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master s programme in biology msc faculty of science international master s programme a voyage of discovery how do plants animals and micro-organisms adapt to their environment this question is central in the nijmegen master s programme in biology this msc programme not only covers a multitude of organisms and places interactions between them into context it also integrates all levels of organisation from the molecule and the cell up to ecosystems and the landscape this msc programme really is a voyage of discovery and prepares you for a career in science both fundamental and applied it also provides the necessary knowledge for innovative evidence-based applications in nature and water management experts with research grouped at the institute for water and wetlands research iwwr much of the adaptation focuses on water issues and the stress imposed on organisms by exposure to too much water too little water or bad water quality the iwwr researchers are experts in these topics this is reflected both in the many articles they publish in top journals and the number of national and international grants they receive as a master s student you will be part of this dynamic research environment and you will be able to make use of state-of-theart facilities three tracks at the start of the programme there is an orientation course scheduled that will provide all information for you to choose which of the three tracks you wish to follow adaptive organisms communities and ecosystems or water and environment the track adaptive organisms has its prime focus on processes at the sub-organismal level using the latest molecular and physiological tools the adaptation of organisms to environmental stresses are studied the regulatory mechanisms are understood including the genetic constraints the physiological plasticity and the evolutionary history of the responses of organisms that we see the programme provides a fascinating overview on the adaptability of plants animals and microorganisms to sub-optimal conditions and conveys crucial information for an understanding of the effects of environmental change this information is applied in nature management but also in biotechnology and breeding programmes the track communities and ecosystems focuses on the ecology of units of interacting individuals in populations communities and ecosystems the biodiversity is analysed and functionally related to the hydrology nutritional status and landscape configuration of the ecosystem ecogenomics tools are applied to obtain information on unknown components such as microbial composition or evolutionary history of populations this

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information together gives insight in how different communities plants animals micro-organisms within an ecosystem are interrelated and interdependent and how they determine the resilience of the community to environmental stress this fundamental knowledge is applied in proven applications in nature and water management the track water and environment focuses on the insight needed to tackle problems such as climate change flooding eutrophication chemical pollution habitat fragmentation and bio-invasions we provide you with the laboratory field and assessment tools to protect ecosystem and human health in the context of multiple environmental pressures if you wish you can specialise in transnational water management twm an international program set up together with the university of duisburg-essen or in human and environmental risk assessment hera of chemicals carried out together with the radboud university medical centre the track water and environment provides you with the qualifications you need for positions at research institutes industry consultancies universities governments and other scientific and management oriented organisations personal tutor this programme ­ all three tracks offers you many opportunities to follow your own interests under the guidance of a personal tutor each time you start a research internship you will select a research group and be allocated a supervisor together you will decide which research to carry out and the specializations and subject choices that most effectively support it your second research internship may either be carried out at another university in the netherlands abroad or in a company here our extensive international research network can be of great benefit the programme the two-year programme is structured as follows · 18ecobligatorycourses15ecatstart,seeschedule · 12ecthesis/theoreticalcomponentincl.excursion with essay · 72ecresearchinternships2x36ec · 3ecphilosophymastercourse · 15ecfreespaceextensionofinternshipsispossible once you ve graduated you ll be awarded a master of science degree career prospects this programme provides you with the qualifications you need tostartworkingonyourphd,whichmostofourgraduatesdo within our research institute there are vacancies every year graduates are also employed as researchers and managers in international companies and at research institutes wk 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 adaptive organisms microbiologyof wetland ecosystems communities ecosystems orientation water environment incl twm hera ecological&environmentalconcepts genetics&ecogenomics adaptationphysiology managementofecosystems biodiversity,ecosystemfuntioning ecological assessment ecological&environmentalmodelling 9-10 molecularphysiologyof plantstressadaptation

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karin stultiens didn t just climb trees she also wanted to know what goes on inside them i always wanted to know everything about the lifeofanimalsandplants.plantsaresofascinating,theirsystemis extremely complex a lot of effort goes into studying animals but in my opinion the beautiful life of plants deservers more attention for my master s degree i chose molecular biology i m learning more andmoreaboutthestructureofplants.plantsarenotasdifferentfrom animalsasmostofusthink.plantsalsoproducehormonestocontrol their fertility and growth and transport nutrients to areas where they are needed this is done through the plant sap just like blood does in animals and humans the main difference is that plants do not have the same kind of nervous system and therefore do not react to signals in the way that animals and humans do kariniscurrentlydoingherinternshipatthedepartmentofplantcell biology,wheresheisinvolvedinphdstudentmaaikedejong s research on auxin response factors arf a gene that affects plant growthintomatoplants maaikestudiesarf-7,whileifocusonarf9 our method is to silence the arf gene which controls other genes so we can learn about its effects the funny thing is that when you silencethearf-7,theplantgrowsperfectlyheart-shapedtomatoes unfortunately we re not allowed to sell or eat them because they ve been genetically manipulated karin is trying to learn more about the function of arf-9 we know it is there but have no idea what it does we are having trouble finding the phenotype which is the first piece of the puzzle using in situ hybridization we have found some interesting effects in the expression but so far we have been unable to observe the gene directly in the fruit there s still time however and there is still hope that we will find interesting results and get to publish an article in a scientific journal karin s second master s internship will be at wageningen university where she will set up her own research from scratch it s a real opportunity to put everything i ve learned over the past few years into practice i m going to be looking at algae which is also new to me despite her enthusiasm for lab research karin is not intending to pursueaphdposition ifyouwanttoachieveanything,youcannot ignore the industry i want to help bridge the gap between research and management karin stultiens master s student in biology admission requirements · theequivalentofadutchbachelor sdegreeinbiologywith relevant subjects if there are gaps in your knowledge you will be able to follow an additional programme you may take a maximum of six months for this and your success will be evaluated by the examining board · fluencyinwrittenandspokenenglish:atoeflscoreofat least550oranieltsof6.5fornon-nativeenglishlanguage speakers admission to the programme takes place once a year in september registration for students from outside eeacountriescloseson1marchandforthosefromwithin theeeaon1may more information faculty of science international office e io@science.ru.nl i www.internationalmasters.eu

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useful addresses radboud university nijmegen pobox9102 6500hcnijmegen the netherlands t 310243616161 f 310243564606 i www.ru.nl/english international office comeniuslaan6 6525hpnijmegen the netherlands pobox9102 6500hcnijmegen the netherlands t 31 024-3616055 f 31 024-3612757 e internationaloffice@io.ru.nl i www.ru.nl/io/english faculty of science heyendaalseweg135 6525ajnijmegen the netherlands p.o.box9010 6500glnijmegen the netherlands t 31243653342 f 31243652888 e io@science.ru.nl nuffic i www.nuffic.nl www.internationalmasters.eu publication date september 2010

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