Are you an NSU undergraduate student looking for research experience?

Undergraduates typically do research as part of the course requirements for BIOL or MBIO 4990 (Independent Studies). This course is a major elective for Bio majors (i.e. it counts toward your degree). You decide the credit load of the course- it ranges from 1 to 3 credits- and you can apply up to six credits of independent study to your major. Put another way, almost a third of your major elective credits (6 out of 20) could be spent working one-on-one with a professor, designing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting your own independent research!

If you would like to do an independent study in my lab, here are some guidelines:

• NSU regs cap the number of independent study students I can supervise each semester at three. There is competition for those three slots, and priority is given to those students who prepare well in advance and / or have ongoing research projects.

• Priority is given to juniors or seniors who are willing to commit to two semesters (3 credits per semester) and approximately six hours of work per week. It is important to commit to blocks of time (e.g. two blocks of three hours), because it is impossible to do meaningful work in less time. Keep in mind that you may also need to account for travel time to my lab on the Ocean Campus.

Here is the typical application process I usually follow:

1. At least one semester before you plan on registering for BIOL 4990, prospective research students need to meet with me to refine project ideas, discuss equipment and space needs, etc.

2. Once we have formulated the research question and established the experimental design, you need to write a 1-2 page project proposal. It should include the following sections: a) a single paragraph on the background of the project, identifying the knowledge gap that is addressed by the project; b) the research question (e.g., "why do sargassum fishes have so few parasites?", or "are larval hookworms attracted to the same AHLs as free-living nematodes?"); c) a brief summary of the methods; d) a timeline for the project. Don't worry if you're not sure about how to write the proposal: I guide you through the process. This proposal needs to be completed and approved by me at least six weeks before you plan on beginning your research.

3. The Department Chair approves your independent study, and shortly afterward your academic advisor provides you with the CRN of the course for registration.

Some additional things to consider:

• Report / poster: I expect all independent study students to write a report detailing their results in the standard scientific format. Students are also generally expected to present their results (typically as a poster, more rarely as an oral presentation) at NSU's Undergraduate Student Symposium, as well as regional or state meetings such as the Florida Academy of Sciences or Life Sciences of South Florida. In exceptional cases students may be encouraged to present their work at national conferences and/or submit it for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

• Grading: I am required to assign you a letter grade on completion of the project. In short, to earn a grade of A you need to exceed expectations, by displaying exceptional commitment, professionalism, diligence, and independence. You won't be punished because your experiment did not work, or because equipment malfunctioned. However, I am likely to dock marks from students who do not dedicate enough time to their project, or who disappear for extended periods without notice, or whose efforts are inadequate.