Honors Program In Biological Sciences -

General Information

Admission to the Department of Biological Sciences Honors Program is a privilege conferred by the Honors Committee on behalf of the departmental faculty. Students seeking admission to the program should carefully study the description of the Honors Program to assure that they meet the minimal qualifications for admission ant that they will have sufficient credits in Biological Sciences to meet SBL or SCL requirements for graduation as listed in the catalog or degree schedule after completion of two semesters in the program.

Faculty advisors for honors program research will expect a serious commitment of student time for successful completion of a research project. Students will need to carefully consider their schedules for their senior year to allow sufficient time for research and should have specific discussions with their prospective advisor concerning her/his expectations of their working time. As a rule of thumb at least 3 hours working time will be expected for each credit hour.

The nature of projects will vary considerably among students and advisors but all should involve original scientific research for which the student has primary responsibility. Some projects may be conceived by the student and others suggested by the advisor. Students should bear in mind that not all faculty will have time, space or resources to manage honors projects in any given year so that some flexibility may be necessary to find a willing advisor.

Application Procedure

Students applying for admission to the Honors Program should obtain an application packet from the Biological Sciences departmental office or the chair of the Honors Committee. Most items on the application form are self explanatory. The "Title of Project" should be short and descriptive. The "Abstract" should include a brief statement of what will be done in the project and how it will be accomplished. Abstracts must be limited to the space provided. The "Application Statement" should detail why the student wishes to be admitted to the Honors Program along with the student's long term career goals. This statement should not exceed one page. The "Project Proposal" should be written in consultation with the proposed research advisor. All proposals must be in the following format.

I. Introduction - this section will include an explicit statement of the hypothesis to be tested and the goals of the project. Pertinent background information and a brief literature review should be presented to demonstrate the value of the project in providing new scientific information.

II. Methods - This section will include a detailed methodology to be followed in the research. Experimental design and methods of data analysis should be clearly presented. Existing techniques should be appropriately referenced and new techniques should be explained in sufficient detail to allow evaluation of the probable success.

III. Discussion- This section should include a general discussion of the proposed project in relationship to published research in the field. Realistic assessments of the probability of success, acknowledgments of potential problems and alternative approaches to completing the project, if the initial approach should prove unworkable, should be included.

IV. Literature Cited

V. Task and Activity Schedule - This section will detail the times at which various parts of the project will be completed. In general the student should remember that everything will take longer than she/he anticipates!

VI. Proposed Budget - This section details all expenses which will be incurred in the course of conducting the research. Categories should be as follows:

A. Expendable supplies and chemicals
B. Equipment to be purchased
C. Travel
D. Computer time of software to be purchased

The source of funds to meet costs in each category should be given. For example, your advisor may be able to provide for the cost of expendable supplies for a research grant and you may be able to donate the cost of gasoline to do field work using your own car.

Application Form

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Honors Program Requirements & Recognition Information

National Biological Sciences Honor Society - Phi Sigma