The rotation schedule for the 2024-25 academic year

Fall: Monday, Aug 26 – Friday, Nov 1 (okay to start earlier)

Rotation Break: Monday, Nov 4 – Friday, Nov 8 (students are not expected to work on rotation projects but may still have classes or other obligations)

Winter: Monday, Nov 11 – Friday, Jan 24
NOTE: Students should still plan to contribute to their winter rotations during this time even when classes are done. Faculty and students should communicate about their mutual expectations, particularly if they will be traveling or taking vacation time.

Rotation Break: Monday, Jan 27 – Friday, Jan 31 (students are not expected to work on rotation projects but may still have classes or other obligations)

Spring: Monday, Feb 3 – Friday, Apr 11

Dissertation Lab Choice Forms Due: Friday, Apr 18
*summer rotation students joining labs early: due Jan 31

First Day in Dissertation Lab: Monday, Apr 21
*summer rotation students joining labs early: Feb 3

Before they officially begin BBSP, admitted students are allowed to complete a rotation during the summer. Since BBSP funding starts in August, students must find a faculty mentor who can financially support them at the stipend level for the next academic year. We offer 3 lengths of summer rotations (6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 10 weeks) depending on student and faculty availability and funding. Students who complete a summer rotation only need to complete two more rotations (Fall and Winter) before they can choose a dissertation lab to join; but, they can also complete one more rotation in the Spring if they so choose.

A student should not rotate in a lab that they have no intention of joining. Examples include rotating just to learn a technique, working on the same project as a previous rotation but in a collaborator’s lab, or if the student is already intent on joining a particular lab.

Faculty should not, under any circumstances, accept a rotation student if they have no reasonable possibility of financial support for that student beginning in June. Faculty may rotate students if they are waiting on scores for submitted grants, but they should be transparent with students that this is the case.

Faculty should avoid rotating many students in a single academic year. While there is no formal cap, faculty should expect to rotate 2-3 students for each funded slot they have in their lab.

• Students should be in lab during normal working hours when they are not in class, but pay more attention to the work they accomplish than the amount of face-time they are around
• Working schedules should balance “productivity” with time needed for coursework, family, and self-care
• If expectations of faculty or students do not seem to be met, you should communicate your expectations more clearly and be flexible in how those expectations can be fulfilled
• Students should attend lab meeting when possible, and labs may want to adjust their lab meeting schedule depending on when rotation students have class or other obligations
• Students should be sure that they are actively demonstrating their interest in a lab’s research: participate in discussions, show curiosity, ask to help with others’ projects, get to know everyone in lab, bring up papers you’ve read in conversation
  • Mentors should invite students to demonstrate their interest in group and individual settings (not everyone is comfortable in new working environments)
• Students should work towards independence over the course of the rotation, but should still ask for help when needed
• Meetings between a student and faculty mentor should be as often as is mutually desirable, and methods for how to communicate and how to get help when needed should be clear
• Students and PIs should meet midway through and at the end of a rotation to give mutual feedback about how it is going

During the course of a rotation, BBSP asks students to reflect on their experiences and set up feedback meetings with their faculty mentors and bench mentors. These are versions of the questions that students may use in these conversations:

• Mid-rotation Feedback
• Rotation Final Reflection

To help with advising and student lab placement, we ask that faculty provide a grade and written feedback on the rotation. BBSP uses the following grading guidelines.

H – High Pass: A graduate student meeting all expectations and potentially exceeding some expectations. A rotation student deserving of an H has many of the following qualities:

• Was fully engaged; mostly independent
• Was highly interactive; well prepared for your meetings
• Was able to analyze data and to think about ‘the bigger picture’
• Carefully read papers to prepare for the project and during their time in the lab
• Attended and participated in lab meetings; asked good questions
• Received constructive feedback and improved their performance

P – Pass: A good student who worked hard and has potential for success. A grade of P generally means this student mostly met the minimum expectations of a rotation, though they may have a couple of areas for development. A rotation student receiving a grade of P generally:

• Gained independence over time (may still have needed regular input from the rotation supervisor)
• Was reasonably engaged in the lab– attended lab meetings, read papers, interacted with lab members about science
• Demonstrated understanding of their project in conversations or meetings with you, or in lab meeting presentations
• Received constructive feedback and made some gains to improve their performance

L – Low Pass: A student whose performance falls well below the basic standards outlined above and who does not improve after feedback about their performance. If you see early on that the student is not meeting expectations, you owe it to them to intervene early and to give feedback so they have an opportunity to improve. It is very important that you explain why you are giving the L in your comments. Reasons for a poor performance could include:

• Egregiously poor attendance (not due to unexpected health or personal problems), lack of effort falls well below what could be considered reasonable for a rotation student with a full class load
• Lacked focus and didn’t engage with the lab
• Extremely poor interpersonal skills causing major friction/conflict with others in your lab (NOTE: if the student just didn’t fit in well or made a few mis-steps that alone would not justify an L)

A note about the L grade: The Graduate School’s policy is that a student receiving 9 or more credit hours of L grades may not be allowed to continue in their program. Each rotation counts for 3 credit hours, so giving a student an L in a rotation almost certainly will not cause the student’s expulsion (unless it brings them to a total of 9 credit hours of L). A grade of L does, however, send a strong message that they need to start giving more effort and attention to their other rotations and is an important record of their performance.