Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Dear Provost McBride,
In light of the ongoing review of GDBBS (Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences), the students of GDBBS, a Division that houses eight programs that include 400 students, approximately 25% of the Laney Graduate Students, aim to highlight the benefits of the Division toward our graduate training. GDBBS plays an unparalleled role in supporting the training of the students of eight unique graduate programs. We are scientists in training, a vocation that has very different requirements from other graduate degrees. GDBBS assists us in communicating as scientists by giving us a platform to present our research, teaching us to write grants to receive NIH funding, providing us with access to research resources from multiple programs, and guiding us toward broad career opportunities.
Many of us came to Emory because of the unity of the biomedical programs under GDBBS, because the Division provides transparent access to multiple disciplines throughout our training. GDBBS hosts an annual symposium, providing an opportunity for all eight programs to showcase their research as posters and talks. Historically, collaborations and lab-joining decisions have been influenced because of this symposium. Additionally, PIs have multiple program affiliations allowing for a richness in training and learning. The annual banquet gives us an opportunity to meet PIs and students from other programs that may also result in collaborations or birth of new communities.
Without GDBBS, the Hypothesis and Scientific Writing Course would not exist. It is because of the effort of faculty in one program that other GDBBS programs created similar Grant Writing courses. Emory is in the top three of the F31 grant recipients. When those grants are received, the students logistically do not have any responsibility over it. The administration in GDBBS navigates us through the bureaucratic minutia of these awarded fellowships so that students never miss a pay period.
The Division provides us with a community to lean on during the stressful time of life a doctoral program creates. GIVE (GDBBS Involved in Volunteerism at Emory) and EScAN (Emory Science Advocacy Network) are GDBBS communities open to all of Laney Graduate School students. GIVE is the only graduate student group strictly devoted to volunteering in the greater Atlanta community available for us and EScAN is the only science advocacy group at Emory. By bringing the different science programs together, GDBBS has provided an environment for organizations such as these to flourish.
Many of us have also found several lifelong mentors within GDBBS that are not necessarily within our graduate program. Nael McCarty, the director GDBBS, provides us students with a heightened level of attention, especially compared to administrators in LGS. He is aware of the success and struggles of every student and is available to discuss career goals, daily scientific hurdles, and life in general. Nael has spearheaded the GradFORWARD BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) program in GDBBS, which has helped us consider broader careers and given us tools necessary to realize whichever career we would like to pursue, whether it be in academia, science policy, patent law, or science industry. We learned recently that GradFORWARD has been discontinued, a program that was a leading deciding factor for many of us as we chose where to attend graduate school. Additionally, Nael keeps us informed of new post-doctoral positions of every kind that align with the aforementioned careers. Along with supporting students on a daily basis, GDBBS has an annual banquet for faculty and students in the division where alumni and current students are recognized and given awards for their hard work. This banquet empowers us as students that make an impact on our larger scientific community. Our training opportunities are greatly enhanced by GDBBS, and with the necessary foundations that GDBBS provides during graduate training, we will be poised to succeed in our chosen careers.
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Updates
May 1, 2019
I am honestly overwhelmed by the momentum this has gained over the past few days. This shows how much our community values the training we receive and it is entirely because of your willingness to speak up for our division.
11 Comments
The leadership GDBBS took in actively enriching my personal training as a scientist has left a long lasting impact on my training that can not be understated. GDBBS presented trainees with numerous enrichment opportunities that are not uniformly addressed in the graduate programs under it. Any threat to GDBBS is a threat to this enriched training that causes the students from these participating programs to shine. In addition, GDBBS plays a vital role in representing the student as an unbiased party in difficult situations between students and mentors. This role can not be replaced by the graduate programs themselves, and the value of this and other roles GDBBS plays in graduate program governance should not be discounted.
The umbrella program of GDBBS was a huge deciding factor for me to even apply to Emory, as the multidisciplinary collaborations these umbrella programs facilitate are vital to innovative advancement of research. Important deciding factors when choosing to attend Emory were the programs this umbrella structure facilitated, such as the BEST program (which as noted in the letter was unfortunately discontinued).
GDBBS provides great support for all of its constituent programs and their students. The Division is greatly invested in training top-level scientists and is paramount to the success of the highly interdisciplinary biomedical research taking place on Emory's campus. Nael McCarty takes great delight in seeing every student's passion for their research and is intent on keeping Emory competitive for bright future applicants to our graduate programs.
GDBBS has exponentially increased the opportunities available to us as graduate students interested in biological sciences, both inside and outside the lab. As job and funding opportunities become more competitive each year, GDBBS is providing an environment in which Emory graduate students remain extremely competitive. My hope is that future students are able to receive the same support and experiences that GDBBS is able to provide!
Choosing Emory for grad school as a first year student was easy because of the GDBBS program. This program lets you get train in your area of interest without limiting the laboratory research opportunities due to its multidisciplinary collaborations. Most important, the people in the GDBBS division such as Kathy Smith and Margie Varnado have been indispensable during my time at Emory. They have made every process quick and easy, showing the support and trust GDBBS has in my training as a scientist.
keep GDBBS!
My experience at Emory has been enhanced by the fluidity between the programs in GDBBS. I am grateful for the Division and hope to have its guidance and influence during my entire graduate experience.
