Environmental Toxicology

Subject abbreviation: ENTX College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Linlin Zhao, Ph.D. Progran Director and

Graduate Advisor for Admissions Joseph Genereux, Ph.D. Graduate Advisor

for Enrolled Students Program Office, 1140 Batchelor Hall

• (800) 735-0717 or (951) 827 - 0897

etox.ucr.edu

Professors

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) Adler R. Dillman, Ph.D., Evolutionary Biology

and Microbiology (Nematology) Li Fan, Ph.D. DNA Repair and Replication

(Biochemistry) Jianying “Jay” Gan, Ph.D. Distinguished

Professor, Water Quality (Environmental Sciences) Russ Hille, Ph.D. Mechanisms of

Oxidoreductase Enzymes (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) Constance Nugent, Ph.D. Telomere

Replication (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Mihri Ozkan, Ph.D. Nanoelectronics and

Nanoprobes (Electrical and Computer Engineering) Daniel Schlenk, Ph.D. Aquatic Ecotoxicology

(Environmental Sciences) Mario Sims, Ph.D., Epidemiology (Social

Medicine, Population and Public Health) 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) Changcheng Zhou, Ph.D., Atherosclerosis and

Metabolic Disorders (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

Gregor Blaha, Ph.D., RNA Polymerase and

Ribosomes (Biochemistry) James Davies, Ph.D., Environmental Aerosol

(Chemistry) Joseph Genereux, Ph.D., Proteomics

(Chemistry) Andrew B. Gray, Ph.D., Hydrology and

Geomorphology (Environmental Sciences) 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) Yujie Men, Ph.D., Environmental Microbiology

(Chemical and Environmental Engineering) Nicole I. zur Nieden, Ph.D. Embryonic Stem

Cells (Cell Biology and Neuroscience) Sean O’Leary, Ph.D., Translation (Biochemistry) Haofei Zhang, Ph.D., Atmospheric Organic

Aerosol (Chemistry) Linlin Zhao, Ph.D., Genetic and

Mitochondrial Toxicity (Chemistry) Sika Zheng, Ph.D., RNA Biology (Biomedical

Sciences)

Assistant Professors

Garret R. Anderson, Ph.D., (Molecular,

Cell & Systems Biology) Sihem Cheloufi, Ph.D., Epigenetics

(Biochemistry) Wei-Chun Chou, Ph.D. Pharmacokinetic

(PBPK) Modeling, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence Emma W Gachomo, Ph.D., (Microbiology &

Plant Pathology) Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka, Ph.D., Brain

Function and External Stimuli (Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology) Jernej Murn, Ph.D., (Biochemistry) Daniel Petras (Biochemistry) Samantha Ying, Ph.D., Soil Biogeochemistry

(Environmental Sciences)

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 environmental 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

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 innovative 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, students applying to the M.S. and Ph.D. program may submit GRE General Test scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical), but it is not a requirement. Although no specific undergraduate degree specialization is required, applicants should have adequate backgrounds in the basic physical sciences such as chemistry, physics, and mathematics 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 corrected 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 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). Students in their fourth year of the program give an oral presentation as part of the ENTX 270 seminar series. 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 quarter familiarizing themselves with research techniques utilized in the laboratory of an Environmental Toxicology faculty member. Rotation laboratories are chosen in consultation 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 additional 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 annual 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 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 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 Toxicology 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 Environmental Toxicology.

Students must meet general university requirements 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 approval. 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 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 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 committee, 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 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 qualifying 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 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 advertised 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 matters related to the general field of the thesis research.

Oral Qualifying Exam and Final Defense Modality The student and committee members should be present on campus. Students are encouraged to find committee members who are available to attend in person. If that is not possible, upon approval of the examining committee chair, the exam can be taken in the Hybrid mode. If Hybrid is chosen, the student is expected to be on campus in a video enabled room, with the majority of the committee members being physically present and others remote. The chair of the committee must be physically present for a Hybrid exam.

Committee members nominated from outside the UC Academic Senate who participate remotely must have qualifications comparable to a UC Academic Senate member and submit a letter of intention and CV. In addition, strong academic justification for inclusion on the committee must be provided by the Graduate Advisor.

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 professions. 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