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.
