ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY

Subject abbreviation: ENTX College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Wenwan Zhong, Ph.D., Chair and Program Director David Volz, Ph.D., Graduate Advisor

Program Office, 1140 Batchelor Hall

• (800) 735-0717 or (951) 827-6746

etox.ucr.edu

Professors Michael E. Adams, Ph.D. Neurosciences (Entomology/Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Michael F. Allen, Ph.D. Plant Pathology/Biology (Plant Pathology) Julia Bailey-Serres, Ph.D. Genetics (Botany and Plant Sciences) Chia-en Chang, Ph.D., Bioinformatics (Chemistry) Quan “Jason” Cheng, Ph.D. Analytical Materials (Chemistry) Carl F. Cranor, Ph.D. Regulation of Toxic Substances (Philosophy) David E. Crowley, Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology (Environmental Sciences) David A. Eastmond, Ph.D. Toxicology (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Jianying “Jay” Gan, Ph.D. Water Quality (Environmental Sciences) Sarjeet S. Gill, Ph.D. Toxicology (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Ryan Julian, Ph.D. Chemistry (Chemistry) William Jury, Ph.D., Soil Physics (Physics) Cynthia K. Larive, Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry (Chemistry) Xuan Liu, Ph.D. Transcription Regulation (Biochemistry) Ernest Martinez, Ph.D. Molecular Biology (Biochemistry) Manuela Martins-Green, Ph.D. Cell Biology (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Ashok K. Mulchandani, Ph.D. Biosensors (Chemical and Environmental Engineering) Mihri Ozkan, Ph.D. Nanoelectronics and Nanoprobes (Electrical and Computer Engineering) Daniel Schlenk, Ph.D. Aquatic Ecotoxicology (Environmental Sciences) Frances M. Sladek, Ph.D. Transcriptional Regulation (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Prudence Talbot, Ph.D. Cell Biology (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) John Trumble, Ph.D. Integrated Pest Management (Entomology) Yinsheng Wang, Ph.D. Biological Mass Spectrometry (Chemistry) Min Xue, Ph.D. (Chemistry) Marylynn V. Yates, Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology (Environmental Sciences) Wenwan Zhong, Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry (Chemistry)

Associate Professors Roya Bahreini, Ph.D., Air Quality (Environmental Sciences) Margarita C. Currás-Collazo, Ph.D. Neurosciences (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Li Fan, Ph.D. DNA Repair and Replication (Biochemistry) Nicole I. zur Nieden, Ph.D. Embryonic Stem Cells (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Constance Nugent, Ph.D. Telomere Replication (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Jikui Song, Ph.D. Biophysics (Biochemistry) David Volz, Ph.D., Developmental Toxicology (Environmental Sciences)

Assistant Professors Gregor Blaha, Ph.D. Molecular Biophysics (Biochemistry) Sihem Cheloufi, Ph.D., (Biochemistry) Joseph Genereux, Ph.D. Proteomics (Chemistry) Ying-Hsuan Lin, Ph.D. Atmospheric Transformation (Environmental Sciences) Haizhou Liu, Ph.D. Environmental Chemistry (Chemical and Environmental Engineering) Jinyong Liu, Ph.D. Water Quality Systems Engineering (Chemical and Environmental Engineering) Jernej Murn, Ph.D., (Biochemistry) Tara Nordgren, Ph.D., (Biomedical Sciences) Sean O’Leary, Ph.D., (Biochemistry) Jeff Perry, Ph.D. Structural Biochemistry (Biochemistry) David Volz, Ph.D. Developmental Toxicology (Environmental Sciences) Min Xue, Ph.D. Supramolecular Chemistry (Chemistry) Samantha Ying, Ph.D. Soil Biogeochemistry (Environmental Sciences) Haofei Zhang, Ph.D. Atmospheric Organic Aerosol (Chemistry) **

The program offers the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Toxicology.

The interdepartmental graduate program in En- vironmental Toxicology has participating faculty from the departments of Biochemistry, Botany and Plant Sciences, Cell Biology and Neurosci- ence, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Entomology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Philoso- phy, and Plant Pathology and Microbiology.

The goal of the program is to train toxicologists capable of directing research in areas of environ- mental toxicology. Areas of specialization include biochemical toxicology and chemical toxicology. To attain this goal, a three-tiered curriculum has been designed whereby students must complete

• 1. A core of courses in environmental toxicology:

ENSC 200/ENTX 200/CHEM 246, ENTX 201, ENTX 201L, ENTX 202, ENTX 270

• 2. A selection of elective courses in environmen-

tal toxicology and other relevant fields chosen in consultation with the student’s major professor and the Guidance Committee to develop depth in particular areas of specialization

• 3. Research training in specific areas of environ-

mental toxicology

The program stresses the importance of innova- tive and independent laboratory research as the major component of the student’s education.

Admission Students must have a B.A. or B.S. degree from an accredited institution and an academic record that satisfies the minimum admission standards established by the UCR Graduate Division. In addition, results from the GRE General Test (ver- bal, quantitative, analytical) must be submitted at the time of application. Although no specific undergraduate degree specialization is required, applicants should have adequate backgrounds in the basic physical sciences such as chemis- try, physics, and mathematics as well as in the biological sciences.

