Fall 2005 BGSA - New PhD Student Information Session Powerpoint Presentation
Registration
When do I register?
Student registration can be easily handled online at GoSolar. Once you login to GoSolar using your social security number as the user ID and your 6 digit date of birth (MMDDYY) as the password, you will be able to access registration, student account, financial aid, and personal information related to your account. To find out your available registration times for the upcoming semester, choose Registration from the main menu, then choose Check Registration Status and Appointment Times from the next menu. Select the term you wish to view and then you will be able to see when your registration appointment times are.
How do I register?
To register for courses, from the Registration menu, choose Look-Up Classes to Add. Again, select the term for which you want to register, then you will be directed to a screen where you can choose Subject, Course Number, Title, Professor, etc. When you see the course listings, you may check the box beside the course you want to take and click register at the bottom of the screen.
What do I have to register for?
Good question. Ph.D. students and Masters students who are working in a lab must register for BIOL 8800 and BIOL 6900 under the professor whose laboratory they are researching in. These students must also register for a total of 25 hours. To do this, you must fill out an Agreement and Approval form that you can obtain online or from LaTesha Warren, and have this form signed by your advisor. Once you return the form to LaTesha, you will be able to register for 25 hours and for BIOL 6900, otherwise, you will be blocked from doing so. Non-thesis Masters students, are only required to register for any courses they may be interested in taking, and must follow the University's policy on minimum credit hours.
What courses should I take?
Ph.D. students should read the requirements for your program: AEM, CMBP, MGB, NB. Masters students should read the general requirements for a Masters degree. All Biology graduate students are required to take intro to graduate studies, seminars, topics, concepts, core courses and elective courses; in addition, Ph.D. students are required to take a graduate survival skills course the semester before qualifying exams. A typical semester's courses for a Ph.D. student might look like this: core course (4 hours), topics (1 hour), seminar (1 hour), BIOL 6900 (2 hours), with the remaining hours used for BIOL 8800 (17 hours) for a total of 25 hours. Some programs also require attendance of a Journal Club, check with your advisor for details.
Forms and Meetings
What is a semester report?
Near the end of each semester (Fall, Spring and Summer), you will be required to submit a semester report to your advisor and the Biology Department. Semester report cover sheets are available online or in LaTesha Warren's office. The semester report consists of the work you've done that semester. Typically, a background, your methods, your results and a discussion will be discussed. There is a strict deadline for submission of these reports, normally you will be notified approximately 3-4 weeks ahead of time. You will complete 2 copies of your report, give your advisor one, and have your advisor sign the other which you will turn into the Biology Department.
What is an annual meeting?
An annual meeting is a meeting with faculty members from your program and yourself. You will discuss your progress and the faculty members may give you some suggestions on courses or a number of other things. LaTesha Warren typically sets up the meetings and notifies you. You will take with you a copy of the Annual Meeting Form for the faculty members to sign (you can also obtain a copy from LaTesha). You must return the signed form to LaTesha Warren.
What is a journal club?
Normally, a journal club consists of a student or faculty member presenting data they obtained from reading a journal article. This gives the presenter experience in reading and understanding journal articles, presenting to an audience and answering questions. Journal clubs also serve to educate the audience about new research and techniques as presenters are usually asked to select current articles. For a listing of the current journal clubs and information on days and times please see the Biology Department Journal Club Listing.
Rotating
What does a rotation involve?
A rotation is done the first semester of your graduate career. Typically for Ph.D. students, two 10 week rotations in two different laboratories within your program will suffice. More rotations can be done with approval. A rotation serves to familiarize a new graduate student with research in a given laboratory, helps them to learn new techniques, and helps them to get to know other graduate students. At the end of a rotation, the student will select the lab they want to permanently belong to.
What will I do while rotating?
While rotating, you will typically follow another graduate student's project. Alternatively, you may be given a project of your own. In either case, you will work on a research project, perform experiments and analyze data. You should plan to be in the laboratory most of the time that you are not in classes. Speak to the professor of the lab you are rotating in to get an idea of what they expect from you and to let them know your schedule.
Qualifying Exams
What is a qualifying exam?
A qualifying exam (Ph.D. students only) is the bridge between coursework and your dissertation. Qualifying exams are normally done in the fall semester. Typically, students will take the survival skills course in the spring semester before their fall qualifying exam. The format of the qualifying exam varies by program; however, the general layout is that of an NIH-R01 grant. The student will prepare a proposal and a presentation and will present both to their qualifying exam committee. See LaTesha for qualifying exam committee forms (to be submitted in the spring/summer semester before the qualifying exam).
What is the schedule for the qualifying exam?
After you select your committee and return the form to LaTesha, you will attend an organizational meeting around the last part of the summer semester. You will then begin preparing a pre-proposal which you will deliver to your committee members and then you will have a pre-proposal meeting with your committee sometime in August so that they can let you know whether your pre-proposal is appropriate. Once you have the go-ahead, you will complete your proposal and prepare a presentation for your next meeting in late September/early October. Again, the format of the exam varies by program, some committees may require that you have more than one proposal meeting, others may require only one, and make a decision based on that one. LaTesha Warren has copies of pre-proposals and a schedule for the exams each year.
Access and Training
How do I get access to the autoclaves?
In order to access the autoclaves and dishwashers you must have an access card. The access card will only be provided to you once you have attended an autoclave and dishwasher training session. Generally, you will be notified at the beginning of the semester of the times and days for these meetings.
How do I get access to X equipment?
You must have an access card to access any common equipment. You may already have an access card to use the autoclaves/dishwashers, and this is the same card you will use to access any common equipment; however, your card will not be authorized to allow you to enter any of the common equipment rooms until you are trained by an individual who is certified to train you, or until you attend one of the training sessions. Again, you will be notified at the beginning of the semester of the times and days for the training sessions or you may email John Houghton for further information on obtaining access to common equipment.
What other training do I need to have?
Normally, at the beginning of each semester, a Hazardous Waste training session will be offered. You will be required to attend one of these sessions so that you may obtain a certificate of completion. There is also a radiation safety session that you will be required to attend if you will be working with radioactive materials.
Getting Around
Where is the Biology Department Office?
402 Kell Hall
Who and where is the graduate coordinator?
LaTesha Warren, 422 Kell Hall. Email: biolxm@langate.gsu.edu
Where is Dr. or Mrs. X's office/lab?
Check out the faculty listing on the biology department website.
Where is the X Building?
Check out the maps located on the GSU homepage.
Where do I park?
See the parking services website for specifics.
What MARTA stations are close?
Georgia State University is conveniently located between the Georgia State MARTA station and the Five Points MARTA station. See the MARTA rail map for more details.
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