Two Cornell graduate students were selected from a national pool to attend the 2006 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Robert J. Kadner Institute for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Students in Preparation for Careers in Microbiology at the University of Connecticut.

The students, Yvonne Chan and Colleen McGrath, were among 36 senior-level graduate students or early postdoctoral scientists from universities across the United States and Canada selected for the program. From July 29 through Aug. 2, they participated in the intensive five-day institute in Storrs, Conn.

The Kadner Institute consisted of hands-on training in grant-writing, scientific presentations, scientific communication and ethics. Sessions also addressed such career opportunities in microbiological sciences as applied research in the industry, public health, academic medicine, patent law and teaching undergraduates.

Each participant was required to prepare a 10-page grant proposal, a 10-minute scientific presentation and a curriculum vitae that was critiqued and evaluated by faculty and peer scientists in the microbiological field.

The Kadner Institute is managed by ASM and sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.