Overview of the HPDP
The
HPDP is the graduate education and training effort of the
Center for
the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, whose mission
is to promote interdisciplinary research on human evolution.
Because fossils, artifacts and genomes are complex and mostly
indirect sources of data for testing evolutionary hypotheses,
important research questions in human evolutionary studies
exemplify the importance of an interdisciplinary approach.
To prepare students to develop new ways of addressing these
questions effectively, the vision of the HPDP is to train
future scholars to draw on research tools from disciplines
that are traditionally taught in different departments, by
emphasizing approaches that combine areas of study such as
archaeology, biomechanics and engineering, cognitive science,
comparative and experimental functional morphology, ecology,
evolutionary and developmental biology (evo-devo), evolutionary
theory, genetics, geochemistry, geometric morphometrics, life
history, molecular biology, neuroscience, and paleoclimatology.
The research and training experience offered by the HPDP focus
on three major themes, which are the interdisciplinary study
of (A) the evolution of the human brain, behavior and cognition,
(B) the evolution of human diet (food acquisition and processing),
and (C) human behavioral responses to environmental change.
The
HPDP is part of the interdisciplinary, collaborative Washington,
DC area Human Evolutionary Biology Doctoral Program (HEBDP)
that links the PhD programs and researchers at GWU, Howard
University, and the Smithsonian Institution, and is funded
by the National Science Foundation's IGERT Program. These
universities, institutions and facilities are linked by the
Metro subway, and belong to the Washington Consortium that
shares academic and educational resources, including cross-registration.
Students receive stipend support that is competitive with
other graduate programs as well as travel and research funds.
By bringing together researchers from diverse departments
and from other universities and institutions in the DC area,
graduate students have access to facilities and receive core
research training in relevant aspects of many disciplines
that are outside the core of many other anthropology Ph.D.
programs.
HPDP
uses problem-based learning methods within thematic research
efforts to encourage students to develop new approaches for
testing hypotheses using the fossil, genetic, and archeological
records. Finally, because of the public profile of human evolutionary
studies, HPDP trains students with skills for conveying information
about the processes and discoveries of evolutionary science
to the public. HPDP graduates acquire a wide range of skills
and competencies that allow them to pursue teaching and research
careers in anthropology, biology, geology, and anatomy departments,
and in museums and other institutions involved in the advancement
and dissemination of knowledge about our species' evolutionary
history.
Overview of Educational Structure:
The
HPDP combines
1)
a rigorous core training in molecular and developmental biology,
evolutionary anatomy, hominin paleontology, and archaeology,
and in a variety of fields not traditionally studied by graduate
students in anthropology programs,
2)
an emphasis on problem-based learning (PBL), and
3)
training and internships in how science is communicated to
the public (e.g., TV, news, museums, the internet).
The
HPDP is a five year doctoral program. The first two years
primarily consist of coursework, a professional skills and
ethics seminar, and participation in two problem-based learning
tutorials that integrate original research and coursework
from the earliest stages of graduate training. During the
second and third years, students participate in two topically
distinct laboratory rotations to broaden their research skills.
General Examinations in Hominin Paleobiology and Paleolithic
Archeology should be taken by the end of the second year,
and must normally be completed by the end of the third year.
Following the second year, students begin directed research
on their doctoral dissertations (including writing grant proposals)
while participating in a capstone seminar, rotations, and
a part-time internship to broaden their research experiences,
provide them with skills needed for their dissertations, and
give them skills in the communication of science to the public.
The third General Examination requirement is completed by
the end of the third year, and consists of oral and written
presentations of the student's proposed dissertation topic.
Students are encouraged to submit their dissertation in a
ready-to-publish format (described below) by the end of the
fifth year.
Requirements
In addition to the general requirements stated in the Bulletin
of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, HPDP program
requirements include a minimum 48 hours of approved course
work, participation in two Problem-Based Learning tutorials,
two laboratory rotations, and other training experiences outlined
below. The dissertation thesis requirement is equivalent to
an additional 24 credit hours.
The
following chart illustrates the structure and requirements
of the HPDP.
1) Core courses (19 credit hours in Years 1 and 2)
Courses
in HPDP’s core curriculum represent fields outside of
traditional physical anthropology, and are designed to provide
HPDP students with a solid foundation in multidisciplinary
approaches to uncovering and understanding the dynamics of
major behavioral shifts in human evolution. In the first three
semesters, all HPDP students are required to take the following
Primary Core courses (one exemption is allowed, depending
on prior education):
Core
Course Credit Hours
Hominid Paleobiology 3
Paleolithic Archaeology 3
Genetics or Molecular Evolution 3
Geoscience or Vetebrate Paleontology 3
Animal Behavior or Ecology 3*
Statistical Methods 3
Research Methods 1
*Primate Life Histories may satisfy this requirement
2) Elective courses (minimum of 16 credit hours)
Depending
on their intended field of specialization and background,
students will also take courses from a wide variety of electives.
The electives are to be determined by the student in consultation
with his/her advisors. A list of some relevant elective courses
is provided below. However, this is not an exhaustive list,
and students may also elect to take other courses not shown
here, which may be offered at GW or other institutions in
the greater DC area. Elective courses are intentionally meant
to allow for flexibility, and we encourage students to formulate
a unique curriculum that is tailored to best serve their interests.
