From student to steward: the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at Georgetown University as a case study in professional development during doctoral training

Abstract

A key facet of professional development is the formation of professional identity. At its most basic level, professional identity for a scientist centers on mastery of a discipline and the development of research skills during doctoral training. To develop a broader understanding of professional identity in the context of doctoral training, the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate (CID) ran a multi-institutional study from 2001 to 2005. A key outcome of the CID was the development of the concept of ‘stewards of the discipline’. The Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) at Georgetown University participated in CID from 2003 to 2005. Here, we describe the IPN and highlight the programmatic developments resulting from participation in the CID. In particular, we emphasize programmatic activities that are designed to promote professional skills in parallel with scientific development. We describe activities in the domains of leadership, communication, teaching, public outreach, ethics, collaboration, and mentorship. Finally, we provide data that demonstrate that traditional metrics of academic success are not adversely affected by the inclusion of professional development activities in the curricula. By incorporating these seven ‘professional development’ activities into the required coursework and dissertation research experience, the IPN motivates students to become stewards of the discipline.

Adding value to a graduate physiology seminar by focusing on public communication skills

“…Most scientists agree that communication skills are valuable and that being able to connect with a broad audience is uniquely important (2,12). However, although others have reported that graduate students in various disciplines find engaging in public outreach rewarding (13,15), to the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a course focusing on public communication skills to enhance graduate student training in physiology.…”

Graduate Training at the Interface of Computational and Experimental Biology: An Outcome Report from a Partnership of Volunteers between a University and a National Laboratory

“…In another season, groups of GST students developed tutorials in their area of computational specialization and taught the tutorials to the entire class (see the Supplemental Material). GST students are encouraged to become stewards of their program and their discipline ( Ullrich et al. , 2014 ).…”

“…GST students are encouraged to become stewards of their program and their discipline ( Ullrich et al. , 2014 ).…”

Content and Operational Component of the Future Phd's Disposition for Research and Innovation Activity

“…Освітня програма підготовки аспірантів, орієнтована на здобуття універсальних навичок дослідника, представлена хорватськими авторами [3]. Вчені із США описали міждисциплінарну програму, яка дозволяє сформувати у аспірантів основні професійні навички, необхідні для їх майбутньої успішної кар'єри [4]. Результати наших емпіричних досліджень щодо змісту, форм і методів підготовки молодих науковців представлені у роботі [5].…”