program allows the enrollment of interdisciplinary students who
do not fit naturally into any traditional graduate program but who show
a strong interest and/or aptitude for interdisciplinary biology
research. These students enroll directly into BIOMAPS and must satisfy
BIOMAPS requirements. Another option for interdisciplinary study
currently under development will be the special, parallel "bio-tracks"
in traditional programs that will prepare students for biology-driven
research. The parallel tracks will strengthen connections with
traditional disciplines whose intellectual traditions and technical
body of knowledge have many times been the driving force for technical
developments and novel experimental tools in interdisciplinary
research. Parallel tracks will substitute a number of credits (yet to
be determined) of the Ph.D. program requirements with biology and
BIOMAPS courses and, as a rule, students will work on a thesis under
the supervision of one of the BIOMAPS faculty with expertise in the
traditional discipline.
The BIOMAPS graduate curriculum involves three types of courses: background courses, core courses, and electives.
Background Courses. These
provide basic introductions to (1) chemistry and biochemistry (3
credits); (2) molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics (3
credits); and (3) laboratory methods of modern biology research (2
credits). The basic courses (1) and (2) are meant for mathematical and
physical science and engineering students with insufficient chemistry
or biology backgrounds to enroll into graduate courses offered by the
molecular biosciences program. They assume no prior training in
chemistry and biology, and will provide the chemical and biological
foundations needed to understand biological systems. The laboratory
methods course will provide a hands-on approach to modern biology
techniques and is required of students planning to focus on theoretical
research.
Core Courses. These are specifically
designed interdisciplinary courses that survey particular BIOMAPS areas
and are meant to transition students into research at the forefront of
the field. These courses cover a broad range of topics, i.e., protein
structure; biophysics of molecular assemblies; algorithms in
bioinformatics; simulation techniques; biochemical and genetic
networks; signaling, data mining, and pattern recognition; mathematical
modeling and control theory.
Electives. Courses
are taught by BIOMAPS teaching faculty within traditional doctoral
programs that expose students to the techniques and scientific
standards of traditional disciplines, many of which form the basis of
technical and computational developments in BIOMAPS research. Students
can select electives with the approval of their advisory committee from
virtually all graduate courses offered by life-science, mathematical
and physical sciences, computer science, and engineering programs at
Rutgers and UMDNJ including biochemistry, biomedical engineering, cell
and developmental biology, chemical and biochemical engineering,
chemistry and chemical biology, computer science, mathematics,
mechanical and aerospace engineering, mechanics, microbiology and
molecular genetics, cellular and molecular pharmacology, physics and
astronomy, and statistics.
