U-RISE Trainees complete coursework and participate in activities that are designed to enhance their educational experience and improve their chance of gaining admission into premiere doctoral programs.
U-RISE Trainees are from several different disciplines, but all strive for an understanding of basic biological concepts and how their field intersects with the biological or behavioral sciences.
Workshops
Fall 2024 Professional Development Workshops will take place on Tuesdays in the New Education Building, ED2 1109 (unless explicitly indicated in the table below), at 12:30-1:20 p.m. Details are as follows:
| Month | Date | Workshop |
| August | 27
|
Welcome Back Meeting: Welcome U-RISE Orientation. Mandatory for all trainees. |
|
29 |
Draft ABRCMS abstract due to Dr. Holder for review on August 29, 2024 (See more info here). Mandatory for seniors. | |
| September | 10 | What (Research) I Did during My Summer Vacation: Presented by all U-RISE trainees!! |
| 17 | How to apply to graduate school/Post-Baccalaureate Programs: How to Write a Personal Statement & An Effective CV. Mandatory for seniors. | |
| 24 | Conference Presentations of Scientific Data: Oral Presentations and Poster Presentations; Professional Etiquette. Mandatory for all trainees. | |
| October | 1 |
Health and Wellness Issues and Answers: https://www.odu.edu/hms/wirc/employeewellness. Mandatory for all trainees. |
| 8 |
GRE modules for U-RISE junior class and senior class are available on Canvas for SCI 395. U-RISE Seminar. A practice test is there as well. Gearing Up for ABRCMS (https://www.abrcms.org). Mandatory for seniors. |
|
| 12-15 | Fall Break. | |
| 22 | How to Manage Your Finances. Mandatory for all trainees. Kirk Leach, Ph.D., College of Business. | |
| 29 | Study and Time Management. Mandatory for all trainees. | |
| November | 12 | Identifying & Applying for Summer Research Experiences. Mandatory for juniors and pre-U-RISE trainees. |
| 13-16 | ABRCMS Conference for seniors. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. | |
| 19 | How to Ace Your Grad School/Summer REU/Post-bacc Interview. Mandatory for Seniors. | |
| 27-29 | Thanksgiving Holiday. | |
| December | 6 | Our Potluck. |
Spring 2025 Professional Development Workshops will take place on Tuesdays in the New Education Building, ED2 1109 (unless explicitly indicated in the table below), at 12:30-1:20 p.m. Details are as follows:
| Month | Date | Workshop |
| January | 14
|
Welcome back trainees. Mandatory for all trainees. |
|
21 |
Library session for the U-RISE trainees: Amber Gruszeczka and Dorothy Lockaby, Old Dominion University Libraries, Old Dominion University Libraries. Mandatory for all trainees. | |
| 28 | Graduate School interviewing skills, advice, practice. Samantha Koenig, M.A., NCC, Assistant Director, Career Development Services. Mandatory for seniors. | |
| February | 4 | Preparing your U-RISE application (only for Pre- U-RISE students) |
| 15 | Writing a scientific manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal (including SciFinder, PubMed, Web of Science, EndNote, and examples of how to write an abstract). Discipline-specific faculty! This is mandatory for juniors and pre- U-RISE trainees. The seniors are welcome to attend! | |
| March | 4 |
Equilibrium discussions:
Tentative speakers: Three faculty mentors and invited former MARC/U-RISE trainees, Zuri Jules-Culver, Jasmine Clark, and Jade Smith. Mandatory for all trainees. |
| April | 1 | Careers in biomedical research and Applications of your discipline in biomedical research. Dr. Brittany Ruedlinger. Mandatory for all trainees. |
| 8 | Research: Networking for your career and in your professional society. Mandatory for all trainees. | |
| 15 | Life as a graduate student. A panel of graduate students. Mandatory for all trainees. |
Seminars
Information about U-RISE mandatory seminars is as follows. Additional details will be posted here once they are defined.
Chemistry & Biochemistry seminars on Fridays are in the Planetarium of the New Chemistry & Biochemistry Bldg. from 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. On Thursdays they are at the same location from 12:20 pm until 1:30 pm.
| Date | Department | Speaker and affiliation | Title |
| Friday 02/10 | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Prof. Arthur D. Tinoco, UPR, Río Piedras | Using a transmetalative anticancer approach to inhibit ribonucleotide reductase with Titanium(IV) compounds of chemical transferrin mimetic ligands |
| Thursday 02/23 | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Prof. Sonia Peter, NGO, Barbados | Flavonoids and Flavonoid Glycosides from Lamiaceae Species and the Link to the Traditional Management of the Inflammatory Response |
| Friday 02/24 | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Prof. Donna J. Nelson, University of Oklahoma | My Experiences as Science Advisor for the Television Show Breaking Bad |
| Friday 03/24 | Biological Sciences | Dr. Luis Hernandez, UPR, Mayaguez | A day at the beach with my friend the Enterococci |
| Thursday 03/30 | Psychology | Dr. Kristin Bernard, Stony Brook University | Empowering Parents to Promote Child Well-being: Integrating Neurobiological & Neighborhood-level Approaches |
| Friday 04/07 | U-RISE Trainees only | Dr. Erika Brown, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth | N/A. Networking meeting with the Trainees. |
| Thursday 04/13 | Chemistry & Biochemistry | Dr. Christian Goldsmith, Auburn University | Using Interdisciplinary Chemistry to Detect and Degrade Reactive Oxygen Species |
| Friday 04/21 | E. C. Engineering | Dr. Eduardo I. Ortiz Rivera, UPR, Mayaguez | The UPRM's experience in Renewable Energy Systems to improve STEM education, diversity, and community involvement |
Conferences
ODU Undergraduate Research Symposium, March 25, 2023. Learn more ►