Biology majors may participate in research by enrolling in one or more courses: Biology 401-404, Independent Research, or Biology 495-496, Thesis. These courses are intended to provide students with individual research instruction in a sub-discipline of biology and to allow them to develop and pursue their own laboratory or field research projects. Rather than simply serving as laboratory technicians, students taking these courses are expected to develop their own research projects in consultation with a faculty mentor and to carry the projects to completion. Research students should expect to spend time each week working in the lab, reading published research papers, caring for living material, etc.
Although students enrolled in Independent Research or in Thesis engage in many of the same activities in the laboratory, the courses are different and they serve different purposes. Independent Research may be taken for up to four semesters by junior, senior and occasionally sophomore students. This offering is intended to allow any biology major to pursue an advanced laboratory research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Many students who participate in the Honors Program begin their research projects in their junior year by taking one or two semesters of Independent Research to define their research projects and to obtain preliminary data. Thesis is a course normally taken only by seniors and it is expected to lead to the presentation of an honors thesis by the student at the end of the senior year, although other timetables are possible. There are minimum all-college grade requirements for enrolling in Thesis, currently 3.00 GPA (grade point average) overall and 3.20 in courses in the major. Further, the student must earn an "A" in Thesis each semester, write and successfully defend the thesis, and be approved for graduation with honors by the Biology Department, the Faculty Academic Progress Committee, the entire Faculty and, ultimately, the Board of Trustees.
An alternative means of performing research with a biology faculty member at any point in your academic career is through the campus-wide Excel Scholars program. In this case the faculty mentor and student apply for an Excel scholarship to the Academic Research Committee of the Faculty. Students who are selected for the program receive a stipend and room and board for the summer or interim sessions, or can obtain financial support for the school year. However, students receive no formal course credit for their Excel research. These scholarships are highly competitive and have their own guidelines for GPA, etc. Please discuss the Excel program with a faculty member if you are interested. The deadline for proposals for the summer program is in early February.
Students who are majors in other departments or programs and who wish to take Independent Research (Biol. 401-404) should consult the biology faculty member with whom they wish to collaborate and then obtain permission to register for the course from the department chair. It is also possible for non-majors to graduate with honors in biology. By faculty policy, students who wish to do honors work in departments other than their major department must separately petition the Faculty Academic Progress Committee for permission to do so. Such students must have taken at least six courses, exclusive of Thesis, in the honors department, four of which must be at or above the sophomore (200) level. Return to top of page.
How to become involved in research
The best way to become involved in research is to discuss the possibility of collaborative research with the professor whose research interests lie in the area of biology which most piques your curiosity. It is also a good idea to take a laboratory course with this person. In fact, most biology professors will require this as a test of your interest in and commitment to research. Taking a course which includes laboratory training in the area in which you hope to do research will provide useful skills in the research project to follow.
Assuming that your interest in doing research is now strong, it is time to approach the professor who taught the course and discuss again the possibility of a project in an area of mutual interest. In nearly all cases, students perform research projects in the faculty mentor's area of research interest. Do not be afraid to approach the professor of your choice and express an interest in doing research in his/her lab; biology faculty usually have several ideas which they would like to investigate and are often eager to find students who will collaborate with them. The professor will provide guidance, training and resources for the research project and you will provide interest, hard work and enthusiasm. Having successfully negotiated the support of a faculty member and obtained the permission of the department chair to register for Independent Research, you will be expected to pursue your research project vigorously. Remember, you will be taking Independent Research as a full-fledged course and you should expect to spend a substantial amount of time each week on your research project. You should take this into account when scheduling other course work for the semester. Return to top of page.
Schedule for Independent Research Students
The scheduling of courses in Independent Research is not mandated by special Faculty rules, as are Thesis courses. Thus, students can begin their work in their sophomore or junior years as a prelude to registration for Thesis in the senior year. Others may elect to work in Independent Research for as many as four semesters. Students may not receive credit for more than four semesters of Independent Research/Thesis. Many professors require at least a two-semester commitment to the research project so you should discuss this issue with your prospective mentor. Return to top of page.
Schedule for Honors Students (detailed information is available in Appendix 1.)
The following schedule is a brief summary of the events which must take place during the course of the student's progress towards producing the honors thesis and graduation with honors in biology.
Sophomore or Junior Year
The student should consult with the research mentor about supporting an honors thesis research project. Most prospective honors students complete one or two semesters of Independent Research (or Excel Scholarship) with the mentor before their senior year.
Spring Semester of the Junior Year
With permission of the research mentor and department chair, the student enrolls in Biol. 495, Thesis, during Spring registration.
Fall Semester of the Senior Year
The student begins the research project and submits an honors thesis proposal to the department head (usually in late September) for faculty comment. The thesis committee and student meet (usually early October) to review the proposal and the comments made by all the faculty. If the student receives the mentor's and thesis committee's approval, s/he enrolls in Biol. 496, Thesis, and continues the research project.
Spring Semester of the Senior Year
The student's research continues during this semester. At the beginning of the 13th week of classes a near-final draft of the honors thesis is submitted to the department head for circulation to the department faculty for their comment and approval. The student then meets with the thesis committee to review the comments of the faculty and to determine whether the thesis meets with the committee's approval. The student will also present the thesis publicly, usually during the final examination period and, at this time, the department will decide on the thesis' acceptability as a credential for graduation with honors. Final copies of the thesis are submitted to the Department Head and mentor before the end of the final examination period. Return to top of page.
Additional Information
Additional information about research in biology can be obtained by speaking to any member of the department. Additional appendices (presented at the top of the page.) provide information on specific policies and resources for research in the department.
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