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Undergraduate Research
Zoology alumni rate undergraduate research as one
of the top academic experiences they had at the UW. The Department
endorses undergraduate research as one of the most potentially
rewarding aspects of your undergraduate experience.
Why do undergraduate research?
- Learn skills and techniques that can be useful
in other projects and/or work settings
- Enhanced marketability to employers, graduate
schools, and professional schools.
- Position yourself for summer research and internship
possibilities
- Gain insight into your career decision-making.
i.e. do you want to be a researcher, would you enjoy having
scientists as colleagues, which research areas interest you
- Develop new relationships with researchers who
may be able to:
- Help you with career decisions
- Recommend you for jobs or graduate/professional
school admissions
- Earn credit and/or financial
compensation
- Experience firsthand the excitement and frustrations
of doing research
- Become a more engaged student. The application,
importance, and interconnectivity of material from other courses,
i.e. math, physics, and especially chemistry, will become much
more obvious – and interesting when you can see how it
relates to your project.
- Develop a more intimate and functional understanding
of the scientific method
- Learn how to read, understand, and critically
evaluate scientific journal articles
- Opportunity to make pioneering discoveries at
the forefront of science
- Opportunity to present results on and off-campus.
- Possibilities to publish results in scientific
journals.
- For students considering graduate studies, it
is a chance to work along side graduate students and postdoctoral
associates and experience firsthand some aspects of graduate
training
What will I be doing?
Each project is based
on an individual agreement between you and a research mentor.
Your research mentor will help you define a research problem,
design experiments, and interpret results. Students often work
closely with a graduate student, post-doctoral associate, or other
member of the lab. You will be expected to work in a team, to adapt
to a specific research topic and to meet deadlines.
Although each experience will be unique, here are some common themes
involved with most projects: conduct literature searches, read
scientific papers related to your research topic, perform experiments,
keep detailed lab notes, perform data analysis, write a report,
attend lab meetings, replenish supplies and solutions, maintain
lab equipment.
How much time does research involve?
The UW expects students to put in an average of 45 hours (3hrs/week)
to receive one research credit. Students can take 1-6 credits of
research each semester, but the typical enrollment is 2-3 credits.
Given the amount of training time required to bring you up to speed
in the lab, many research mentors look for students who are willing
to participate in another semester in their lab.
Do research credits count for my major?
The zoology major is highly supportive of undergraduate research
and will make an effort to accept all appropriate research credits
toward the major requirements (up to a max. of 10). If your research
is outside of the zoology department, it will need to be considered
for approval on a case by case basis. Please submit a research
abstract that includes your role, project goals, and your mentor’s
contact info to Jaime Reich along with the credit approval form
(bearing your faculty advisor’s signature of approval). If
your credits are in the zoology department they will count automatically
up to a max. of 10.
A maximum of 10 credits of directed study (698, 699),
senior thesis (691, 692), or senior honors thesis (681, 682)
will count toward the 30 credits required for the major.
Will I receive a grade for my research credits?
Usually, yes. There are some courses which are credit/no credit
(i.e. course number 698). In this case there is no grade associated
with the course. Most research credits are completed for a grade
(i.e. 299, 699, 681/682, 691/692). You will not have a syllabus,
exams, etc, like a typical class, so it is important to ask your
research mentor how the grade will be determined and by which
criteria. Do a progress check with your advisor from time to time
throughout the semester.
When should I start?
There are research opportunities available for every level of
student – freshman through senior. If you are interested
in graduate school, it is good to start during junior year (or
earlier).
- URS -
dedicated to helping first- and second-year undergraduates
get hands-on experience in research
- Zoology 152 has a mentored research option
- Directed Studies are available to every level
student
- Seniors can choose to do a Senior Thesis
- If you've had intro bio, seek a research internship
through organizations such as:
How do I enroll for this?
You first have to make arrangements to do research with a faculty
member. You will need their permission to enroll. This is usually
conveyed to the department office using an authorization form.
You’ll enroll in the department of your sponsoring professor
regardless of your major. Once the form is processed, you will
receive an enrollment number with which to enroll via MY UW as
usual.
- If your mentor is a Zoology faculty member -
fill out a Course
Authorization form and return it to 145 Noland.
