1. The Department Clinical training (years 4-6) for about 70 undergraduate vets per year –Part II “half course” in Dynamics of Infectious Disease Referral hospital for all veterinary species and nearly all specialisms –Imaging facilities include large and small animal MRI as well as ultrasound, radiography and scintigraphy. –Oncology treatment facilities include a new linear accelerator –New surgical suites - new clinical research facilities coming –Gross pathology, histopathology, cellular and clinical pathology services

2. Professor James Wood - Head of Department Lorraine Leonard - Librarian The Department - Some People Professor Mike Herrtage - Dean Professor Robin Franklin, - Director of Research Meg Staff - Graduate Office Sheena Tharakan - Computing Joanne, Jo and Janice - Stores Laurence Tiley - Pathogen and GMO safety Barbara Blacklaws - Radiation safety Pietro Mastroeni- Laboratory Safety Abbe Crawford- postgrad student rep

3. The Department Research –Infection and immunity Microbiology, virology Immunity to infection TSE’s Epidemiology and disease dynamics –Neuroscience Concentration on repair and remyelination –Genetics and genomics Inherited disease genetics, oncogenetics –Mathematical Biology Computational models for infectious disease dynamics –Whole organism pathobiology Physiology Clinical Sciences Animal welfare

4. Research Students 30 - 40 across the Department Start either as MPhil or as “probationary PhD” –Some MPhil students may be invited to transfer to probationary PhD course during year –Others may be on a 1+3 year course –Assessment at end of year one on all courses, prior to registration for PhD in most cases. Strong expectation that UK PhD will take less than four years

5. Progression in research degrees Supervisors are in charge Reading and Planning –Understand your project Literature review –Suggested at three - four months Transferable skills survey and log First year assessment (PhD) –Report (by August) and viva –Hand in log Feedback –direct from supervisors, and termly short reports on CamSIS

6. General Guidance for Graduate Students A Code of practice for graduate degrees across the University prepared by the Board of Graduate Studies can be found at http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/policy/qu ality/cop/index.html http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/graduate/policy/qu ality/cop/index.html Termly progress reports and most forms that you will need as you go through your studies are available on your CamSIS account Details of expectations and procedures in this Department are available in the induction document, and on the Departmental web site at http://cuvsweb.vet.cam.ac.uk/cambridge/grad/ http://cuvsweb.vet.cam.ac.uk/cambridge/grad/ The Graduate Office is here to help

7. Problems Lab/science problems –You are not alone: be open, seek help –Supervisor –Lab group –Advisor or supervisory team Supervisory problems –If you can, be direct - approach your supervisor –Advisor –Director of Graduate Studies Welfare and other Issues –College tutor –Counselling service –Your supervisor & the DGS may need to know

8. Things you should have done or be doing. Discuss the supervisory team with your primary supervisor. Who will take advisory/ second supervisor roles? –Make sure that you meet this person/people Meet with Meg Staff, font of much knowledge –We need to know your second supervisor; source of funding; confirm college and college tutor; contact address etc. Discuss your education to date with your supervisor and decide which courses etc. you intend to go to. –Make a note of these as a personal development plan –Knowledge based and transferable skills Plan your project’s first year.

9. Departmental events Wednesday tea club –External seminar series Friday morning seminars –Internal talks, two per week Lab groups Journal clubs

10. Jobs, Holidays, Visas, etc. Most of you are registered to full time degrees. You should not take external work for more than 5h per week. You should take around 6 weeks holiday per year There is only one long university closure, over the Christmas and New Year period Let your supervisor and the postgraduate office know beforehand if you are going away – particularly important for those from outside the EU Help and support for International Students are available at the international student pages. See in particularthe international student pages

11. Plagiarism and Scientific Misconduct The rules of scientific misconduct are the same across the world. Scientific misconduct is disciplinary offence Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of the work of others as if this were your own original work. –This is irrespective of intent to deceive –It applies to unacknowledged quotation of web pages as much as to other materials such as books or figures –It also applies to unacknowledged use of ideas A more thorough introduction to avoiding plagiarism is at http://www.biology.cam.ac.uk/exams/plagiarism. Please do read it. http://www.biology.cam.ac.uk/exams/plagiarism

12. SAFETY - All important Make sure that all work you do has previous consents/ licences (animals, pathogens, GMOs etc.) Read and understand all the risk assessments & SOPs for your work –You should know how to perform risk evaluation for a new experiment If you missed last weeks safety lectures, go in January You must be trained to operate in the laboratory (e.g in pathogen labs compared with open labs etc.) You must be trained on all equipment by someone who is familiar with it - seek advice if unsure –You need a basic understanding of the equipment as well as an understanding of risks Field work has its own risks. Make sure you have assessed them, and that you are working in the field with knowledge of your supervisor and the University