The EMBO Young Investigator PhD course

Course information YIP PhD Course 2007 Course guidelines Draft Programme For more information please contact: yip@embo.org

YIP PhD Course 2008
21 - 28 September 2008,
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

Travel: Please note, EMBO covers course participation, accommodation and meals. Individual participants must cover travel costs.
Course guidelines
Draft Programme

This year the organisers are Axel Behrens, Michael Boutros, Karim Labib, Annette Oxenius, Victor Sourjik, Petr Svoboda, Gerlind Wallon and Kim Krynauw.

The EMBO Young Investigator PhD course is organised by the Young Investigators for their PhD students. The objective of the course is to provide students with a broad overview in a number of different areas of the biological sciences, paired with some practical aspects taught in the form of tutorials. Additionally each student presents their research project in a journal club like format with a poster. A grant proposal is prepared during the course by the students. Proposals are presented and discussed at the end of the course to prepare students to write their own competitive proposals in the future. Students receive training in reviewing a scientific paper, guided by the teaching Young Investigators and EMBO Journal/reports editors.

The exposure to the first class, international scientific environment provided by the course teachers at the EMBL and the diversity of the teachers and participants, both in terms of scientific interest and nationality, help shape the students future perspectives.

Course Overview

Lectures in cell biology, developmental biology, mechanisms in immunity and disease and gene regulation. Lectures are 60 min with 15 min for discussion.

Five tutorials:

A student grant writing exercise. Students were assigned topics (i.e. pertinent biological questions) for which they prepared a grant proposal during the course presented orally within 30 minutes on the last day of the course.

A student paper reviewing exercise. Students review a manuscript submitted to a scientific journal. They critically read the manuscript, discuss it in groups of six, write a review on it and then discuss it with a Young Investigator and an EMBO Journal/reports editor.

A journal club-like presentation of student’s research project and poster sessions.

A panel discussion: "Make science make sense: How to explain your research to the lay person?"
During this session a panel of scientists who have made public communication of science their profession will talk about the do's and don'ts of communication to non-scientists. Short presentations will be followed by a discussion with the audience and a practical exercise..

A morning session of Writing/Talking science.

Dinner and an evening out in Heidelberg.