BIOL 539 Research Mentorship in Biology II Units: 3.00
Research practicum under the supervision of a Biology faculty member. The course will involve a combination of research in the host laboratory, attendance of BIOL 537 or other seminars in the Department, and literature research to present as a major paper and seminar.
NOTE Students will normally be enrolled in the fourth year of their Program, having completed the third year core requirements of their Plan.
NOTE Students will normally be enrolled in the fourth year of their Program, having completed the third year core requirements of their Plan.
Learning Hours: 128 (8 Seminar, 12 Tutorial, 60 Practicum, 48 Private Study)
Requirements: Prerequisite Registration in a Biology Honours Plan (BIOL-M-BSH, BIOL-P-BSH, BIMA-P-BSH, BIPS-P-BSH, EBIO-P-BSH) and a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the Biological Foundations List and permission of the Department.
Corequisite BIOL 538/3.0.
One-Way Exclusion Not to be taken concurrently with BIOL 537/12.0.
Offering Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Science
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Demonstrate the ability to use advanced lab and field biological techniques to conduct novel scientific research on a problem or question relevant to a particular faculty's lab group program.
- Describe and evaluate the background information and contemporary arguments from the literature associated with that problem or question, so as to explain the rationale for its investigation.
- Present the results of their experiments in a seminar format, discuss the implications of the findings, and orally defend the conclusions.
- Present the research findings in the form of a manuscript or essay that is accessible to a broad audience ranging from experts to the general public.
- Demonstrate key professional skills, such as laboratory techniques, effective writing, oral communication, critical evaluation of the literature, lab team-work, and problem-solving.
- Constructively critique the strengths and weaknesses of other students’ studies to refine and improve their scientific value.