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Dear Provost McBride,
In light of the ongoing review of GDBBS (Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences), the students of GDBBS, a Division that houses eight programs that include 400 students, approximately 25% of the Laney Graduate Students, aim to highlight the benefits of the Division toward our graduate training. GDBBS plays an unparalleled role in supporting the training of the students of eight unique graduate programs. We are scientists in training, a vocation that has very different requirements from other graduate degrees. GDBBS assists us in communicating as scientists by giving us a platform to present our research, teaching us to write grants to receive NIH funding, providing us with access to research resources from multiple programs, and guiding us toward broad career opportunities.
Many of us came to Emory because of the unity of the biomedical programs under GDBBS, because the Division provides transparent access to multiple disciplines throughout our training. GDBBS hosts an annual symposium, providing an opportunity for all eight programs to showcase their research as posters and talks. Historically, collaborations and lab-joining decisions have been influenced because of this symposium. Additionally, PIs have multiple program affiliations allowing for a richness in training and learning. The annual banquet gives us an opportunity to meet PIs and students from other programs that may also result in collaborations or birth of new communities.
Without GDBBS, the Hypothesis and Scientific Writing Course would not exist. It is because of the effort of faculty in one program that other GDBBS programs created similar Grant Writing courses. Emory is in the top three of the F31 grant recipients. When those grants are received, the students logistically do not have any responsibility over it. The administration in GDBBS navigates us through the bureaucratic minutia of these awarded fellowships so that students never miss a pay period.
The Division provides us with a community to lean on during the stressful time of life a doctoral program creates. GIVE (GDBBS Involved in Volunteerism at Emory) and EScAN (Emory Science Advocacy Network) are GDBBS communities open to all of Laney Graduate School students. GIVE is the only graduate student group strictly devoted to volunteering in the greater Atlanta community available for us and EScAN is the only science advocacy group at Emory. By bringing the different science programs together, GDBBS has provided an environment for organizations such as these to flourish.
Many of us have also found several lifelong mentors within GDBBS that are not necessarily within our graduate program. Nael McCarty, the director GDBBS, provides us students with a heightened level of attention, especially compared to administrators in LGS. He is aware of the success and struggles of every student and is available to discuss career goals, daily scientific hurdles, and life in general. Nael has spearheaded the GradFORWARD BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) program in GDBBS, which has helped us consider broader careers and given us tools necessary to realize whichever career we would like to pursue, whether it be in academia, science policy, patent law, or science industry. We learned recently that GradFORWARD has been discontinued, a program that was a leading deciding factor for many of us as we chose where to attend graduate school. Additionally, Nael keeps us informed of new post-doctoral positions of every kind that align with the aforementioned careers. Along with supporting students on a daily basis, GDBBS has an annual banquet for faculty and students in the division where alumni and current students are recognized and given awards for their hard work. This banquet empowers us as students that make an impact on our larger scientific community. Our training opportunities are greatly enhanced by GDBBS, and with the necessary foundations that GDBBS provides during graduate training, we will be poised to succeed in our chosen careers.
Updates
May 1, 2019
I am honestly overwhelmed by the momentum this has gained over the past few days. This shows how much our community values the training we receive and it is entirely because of your willingness to speak up for our division.
11 Comments
The fluidity between the biomedical programs that the GDBBS has been an essential part of my experience at Emory. I would never have been able to experience such a diverse array of rotations, nor have so easily interacted with faculty in so many programs without the structure and connection that the GDBBS provides. We need to keep the GDBBS for future students!
The leadership GDBBS took in actively enriching my personal training as a scientist has left a long lasting impact on my training that can not be understated. GDBBS presented trainees with numerous enrichment opportunities that are not uniformly addressed in the graduate programs under it. Any threat to GDBBS is a threat to this enriched training that causes the students from these participating programs to shine. In addition, GDBBS plays a vital role in representing the student as an unbiased party in difficult situations between students and mentors. This role can not be replaced by the graduate programs themselves, and the value of this and other roles GDBBS plays in graduate program governance should not be discounted.
The umbrella program of GDBBS was a huge deciding factor for me to even apply to Emory, as the multidisciplinary collaborations these umbrella programs facilitate are vital to innovative advancement of research. Important deciding factors when choosing to attend Emory were the programs this umbrella structure facilitated, such as the BEST program (which as noted in the letter was unfortunately discontinued).
GDBBS provides great support for all of its constituent programs and their students. The Division is greatly invested in training top-level scientists and is paramount to the success of the highly interdisciplinary biomedical research taking place on Emory's campus. Nael McCarty takes great delight in seeing every student's passion for their research and is intent on keeping Emory competitive for bright future applicants to our graduate programs.
GDBBS has exponentially increased the opportunities available to us as graduate students interested in biological sciences, both inside and outside the lab. As job and funding opportunities become more competitive each year, GDBBS is providing an environment in which Emory graduate students remain extremely competitive. My hope is that future students are able to receive the same support and experiences that GDBBS is able to provide!
Choosing Emory for grad school as a first year student was easy because of the GDBBS program. This program lets you get train in your area of interest without limiting the laboratory research opportunities due to its multidisciplinary collaborations. Most important, the people in the GDBBS division such as Kathy Smith and Margie Varnado have been indispensable during my time at Emory. They have made every process quick and easy, showing the support and trust GDBBS has in my training as a scientist.
keep GDBBS!
My experience at Emory has been enhanced by the fluidity between the programs in GDBBS. I am grateful for the Division and hope to have its guidance and influence during my entire graduate experience.
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The fluidity between the biomedical programs that the GDBBS has been an essential part of my experience at Emory. I would never have been able to experience such a diverse array of rotations, nor have so easily interacted with faculty in so many programs without the structure and connection that the GDBBS provides. We need to keep the GDBBS for future students!