The future development of bioscience will depend upon the availability of integrated bioscientists (i.e., broadly trained specialists), who will possess scientific expertise, adaptability, communication skills, and integrative thinking as outlined below (Pearse 2003).

The biology, chemistry, math, and engineering faculty have established a Ph.D. Program in Integrated Bioscience at The University of Akron with the mission of meeting the needs for producing outstanding, broadly-trained, biotechnology-savvy, Ph.D.-level scientists, who will assume positions of responsibility in industry, government, non-government organizations, and academia.

The Doctoral Program in Integrated Bioscience is a direct response to the Report of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education (http://www.chee.ohio.gov/), which emphasizes a need to increase the number of science and engineering graduates in order to remain competitive in the technology- and innovation-driven economy of the 21 st century. The primary objective of the program in Integrated Bioscience is to provide doctoral-level graduate education that will increase our understanding of the complex nature of bio-systems and biomaterials and will contribute to economic development and ecological stewardship in Ohio and beyond. The program is unique in Ohio in its focus on the relationships among experimental biologists and other scientists, engineers and mathematicians, with a view to providing a connection between levels of biological organization as a central unifying theme.

Scientific Expertise: Graduates will have rigorous training in a specialty area of bioscience or allied, bio-oriented areas, using in-depth, cutting-edge experimental design and techniques. In addition, students in the Integrated Bioscience program have the opportunity to be trained in biochemistry, bioengineering, bioinformatics and computational biology, which are critical areas of information science needed to analyze bio-systems, and areas which are expected to expand in the 21 st century with the availability of genomic and proteomic data, as well as data from advanced studies of higher-level bio-systems. Well-trained integrated bioscientists combine top research expertise in their field with a broad understanding of experimental biology and the disciplines employed in analysis of bio-systems. Thus, these graduates are most qualified to work in emergent, cross-disciplinary fields.

Adaptability: IB graduates have a sufficiently broad, non-specialty background to be able to retrain themselves efficiently and quickly in other areas of bioscience. The training they receive in integrated approaches to bioscience will not limit them to using only the techniques and technologies of today. Instead, they are better able to embrace and adjust their experimental designs to incorporate the technologies of tomorrow because of their history of broad training and “thinking outside the box.” Mastering hypothesis-driven research will allow the students to adapt to any research style a particular university or industrial laboratory is currently utilizing or will utilize in the future. The program’s emphasis on breadth without sacrificing quality make our graduates flexible and collaborative; their research, whether it involves theory, experiment, computational simulations, or combinations of these, are driven by where the questions take them, rather than constraining them to a limited sub-discipline.

Communication Skills: One of the paramount goals of this program is to produce Ph.D.’s that can talk meaningfully with bio-specialists, other scientists and ultimately with lay people. Graduates have the ability to communicate their research findings to a broad scientific audience, both within and outside of the graduate's specialty area, and work in collaborative, cross-disciplinary environments. The broad conceptual framework that defines integrated bioscientists allow our students to place their research into a broader context than traditionally-trained students, which will be of utmost importance for the future success of all scientists. Various forums and projects provide opportunities for students to showcase their integrative approach. The integrated training of our students allow them to form strong intellectual connections with scientists in related areas of bioscience, to present their research in a broad context, and to describe in detail some of the broader implications of their work.

Integrative thinking: IB graduates have broad knowledge of most levels of biological organization, from molecules to ecosystems to engineering applications to computational biology and informatics. They are subjected to the major issues/research frontiers in each sub-discipline, and are able to speak fluently about how their research fits within the larger context of bio-research. Their training allows them to act as resources for other professionals seeking expertise in a particular field.

As an emerging field, Integrated Bioscience has multiple approaches to training students. In most programs, the integrative component is provided through collaboration and informal discussions among bioscientists representing different fields and through seminars. In other programs, students can be required to take courses outside of their immediate research focus and/or have co-advisors representing different disciplines. The philosophy behind the University of Akron Integrated Bioscience program is one of acquiring deep knowledge in a field while maintaining flexibility and breadth. It goes beyond the current interdisciplinary approach by incorporating integrative components into every aspect of doctoral training. We recognize that it is impossible to include extensive training in every sub-discipline of bioscience within a single program (however, see the Scientific Expertise section above); the central goal of the proposed program is to develop problem-solving skills which allow graduates to address these problems more effectively by crossing disciplinary boundaries and developing novel approaches to complex questions.

A major advantage of this program is that it combines flexibility in training options with the ability to engage in individualized training. The Program Curriculum will be individually tailored to each student's research interests and is built around a set of core courses that emphasize the theme of Integrated Bioscience. Each student is exposed to quantitative techniques, elective courses (decided by the student and his/her advisory committee), seminar courses, and, most importantly, dissertation research. Entering students must be accepted by an advisor before entering the program, and thus is encouraged to contact individual advisors during the application process. However, the program is designed to allow changes in field during the first year of study with minimal disruptions.

The core courses allow students to explore different disciplines, experience multiple approaches to selected problems in bioscience, and familiarize themselves with the research environment in the laboratories of different potential Ph.D. mentors. Individual laboratories will hold orientation events that are open to first-year students for interacting with the faculty and students in each program in smaller settings. By the end of the first year, students will have chosen a Ph.D. mentor, by mutual agreement, and will make their final choices of Ph.D. programs.