Elective Course Credit Hours
Applied Biological Anthropology 3
Behavioral Ecology 4
Biology of the Human Genome 3
Biomechanics 3
Biostratigraphy 3
Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy 3
Developmental Biology 4
Developmental Genetics 3
Evolutionary Genetics & Medicine 3
Evolutionary Paleobiology 3
General Endocrinology 3
Human Evolutionary Genetics 3
Human Gross Anatomy 6
Human Growth and Development 3
Mammalian Histology 4
Mathematical Biology 4
Micropaleontology 3
Morphological Systematics 4
Neural and Cognitive Science 4
Origins of Modern Humans 3
Population Ecology 3
Population Genetics 4
Skeletal Biology 3
Speech Physiology 3
Statistics/Biostatistics 3
3) Problem-based Learning Tutorial (6 credits, Years 1
and 2)
Problem-Based
Learning Tutorials (PBL) develop the personal and research
skills, attitudes and the confidence required for the type
of collaborative problem-solving that is intrinsic to all
successful and innovative research. This approach is a learner-based
method of mastering basic knowledge and skills within the
context of real-world research problems. Training in this
way helps students to employ critical thinking to develop
a question-driven, rather than a discipline-driven, approach
to research.
All
students participate in two semesters of a Problem-Based Learning
Tutorial (PBL), taken in Years 1 and 2. The PBL tutorial meets
variously at any of the participating institutions in the
HPDP.
4) Ethics and Professional Skills Training (3 credit hours,
Years 1 and 2)
In
Years 1 and 2, students will take a 4-semester monthly seminar
that will focus on the ethical dilemmas faced by all scientists,
as well as on those specific to human evolutionary studies.
This module will also cover critical reading and reviewing
skills, time and project management, building and managing
a team, manuscript and grant writing, oral and visual presentation
skills, interview protocols, laboratory safety and preparation
of research plans and curriculum vitae. This seminar has the
goal of equipping graduate students with the skills and attitudes
needed to operate in a collegial system that allows for sharing
data and ideas while protecting the rights of individual scientists
and organizations.
At
the outset of their training, students are expected to attend
at least one professional meeting per year, present their
research at professional meetings, and publish articles in
peer reviewed journals. The faculty works closely with students
on their first presentations and publications.
5) Laboratory Rotations (6 credit hours, Years 2 and 3)
During
their second and third years, students participate in laboratory
"rotations", which consist of semester-long involvement
in two fields that train them in two of the following interdisciplinary
research themes: (A) the evolution of the human brain, behavior
and cognition, (B) the evolution of human diet (food acquisition
and processing), and (C) human behavioral responses to environmental
change. Students register for 3 credit hours for each rotation,
each of which requires a total of 96 working hours, or equivalent.
The student's work schedule is negotiated directly with the
rotation supervisor.
Rotations
will be available at laboratories both within and outside
of GW. Other institutions in the DC area offering laboratory
rotations for students in the HPDP program include the Carnegie
Institute (CI), Howard University (HU), Smithsonian’s
National Museum of Natural History (SI), the Functional Anatomy
and Evolution Program at the Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine (JH), University of Pennsylvania (UP), and the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
The laboratories participate in the Human Evolutionary Biology
Doctoral Program (HEBDP).
6)
Public Understanding of Science Internship (3 credit hours,
completed before the end of Year 5)
HPDP
believes that the responsibilities of scientists who study
our species' evolutionary history must also extend to the
public at large. Therefore, an important component of the
HPDP is an internship in the "Public Understanding of
Science." Before the end of Year 5, students undertake
a part-time, semester-long or summer internship with an organization
that presents science to the public. To date, HPDP students
have successfully completed internships working directly on
articles and website material at the National Geographic and
USA Today, working with producers at NPR and contributing
their own pieces, contributing to public initiatives on the
understanding of race and human variation with the American
Association of Anthropologists and AAAS programs on science,
ethics and religion, and helping to design the content of
a major Human Origins Hall at the Smithsonian’s National
Museum of Natural History. Other standing opportunities include
attachments to the exhibits or education departments, or the
public outreach, public relations, or congressional affairs
offices of the Smithsonian Institution (e.g. The National
Zoological Park, The National Museum of Natural History),
or to other appropriate organizations based in Washington,
DC (e.g., The National Geographic Society, National Public
Radio, The Washington Post, Science Magazine, The National
Academy of Sciences).
7) Capstone Seminar (Years 3 - 5)
Beginning
in the fifth semester, students make presentations in a weekly
journal club that helps stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration
among faculty and students.
8) Dissertation
Students
generally begin research for the dissertation (including preparation
of a dissertation proposal) after completing their qualifying
exams at the end of Year 2. The final step before being advanced
to candidacy is a Dissertation Proposal Defense, comprising
a written proposal in the form of a National Science Foundation
Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, an oral presentation,
and a defense of the student’s proposed dissertation
topic. The Dissertation Proposal Defense is normally completed
by the end of Year 3.
The
dissertation committee includes three advisors drawn from
at least two different academic departments from institutions
in the HEBDP, and at least one reader from outside the HEBDP.
All
students must satisfy the General Requirements for the Ph.D.
stated in the Bulletin
of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
How
to Apply
For
graduate applications and more information about admission
to the HPDP, please contact:
The
George Washington University
Graduate Admissions
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
The George Washington University
801 22nd Street, NW, Suite 107
Washington DC 20052
Tel: (202) 994-6210
Fax: (202) 994-6213
E-mail: csasgrad@gwu.edu
http://www.gwu.edu/~ccas/grad/admissions.html
HPDP
Contact Information
For
more information about the HPDP, please contact:
Program
Director: Bernard Wood (On sabbatical for the 2008-9 academic
year).
Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology
Department of Anthropology
The George Washington University
2110 G Street, NW
Washington DC 20052
Phone: 202-994-6077
Fax: 202-994-6097
E-mail: bernardawood@gmail.com
http://home.gwu.edu/~bwood
Program
Director: Brian Richmond
Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology
Department of Anthropology
The George Washington University
2110 G Street, NW
Washington DC 20052
Phone: 202-994-0873
Fax: 202-994-6097
E-mail: brich@gwu.edu
http://home.gwu.edu/~brich
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