Department of Biology University of Vermont Undergraduate Research Proposal (BIOl 197/198)

Transcription

1 Department of Biology University of Vermont Undergraduate Research Proposal (BIOl 197/198) PROJECT TITLE STUDENT INVESTIGATOR Name Major Phone Year Academic Advisor Student ID # FACULTY RESEARCH SPONSOR Name Phone Department CREDITS Fall Spring CREDIT Do you plan to use 6 credits of research toward required advanced courses for the BS in Biological Science or Zoology? Yes No SIGNATURES Student Date I have read the Instructions to Students sheet and understand the deadlines and duties required for students enrolled in BIO 197/198. Faculty Research Sponsor I approve the Research Proposal prepared by the undergraduate research student. Also, the student has given me a copy of the Message to Research Sponsors. (The grade is due by the last day of classes.)

2 SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE Instructions to Students --Undergraduate Research Department of Biology BIOL 197 (Fall semester)/198 (Spring semester) Dr. Bryan A. Ballif, Undergraduate Research Advisor Office MLS 311, Mailbox MLS 120A, , Course Expectations and Goals The goal of Biology Undergraduate Research is to allow students to work closely with experienced researchers who will aid in the identification and conduct of an original research project. Typically, a student will work for 9 hours per week on the research for 3 credits (3 hours of lab work per hour of credit). Many students put in even more time. Students who are Biology/Biological Science/Zoology/A&S Environmental Sciences majors may work with either a Biology Department faculty member or a faculty member in other life science departments on campus. Students who are not majors within the Biology Department must work with a Biology Department faculty member. The research project must center on a conceptual problem in BIOLOGY, and include the statement of a problem, presentation of a hypothesis, organization of observations to test that hypothesis, collection of data, and analysis of those data. Students will prepare a Research Proposal under the guidance of a Faculty Research Sponsor. This proposal will be reviewed and approved by the Faculty Research Sponsor (the Advisor will sign the title page of the proposal). The student will then submit a paper copy of the Research Proposal to the Biology Department Undergraduate Research Advisor. After the proposal is approved, the Undergraduate Research Advisor in the Biology Department will prepare a course over-ride, and the student can register. A student cannot register before the Proposal is approved. It is the responsibility of the student to read, understand, and follow the requirements listed on this document. Any questions should be addressed to the Biology Department Undergraduate Advisor. Presentation of Final Paper Students will prepare a paper in standard journal format under the supervision of the research sponsor. The length of the paper should reflect the time devoted to the project (either one or two semesters), and should be in the format of a journal (the journal should be indicated on the cover sheet). The paper must match the format of a specific journal. Research Talk Biological Science or Zoology BS majors who plan to use six credits of undergraduate research as part of their required advanced courses MUST present a short seminar at a venue to be announced by the Biology Department. All other students who register for Undergraduate Research are sometimes also required to present a talk. Students will be

3 notified by regarding the date and time of the presentation. At that time, the student should invite the Project Faculty Sponsor to attend, and submit a title to the Department of Biology Undergraduate Research Advisor. Evaluation The Biology Department Undergraduate Research Advisor will award the final grade based on the evaluation of the Faculty Research Sponsor, the final paper, and the miniseminar presentation (if one is required). The Biology Department Undergraduate Research Advisor may also consult other members of the Biology Department. The grade will be based on the evaluation of the amount of work put into the project by the student and the creative thinking displayed. Deadlines DEADLINES ARE FIRM The Research Proposal is due no later than two days before the end of the drop-add period (if working with a Biology Department Faculty member). This will allow the proposal to be reviewed by the Undergraduate Research Advisor and perhaps other faculty members in the Biology Department. To prevent disappointments, it is a VERY good idea to discuss the proposal with Dr. Ballif in advance of the deadline. The final paper (in the format of a journal article) must be approved by the Faculty Research Sponsor and then submitted to the Department of Biology Undergraduate Research Advisor by the LAST DAY OF CLASSES. The suggested final grade must be submitted by the Faculty Research Sponsor to the Department of Biology Undergraduate Research Advisor by the last day of classes. Students are responsible for reminding their Sponsors of the approaching deadline. The grade can be submitted by paper message, , or phone to Dr. Ballif. Remember that dozens of students will be working in research courses every semester, so it is important that a suggested grade from the Sponsor and the final paper be submitted by the last day of classes. Late grades and papers will delay reporting the final grade to the Registrar's office and may cause problems for graduating seniors. Therefore, mark the date on your calendar. The suggested grade from you sponsor and the final paper must be submitted by the LAST DAY OF CLASSES.

