BIOL
W3500 - Independent Biological Research for College, GS and SEAS Students
For
further information about this course, contact:
Ron
Prywes
1002
Fairchild
mrp6@columbia.edu
212
854 8281
Office
hours: by appointment
Introduction to the course
BIOL W3500 -Independent study is an
opportunity for full-time undergraduates in the College, SEAS and GS interested
in laboratory research to share in the work of an ongoing research program in
our Department or in a comparable laboratory elsewhere in the region. Projects
should address a specific biological problem. Clinical projects are not
allowed. While most projects are laboratory-based, computational projects that
address specific biological issues are allowed. Projects are approved at the
beginning of the course after review of registration materials, but Prof.
Prywes can be consulted beforehand.
The grade for the work in the course is
determined by Prof. Prywes with input from the research advisor. The
grade is based on regular attendance in the laboratory, a demonstrable
understanding of the underlying question being asked by the research, and a
clear report on the work accomplished. Further details are below.
COURSE FEE: Please note that there is a $150 lab fee for this course.
Recitations:
There
will be a weekly recitation for student presentation of research work. It will
start around the beginning of October. All students are required to register
and attend the recitation, W3510. If there is an irreconcilable course
conflict, consult with Prof. Prywes and alternative assignments will be found.
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; however mentors that are not on
the approved list
require departmental approval before registration is considered final. There
are many excellent mentors not on the list; we would just like to make sure
that the projects are appropriate for this course. Most sponsors are at
Columbia’s Morningside Heights or Health Sciences Campuses, however, sponsors
in the New York area outside Columbia are also allowed. Some research projects
are not allowed if they are not sufficiently related to the type of
laboratory-based biological science performed in the department. Examples of
disallowed work are clinical studies, reading of patient data and surveys of
human behavior. Therefore, if there is any question, it is good to get approval
from Prof. Prywes as early as possible. Note that sponsors approved for SURF
are not all eligible for W3500 as SURF is a broader program.
You can find a spot in a lab as late as
the first week of the semester, but you'll have the best chance at getting into
a lab of your choice if you start looking during the previous semester. Some
further suggestions are given on the page "How you can do biological research."
B. How to register (3 steps)
You must complete the following steps to
register for W3500. 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 THREE STUDENT'S TASKS,
listed below, in a timely manner.
1
University registration. Register for W3500 with the Registrar. Students register for 3 or 4 credits. A general rule is a
minimum of 4 hours lab time/week/credit, i.e. register for 3 credits for 12
hours of lab time/week and 4 credits for 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.
13 for Fall 2016). No late registration will be accepted.
3
Sponsor’s Approval Letter. Make sure your sponsor has sent an approval
letter (see below) by the deadline for departmental registration (Tuesday,
Sept. 13 for Fall 2016).
4. One page proposal. Due September 12 for
sponsors not on the approved list, due Sept. 16 for sponsors on the approved
list. See below.
C.
Sponsor's Approval Letter
Ask your sponsor to write a letter by
email, 1) confirming that s/he will supervise your work in their lab, 2)
describing in a brief paragraph the work you will be doing, and 3) that they
understand that they are taking on the responsibility of mentoring you and that
they will provide a grade for your final paper during finals period. This
letter should be sent to Prof. Prywes at mrp6@columbia.edu. The deadline is the
same as for on-line registration (Tuesday, Sept. 13 for Fall 2016). Note that
the sponsor must be a faculty member, not a postdoctoral fellow or research
associate, though a lab member may be designated for day-to-day supervision
during the semester.
D.
One 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 the proposal through
Courseworks/Assignments. Do not copy your sponsor’s grant application or
research papers; we want your own words.
A.
If you chose a
mentor on the approved list or if you have been approved for W3500 in a
previous semester, your proposal is due by Friday of the second week of classes
(Sept. 16 for Fall 2016). You should receive an email either approving your
project, or requesting additional information, within a week to 10 days after
submitting your proposal. No late proposals will be accepted.
B. If
you chose a mentor who is NOT on the approved list, your proposal is due by
noon on Monday of the first week of classes (Sept. 12 for Fall
2016). There will be no extensions or exceptions. You should receive an email
either approving your project, or requesting additional information, early the
next week. Your registration for the course is considered tentative until your
project is approved. If your project is not approved, you may still work in the
lab as a volunteer, but you will not receive course credit for your work.
E. Course Requirement: Progress Report.
ONLY STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT GIVING
TALKS IN THE RECITATION TIMES MUST DO THIS ASSIGNMENT.
About 6 weeks into
the semester, you must turn in a one-page progress report, describing your work
thus far. Most students will not have research results at this point, but the
progress report must provide an indication that your project is proceeding in the
context of your own understanding of the underlying issues and hypotheses being
tested. This report should be submitted online through Courseworks/Assignments
by the following deadlines: Fall semester: Thursday, October 20.
F.
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. Page limits (6 pages single spaced) and guidelines
will be provided during the semester. 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. Students may in addition review Professor David
Helfand’s book “Habits,” from their Core science course Frontiers of Science
for guidance. The paper must be submitted online through
Courseworks/Assignments by the last day of the reading period, i.e., before the
first day of finals- Fall 2016 semester deadline: December 15. You should also
submit a final copy to your lab head. You should plan to write a first draft of
the paper, submit it to your mentor for comments a week before the deadline,
and then revise the paper accordingly, before the deadline. 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.
G.
Sponsor's Grade. Your sponsor submits a grade for the semester, based on your
laboratory work and your research paper.
After reading your paper, your sponsor
should submit a grade to Prof. Prywes (mrp6@columbia.edu). The deadline for
receiving this grade is the last day of finals (Spring semester 2016: December
22).
Grading guidelines will be sent to the
sponsors.
H.
Board of Undergraduate Research Advisors.
Each student will be assigned an advisor from our Board of Undergraduate
Research Advisors comprised of faculty from across the university. The student must
meet with this advisor at least once during the semester and this advisor will
read and grade the final paper. The student is responsible for arranging these
meetings.
I.
Final Grade.
Prof. Prywes will assign your final grade,
based on your progress report, the review of your paper by a member of the
Board of Undergraduate Research Advisors, and your sponsor's recommendation.
Important: you must have submitted all the information required ON TIME in
order to receive a full grade.
J.
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.
K.
Academic Credit for W3500 for
Biology Majors: Biology majors may earn up to 2 semesters
of lab credit toward the requirements for the biology major. W3500 cannot be
used to fulfill an elective requirement. Although additional semesters of W3500
do not count towards the biology major, additional terms of W3500 can be taken
and count towards the 124 points needed for graduation.
L.
Salaried work is not allowed.
Note that one cannot receive academic credit for salaried lab work, nor for
unpaid work that was done before you registered for W3500.