BIO 452-01, Research in Biology, Spring 2005

Abstract

Research in Biology (Biology 451/452) is intended to provide a complete researchexperience. As a regular college course, Research is the equal of any other course at Rhodes in that credit is earned for accomplishment, and working responsibly and maintaining regular progress are crucial to success. However, since Research differs in many ways from other courses, its independence and individuality present special challenges, and it is important not to mismanage its independence. The Department requires that each Research student meet regularly with his/her research sponsor, fulfill the time obligations outlined below, and provide a presentation of the semester’s activities at the end of each semester (e.g.seminar, poster or written presentation, submission for publication,etc.). The specifics of these and any additional requirements (e.g. proposal, notebook, deadlines for completion oftasks, interim presentations at lab meetings, etc.) and the way in which the student will be evaluated will vary with each project and will be negotiated and contracted between student and sponsor during the first weeks of the semester. Contracts may be reviewed and revised during the semester. Rhodes courses expect a minimum of forty-six hours of work, including outside reading,experiments, conferences, and writing assignments, for each one hour of credit. This expectation guides the minimum time requirements for research courses. For example, if a student enrolls in 4 hours of Biology 451,he/she commits to at least 13 hours of work per week over the course of 14 weeks. It is the student’s responsibility under the Honor Code to fulfill this requirement, and it may be beneficial to keep an accounting of time as a part of the notebook.