The Plant Sciences Faculty of the Department of Biology at Wake Forest
University welcomes applications from qualified students interested in the
Plant Sciences for positions in our Graduate Program in Biology leading to
the Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
Graduate Studies in Biology at Wake Forest University
Our Graduate Program in Biology offers programs of study leading to
either the M.S. degree or the Ph.D. degree, with approximately equal
numbers of students pursuing each degree. The program is kept small;
currently 25 students are pursuing their degrees with one of the twenty
biology faculty. Entering students are given either Teaching
Assistantships or Research Assistantships with a stipends of approximately
$11,000, as well as scholarships that cover the full cost of tuition.
For Master¹s students, the two year program of study is based on the
interests and experiences of the student and is designed in close
consultation with a faculty committee. Our program is intended to broaden
the students expertise in a broad range of subjects and techniques related
to the plant sciences and to biology as a whole. In addition to the
successful completion of course work, Master¹s candidates are required to
carry out a research program in collaboration with his or her faculty
advisor and to write a thesis describing the results. Our graduates have
been successful in continuing teaching or research careers, and many go on
to pursue advanced degrees.
For Ph.D. students, the 4 year program of study is similar but with a
greater emphasis on designing and carrying out independent research. Ph.D.
candidates are required to teach for one year; many of our graduates have
found this to be an invaluable experience. Ph.D students and some Masters
students also participate in our Graduate Tutorial. Each year, three
international leaders in biology come to the campus, usually for a week,
for intensive interaction with our students. Our recent Ph.D. graduates
have had success in finding academic positions at four-year colleges and
universities and in securing positions in industry.
Master and Graduate students typically take lecture and laboratory
courses in their area of specialization, both on this campus and at the
Bowman Gray Campus of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. An
important component of the course work is the seminar courses offered by
each of the four Focus Groups, which change each semester. These seminar
courses usually revolve around current research in a specific area and
require student presentations on research results. The courses are team
taught to provide the perspectives of several faculty and to develop
student-faculty interactions. Recent topics from the Plant Sciences group
have included Plant Molecular and Classical Genetics, Photosynthesis, and
Co-evolution of Plants and Insects. Students also participate in a weekly
department seminar series which brings prominent biologist to our campus
and a graduate student forum in which students present their work or a
recent published paper to an audience of their peers.
The Plant Sciences Group
The current members of the Plant Sciences Group at Wake Forest cover the
entire range of plant biology. The group utilizes a wide variety of
techniques and perspectives to understand the special adaptations and life
strategies of green plants. Interests range from the molecular biology of
development, to the biochemistry and physiology of plant growth and
environmental responses, to the analysis of taxonomy and evolution using
molecular tools.
Dr. Hanya Chrispeels: Light-regulated gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana
Dr. Mark Jaffe: The physiology of plant responses to light, gravity,
wind and touch
Dr. Kathleen Kron: Morphological, molecular approaches to phylogeny
of the blueberry family
Dr. Gloria Muday: The role of auxin in gravitropism, light response
and plant development
Dr. Steven Rice: Vegetation dynamics of the lower Roanoke River floodplain
Dr. Brian Tague: Molecular genetic analysis of leaf development in
Arabidopsis thaliana
The department is currently conducting faculty searches for two new
positions in the plant sciences: one for the Babock Endowed Chair of
Botany and one for a Plant Community Ecologist. These positions should be
filled by the Fall of 1998
The Department of Biology
The approximately 20 member of the Biology faculty are highly diverse in
their research interests and this diversity is one of the great strengths
of the Department. Faculty and students who have related interests have
formed Focus Groups in the areas of (1) Ecology, Evolution and
Systematics, (2) Physiology and Behavior, (3) Cellular and Molecular
Biology, and (4) Plant Sciences. These Focus Groups not only act as
vehicles to enhance research projects and collaborations but also as
forums for weekly meetings of faculty and students to discuss recent
advances in their respective fields. The department has the necessary
facilities to carry out modern biological research including several green
houses; a microscopy facility which includes a scanning electron
microscope, light, fluorescent, and inverted microscopes with
computer-aided image analysis; an animal care facility; an oligonucleotide
synthesis facility; equipment for animal and cell culture; and
laboratories equipped for experimentation ranging from molecular biology
to organismal physiology
The University.
Wake Forest University is committed to both excellence in teaching and in
scholarship. Undergraduate classes are small, with an average
faculty:student ratio of 1:18. A new initiative, ³The Undergraduate Plan²,
will further improve this ratio with the hiring of 40 additional faculty
throughout the university. This initiative will also result in an
extensively networked computer system, putting Wake Forest on the cutting
edge of computer-assisted learning.
The Community
Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a city
of approximately
150,000 and remarkable for its history and diverse cultural activities.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are two hours west and one hour north of
Winston-Salem and beaches of North Carolina and South Carolina can be
reached in four or five hours by car. The city supports its own symphony,
an active Arts Council, Little Theatre, and is the site for numerous other
theatrical, cultural and sporting activities.
If you have any question about the Graduate Program in Biology, you are
most welcome to
call the Department of Biology at (910) 759-5323 to speak with the
Chairperson of the Graduate
Committee or to contact any individual faculty member for additional
information. You are invited to visit the Biology Department Homepage
which contains additional information about Wake Forest, the Department
and the research interests of each faculty member:
http://www.wfu.edu/Academic-departments/Biology/
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