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The Department
Faculty in our
department conduct research in areas ranging from the molecular mechanisms
of protein actions - involved in cell signaling, cell polarity, and
ion transport - to the mechanisms by which information is transmitted
and integrated between cells and organs, during processes such as learning
and development. These projects utilize diverse experimental approaches,
including the gene cloning, expression and mutagenesis, confocal and
electron microscopy, patch-clamping, and single-cell optical recordings
with voltage and pH sensitive dyes. The department is highly interactive,
and has many collaborations between research groups, which are enhanced
by the sharing of centralized
facilities for tissue culture, biochemistry and molecular biology,
and microscopy.
Departmental activities and functions which foster the exchange of scientific
ideas include the annual Physiology
Department Picnic (a true gourmet experience!); weekly
seminar series in which distinguished speakers from outside Yale
are invited to discuss their research; and departmental teatime three
times per week for socializing over cookies, coffee and tea. There is
also an annual weekend departmental retreat at which members of the
department present their work in talks and posters. Discussion is always
lively and spirited at these events, where the friendly and relaxed
atmosphere of the department encourages the open exchange of ideas and
opinions. In addition to these departmental events, a wealth of seminars
and symposia sponsored by other departments at Yale are also available.
The high degree of interaction between the Department of Cellular and
Molecular Physiology and the large biomedical research community at
Yale reflects the reality that today's scientific questions are best
answered by integrating multiple experimental approaches. To enable
graduate students to gain a broad exposure to the research opportunities
at Yale before selecting a laboratory in which to conduct their thesis
research, the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences and the School
of Medicine at Yale offer a combined interdepartmental graduate
program in the Biological and
Biomedical Sciences (BBS) which includes the Ph.D. programs in Cellular
and Molecular Physiology, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology,
Cell Biology, Experimental Pathology, Genetics, Immunobiology, Microbiology,
Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Neurobiology, Neuroscience, and
Pharmacology.
Graduate
education at Yale is flexible and students are encouraged to carry out
laboratory rotations and thesis research with any of the faculty
associated with the BBS regardless of departmental affiliation.
The faculty of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology participate
in interest-based tracks within the BBS that serve to organize research
and training interests. The Physiology
and Integrative Medical Biology track, offered to incoming students,
is designed to provide opportunities to explore areas of specialized
interest taught by faculty from a variety of departments. By the end
of their first year, the graduate students normally matriculate into
the Graduate Program in Cellular
and Molecular Physiology.
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