Student Activities

Annual Retreat:

All immunology students and faculty are invited to an annual retreat held at various locations throughout New England. The fall 2006 retreat was held October 20-22 at the Mountain Club on Loon resort in New Hampshire. The scientific program included poster sessions, social events and numerous student, faculty and keynote seminars.

Immunology Graduate Student Rotation Club:

The Immunology Rotation Club, organized by the first year students, brings them together weekly to discuss rotations and research in various laboratories. The meetings are held over lunch, in an informal setting, and serve as a way for students to share their experiencies in different labs, to talk to more senior graduate students, and to help students select potential labs to rotate in.

Poster Sessions:

Poster Sessions are held in conjunction with the annual Immunology Program Retreat during the fall. Immunology students, faculty and postdocs take part in these poster sessions to keep up to date with the vast research ongoing throughout the immunology community.

One additional faculty poster session is held on the Harvard Medical School campus during the annual March recruitment weekend. All HMS community members are encouraged to attend this event.

Teaching:

The Immunology Program requires that all students serve as a teaching assistant for one semester without additional compensation. To satisfy this teaching requirement, students must serve as teaching fellows for a Disvision of Medical Sciences' graduate course (such as Immunology 201, 202, etc.). We also allow students to fulfill this requirement by performing education related Community Service. Harvard University in Cambridge has supported several community programs which allow Harvard students to tutor high school students (primarily from underprivileged neighborhoods). Several immunology graduate students have participated in such volunteer services. A minimum of three hours per week of tutoring over the course of one semester (13 weeks) is considered the equivalent of the teaching assistantship. It is our hope that efforts to support such community programs and the enthusiasm generated by our students will inspire underprivileged inner city youths to continue into higher education and eventually choose science, medicine and/or immunology as a career.

Student Travel:

Each DMS student will receive a one-time travel allowance of up to $600 to attend a scientific meeting or conference which is approved in advance as benficial to the student's training. Approval for travel must be given by the Dissertation Advisor, prior to travel. If a student does not have an approved Dissertation Advisor, approval for his/her travel must be given by the student's Program Head or Program Advisor.

Immunology Minority Support Group:

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are members of the traditional underrepresented groups meet at regular intervals with a faculty advisor to discuss issues such as recruiting, racial problems, and research by minority faculty members. This working group is specifically organized for members of the Immunology Program. In addition, the Division of Medical Sciences sponsors several student organizations for individuals from underrepresented groups. Several members of the immunology program are also mentors in the Summer Honors Undergraduate Research program (SHURP) which supports minority students for 10 weeks of summer research at Harvard.

DMS Student Organization:

All students are welcome to participate in the Division of Medical Sciences Student Organization (DMSSO) sponsored events and activities. Some of the events are the following: Science and Society, is an open discussion series that meets every two weeks and is open to all members of the Harvard community. This group will be exploring issues concerning the interactions among science, scientists, and society. Students in the DMSSO Outing Club plan outings such as ski trips, hiking and bike rides throughout the year. Some other DMSSO activities include the Graduate Student Council and Graduate Student Course Evaluation Committee. Refer to Division of Medical Sciences Home Page for additional details.