BIOL C3500 - Independent Research for College
Students
BIOL F3403 -- Independent Study for GS Students
For further information about these courses, contact:
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813A Fairchild |
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854-8281 |
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Office hours: By appointment. |
If the first semester that a student takes C3500/F3403 is in the Fall, it must be taken concurrently with C3600
Try your
hand at research
(click to find
out how undergraduates can get experience working in a research laboratory)
A. Finding a
research sponsor
The
first step towards doing independent study research is finding a sponsor who
will supervise your work. You must take the initiative to find a sponsor
by contacting faculty who do research you are interested in. Any faculty
member doing laboratory-based research in biological and biomedical sciences is
an eligible sponsor. Most sponsors are at
B. How to register (4 steps)
You must complete the
following steps to register for C3500 or F3403. Note that you have to register
with the Registrar, as for any other class, AND you have to register with the
Department, which requires completion of ALL FOUR STUDENT'S
TASKS, listed below, in a timely manner.
1. * University registration.
Register for
C3500 with the Registrar. Generally students register for 3 or 4 credits.
Registration for more than 4 pts per semester requires permission of Dr. Prywes. A general rule is 4 hours lab
time/week/credit, i.e. register for 3 credits for 12 hours of lab time/week and
4 credits from 16 or more.
2. * Departmental
registration.
Fill out the on-line
registration form. Due Date: As early as possible during the registration
period, but definitely no later than one week from start of classes. (Tuesday, Sept
11, for fall term 2007; Tuesday, Jan 29, for spring term 2008.) Late
registration requires permission of Dr.
Prywes.
3. 1 Page Proposal
After consulting with your sponsor about the project that you will work on, you
should write a one-page proposal in clear prose describing the planned work,
and submit this to 600 Fairchild by Friday of the second week of classes
(Sept.14 for Fall 2007; Feb 1 for Spring 2008). Do not copy your sponsor’s
grant application or research papers; we want your own words.
Within a week to 10 days after submitting your material in 600 Fairchild, you
should receive an email either approving your project, or requesting additional
information. If you run into difficulties with deadlines, please inform Dr.
Prywes.
4. Make sure your sponsor has sent an
approval letter (see below) by the deadline for departmental registration
(Tuesday, Sept 11, for fall term 2007; Tuesday, Jan 29, for spring term 2008.).
C. Sponsor's Approval Letter
Ask your sponsor to write a letter by email, confirming that s/he will
supervise your work in their lab and describing in a brief paragraph the work
you will be doing. This letter should be sent to Jaya Santosh at : jaya@biology.columbia.edu . Same deadline as for on-line
registration. Note that the sponsor must be a faculty
member, not a postdoctoral fellow or research associate, though a lab member
may be designated for communication during the semester.
D. Course Requirements
Progress Report
About 6 weeks into the semester, you must turn in a one-page progress report in
plain English, describing your work thus far. Most students will not have
research results at this point, but the progress report provides an indication
that your project is proceeding satisfactorily. This report should be submitted
to 600 Fairchild by the following deadlines: Fall semester: Thursday, October
18; Spring semester: Thursday, March 6.
Final Paper
Near the end of the term, you are required to write a paper -- in the style of
a scientific research article -- at a level understandable to a scientist who
is working in a different area of biology. Do not copy or paraphrase your
mentor's grants or papers. Assistance with the writing of your first scientific
paper can be found on the page Writing a
scientific research article, or from taking the companion course offered
each Fall, C3600,
Biological Research Skills. In fact, the first semester that a student
takes C3500/F3403, it must be taken concurrently with C3600.
Bring your paper to 600 Fairchild by the last day of the reading period, i.e.,
before the first day of finals. Fall semester deadline: Dec 13; Spring
semester: May 8. Since you should plan to write a first draft of the paper,
submit it to your mentor for comments, and then revise the paper accordingly,
and since the final paper is due in 600 Fairchild by the last day of the
reading period, it is incumbent upon YOU to make sure that you submit the first
draft to your sponsor early enough for him/her to have a chance to read it and
for you to revise it.