You will then receive an email authorizing and instructing
you to web-enroll for your directed study or thesis in zoology.
- If you have a research mentor outside of zoology
you may enroll in your mentor’s department. Follow your
mentor’s department’s guidelines for registration.
Usually you’ll need to complete a Course Authorization
form and take it to your mentor’s departmental office.
To apply these credits toward the zoology major, you’ll
need to meet with your zoology faculty advisor to see if the
work is appropriate and approved toward major requirements.
If so, have them sign exception
request form and turn it in
to Jaime Reich –234 Noland.
- If the research mentor’s department does
not have appropriate undergraduate course numbers, or other
complications exist, see Shannon Schoolmeesters for assistance.
Depending upon the length of time you plan to be involved in
the research project, you may decide to enroll for either Directed
Study, Senior Thesis, or Senior Honors Thesis.
Directed Study is for students
interested in a short-term undergraduate research experience of
one semester, though it is repeatable. The Department of Zoology
offers two kinds of Directed Study. Zoology 699 is graded on an
A to F scale. Directed Study 698 is graded on a credit/no credit
basis.
Senior Thesis is
for students interested in making a year-long commitment to one
research project. Students should contact their major advisor
during their Junior year to explore possible research areas in
zoology.
Zoology Senior Thesis Requirements:
- have approval of zoology advisor;
- complete Zoology 679 and 680 during the senior year; adjustments
can be made for students graduating in December;
- complete Zoology 691 and 692, a two- semester thesis research
sequence, during the senior year (6 to 8 credits).
It is recommended that candidates for the Senior Thesis take Directed
Study 699 during second semester junior year to prepare for the
thesis.
Senior Honors Thesis is
for students expecting to do especially distinguished work, including
a year-long research experience. Senior
Honors Thesis is part of the Honors in
the Major program in Zoology.
How do I find a faculty member to work with?
Faculty campus-wide may
sponsor you for undergraduate research. To narrow your search,
think about which areas of biology you would be most excited to
learn about. Reading journals, science news, and talking to your
professors and TA’s
can help you define your interests.
Once you have some interest areas chosen, find out who’s
doing work in those areas.
- Discuss your interests with professors, TAs,
advisors, etc. They may be able to refer you to a researcher
who is doing a project that may intrigue you.
- Scan faculty research web pages. Most department
home pages have faculty research links that will give you a
brief description of what is going on in each lab.
- Search for potential mentors using the
“Community
of Science” database. This allows you
to enter a keyword and begin a search across campus for lab descriptions
in a certain interest area.
- As you work on this search, try to identify a
handful of promising prospects. These will be the potential
faculty research mentors that you should make contact with.
How should I approach a potential faculty
research mentor?
First, introduce yourself. You may write a brief letter, email,
or make a phone call requesting a meeting with the researcher.
You will want to include some or all of the following information:
- You are seeking an undergraduate research experience
- Your interest and motivation for working in
the particular area
(demonstrate that you have read at least their research interests
blurb from the web)
- Your level of commitment and availability.
Include hours per week and potential number of semesters.
(may want to attach a course grid)
- If you are considering completing
or preparing to complete a senior thesis or senior honors
thesis, include that
- One page resume including course work, grades,
work experiences, special interests (or include a brief outline
of this info in the email if you’re still working on
the resume)
- Request a meeting and include a few different
blocks of time that you will be available
- If you do not get a response within 3 days,
consider following up with an email or phone call
Keep in mind that some faculty may not be able to take a student
for whatever reason. Be prepared repeat the process a few times –
tailoring your email slightly for each individual you contact.
Before you meet with a potential mentor, be somewhat knowledgeable
about her or his work. You can often find abstracts, or publication
lists on the researcher’s web page. This will help to make
your interaction more positive and productive.
Your potential mentor will want to find out more about you before
they commit to working with you in the lab. They may ask about
your interests, motivations, preparation, and expectations. This
is your opportunity to do the same. Ask questions about the projects
currently going on, possibilities where you could fit in, who would
supervise your work, whether he/she has had undergraduates working
in their lab before, and anything else you’re curious about.
If it seems like a good match, ask if they would agree to be your
mentor for one of the projects!
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