Dr. Douglas Rhoads Professor of Biological Sciences Director of Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology 1Biology Club Fall 2012

 Learning experiences  How many hours a week are expected  How to find a project/mentor  Prior knowledge requirements  Benefits to you  Writing and defending a thesis 2Biology Club Fall 2012

 Highly dependent on choice of mentor  Some common techniques ◦ DNA isolation ◦ Culture of microorganisms ◦ PCR ◦ Electrophoresis ◦ Bioinformatics ◦ DNA cloning  Research Frustration 3Biology Club Fall 2012

 What do you want out of it? ◦ Level of honors is affected by your commitment  Range of a few hours per week to 10 or more  Laboratory becomes your study/office/break room  Usually best to find one or two days to devote 4-6 hours to the laboratory  Requires commitment of several hours but can schedule around classes 4Biology Club Fall 2012

  Biology faculty vs others: ◦ Pros  Ratio and competition ◦ Cons  Logistics  Defense  When to find a mentor ◦ Start of your Junior year ◦ Commit 2 years ◦ Why?  Send out some s 5Biology Club Fall 2012

Not so GoodMuch Better Dear Dr.- I am a BS biology major and need to do my honors project. I am interested in your research projects. If you have any openings I would be thrilled to talk with you at your convenience. My resume is attached. Dr. Rhoads, I am an honors biology student (currently 62 hrs 3.7 GPA) looking for a lab for my honors thesis research. I have browsed your website. My goals include medical school so I am very interested in your work regarding pulmonary hypertension and the genetics of the disease. I would love to learn more and get involved if there is a spot open in your lab! 6Biology Club Fall 2012

 Recommended Coursework: ◦ Cell Biology ◦ Genetics ◦ Inorganic Chemistry II 7Biology Club Fall 2012

 Laboratory based learning  Honors credit (BIOL498V, BIOL499VH)  Funding ◦ SURF and Honors college grants  Research experiences ◦ Future career goals  Letters of Recommendation 8Biology Club Fall 2012

 Timeline ◦ One semester training ◦ Two semesters data collection ◦ One semester finishing, analyses and writing ◦ Defend in March or April Senior year  Format ◦ 20+ pages ◦ Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion, Bibliography  Committee (Mentor, 2 Faculty and Honors Rep) ◦ minute presentation ◦ 20 minutes of questions ◦ 1 hour maximum 9Biology Club Fall 2012