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All first-year PiBS students must complete and pass three rotations by the end of the second semester before selecting a dissertation lab. Each one-credit rotation is 7-8 weeks in duration. Students may elect a fourth rotation if they have not been able to identify a dissertation lab by the end of their third rotation. Be proactive to ensure that you are matched with a lab before the start of each rotation.
Only faculty members who have currently available funding from a grant or department may accept students for lab rotations. There is no limit to the number of students who may rotate with an available mentor but mentors may accept a maximum of two PiBS students for permanent placement in their lab per year. As rotations are designed to expose students to various labs, faculty nor students may commit to a permanent lab placement until after the third rotation.
Choosing a laboratory
- Review all programs and faculty
- Attend all program open houses at the beginning of the fall semester to discover all your research opportunities
- Review the mentor selection process
- Discuss rotation opportunities with the faculty member in which you are interested in rotating
- Complete the Rotation Authorization Request Form to obtain rotation approval
- Obtain faculty member’s signature for approval and confirmation of funding
- Submit the form for final approval by the PiBS Director
Laboratory Rotations Evaluation and Grading
At the end of each rotation, students submit a one-page structured abstract and give an oral presentation at a rotation symposium. Students must gain the approval of their abstract and presentation before each scheduled symposium. All rotation mentors and students are required to attend.
Adequate progress in lab rotations is monitored by the faculty mentor. For each rotation, the rotation faculty mentor submits a confidential Laboratory Rotation Evaluation.
Rotation Symposium Evaluations from the other faculty are collected at symposia and summarized by the mentors as part of their feedback to the students.
Rotations are graded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.