Environmental Toxicology

Subject abbreviation: ENTX College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Wenwan Zhong, Ph.D., Program Director Quan ‘Jason’ Cheng, Ph.D., Graduate Advisor for Enrolled Students Ying-Hsuan Lin, Ph.D., Graduate Advisor for Admissions

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) Julia Bailey-Serres, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Genetics (Botany and Plant Sciences) Roya Bahreini, Ph.D., Air Quality (Environmental Sciences) Chia-en Chang, Ph.D., Bioinformatics (Chemistry) Quan “Jason” Cheng, Ph.D. Analytical Materials (Chemistry) Carl F. Cranor, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Regulation of Toxic Substances (Philosophy) Margarita C. Currás-Collazo, Ph.D. Neurosciences (Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology) Jianying “Jay” Gan, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Water Quality (Environmental Sciences) Russ Hille, Ph.D., Biochemistry Richard J Hooley, Ph.D., Chemistry Ryan Julian, Ph.D. Chemistry (Chemistry) Xuan Liu, Ph.D. Transcription Regulation (Biochemistry) Ernest Martinez, Ph.D. Molecular Biology (Biochemistry) Manuela Martins-Green, Ph.D. (Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology) Ashok K. Mulchandani, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, 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 (Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology) Jikui Song, Ph.D. Biophysics (Biochemistry) Prudence Talbot, Ph.D. Cell Biology (Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology) John Trumble, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Integrated Pest Management (Entomology) David Volz, Ph.D., Developmental Toxicology (Environmental Sciences) Yinsheng Wang, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor, Biological Mass Spectrometry (Chemistry) Wenwan Zhong, Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry (Chemistry) Changcheng Zhou, Ph.D., Molecular Biology (Biomedical Sciences) Professors Emeriti Michael F. Allen, Ph.D. Plant Pathology/Biology (Plant Pathology) David E. Crowley, Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology (Environmental Sciences) David A. Eastmond, Ph.D. Toxicology (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Sarjeet S. Gill, Ph.D. Toxicology (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) William Jury, Ph.D., Soil Physics (Physics) Marylynn V. Yates, Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology (Environmental Sciences)

Associate Professors Adler R. Dillman, Ph.D., Evolutionary Biology and Microbiology (Nematology) Li Fan, Ph.D. DNA Repair and Replication (Biochemistry) 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) Nicole I. zur Nieden, Ph.D. Embryonic Stem Cells (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Constance Nugent, Ph.D. Telomere Replication (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Min Xue, Ph.D., Chemical Biology (Chemistry) Haofei Zhang, Ph.D., Atmospheric Organic Aerosol (Chemistry) Sika Zheng, Ph.D., RNA Biology (Biomedical Sciences)

Assistant Professors Garret R. Anderson, Ph.D., (Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology) Gregor Blaha, Ph.D., Molecular Biophysics (Biochemistry) Sihem Cheloufi, Ph.D., Epigenetics (Biochemistry) Qi Chen, Ph.D., Epigenetics (School of Medicine) James Davies, Ph.D., Environmental Aerosol (Chemistry) Emma W Gachomo, Ph.D., (Microbiology & Plant Pathology) Joseph Genereux, Ph.D., Proteomics (Chemistry) Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka, Ph.D., Brain Function and External Stimuli (Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology) Yujie Men, Ph.D., Environmental Microbiology (Chemical and Environmental Engineering) Jernej Murn, Ph.D., (Biochemistry) Sean O’Leary, Ph.D., (Biochemistry) Samantha Ying, Ph.D., Soil Biogeochemistry (Environmental Sciences) Linlin Zhao, Ph.D., Biological Mass Spectrometry (Chemistry)

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

The interdepartmental graduate program in Environmental Toxicology has participating faculty from the departments of Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Botany and Plant Sciences, Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Entomology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Philosophy, and Microbiology and Plant Pathology The goal of the program is to train toxicologists capable of directing research in areas of envi- ronmental toxicology. Areas of specialization include biochemical toxicology and chemical toxicology. To attain this goal, a three-tiered curriculum has been designed whereby stu- dents 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

environmental 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

environmental toxicology

The program stresses the importance of inno- vative 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 estab- lished by the UCR Graduate Division. In addition, results from the GRE General Test (verbal, quanti- tative, 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 chemistry, physics, and mathe- matics as well as in the biological sciences.

