Introduction

In barely more than a decade, the Kellogg School of Science and Technology at The Scripps Research Institute has grown from a handful to several hundred students and more than two hundred alumni. Indeed, the programs have become integrated into the fabric of the institute. At the same time, Scripps Research has grown into one of the nation's top centers for graduate education in biology and chemistry.

Scripps Research launched the Macromolecular and Cellular Structure and Chemistry (MCSC) Program in 1989, building on the institute's strengths in the integration of cell and molecular biology, structure, and chemistry. Three years later, Scripps Research founded the Chemistry Program, drawing on its newly assembled chemistry faculty with an outstanding record in chemical, biological, and structural research.

In 2002, Scripps Research named its graduate college the Kellogg School of Science and Technology in honor of philanthropists Janet R. ("Jean") Kellogg and W. Keith Kellogg II, who have been long-standing patrons of education and science.

In 2003, a comprehensive review of the curriculum has resulted in the redefined, "Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Sciences," emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the program, and reflecting the particular strengths of the Institute. This change allows students to select one of four curricular tracks -- chemistry, chemical biology, biophysics or biology -- and acknowledges the faculty's and students' strongly held views that future scientists be broadly trained in these areas of scientific concentration. Further, the extension of these curricular tracks increases course options and flexibility for the students.

With specialties in organic, bioorganic, and biophysical chemistry, students in the graduate program take classes from more than 100 faculty members representing every department at Scripps Research.

Optional, independent courses provide special topics and methods training in such areas as x-ray crystallography, theoretical and computational biophysics, molecular medicine, heterocyclic chemistry, special nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, immunology, and virology. These courses provide for deeper forays into these topics for interested students and serve as supplemental studies to the core course work.

Alumni have gone on to hold faculty positions at some of the most prestigious institutions in the country. Nearly 70 percent of Biology alumni enter academia upon graduation, and 30 percent are recruited to work in industry. Chemistry Program alumni obtain positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in a slightly higher percentage—approximately 40 percent. Irrespective of the environment they choose, Scripps Research graduates fill highly competitive positions and excel in them.

The emphasis on research is unusually strong, creating synergy between the mission of Scripps Research and its graduate school. Once a year, the graduate program holds an annual retreat that encourages scientific discussion among students and faculty, provides a forum for presentation of a broad range of research topics by students, and serves as a measure of the scientific excellence of students. Over the years, the Graduate Studies Program has enhanced its competitive edge by recruiting highly qualified students from various disciplines and with diverse scientific interests. This is reflected in U.S. News and World Report ranking Scripps Research amongst the most outstanding graduate schools in the United States. The result of surveys sent to department heads and directors of graduate studies at universities throughout the country, the rankings show Scripps Research among the top 10 places to study biological sciences and chemistry. And when the programs were further categorized by specialties within a scientific discipline, Scripps Research ranked second in the discipline of organic chemistry.

Further, in March, 1999, The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) located at 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, telephone 510-748-9001, completed its reaccreditation process and conferred a 10-year accreditation on the Program. This is the maximum term granted to any institution and a significant acknowledgment of adherence to the highest standards.

Students have obtained financial support from a broad range of sources, including the Skaggs Institute for Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Science Foundation, La Jolla Interfaces in Science, Medical Research Council of Canada, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Chemical Society, United Negro College Fund, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Roche Award, the Hewitt Award, and the Hertz Foundation.

The graduate program has also received support from several nonprofit organizations, including the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation, Inc., the Sharon & William Bauce Foundation, the Norton B. Gilula Graduate Student Fellowship, the Fletcher-Jones Foundation, the Louis R. Jabinson Investigatorship Fund for Graduate Education, and the Baxter Foundation.

Motivated by a desire to make a contribution to the San Diego community, a group of graduate students has developed curriculum for high school students, as well as a teacher training program, under the auspices of Scripps Research's Science Partnership Scholars Program. The curriculum includes hands-on experiments that can be used in the classroom and didactic presentations on state-of-the-art research topics and techniques.

In addition, the graduate students serve as mentors to high school students through Scripps Research's Summer Research Internship Program, which was created to introduce students to a variety of contemporary issues in basic biomedical research, provide hands-on laboratory experience, and motivate students for continuing education in the sciences.