In the Winter of the second year, students are required to complete a mock grant proposal, consisting of a 10 page, NIH-style grant proposal and a 45-minute oral presentation. The proposal should define an unaddressed research area in Molecular Metabolism and Nutritional Biology, propose 2-3 specific aims to explore the problem and describe experiments that would be conducted over a 5-year period. Previous proposals will be available to be used as templates. The topic chosen cannot be directly related to the student’s thesis research and must be approved by the CMMN Chair.
The student will present and defend their mock grant proposal to the Metabolismn Committee faculty and students. A committee comprising of three CMMN faculty members chosen by the CMMN Chair will evaluate each mock grant proposal and oral presentation. The student will meet privately with the committee members after the oral presentation to discuss the proposal and to answer questions. Any deficiencies in the written proposal, oral presentation and/or background knowledge of the research area will have to be addressed before the student is passed. All required revisions must be completed by the end of the following quarter.