Welcome to our new PhD Candidates!

September 24, 2015

By Suzi Harlow

The Division of Biological Sciences welcomed our newest class of doctoral candidates with 45 students beginning their graduate experience on Wednesday, September 2nd. The class includes 19 international students, the largest group of international students the program has attracted in one class. They are from Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Malaysia, Spain, Thailand and Turkey. The other 26 students come from all across the United States including Arizona, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Washington, DC.

The class has been very busy since their first day. After a welcome from Dean Bill McGinnis and from Graduate Chair/Advisor Dr. Jens Lykke-Andersen and a day of administrative informational sessions, the new students were invited to dinner with their Peer Mentors overlooking the ocean at the Martin Johnson House at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Biological Sciences Boot Camp started the next day with laboratory safety training. Everyone then ventured to UCSD Challenge Course for some team-building exercises, high-wire walking and the "zip-line". Boot Camp continued for the next two weeks featuring lectures, laboratory group projects, faculty talks and the students’ own lunchtime “Chalk Talks”. At the conclusion of Boot Camp, the class traveled to the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa for the annual retreat which brings together nearly 200 researchers (faculty, postdocs and grad students) from the Division of Biological Sciences and the Salk Institute Science.