Graduate Field of Immunology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Search Veterinary Medicine Search Cornell

Immunology

Useful Links

Immunology
Executive Committee

Faculty Information - Field of Immunology

Membership in the Field: Membership in the Field of Immunology is based on proven research interest and accomplishment and membership can continue as long as members actively participate in scholarly work, teaching and research. The Field consists of faculty members of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine and other colleges who have been elected to the Graduate Faculty after satisfying the requirements set by the Graduate School, which are that they:

have a professorial appointment,
have earned the highest degree offered to students in their field (usually this means a Ph.D. degree),
spend (or expect to spend) at least 25% of their time on teaching, research or other activities contributing to the education of graduate students, and
have at least three first author publications in refereed journals on research additional to that described in their doctorate dissertations.

Interested faculty are required to submit a letter of interest and a current CV to the Director of Graduate Studies c/o the CVM Office of Graduate Education (Box 38, S3-016 Schurman Hall). Two recommendation letters from current Immunology Graduate Faculty are also required. The nomination packet is sent out to the membership for a vote. The nomination packet with the results of the faculty vote and a letter from the DGS is sent to the Graduate School Associate Dean. The faculty will receive a letter from the Graduate School when their nomination has been accepted.

In 1988, the Field of Immunology instituted the following specific teaching requirements for Field members. The minimum requirement is that the faculty participate in two of the following three activities once every four years in order to maintain their membership in the Field of Immunology:

Each faculty member organize either a semester-long seminar series or journal club program (the latter, shared)
Each faculty member contribute one credit of teaching in an approved lecture/practical course
Once every four years, each faculty member will represent the Field of Immunology on a graduate student committee

Executive Committee Membership: The Executive Committee consists of three members of the graduate faculty, including the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Members of the Executive Committee will be elected for staggered terms of 3 years each. The DGS should have been a graduate faculty member for at least three years and have a tenured appointment.

Membership on the Executive Committee of the Graduate Field of Immunology is determined on a volunteer basis.

Rotating Students:The Field of Immunology is a member of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program. This allows the faculty of the Field access to a larger group of students, since all first-year students in the program rotate in three laboratories of faculty in any of the member Fields (CBS, Immunology, Pharmacology, Physiology, BCMB and Microbiology). During this first year, the students are funded through the Program.

Faculty may allow students to rotate through their laboratory without financial obligation to take the student as a member of their lab. However, they should let the student know whether or not they are accepting new students and whether they would be willing to serve as a minor member of a Special Committee.

Faculty who accept rotating students should make their expectations clear to the student. Frequent and constructive feedback on the student's work and progress will help to develop the skills and habits necessary for successful graduate students and researchers. The rotation evaluation form should be filled out, reviewed with the student and sent to the Office of Graduate Education (Box 38, Schurman Hall S3-016).

Funding Students:The Field of Immunology expects that no student will be admitted without a guarantee of funding for the duration of their graduate program. First-year students are funded through the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program; in subsequent years, funding for this student is primarily the responsibility of the faculty mentor (Special Committee Chair) of the student.

Funding includes:

tuition (The 2006-07 rate is $20,800 for the academic year. A portion of this would be waiverable; the faculty mentor is expected to pay the non-waiverable portion).
health insurance premiums for the Student Health Insurance Plan (S.H.I.P.) (The premium for the 2006-07 academic year is $1,428).
stipend (For the 2006-07 academic year, the minimum stipend for baccalaureate graduate students in the Fields in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program is $25,814. This rate will be subject to an increase each year. The stipend rate for DVMs seeking their PhD is based on academic and clinical background; these rates are set each year and are available in the DVM Graduate Research Assistant Guidelines which can be found on the program's web site.

Special Committee Membership: The members of the Special Committee direct the student's program and decide whether satisfactory progress is being made toward the degree. They conduct annual meetings, conduct and report on oral examinations and approve or reject the thesis. Although the Committee and the student constitute an independent working unit, all members of the Graduate Faculty are free to participate in the scheduled examinations and to review the thesis of candidates.

The responsibilities of each member are listed below:

Chairperson: A student may ask any member of the Field of Comparative Biomedical Sciences to serve as a Chairperson and to represent his/her chosen concentration as his/her major subject. The Chairperson, in turn, advises the student about concentrations as minor subjects. The funding of the student is the responsibility of the Chair, as detailed above.
It is also the responsibility of the Chair of the Special Committee to award a Residence Unit (or percentage thereof) at the end of each semester.
Minor Members: It is the responsibility of the minor members of the committee to determine, in consultation with the student, the requirements for the minor.
Minor members participate in meetings and exam. If a minor member is unable to attend an exam or sign the Approval of Thesis form, (s)he should designate a proxy to serve/sign in his/her place.