Graduate students will participate in 3 short rotations, with an optional 4th, during the fall semester of their first year in order to facilitate the affiliation process.
Following an introduction to faculty research, you will fill out your initial rotation request form. On this form, you will rank order three faculty with whom you would like to rotate and the forms are due to the DGS no later than the first day of fall classes. The DGS will then assign the first rotations based on your preferences and lab availability. You will be allowed to change your rank order requests by contacting the DGS at least two weeks before the start of the respective rotation. The second and third rotation assignments will be made accordingly one week before they are to start.
Rotations will be 4 weeks in length during which time you will be provided a desk in the host lab. You are expected to attend group meetings of that lab, unless there is a conflict with class or teaching responsibilities, and to spend time in the lab speaking with faculty and graduate students, observing experiments and techniques, etc., as appropriate. Additional expectations, including that for specific hours, if any, should be discussed between the student and PI.
You will be allowed and encouraged to attend other labs' group meetings and to meet with other faculty and students during any rotation. You are NOT required to have rotated in a particular lab in order to affiliate with that lab.
At the end of each rotation, you and the PI will sign a form stating that the rotation was completed “in good standing” based on the previously discussed expectations. This form should be turned in to the DGS on the final day of each rotation. You are required to complete three rotations in good standing.
Additional details and dates relevant to rotations will be given during student orientation.
Shortly after the completion of the rotations, you will arrange personal conferences with those faculty members whose research is of interest to you. You are then affiliated with specific research groups by a process of mutual selection administered the by the department Chair. These affiliations are usually completed by the beginning of the second semester. The selection procedure will be discussed in greater detail with entering students during the fall.