Introduction to Scientific Communication

MICRBIOL
512
PHRMACOL
502

Course Discipline

Communication

Course Level

500+

Course Credits

2

Term(s) Offered

Winter

Course Description

This course introduces graduate students to essential scientific communication skills. Beginning with the relatively easy task of learning to search the literature over the internet and ending with the challenges of writing an NRSA grant application and giving a short seminar, each student will develop confidence in both written and spoken scientific communication. Class meetings alternate between presentations by local experts on various topics and student presentations of their work in progress.

In-depth analysis of student writing and presentation skills will be provided in class by the instructor, by other students working in small groups, as well as by guest scientists.

Through a series of assignments, each student will write a grant over the course of the semester on a topic of his or her choice. By the end of the term each student will have polished and revised the proposal to a high quality product that will be presented both orally and in written form to the rest of the class. Finally, each student will participate in a mock study section to constructively evaluate each other's grants.

Prerequisite: Must be in the second year or higher of a PIBS-related graduate program. Winter term.