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Permanent Committee

 Overview

Your Permanent Committee is a set of advisors that help you choose your research problem and decide how it will best be studied.  They are also your examiners as they judge whether you are prepared to do your research and, when your study is complete, whether you have done an adequate job.  This committee should be chosen carefully.  Your advisor is the key person in helping you decide committee membership.

There are several formal requirements that must be met in establishing this committee.

 Establishing a Permanent Committee

Deadlines

  • Your permanent committee should be established during the second semester of your graduate program.
  • The deadline during the semester is established by needing to have a permanent committee two weeks before the Proposal Symposium.  The date of the Proposal Symposium is announced at the start of each semester and it usually is around the 10th week of the semester (Check).

Procedure

Student: Send the following materials to the Graduate Chair

  • A proposed list of committee members
  • A paragraph describing your proposed research
  • Justification for any proposed committee member who is not on the University of Hawai`i Graduate Faculty
Graduate Chair
  • Contact all proposed committee members
  • Obtain a CV of any non-Graduate Faculty and post this on the Botany Website
  • Distribute information to Botany Graduate Faculty (1 week before meeting)
Botany Graduate Faculty
  • Review the proposed committee based on the materials posted on the Botany Website
  • In committee, discuss the research, the committee composition and vote on proposed committee

 Making the Permanent Committee Official

Procedure

Graduate Chair & Graduate Program Secretary
  • Update the master record with permanent committee members
  • Confirm the track and update the master record as necessary
  • Send the committee and research proposal information to Department Webmaster
Student
  • Update your professional web page with information about the committee and research plan

 Meeting with the Permanent Committee

General Objectives

You should plan on meeting with your Permanent Committee at least once each semester.  The procedure listed below provides information about your first meeting with your Permanent Committee.  It should also serve as a general guide for subsequent meetings.

Your Permanent Committee provides you with valuable guidance.  Ultimately, these faculty members will also review your research and determine if you have met the quality and quantity requirements associated with your research.  Common sense argues that you work closely with this committee.  Holding good meetings with them frequently does help.

Procedure

Student
  • Schedule and convene a meeting of your Permanent Committee
  • Bring information regarding proficiencies (e.g., completion of a proficiency or new plans to meet a proficiency)
  • Prepare a summary of any significant accomplishments (e.g., professional meetings attended)
  • Prepare for a discussion of your general research plans
Permanent Committee
  • Decide on which formal approvals are needed (see list below) and establish a plan to meet the requirements
  • Review the outstanding track proficiencies and how they will be or have been met
Advisor
  • Update the student's Progress Record with information from the meeting, including the following
    • Significant activities accomplished by the student
    • The title and summary of the intended research
    • Any changes to the proficiencies

 Policies Related to Permanent Committees & Research Proposals

Botany Department Policies

University of Hawai`i and Graduate Division Compliance Requirements

Note that obtaining permission for research often requires that you complete a course before you are allowed to apply for research compliance.  It is strongly recommended that you anticipate this requirement well in advance of any deadlines.
  • Committee on Human Subjects
    • All proposal that will use human subjects in any way must be reviewed and approved.
  • Environmental Health and Safety Office
    • Research proposals involving radioactive materials, biological "commodities” (including micro-organisms, plants, animals, biological toxins, cell or tissue samples, recombinant DNA), compressed gas (scuba) diving, certain chemicals and hazardous materials, and the disposal of hazardous materials need to be reviewed and approved.
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
    • Research proposals involving vertebrate animals need to be reviewed and approved.

 Contingencies

Subpages (1): Changing a committee member