Biochemistry 492—Senior Thesis Research
Biochemistry 492 is an excellent opportunity for Biochemistry majors to work in a research laboratory during their senior year. The experience is valuable, especially for those students considering professional or postgraduate education. Admissions committees of both graduate and professional schools look with favor on students with research experience.
Information for Currently Enrolled Seniors
[Deadlines]
[Thesis Format]
Be sure to check the deadlines for completion of your thesis for May 2007 graduation. Also, see (10) below for departmental honors and awards information and deadlines. Theses must follow the format guidelines. See Louise Cox, 420A RAL, for help.
Information for Interested Juniors
[Instructions]
[Information Form]
You may not enroll in BIOC 492 until you have completed the Biochemistry core courses (MCB 354, BIOC/MCB 406, and BIOC 455). Each February, information is mailed to all junior Biochemistry majors. If you are a Biochem major and are interested in the program, you will be asked to submit a BIOC 492 Information Form and then schedule an interview to discuss possible projects with 2–3 Biochemistry faculty with whom you might like to work.
Prior approval from the Biochemistry Department is required for you to conduct your research in a non-Biochemistry faculty laboratory. BIOC 492 projects must be of an essentially biochemical nature. In this situation you must also submit a 1–2 paragraph abstract describing what your research project will entail and a letter from the research advisor describing your research project in detail. You must identify a Biochemistry faculty member who is knowledgeable about this research area and will act as a sponsor or second supervisor for this project. If needed, please see Louise Cox, 420A RAL, for help in this process.
If you are accepted into a laboratory as a second semester junior, you will be able to register for 4–6 hours of BIOC 492 for the following summer (optional), fall, and spring semesters. The Biochemistry faculty strongly recommends that you enroll in BIOC 460 Biochemistry Senior Seminar (Writing in Biochemistry) in either your junior or senior year if you plan to perform senior thesis research. If you are a Biochem major, you must must complete at least 10 hours of BIOC 492 over a minimum of two semesters and present a thesis for deposit in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in order to receive a grade in this course. Your grade in BIOC 492 will be based upon performance in the laboratory and quality of the thesis, which must be submitted to the thesis advisor in late April if you will be a May graduate. Your grade at the end of the summer/fall semester(s) will be deferred ("DFR"), although your thesis advisor will still evaluate your work and provide feedback at that time.
Procedures for Majors who wish to Participate in BIOC 492
- Eligibility You are required to have completed MCB 354, BIOC/MCB 406, and BIOC 455 prior to enrollment in BIOC 492. A 3.0 overall GPA is strongly recommended. If you do not have a "B" average you may wish to first contact Biochemistry faculty members to discuss the possibility of doing a BIOC 492 project.
- Application You must submit a completed Student Information Form, current resume or curriculum vita (CV), and unofficial transcript to room 420A RAL.
- Research Identify 2–3 Biochemistry Department faculty members with whom you might like to work. Use the Biochemistry Department Web site listing of Biochemistry Faculty Research Areas, and your personal knowledge and contacts to determine compatibility of interests.
- Appointments Contact 2–3 individual faculty members to schedule an interview and discuss a possible project. You must provide a copy of your completed Student Information Form, unofficial transcript, and resume or CV to each faculty member you contact, and to the Biochemistry Office of Student Affairs (420A RAL). Attach a copy of your current, unofficial transcript and CV to the Student Information Form.
- Lab Students are responsible for identifying and negotiating a position with a faculty member. Once you and your faculty supervisor finalize your negotiations, you must inform Louise Cox in room 420A RAL.
- Junior Award—William T. and Lynn Jackson Scholar Award in Biochemistry This monetary award provides, in part, the summer stipend for a junior Biochemistry major who will begin working on a Biochemistry 492 research project in a Biochemistry faculty laboratory in the summer before their senior year. Nominations require a recommendation letter from the research advisor, describing the 492 project and the student's qualifications, a BIOC 492 Student Information Form, the student's resume and statement, and a copy of unofficial transcript. Application deadline is April 10 for 2006.
- Register In consultation with your research advisor, determine how you want to distribute your hours over 2–3 semesters. A minimum of 10 hours of BIOC 492 must count toward the completion of your degree, and up to 6 hours may be taken in any one semester. Register in April for BIOC 492 by using your faculty advisor's individual CRN. Contact the Biochemistry Office of Student Affairs to obtain this CRN.
- Schedule In consultation with your thesis advisor, establish a schedule for your work. It is important that you and your thesis advisor agree to a timetable (and to any changes that may be required).
- Grade You must submit a thesis (a formal paper following a prescribed format) approved by your faculty supervisor, the Biochemistry Department Head, and the College of LAS Honors Dean, in order to receive a grade and credit hours for the course. A deferred grade ("DFR") must be given for all semester grades in Biochemistry 492 until the thesis is presented. That is, when you take Biochem 492 in both the fall and spring semesters, the grade given at the end of the fall semester will be "DFR", not a letter grade. This "DFR" grade will be changed to a letter grade after your thesis has been deposited.
- Honors Biochemistry majors who satisfactorily complete Biochemistry 492 may be eligible for departmental honors. Registration in BIOC 492 is required; substitution of MCB 492 or Chem 499 is not permitted. Students must submit a BIOC 492 thesis and be nominated by their Biochemistry 492 thesis advisor.
- Departmental Distinction In order to qualify for graduation with distinction, you must be a Biochemistry major who (1) is registered for at least 10 hours of BIOC 492, (2) completes a senior thesis, and (3) is recommended for distinction by your thesis advisor. To be eligible, you must have an overall grade-point average of at least 3.25 and must register in the senior thesis course, Biochemistry 492. Recommendations for distinction are based on the quality of the thesis work and academic GPA. It is important that the thesis advisor comment on whether the results presented in the thesis are the sole work of the 492 student or are a result of collaborative efforts. This should also be made clear in the thesis.
- Awards Two Senior Thesis Awards are available to BIOC 492 senior thesis students who graduate in May. The winners and their achievements are recognized at the MCB Awards Ceremony, held on Ready Day each May. Students must be nominated by their Biochemistry 492 thesis advisor. Nomination deadline is April 10 for May 2006.
William T. and Lynn Jackson Senior Thesis Award This award was established in 2004 and is given at the end of each spring semester to the senior student who presents the best Biochemistry senior thesis. The award is sponsored by Dr. William Jackson, a Chemistry graduate of the University of Illinois. The award is a $500 cash prize.
Thomas O. Sidebottom Award: This award was established in 1986 and is given at the end of each spring semester to the senior student who presents the most outstanding senior thesis. The award is sponsored by Thomas Sidebottom, a Biochemistry graduate of the University of Illinois. The award is a $200 cash prize.
NOTE: Normally you may not simultaneously hold a Teaching Assistantship while enrolled in BIOC 492, due to time constraints.
Highest Distinction—GPA at least 3.75
High Distinction—GPA at least 3.50
Distinction—GPA at least 3.25
The decision of whether or not a thesis warrants Departmental Distinction will be made by the thesis advisor and the Departmental Awards Committee. In general, about half of the theses in any year have warranted some form of Departmental Distinction. Nomination deadline is April 19 for May 2006.