Colorado State University’s Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Lab Receives National Needs Fellowship Grant from USDA

The Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory in Colorado State University’s Department of Biomedical Sciences has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to fund fellowships for students interested in pursuing doctoral degrees in food and agricultural sciences, specifically in reproductive sciences and biotechnology.

The National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program is designated for graduate degree programs and postgraduate training of the next generation of policy makers, researchers and educators in the food and agricultural sciences. Working collaboratively with eligible higher education institutions, the NNF competitive grants program develops the intellectual resources necessary to preserve and advance food and agricultural systems in the United States as well as internationally.

“We recently launched the ARBL-NNF program and hope to have three doctoral candidates onboard for the Fall 2010 semester,” said Dr. Thomas Hansen, director of the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory, as well as a principal director of the three-year, ARBL-NNF grant. “This grant will enhance our recruitment and retention of graduate students in the reproductive sciences and biotechnology, particularly under-represented minority students.”

The ARBL-NNF fellowship program is specifically designed for pre-doctoral students. Research focus areas include assisted reproductive technology; environmental reproductive toxicology; fertility, sterility and contraception; pregnancy, development and stem cell biology; and reproductive cancers and disease. ARBL is a University Program of Research and Scholarly Excellence and offers students additional enhancements to the NNF program, further enriching their graduate experiences at Colorado State.

The research training of ARBL pre-doctoral students is designed to a develop comprehensive understanding of philosophy of research, mastery of diverse research techniques and encourage the development of the student as an independent investigator as well as a team researcher. Multidisciplinary doctoral training will expose students to CSU’s research core in genomics and proteomics as well as to technology transfer and biotechnology companies.

ARBL-NNF applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals and under-represented minority students as specified in the NNF program. Applicants also must complete their master’s or doctor of veterinary medicine degree prior to entry in the ARBL-NNF training program.
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