Projects
Projects
You will be required to complete a project for the course. Ideally, it is a group project with 2 or 3 members in the group. If it involves human participants, then you are REQUIRED by MIT to obtain PRIOR approval of COUHES before you do any work with the human participants. Alternatively, you might craft a project that is exempt from COUHES and verify that with them (this still requires going through their process to get an exemption granted.)
*** REMINDER: Attendance on the two final project presentation days is REQUIRED ***
2013 Project Examples, 2011 Project Examples, 2008 Project Examples, 2005 Project Examples.
What is COUHES?
All projects that involve research on human participants must have the prior approval of the MIT Committee on the Use of Humans as Experimental Subjects (COUHES). If you can piggyback on a current COUHES protocol, that is fastest/easiest. If not, you need to MOVE FAST to submit a COUHES application before the fall COUHES meeting dates. Note that if they say on their website that they require it by Oct 17, then you must get it to Roz & course staff at least two weeks earlier, by Oct 3 so we can help you with it. It usually requires many iterations before it is ready to be approved by your PI. After approval by your PI it needs to be approved by the department head. Only after both of these can it be submitted to COUHES. Note that any faculty/PI you ask to sign off on it must also be CITI-certified (see below) and they may need a lot of time to do this.
PLEASE meet with COUHES in advance of submitting your application to get their help answering your questions. Their "live online" meetings can be much faster than emailing them: Mondays (except MIT Holidays) – 1pm - 3pm: https://mit.zoom.us/j/93018246063
Let's work together to help you have a positive experience and a successful project!