Students with Dr. Arthur Kornberg, Nobel Laureate.
Our students are encouraged to participate as actively as possible in visits of outside speakers. The speaker is always invited for lunch, and students accompany him or her. There is often additional time set aside for the students to interact with the speaker. This is a good way to practice the skills of professional communication, as well as to set up collaborations, and plan for future jobs and postdoctoral positions.
Where do our graduates go? Here is a partial list that shows the diversity of careers available to our Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduates:
NIH, US Patent Office, University of Maryland, the Red Cross, Merck, Gillette Biotechnology, Pfizer Laboratories, University of Chicago, University of Jamaica, Squibb, STN International, University of Puerto Rico, Baylor College of Medicine, Georgetown University College of Medicine, Procter and Gamble, Scientific and Technical Information Network, St. Elizabeth's Hospital and Rohm and Haas.
Several of our students have gone on to get M.D. degrees after they complete their education with us, and others are now pharmacists or work in hospital laboratories.
Students in the Biotechnology program have done extemships with Life Technologies (BRL), The Institute for Genomic Research, USDA, Medlantic, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the National Institutes of Health.
Some comments from previous students:
"I had just graduated and was looking for a job. I had heard a lot about Howard, and was thrilled to be hired as a technician in the Biochemistry Department. I hadn't been there long when I realized that I wanted to do a Ph.D., and the Department and my mentor, Dr. Smith, were so encouraging that I decided to stay at Howard. I got to do all the "happening stuff' in molecular biology, and also learned the independence needed for a career in academics. I am now an associate professor at South Dakota State University."
"After graduating from London University in England I was looking for a Ph.D. program in the U.S. to further my studies. The Biochemistry Department at Howard University was the ideal choice because it provided a stimulating academic environment, research-oriented program, accomplished professors, and a nice mix of cultural diversity."
"I believe that the most important lesson imparted to me during my matriculation at Howard University was that I was forced to defend my own convictions. While my reasons for obtaining a Ph.D. were somewhat unorthodox, upon graduation I was prepared to exploit the scientific and motivating principles I learned there, both of which were developed, in large part, due to my having to live up to my own dreams and expectations (i.e. faculty-inspired motivation). I do not believe other institutions would have "put up" with my eccentricities so well, while at the same time being so proud that I had achieved (and continue to achieve) goals so unlike their own."
"I truly could not have been happier completing this program anywhere else but in the Howard University Biochemistry Department."
"To be a graduate student in the Biochemistry department is a challenging yet rewarding experience that provides invaluable lessons essential for any scientist's career in biotechnology."
The Department generally has 8-14 graduate students.