Course Work Normally, students admitted to regular standing have satisfied all prerequisite course work. Under special circumstances, students who have not completed all undergraduate requirements may be admitted provided that these deficiencies are corrected early in their graduate studies. Deficiencies must be cor- rected by taking the appropriate 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 entrance requirements should be able to complete the core Environmental Toxicology requirements in the first year and most elec- tives 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 presenta- tion on their research at the Annual Student Symposium (part of the ENTX 271 course). They complete Teaching Assistant Training through a workshop 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 quar- ter familiarizing themselves with research techniques utilized in the laboratory of an Environmental Toxicology faculty member. Rotation laboratories are chosen in consulta- tion with the graduate advisor 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 addi- tional laboratory rotation. The major professor serves as chair of the student’s Guidance and Dissertation committees.

Guidance Committee Each graduate student establishes a guidance committee which participates in the annu- al student 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 Environ- mental Toxicology Program. Each student, in consultation with the major professor, nomi- nates the members of the guidance commit- tee. The committee must be named by the end of the quarter in which the student selects a major professor. The composition of the guidance committee must be approved by the curriculum and student affairs committee.

The program offers the M.S. degree in Environmental Toxicology.

Students enrolling in the master’s degree program must meet the requirements for the Plan I or Plan II of the UCR Graduate Council, and take core courses as described above. Plan I also requires submission of an acceptable thesis and an oral examination as described in details below.

Plan I (Thesis) Thirty-six (36) units, of which 24 must be in graduate-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 examination 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 committee on the thesis research and on matters related to the general field of the thesis research. Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) Thirty-six (36) units, of which 18 must be in graduate-level courses, are required. No more than 12 units of ENTX 290 and ENTX 297 may be used to satisfy the unit requirement. All students must enroll in the Environmental Tox- icology seminar (ENTX 270 and ENTX 271) each quarter offered. A comprehensive examination is also required, with the content determined and approved by both the Graduate Advisor and the Director of the program.

Normative Time to Degree 6 quarters

The program offers the Ph.D. degree in Envi- ronmental Toxicology.

Students must meet general university re- quirements 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 seminar (ENTX 270 and ENTX 271) each quarter offered and complete a program of courses to be approved by the guidance committee. With the approval of the Graduate Advisor, students defending in spring will be allowed to waive the ENTX 271 registration requirement since this seminar is only offered each spring quarter. All course work schedules are submitted to the graduate advisor for ap- proval. The Ph.D. degree is awarded when the student passes the preliminary and qualifying examinations and demonstrates an ability to do original research by preparation and sub- mission 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 ques- tions related to environmental, organismal and suborganismal 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 commit- tee, additional course work in specific area(s) of weakness, transfer to a terminal master’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 examina- tion 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 discre- tion of the qualifying committee. The qualifying examination must be successfully completed by the end of the ninth quarter of full-time enroll- ment in the Ph.D. program. Under exceptional circumstances, 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 committee two weeks before the dissertation defense seminar.

Before approval of the dissertation, students must present their research orally at a thesis defense seminar. The seminar must be adver- tised to the campus community and is open to all who wish to attend. Following the seminar, the student is questioned by the dissertation committee on the thesis research and on mat- ters related to the general field of the thesis research.

Teaching Requirement Ph.D. students in our program are required to fulfill a two-quarter teaching requirement, which is an important training to prepare our students for teaching and research profes- sions. Under special circumstances, and with the approval of the major professor and program advisor, the student can apply to have this requirement waived.

Normative Time to Degree 15 quarters