Students must complete four rotations in four different laboratories within the first year (Fall through Summer). Each rotation is three credit hours and is graded. To arrange a rotation, each student should discuss potential projects first with the prospective advisor(s) and the student and advisor should come to a mutual decision. Because these rotations are the primary means for each student to become acquainted with the range of techniques, scientific interests, administrative styles, and personalities that our department has to offer, the selection of a rotation lab each quarter should be a systematic process. One of the purposes of the rotation is to enable a student to select their thesis lab. Therefore a student may only perform rotations with faculty who have appointments in the UCHSC graduate school. Rotations with faculty who are not members of the Department of Immunology "In" faculty* must be approved by the program director.

Students are responsible for informing Jane Lanners in the departmental office of the lab in which rotations will be conducted at the beginning of each quarter as part of the registration process. Failure to do so could result in no credit for the quarter.

The other purpose of the rotation is so that faculty can assess and guage the student's ability and enthusiasm for research. Thus these rotations provide information to the faculty to enable them to determine whether they would accept the student into their laboratory for thesis work. NOTE: IT IS THE STUDENT"S RESPONSIBILITY TO PERFORM WELL DURING THESE ROTATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN NOT ONLY IDENTIFY LABORATORIES THAT THEY ARE INTERESTED IN, BUT ALSO IMPRESS FACULTY SUFFICIENTLY SO THAT THE FACULTY IS/ARE WILLING TO BE THEIR MENTORS. STUDENTS WHO ARE UNABLE TO FIND A THESIS LAB AND/OR FACULTY MEMBER TO MENTOR THEM ARE SUBJECT TO DISMISSAL FROM THE PROGRAM. At the completion of each rotation, each student should present a short talk in a lab meeting format, summarizing the experimental problem addressed, the techniques used to approach it, and data obtained during the rotation. The rotation advisor must complete a written evaluation of the student's performance after the rotation and should discuss the evaluation with the student. The written evaluation should be submitted to the Department Office and becomes part of the student's academic record.

Students who are supported by the Immunology Training Grant are required to write a summary of their rotation projects and work accomplished during their period of support (August through July). This summary is due to the Department Office in January. The Department Office will provide students with the appropriate format for this report.