MSTP Program Events
Annual Retreat
A two-day research retreat for students and faculty, held at the beginning of the Fall semester. MSTP students give oral and poster presentations, highlighting their research accomplishments. In-coming students have the early opportunity to interact with colleagues in this scientific venue.
Grand Rounds
A forum for patient-based discussions which emphasize how science and medicine intersect held 5-6 times per year. A senior MSTP student, who has completed the PhD phase of training and has re-entered the medical curriculum, discusses a patient with whom he/she has interacted who presents an interesting medical issue. A more junior student, currently in the research phase, discusses a basic science issue related to the patient being presented, focusing on the most recent developments in this area of investigation.
Student-sponsored Seminar Series
A student-hosted seminar series with outside speakers who present research talks and meet with MSTP students informally to discuss career opportunities. Held two times per year.
Student-sponsored Seminar Series
Conversations in Research
This weekly, noon-time seminar series provides 1st and 2nd year MSTP students an opportunity to interact with MSTP faculty and learn about the breadth of research activities represented by this faculty group. Faculty are asked to give a short description of their career path and then discuss their research interests in an informal ("chalk talk") setting. Time is allowed for discussion of laboratory characteristics and requirements of PhD students in the particular department or program(s) with which the faculty member is affiliated.
MSTP Literary Outings
MSTP Literary Outings is a new endeavor of students and faculty that was developed in response to hearing Marilyn Robinson (award-winning author of Housekeeping and Gilead) speak at our August 2006 retreat. She suggested that one of the major deficits in academia today is in the area of cross-disciplinary understanding and dialogue. In Iowa City, this divide is geographical, as the social science and humanities buildings are separated from the bulk of the biomedical buildings by the Iowa River. The literary outings establish habits of crossing the river and talking to each other about literary and social problems.