4 RESEARCH PROPOSAL The proposal begins with the cover page with ALL information requested. Note that ALL the information must be provided. Please write clearly!! The proposal should be a professional document, neatly typed, spell-checked, and composed in the style typical of a journal in biology. 1. Length. The proposal should be 3-4 pages, single spaced, with an extra page for references. 2. Style. The proposal should be in the standard prose of science, prepared in professional format, and include at least five references. 3. Organization a. Introduction. Place the project in a general context of the discipline. Begin with a very general statement, then focus in on the specific topic to be explored. What are the implications of your study? Demonstrate that this is a scientific study, asking original questions about an important problem in the life sciences. The QUESTION, HYPOTHESIS, and PREDICTED OUTCOME should be stated in language understandable to a general reader familiar with the life sciences. A reader should know, after reading the Introduction, WHAT you will be doing and WHY you are doing it. b. Methods. Present the details of the protocol to be followed. Where will you do the work? What equipment and supplies will you be using? What methods are required, and which will you need to learn? What are the analyses to be completed? Note that any use of vertebrate animals or human subjects must be approved by the appropriate institutional review panel (the student's research sponsor will have information on this subject). c. Results. Present here some ideas of the type of results that you expect from your project. Suppose your results conflict with the hypothesis under scrutiny -- how would you interpret such results? Examples (poor and acceptable) of the opening of an Introduction to a Research Proposal Poor -- Goober fish are very pretty; the males have lots of bright colors on their fins. Very little is known about goober fish, so I will do a study on them. I will determine if the bright colors of goober fish attract predators. It seems to me that bright colors should attract predators. I don't know if anyone has done such a study before, but I will learn from the project. Acceptable -- The males of many species of animals display extravagant morphological features (such as bright colors), whereas the females are relatively dull in their appearance (Smith, 1998). Darwin (1880) noted that such extravagant features may reduce the lifespan of the males, perhaps by attracting the attention of predators. He argued that the cost of the extravagant trait to fitness will be more than balanced by "sexual selection" in which females prefer to mate with the showy males. However, little evidence exists to test the idea that predators actually attack the showy males more often (review in Jones, 1991). Goober fish (about 40 species are known [Williams, 1989]) are a strongly sexually dimorphic species; males are very colorful (at least to human eyes), whereas the females are dull. I wish to test the hypothesis that the bright colors attract attack by predators and thus have a cost to fitness of the male goobers. I will need to use the natural predators of the goobers, and in an experimental set-up that mimics the natural goober habitat.

5 Undergraduate Research Department of Biology BIOL 197 (Fall) /198 (Spring) MESSAGE TO FACULTY RESEARCH SPONSORS Thank you for agreeing to serve as a Faculty Research Advisor for a student conducting Undergraduate Research (BIOL 197/198). Over the past 30 years, students have told us that undergraduate research projects were a central event in their academic experience. Students often remember the Faculty Research Sponsors as their most important role models. The goal of Biology Undergraduate Research is to allow students to work closely with experienced researchers who will aid in the identification and conduct of an original research project. Students typically work 3 hours per week per hour of credit in the lab or field (so, nine hours for the typical 3 credits). Students will prepare a Research Proposal under your guidance. After you approve the proposal, and sign off on the cover page, the student will submit a paper copy of the proposal to me (Department of Biology Undergraduate Research Advisor, Dr. Bryan A. Ballif, MLS 311, bballif@uvm.edu, ). The proposals are due two days before the end of the drop-add period, although students are strongly urged to get he proposal done far earlier. Undergraduate researchers must work closely with you on the project. In practice, most students work day-to-day with a Postdoctoral Fellow or senior graduate student. The student should also make periodic contact with the Faculty Sponsor to discuss progress, questions, and to receive guidance. Occasionally students work with a Research Sponsor off campus (at a field site or during international study). These Sponsors have a particular responsibility to assure that the student receives substantial academic benefit and conducts a scientific, conceptual study. Students will prepare a paper in standard journal format under the supervision of the Research Sponsor. The student should know which journal is being used as the model for format, but that is left to you to decide which journal is appropriate for the research topic. The student is usually required by the Biology Department to present a short talk during an Undergraduate Research Symposium. Again, the student will know if she/he is required to present a talk and will discuss the format of the talk. The deadline for submission of the paper and grades me is the LAST DAY OF CLASSES. The students know it is their responsibility to remind you to submit the grade, and for them to submit the paper you have approved. Please assist them to complete the course by the final deadline. Again, thank you for bringing a student into your research program.