Achievement

In most graduate programs, education and training in grant preparation, media relations, research ethics, public speaking, and other aspects of the professional skillset are left to chance; it is expected that the students will learn these skills through "on the job" experience as the opportunities or needs arise. In the NYCEP Professional Development course, taken in the second year of graduate work, students are trained in each of these areas through interactive exercises that engage the students and provide feedback in a classroom setting. This interactive classroom training provides NYCEP IGERT trainess and associates (and selected other graduate students) exceptional added value in their graduate training and gives them a substantial advantage relative to their peers at other programs. Through Professional Development training, our students enter their later graduate years and post-graduate careers with hands-on experience in critical skills needed to be successful in research.