BCH4905Science for Life Seminar, Spring 2014

Procedures for the Class

Or

How to ENJOY the semester

and GET AN “A” in BCH4905, Science for Life

Seminar, Fall 2014

Listen Politely to Presentations Talking during class disturbs

students around you and disturbs Prof. Dunn

Ask questions after presentation; identify yourself

ONE extra credit point for each good question on the science; give TA your name

Only one question per student per day

Three Required Reports Write three reports, each worth 30

points. One must be based on an interview with a UF Professor

Can be speakers or other Professor from the program listing on website

MUST conduct FACE-to-FACE interview in professor’s office and/or laboratory, not phone or email

Learn about science in that lab, consider for a research experience

Reports (continued)

You MAY NOT copy from the website of the professor or his lab to develop your report; TAs will check

Professor must be tenure track [Not post-docs, techs, instructors, or graduate students]

Reports must be at least two pages and less than four pages; single-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font

Bibliography is list of five publications from professor’s lab; this is one extra page after the 2-3 pages of text of the report

Two reports can be from these alternatives: (1) Breakthroughs in Bioscience

An Alternative report may be done by writing about one of 25 publications on a special website

Website address: http://www.faseb.org/Policy-and-Government-Affairs/Publications/Breakthroughs-and-Horizons-in-Bioscience.aspx

Summarize the publication in 2-3 pages, single spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font

Alternative Reports: (2) (2) HHMI Investigators or HHMI International Scholars

We will allow another type of alternative report on one of the many HHMI Investigators at http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/

or HHMI International Scholars at http://www.hhmi.org/research/scholars/ No interview is required, but instead you can use a

Google search on the person’s name. Report must be in student’s own words; single-

spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font.

Alternative Reports: (3)

Students may also view an on-line video from the collection found at http://www.ascb.org/iBioSeminars/

Then write a 2-3 page summary of the topic. Again, the summary must be written in the

students own words. Single-spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font

No interviews allowed for this alternative.

Alternative Reports: (4)

Fourth alternative for one of your three reports, view the 50 minute movie at the following link:http://www.asbmb.org/uploadedfiles/Interactive/video/obsessed.swf

Then write a 3 page report on what you see in the movie. Single-spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font

Also you can write a second (or third) report on a different professor you have interviewed.

Alternative Reports

• No Bibliography is required for any of the alternative Reports;

• Bibliography is ONLY REQUIRED for the report on a professor

• ALL reports must be single-spaced, one inch margins, with 12 point font, at least two full pages.

Start Early Start now to set up interviews

with faculty you may be interested in

Phone or email to request an interview

In your email SUBJECT LINE, put “Freshman (or sophomore) eager to get involved in research”

or “Honors freshman looking for research opportunities”

Start Early (2) Phone or email MULTIPLE professors

now to maximize your chance of setting up an interview

Set a day and time for the interview and show up early with a resume’

Email a reminder the day before the interview is scheduled and ask for directions to the professor’s office

If you can’t make a scheduled interview, email the professor to cancel

Start Early (3) Set up interviews as soon as possible so you don’t

get left out and are not late on your reports Be polite, but persistent; address all professors as

“Dr” or “Professor” Expand your thinking about the area you might be

interested in Visit the professor’s lab; talk to students; LEARN

Rules for Reports

Face-to-face interview with professor

Report must be in your own words

Report filename based on YOUR NAME LastnameFirstInitial_report#1.doc,

i.e., SmithA_report#1.doc

Only MS Word files in Windows format (.doc or .docx)

Spell and Grammar Check Everything

Rules for Reports (2) Upload report on COURSE

WEBSITE using “Upload Your Report” button

MUST be registered on the course website to upload report

Report should answer all questions given in syllabus (next page)

Use HEADINGS to separate answers

SIX Questions to Answer for report on a Professor

NOTE THE USE OF HEADINGS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Biographical information on the professor (where born, where educated, current title); How did the professor become interested in science?

Number of Students: undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows currently in the laboratory, with some detail on each,

Projects: a paragraph on each project that would be available for undergraduates with a description of the research. What questions are the lab trying to answer?

Experimental techniques that are used in the laboratory,

Major Collaborators: Names and affiliations of major collaborators of the professor, with details

End of three page report

Bibliography: Five most recent publications from the professor’s laboratory, with full citation including authors, title, year, journal (or book), volume, pages, i.e., 1163-1172. THIS IS THE BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE REPORT

Questions??