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Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program
Ph.D. Qualifying Examination Procedure
EXAMINATION OVERVIEW
The BME graduate committee will pick a set of three journal articles representing the current emphasis areas of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. The student selects one of these three papers that becomes the basis for the oral exam. The students will be instructed that they are to work alone without discussing or consulting each other, other students, faculty, post-docs, etc. about the topic. Students will have DSSUR[LPDWHO\ weeks from the date they receive the paper until the date of the oral exam.
Thus, once the paper and oral committees have been set, each student will contact his/her committee mem-
bers and arrange a date and time for the exam.
EXAMINATION GOALS AND METHODS
The purpose of the examination is to ascertain if the student can formulate and communicate meritorious original research in the field of Biomedical Engineering. To achieve success the student must demonstrate scientific originality, effective oral and written communication, and planning to achieve a biomedical engineering project that has significant merit. This exam will use a limited set of papers to provide a more uniform basis of judging performance than could be done if each student was examined on a different topic. The papers will be chosen to avoid the specific research areas of all students taking the exam but still have appreciable biomedical engineering technical content. The exam will have both a written and oral component to determine if the student is capable of using both of these important methods of scientific communication. In both formats the students will be evaluated on their basic knowledge of the emphasis area that they are enrolled in, their ability to effectively communicate their ideas and knowledge, their scientific originality, and their ability to effectively plan a small research project.
EXAMINATION FORMAT AND PROCEDURES
Students will be expected to read the paper and research sufficient background and supplementary materials related to the paper to: (1) develop a solid understanding of the content and fundamentals in the paper, and (2) develop a proposal for a research project in an area directly related to some aspect of the paper. The research proposal should define a Ph.D. level research project, which might be appropriate for one person over a span of approximately two years, and achievable with reasonable equipment and resources. The proposal should address the classical elements of a research proposal: motivation/need for the work, objectives, approach and methods, anticipated results, and potential significance and impact of the work.
The written research proposal (described below) and the chosen paper will be provided to each of the committee members one week prior to the examination date. Both the written research proposal and the oral presentation (described below) will be the basis of the oral examination.
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The written proposal is loosely based on the requirements of the research sections of a typical NIH Ruth Kirschstein Graduate Fellowship proposal. However, it has been shortened to ensure that the student keeps the smaller scope of their proposed project in mind and to ensure that it is not overly burdensome for the student to prepare or the committee to review. The basic format of the proposal will be as follows: 1. It will be no more than 5 pages in total length (not including the reference section). 2. The first page will contain the title of the proposal, the name of the student, and a short project summary of less than 300 words. 3. The remaining proposal (no more than 4 pages) will be divided into sub-sections including Specific Aims, Significance, and Approach. Students receive formal training on proposal writing in this NIH format in BME 547 Biomedical Engineering Research Practices; therefore, the required contents of these sections should be apparent after taking this core course. 4. The reference section will be formatted per the Journal of American Chemical Society, and will be the final section of the proposal. The reference section does not count against the page length of the proposal. Finally, to reduce the time required to prepare this proposal and to ensure consistency between students, the written research proposal shall have 1 inch margins in all directions, use at least 1.5 line spacing, use 11 point Arial font, and must have all figures embedded in the 5 pages.
Additionally, each student will be asked to prepare a 30-minute presentation for the oral exam. The talk should provide a critique of the paper, describe how the paper led to the proposed research, and present the research plan for the research proposal. This critique of the paper should be concise (no more than 1/3 of the presentation), communicate a basic understanding of what the paper was about, and summarize especially important conclusions, findings, analysis or experimental methods. Next, the student should briefly explain the bridge between the paper content and the research proposal. Finally, the student should describe the research proposal, including the proposed methods and the broader significance of the work (at least 1/3 of the presentation). One set of copies of the overheads used in the presentation should be prepared for each examination committee member.
During the 30-minute presentation, the committee may ask questions to interpret the presentation or to seek clarification of the presentation. After the presentation, the committee will excuse the student for a short time to discuss what topics will be discussed with the student. The student will be called back to the room and the discussion of the presentation and the written proposal will begin. This discussion should last about one hour. These discussions can address the details, rationale and thinking behind the proposal, as well as the students understanding of the content and fundamentals of the paper and the research proposal. In addition to a creative and carefully thought-out proposal, it will be expected that the students demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the content of the assigned paper and their research proposal. At the end of the discussion period, the student will be excused and may leave, as the results of the examination will be provided at a later date. The remaining portion of the examination period is used by the committee to fill out the performance rubrics (below) and discuss the outcome of the examination. At the end of the examination the evaluation rubrics are given to the chairperson who compiles a summary report of the outcome of the examination. The summary report is provided to the Chair of the BME Qualification Exam Committee (aka “Qual Advisor”), who reports out to the Biomedical Engineering Faculty. The BME Faculty vote determines whether a student passes or fails.
