Ohio State University - Molecular Genetics
The Ohio State University is a leading comprehensive teaching and research university. Ohio State combines a responsibility for the advancement and dissemination of knowledge with a land-grant heritage of public service, offering an extensive range of academic programs in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions. Ohio State consistently ranks among the top national public universities for undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. As a student-centered research university, Ohio State provides students with a well-rounded experience inside and outside the classroom. Few universities can match our breadth of academic offerings and related interdisciplinary opportunities, including 176 undergraduate majors and 220 graduate fields of study.
The Community
There are over 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Ohio State. The diverse student body comes to Ohio State from every county in Ohio, every state in the US, and nearly every nation in the world. The campus is located in Columbus, the captital of Ohio and a leading banking and insurance center in the midwest. The population of the Columbus metropolitan area is approximately 1.5 million, and offers a wide range of cultural activities.
Programs of study
The Graduate Program in Molecular Genetics offers a course of study and research leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. Our program provides a full spectrum of research training opportunities with the underlying common theme of Molecular Genetics. Research in individual faculty laboratories focuses on fundamental questions in Genetics, Cell and Developmental Biology. A wide range of model organisms are employed in the ongoing research efforts. The use of these model organisms allows powerful genetic and molecular approaches to be applied to the various biological problems being studied.
The goal of our graduate program is to train scientists who will be able to establish themselves as independent researchers in academia, government or industry. Emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking skills in our students, and direct faculty-student interactions are an important part of the program. In 1998-1999, there were approximately 60 students resident in the Molecular Genetics Graduate Program, and twelve students earned the PhD degree, all of whom were able to obtain good positions in academia or industry.
Facilities & Resources
State-of-the-art Instrumentation and facilities are available to all researchers within the department. More specialized equipment is available in a variety of campus instrumentation facilities. These include the following: Biopolymer Facility, BiaCore Surface Plasmon Resonance Facility, Microscopy and Imaging Facility which includes confocal and electron microscopes, Transgenic Mouse Facility, Analytical Cytometry Laboratory, Fermentation Facility, and Computational Biology Facility. A Gene Chip Facility for monitoring global patterns of gene expression is under development.
The Biological Sciences/Pharmacy Library houses 1,300 journals & 120,000 volumes in the life sciences and is located in the Riffe Building.
Expenses and Aid
Admission to the graduate program includes an offer of Financial Aid. This package includes a Graduate Student stipend that is currently $19,000 per year and waiver of all tuition and fees ($9,676 per year for Ohio residents; $22,856 for non-residents and international students).
In addition, applicants with a strong record of undergraduate accomplishment may be eligible to receive competitive University Fellowships that generally carry a higher stipend of approximately an $22,000 for the first year of Graduate Education.
How to Apply
Admission to the Graduate program is made through application to The Ohio State University Graduate School, via the Admissions Department of the University. The application deadline is January 15 each year. Students are considered for admission in Autumn Quarter only.
Criteria for Admission:
1.Undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0.
2.Three Letters of recommendation
3. Research experience
4. Test scores: Graduate Record Examination (GRE); score of at least 60th percentile on the General Test and on a Subject Test ("B24" Biology, or "B22" Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology). For international applicants, a TOEFL score of at least 600 is required.
Who to contact
Graduate Studies Committee
Department of Molecular Genetics
The Ohio State University
484 W. 12th Ave. Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: 614-292-8084
Email: molgen-gc@osu.edu
Web site: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~molgen/
The Faculty & Major Research Interests
David M. Bisaro
Molecular biology of plant geminiviruses diseases, transgenic plants
Helen M. Chamberlin
Cell differentiation and gene regulation during organogenesis in C. elegans
Tien-Hsien Chang
Yeast RNA helicases; mRNA metabolism
Paul A. Fuerst
Molecular evolutionary genetics
Paul K. Herman
Regulation of growth & cell cycle in yeast
Russell J. Hill
Specification of cell type during early embryogenesis in C. elegans
Lee F. Johnson
Mammalian gene expression; cell cycle
Gustavo W. Leone
Signal transduction, cell proliferation and apoptosis in transgenic mice
Mark T. Muller
DNA topoisomerases & gene regulation
Berl R. Oakley
Mitosis; microtubules; organellar movement
Michael C. Ostrowski
Regulation of cell growth and differentiation in transgenic mouse models
Hay-Oak Park
Regulation of oriented cell division & cell cycle in yeast
Mark A. Seeger
Neuronal development in Drosophila and zebrafish
Amanda A.
Simcox Pattern formation in Drosophila
Roy A. Tassava
Development and regeneration in amphibians
Harald E. F. Vaessin
Neuronal lineage differentiation in Drosophila
Desh P. S. Verma
Molecular genetics of symbiotic nitrogen fixation, transgenic plants
Michael Weinstein
TGF-SMAD and FGF signaling in transgenic mice
Affiliated Faculty
Arthur H. M. Burghes
Human molecular genetics and transgenic models for human neurologic disorders
Donald H. Dean
Insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis
Richard M. Gronostajski
NFI transcription factor in mouse development
Takashi Okamoto
Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and transgenic models for these disorders
Deborah S. Parris
Herpes simplex virus replication; DNA synthesis
George R. Stark
Signaling pathways in mammalian cells and transgenic mice