Biology & Biotechnology
Programs of Study
The department offers a master of science (M.S.) degree in biology and biotechnology and a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in biotechnology. These degrees require students to successfully complete a set of required "core" courses in the field and a thesis project or dissertation that applies the basic principles of biology and biotechnology using hypothesis driven experimental methods, to study research problems or questions. Graduates will have a broad knowledge of the field of biology and biotechnology as well as demonstrate detailed knowledge and applied research skills in their area of specialization. Students who complete these programs will be well prepared for further graduate education, or for employment in academics or industry.
Faculty in the Biology and Biotechnology Department have research interests in three main areas; molecular/cellular/ developmental biology, molecular ecology and evolution, and applied microbial systems. Students seeking a graduate degree in biology and biotechnology engage in directed study with one of the department's faculty in his or her research specialty area. The department suggests that, prior to applying, students review the information at the department's Web site to help identify potential faculty advisors.
Degree Requirements
M.S. in Biology and Biotechnology
As with the standard WPI requirements for the M.S. degree, students pursuing the M.S. degree in biology and biotechnology must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of course and theses work, six of which must be thesis research credits. In addition, M.S. students must successfully complete (grade of B or higher) three of the four departmental core courses (BB575, BB576, BB577 or BB578) and three credits of seminar (BB501, 1 credit per semester). Students must assemble an Advisory Committee of three faculty members. Two of the committee members must be biology and biotechnology faculty members. One of the biology and biotechnology faculty members will chair the committee and be the student's faculty advisor. The Advisory Committee must review and approve each M.S. student's program of study and thesis research.
Ph.D. in Biotechnology
In addition to the WPI requirements, a dissertation (minimum of 30 credit hours) is required of all Ph.D. students. It is the intention of the faculty that the student develop for this degree a thematic focus for a minor, interdisciplinary area of study outside of the biology and biotechnology department, such that the following credit distribution be required for coursework:
- 15 credit minimum
- BB courses at the 4000 or 500 level (an M.S. in a biological field may be considered acceptable)
- 15 credit minimum
- Within the minor area of study and taken at the 4000 or 500 level (M.S. in an appropriate minor field of study may be considered acceptable)
- 15 credit maximum
- At the 4000 level or below for all requirements
- 2 credit minimum
- To meet the cultural studies requirement
- 2 credit minimum
- To meet the teaching skills requirement
Teaching Requirement
2 credit minimum
The objective of this requirement is formal training in pedagogy. It can be fulfilled by enrolling in: (1) an advanced undergraduate or graduate course in education; or (2) a mentored teaching experience (IS/P) arranged with an individual faculty member, within the major discipline of the student and the professor. This mentored teaching experience is distinguished from a teaching assistantship in that it requires significant mentored student involvement in course development, delivery and evaluation.
Cultural Studies Requirement
2 credit minimum
Graduates of the biotechnology program will need more than technical skills to make their way in the global market. Such skills might include bioethics, and linguistic and interpretive skills that encourage a reasoned awareness and acceptance of human differences. Students may choose from offerings in bioethics, history and language to develop a focused strength in one area. Graduate work in Cultural Studies is a minimum of 2 credit hours done under the guidance of a humanities advisor. For example, a student could register for Bioethics for 2 credits.
Publications
In order to graduate, at least one manuscript should be submitted for publication in a refereed journal and at least one paper must have been presented at a national or international conference.
Exams, Reports and Dissertation Defense
A Ph.D. qualifying exam is required and should be taken following the first year of study. A majority of the Examining Committee must be members of the biology and biotechnology department faculty. The committee must also approve the student's dissertation research proposal and will meet each semester to review and assess the student's progress. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must also give annual presentations of their research work to the department as part of the graduate seminar course.
A public defense of the completed dissertation is required of all students and will be followed immediately by a defense before the Examining Committee. All members of the Examining Committee must be present for the defense. Operational details of the program, including the student qualifying exam and dissertation defense, can be found in the graduate handbook provided to all entering students.
Faculty
- E. W. Overström
- Professor and Department Head; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts- Amherst; oocyte biology, developmental cell biology, animal somatic cell cloning.
- D. S. Adams
- Professor; Ph.D., University of Texas; design of neurotrophic factors for treating stroke, human stem cell matrices for treating spinal cord injuries.
- J. Bagshaw
- Professor; Ph.D., University of Tennessee; recombinant DNA mechanisms and technology, regulation of gene expression.
- R. Cheetham
- Professor; Ph.D., Purdue University; plant metabolism, physiology and ecology, environmental biology.
- T. C. Crusberg
- Associate Professor,Ph.D., Clark University; heavy metal bioremediation of industrial wastewaters, cryptobiotic desert soil crusts as indicators of environmental change in the American southwest.
- A. DiIorio, Ph.D.
- WPI, bioprocess design technologies for overall process improvement and remediation of heavy metals from waste water using a naturally produced biopolymer
- D. G. Gibson III
- Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Boston University; amino acid neurotransmitters, arthropod hormones and growth factors, invertebrate neuromuscular junctions.
- L.M. Mathews
- Assistant Professor; Ph.D, University of Louisiana; population genetics and evolutionary ecology of marine and aquatic invertebrates, design and application of molecular genetic tools for ecological research, conservation biology.
- S. M. Politz
- Associate Professor; Ph.D.; UCLA. Genetic control of surface glycoprotein expression in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; chemosensory control of nematode behavior and development; host immune responses to parasitic nematode infections.
- R. Prusty
- Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Penn State University Medical School; gene expression, rDNA recombination and regulation mechanisms in S. cerevvisiae
- J. Rulfs
- Associate Professor; Ph.D., Tufts University; cell culture model systems of signal transduction, metabolic effects of phytoestrogens, cultured cells in tissue engineering.
- E. F. Ryder
- Associate Professor; M.S. Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health; PhD Genetics, Harvard University; nervous system development using C. elegans as a genetic model, bioinformatics approaches to understanding gene expression, computer simulations of development.
- P. J. Weathers
- Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State University; biology of in vitro cultured plants and their tissues, plant secondary metabolism, bioreactor development for plant and animal tissues, process development for plant products.
Last modified: June 27, 2007 15:09:13