The 30-minute presentation is not open to the public. However, any UNM faculty member may also be present during all phases of the examination, which includes the student’s primary mentor. Although the primary mentor may interject to assist in clarification of questions or matters of procedure, the primary mentor and any
NOTES
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Student Name: _______________ Advisor Name: _________________
BME PhD Qualifying Examination Report
( This page should be filled out by the student or committee Chair/advisor prior to the exam and one copy given to each committee member )
Chair of Evaluation Committee_______________________________
Date of Qualifying Exam _____________________
Qualifying Exam Presentation Title
Committee Members Name Departments
After evaluating the oral qualifying exam, each committee member should fill out the response sheets provided. For each attribute which a committee member feels is somewhat or very deficient, a short explanation should be provided. Committee members may be asked to defend their grading to the qualifying exam committee. Completed forms are to be treated as confidential and are to be turned in to the Qual Advisor.
A summary of written comments from committee members as well as any edited copies of the oral qualifying exam reports submitted by committee members will be provided to the student by the chair of the Qual Advisor). A verbal summarization of the overall evaluation of the designated activity by the committee may be provided to the student by the chair of the examining committee (or advisor) or during a prescheduled meeting of the qualifying exam committee.
All evaluation documents including rubrics and written comments must be completed by all committee members.
A copy of the completed forms (both rubrics and written comments) must be delivered to the BME Graduate Program Office immediately following the qualifying exam.
Student Name: _______________ Advisor Name: _________________
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FACULTY NAME: Student Performance (Critical Analysis of Paper and Student’s Research Proposal) Category Unacceptable (0) Marginal (2) Good (4) Excellent (6) Rating (0 - 6) Critical Analysis of Research Paper
Insufficient depth. Inappropriate technical level. Missed the big picture – impact and significance of the paper
Technical content was too low for a Ph.D. level.
Most topics sufficiently described, but not enough emphasis on the most important points. Technical level is appropriate.
Demonstrates excellent understanding of the paper with emphasis placed on the most significant areas, at a high technical level. Relevance of Proposed Research to the paper
Proposed research has no apparent connection to the paper reviewed.
Research is loosely related to the paper. The proposed research covers similar ground as the paper, but does not lead to new directions.
Research proposal makes good use of the paper as a springboard to delve into new areas.
Novelty & Originality
Proposed research lacks novelty and originality. Research is a simple continuation of previous work.
Proposed research has some novel aspects, but these are poorly developed and without a clear design.
Research breaks new ground, demonstrates a clear understanding of the needs and goals.
Proposes original work that is well thought out and justified. The research problem is clearly stated..
Technical Feasibility of proposed research
Research isn't feasible. Not much though given to how the research can be accomplished.
The necessary equipment or theoretical framework is well defined, but with some gaps.
The proposed research is both feasible and novel and the tools – experimental and theoretical are available.
Research Plan No appreciation for the timeline, how long it would take to do the research.
A reasonable timeline is presented, but the resources available (time and equipment) do not match what is needed.
A good deal of thought has been devoted to the conduct of the research, an experimental plan is proposed.
A well-defined research plan, with clear milestones and deliverables. The work can definitely be accomplished within the scope of a Ph.D. dissertation.. Discussion (^) No discussion generated. Speaker evades answering any questions that were asked.
Speaker has clear difficulties in handling most questions.
Speaker is able to address most questions with confidence.
Speaker is able to answer all questions clearly, effectively, and with confidence.
Total CIRCLE ONE
PASS / FAIL Score = total out of 36
Student Name: _______________ Advisor Name: _________________
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FACULTY NAME: ___________________________________________
Overall Rating
0-30. Based on the proposal, presentation, and discussion, this student is not prepared for successfully completing work at the PhD level. 30-40. Based on the proposal, presentation, and questions, this student is minimally prepared for successfully completing work at the next level. A student at this level may struggle with the tasks necessary for successfully completing work at the next level. For example, this student may have a hard time conducting a thorough literature review or writing about the literature in a way that integrates findings and ideas from the review. As additional examples, a student at this level may have a difficult time stating research questions, identifying an appropriate research design, analyzing data, or interpreting the results without serious assistance from an advisor. 40-46. Based on the current product, this student is satisfactorily prepared for successfully completing work at the next level. A student at this level will have little difficulty producing quality work at the next level. However, some areas of improvement are recommended. For example, a student at this level may need to state their ideas more clearly, discuss results more concisely, or review fundamental concepts. 47-52. Based on the current product, this student is well prepared for successfully completing work at the next level. This student can produce high quality work at the next level with little or no supervision or input from others.
