Graduate and Postdoctoral Education in the Natural Sciences at Rice University

Graduate and Postdoctoral Education Subcommittee for Natural Sciences Strategic Planning at Rice University

Mission Statement

To nurture graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as they become independent, versatile, creative, and critically thinking scientists by providing excellent training, education, mentoring, and professional development.

THANKS to all those who participated in the workshop related to Graduate and Postdoctoral Education on Saturday, January 25. A summary of the comments and suggestions that emerged from this workshop is available.

Topics and Issues

Training and Education of Graduate Students
How can we improve our program of graduate training and education to produce better scientists and professional leaders while making the best use of the resources of the students? How important are interdisciplinary programs in Natural Sciences at Rice? What role should they play in graduate education?
Supporting Graduate Students
How can we enhance the funding available for graduate education and the support of graduate students?
Recruiting Graduate Students
How can the Wiess School of Natural Sciences improve recruitment of the highest quality graduate students? What would make Rice and its Natural Science departments more attractive to prospective graduate students?
Placing our Graduate and Postdoctoral Students
What should be done to enhance the visibility of Rice graduate and postdoctoral students and their placement in academia, government, and industry?
Environment for Graduate and Postdoctoral Students
How can the School, its Departments, and the University improve the quality of graduate student and postdoctoral life at Rice? What are the major inpediments and opportunities for improving graduate student and postdoctoral productivity in the Natural Sciences?

Members of the Graduate Education Subcommittee

Richard Gordon, Geology and Geophysics, Chair
Janet Braam, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
John Olson, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Gustavo Scuseria, Chemistry
Frank Fisher, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Robert Hardt, Mathematics
Peter Nordlander, Physics
Richard Wolf, Space Physics and Astronomy
Sharon Barker, Graduate Student Representative
Mark Hargrove, Graduate Student Representative

Other Subcommittees

Steering Committee for Natural Sciences Strategic Planning

Updated by Rachel Miller (rmiller@rice.edu)
10-Jun-97