UW- Madison Bioscience Initiative for Recruiting Networking

What is BIRN?

The UW-Madison Bioscience Initiative for Recruiting and Networking (BIRN) is a program that connects UW-Madison bioscience faculty, staff, and graduate students with faculty, advisors, and prospective underrepresented minority (URM) students from other institutions and/or geographic areas.

MISSION STATEMENT

The BIRN program seeks to increase application and enrollment numbers for URM students in UW-Madison biosciences graduate programs by increasing awareness of the programs at other institutions.

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Applicants to our graduate programs and to the former Bioscience Opportunities Preview (BOPs) Program have indicated that their decision to apply to UW-Madison is often based on guidance from a professor or advisor. By reaching out to professors and advisors at outside institutions in addition to prospective students, BIRN will create new UW-Madison ambassadors and increase awareness among students.

What does BIRN do?

• Four times per academic year, a UW-Madison bioscience faculty member and a graduate coordinator travel together to another institution. Occasionally, a bioscience graduate student will be invited to join.
  • Faculty member
    • Scientific talk, recruiting presentation, & meet with prospective students individually or in groups
  • Graduate coordinator
    • Separate presentation on admissions & meet with advisors and prospective students
  • Bioscience graduate students
    • Share their experiences as a graduate student with prospective students
• Once per year, the program also hosts a faculty member from a targeted institution at UW-Madison.
  • Visiting faculty member
    • Present a scientific talk in an established seminar series & meet with bioscience program representatives from UW-Madison
    • Serve as an ambassador for UW-Madison when they return to their home institution