Students who register Pass/Fail are required to follow all the above steps,
except that a one-page summary of research will be accepted in lieu of the
research paper, for the grade of P, with the sponsor’s agreement. Failure to
submit that paper by the deadline will lead to the assignment of an F.
E. Sponsor's Grade
Your sponsor submits a grade for the semester, based on your laboratory work
and your research paper. Dr. Prywes will assign your final grade, based on your
progress report, a review of your paper, and your sponsor's recommendation.
Important: you must have submitted all the information required ON TIME in
order to receive a full grade.
Grading
Guidelines for mentors
After reading your paper, your sponsor should submit a grade to Dr. Prywes (mrp6@columbia.edu) or to Ms. Jaya Santosh biodept@columbia.edu, or by mail to
the address listed above. The deadline for receiving this grade is the last day
of finals (Fall semester 2007: Dec 21; Spring semester 2008: May 16).
About C3500/F3403
Laboratory research gives you a chance to learn laboratory skills used in real research labs, develop skills in observing, recording and analyzing biological phenomena, and engage in the kind of critical thinking required for biological research. However, independent research is NOT a required part of the major, and NOT a requirement for acceptance to medical school. It should be pursued by only those students who have a genuine interest in basic research and sufficient time to devote to their research project.
You must be able to keep up with your other coursework, so allocating your time is critical. Many students register for C3500 in their junior or senior year. Generally students register for 3 or 4 points each semester, which corresponds to a minimum of 12 or 16 hours/week of lab work, respectively. Most students work more hours in the lab, especially since, as for other lab courses, much of your data analysis and preparation of the final paper will occur outside of the 'classroom' in this case the 16-hr/week spent in the lab. You must be able to keep up with your other coursework, so allocating your time is critical.
* A bit of advice: Whether you take 3 or 4 points of C3500, you will be joining a research team, which may include graduate students, post-doctoral research scientists, and lab technicians, in addition to the head of the lab. Many of these people put in all of their work time -- over 60 hours of work a week -- on their research projects. They may initially expect you to do the same. Because you are a student enrolled full-time in classes, you have the responsibility of budgeting your time, and assuring that your time commitment is within limits that you set. If difficulties arise, consult Dr. Prywes.
* Lab safety. Research laboratories contain equipment and chemicals that can be dangerous if used improperly. If you are working with radiation or animals, you will be required to complete specific training by the university. You should take seriously the risks involved in laboratory research, and make yourself aware of proper laboratory procedures. It's a good idea to read through one of the on-line manuals of laboratory safety that may be found on the Laboratory Safety page at the SURF site.
Academic Credit for C3500
Biology majors may earn up
to 2 semesters of lab credit or one semester of elective course credit toward
the requirements for the biology major, but not both. If 2 terms of C3500 or a
combination of C3500 and summer research work (in SURF) is used to fulfill the
lab requirement, no additional terms of C3500 may be accepted towards the
major. Although additional semesters of C3500 do not count towards the biology
major, additional credits will count towards the 124 points needed for
graduation; see the Dean of your year for more information.
Biochemistry majors should speak with Professor Tong about the maximum number of credits in 3500 allowed.
Biophysics majors should speak with Professor Yang about the maximum number of credits of 3500 allowed.
Biology Concentrators, Neuroscience & Behavior majors, Pre-med Concentrators, and all other majors may register for C3500 for degree credit, but that credit will not fulfill any of the requirements of their majors. Two terms of C3500 will fulfill the premed lab requirement, but one term of W2501 will do so just as well. For many years, medical students have counted C3500 towards the laboratory requirement for medical school.
You cannot receive academic credit for salaried lab work.
Academic Credit for F3403
The regulations regarding credit are the same as for C3500. If there are any questions (for any biology related major or special program in GS) see Dr. Prywes. Again, note that one cannot receive academic credit for salaried lab work, or for unpaid work that was done before you registered for F3403.