Course Work Normally, students admitted to regular standing have satisfied all prerequisite course work. Un- der special circumstances, students who have not completed all undergraduate requirements may be admitted provided that these deficien- cies are corrected early in their graduate studies. Deficiencies must be corrected by taking the ap- propriate course work if undergraduate or other previous training has not included the following:

• • One year of general biology

• • One year of general physics

• • One year of calculus

• • One year of general chemistry
• • One year of organic chemistry

• • One upper division course in general

biochemistry

• • One upper division course in molecular

biology

• • One upper division course in statistics

Students who meet all the undergraduate en- trance requirements should be able to complete the core Environmental Toxicology requirements in the first year and most electives by the end of the second year.

Professional Development Students receive trainings on writing and oral presentation by completing an annual progress report, and giving an oral presentation on their research at the Annual Student Symposium (part of the ENTX 271 course). They complete Teaching Assistant Training through a work- shop offered by Graduate Division. They attend special seminars (part of the ENTX 270) given by speakers from industry, government agencies, or other professions on career and professional development, and other special topics relevant to professional development, including research integrity and lab safety.

Laboratory Rotation All students participate in laboratory rotation through enrollment in ENTX 201L. Students spend time in one laboratory per quarter famil- iarizing themselves with research techniques utilized in the laboratory of an Environmental Toxicology faculty member. Rotation laboratories are chosen in consultation with the graduate ad- visor and individual faculty members. Students may enroll in up to three quarters of laboratory rotation before declaring a major professor. Students who wish to declare a major professor after one quarter are not required to enroll for additional laboratory rotation. The major profes- sor serves as chair of the student’s Guidance and Dissertation committees.

Guidance Committee Each graduate student establishes a guidance committee which participates in the annual stu- dent progress evaluation procedure and advises the student on curriculum and research. The committee consists of the major professor plus at least two other faculty, one of whom must be a member of the Environmental Toxicology Program. Each student, in consultation with the major professor, nominates the members of the guidance committee. The committee must be named by the end of the quarter in which the student selects a major professor. The com- position of the guidance committee must be approved by the curriculum and student affairs committee.

The program offers the M.S. degree in Environ- mental Toxicology.

Students enrolling in the master’s degree pro- gram must meet the requirements for the Plan I of the UCR Graduate Council, take core courses as described above, and submit an acceptable thesis.

Plan I (Thesis) Thirty-six (36) units, of which 24 must be in grad- uate-level courses, are required. No more than 12 units of ENTX 290, ENTX 297, and ENTX 299 may be used to satisfy the unit requirement. All students must enroll in the Environmental Toxicology seminar (ENTX 270 and ENTX 271) each quarter offered, although no more than 3 units from seminar courses can be accrued towards degree credit. A final draft of the thesis is to be given to the thesis committee two weeks before the final oral examination. A final oral ex- amination consists of an open research seminar, presented by the candidate and advertised to all the students and faculty in the Environmental Toxicology Program. Following the seminar, the student is questioned by the guidance com- mittee on the thesis research and on matters related to the general field of the thesis research.

Normative Time to Degree 6 quarters

The program offers the Ph.D. degree in Environ- mental Toxicology.

Students must meet general university require- ments of the Graduate Division as found in the Graduate Studies section of this catalog.

Course Work Beyond the required core sequence, all students must enroll in the Environmental Toxicology sem- inar (ENTX 270 and ENTX 271) each quarter of- fered, and complete a program of courses to be approved by the guidance committee. All course work schedules are submitted to the graduate advisor for approval. The Ph.D. degree is award- ed when the student passes the preliminary and qualifying examinations and demonstrates an ability to do original research by preparation and submission of an acceptable dissertation.

Preliminary Examination The preliminary examination is a standardized, written test generally offered once a year prior to the beginning of the fall quarter. Students normally take it following the completion of the core curriculum. The examination must be satisfactorily completed in order to enroll for the seventh academic quarter in the Ph.D. program. The examination consists of questions related to environmental, organismal and suborgan- ismal aspects of toxicology. These questions are designed to test the student’s ability to synthesize and integrate concepts in toxicology, rather than merely reiterate the material covered in the Environmental Toxicology core curriculum. The examination is administered by a committee consisting of the faculty members involved in teaching the core curriculum. On the basis of the results of this examination, the committee recommends appointment of a faculty qualifying committee, additional course work in specific area(s) of weakness, transfer to a terminal mas- ter’s program, or withdrawal from the program. In exceptional circumstances, the preliminary examination can be taken a second time.

Oral Qualifying Examination The qualifying examination is an oral examination conducted by the qualifying committee. The qualifying committee, appointed by the graduate dean from nominations made by the faculty, is composed of the student’s major professor and four additional members, one of whom must be from outside the Graduate Environmental Toxicology group. It covers the student’s area of specialization and research field as well as general subjects at the discretion of the qual- ifying committee. The qualifying examination must be successfully completed by the end of the ninth quarter of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program. Under exceptional circumstanc- es, the qualifying examination may be taken a second time. Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student is advanced to candidacy.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination A dissertation committee composed of at least three members is appointed by the graduate dean shortly after advancement to candidacy. Students must submit a dissertation based on independent, original research acceptable to all dissertation committee members. A final draft of the dissertation is to be given to the commit- tee two weeks before the dissertation defense seminar.

Before approval of the dissertation, students must present their research orally at a thesis de- fense seminar. The seminar must be advertised to the campus community and is open to all who wish to attend. Following the seminar, the stu- dent is questioned by the dissertation committee on the thesis research and on matters related to the general field of the thesis research.

Teaching Requirement Ph.D. students must fulfill a two-quarter teaching requirement.

Normative Time to Degree 15 quarters