RECOMMENDATION
Presentation Section Recommendation – (Circle one) - PASS / FAIL - Points ____________
Technical Section Recommendation – (Circle one) - PASS / FAIL - Point ____________
OVERALL Recommendation – (Circle one) - PASS / FAIL - Points ___________
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program
THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO · MSC01 1141 · ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87131 · PHONE 505.277.6 824 · FAX 505.277.1979 · WEB: BME.UNM.EDU CENTENNIAL ENGINEERING CENTER, ROOM 2041
Eligibility To Take the Oral Qualifications Exam
In the BME Graduate Program
Student Information
It is expected that students in the BME graduate PhD program will sign up to take the exam following their first year in the PhD program. As this degree program is an interdisciplinary one, students enrolled come from a variety of undergraduate degree programs. In order to assist the BME Graduate Program’s Oral Qualification Exam Committee to assemble the most appropriate advisors for your exam, please provide the following information:
BME Graduate Student
Name Email address Primary research area Semester/year began BME PhD program Undergraduate degree/Year Other Graduate degrees/Year (if applicable)
Advisor Information
In order to ensure that the student’s qualifications across the spectrum of Biomedical Engineering is assessed, if the student has already identified a primary advisor and committee members, they are not eligible to be members of their Qualification Exam committee. In the table below, provide the names and affiliations of the student’s PhD advisor, as well as any co-mentors or committee members who have already identified.
BME Graduate Program Advisors
Primary Advisor’s Name Primary Advisor’s Department Affiliation Additional Committee Member(s) or Mentor(s)
Eligibility for the BME graduate Oral Qualification Exam
In the table below, indicate the semester and year in the candidate took each of the 5 BME graduate core courses, and the grade earned in the course.
BME Graduate Program Core Courses
Course #
Course Title Semester/Year Course Was Taken
Grade Earned in Course BME 515 Applied Biology for Biomedical Engineers BME 544 Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Molecular Components in Cells BME 547 Biomedical Engineering Research Practices BME 556 Protein and Nucleic Acid Engineering BME 558 Methods of Analysis in Bioengineering In addition to the core courses, students in the BME graduate program must take 18 credit hours of courses in elective courses, 9 of which must be from courses offered through the School of Engineering. Listed below are the courses currently approved as electives and substitutes by the BME graduate program’s Curriculum Committee. Indicate which graduate electives have been completed, the semester and year in the candidate took the courses, and the grade earned in the course.
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BME Graduate Program Elective Courses
Department Course Title Semester/Year Course Was Taken
Grade Earned in Course
BME Physical Bioanalytical Methods Biomaterials Tissue Engineering Biomedical Engineering Research Seminar BIOL General Microbiology Advanced Techniques in Light Microscopy BIOM Advanced Molecular Biology Advanced Cell Biology Principles of Neurobiology Physiology Immunobiology Cancer Biology Molecular Genetics and Genomics CHNE/NSMS Fundamentals of Nanofluidics Surface and Interfacial Phenomena Biosensors Fundamentals and Applications Nanomaterials Advanced Transport Phenomena I CS Introduction to Machine Learning Geometric and Probabilistic Methods in CS Algorithms and Data Structures Topics: Complex Adaptive Systems ECE Theory of Linear Systems Medical Imaging Digital Image Processing Fundamentals of Computing Digital Signal Processing I ME Advanced Mechanics of Materials Computational Mechanics Introduction to Continuum Mechanics Theoretical Fluid Mechanics I Advanced Materials Science
In certain cases, students may substitute other electives for the required 18 hours of electives toward the BME PhD program. These substitutions must be approved by the BMEGP Graduate Advisor or the BMEGP Curriculum Committee. In the table below, indicate which electives have been completed, the semester and year in the candidate took the courses, and the grade earned in the course.
Other Graduate Elective Courses Not Listed Above
Department Course Title Semester/Year Course Was Taken
Grade Earned in Course
Substitution Approved by (signature)
