SENIOR BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH - Biology 421/422
Fall 2012 - Spring 2013
Danny Ingold (Advisor)
Office Phone 8222
Biology 421 - Monday 3:00 - BSC 429
Last semester in BIO 420
you focused
on developing your research
proposal.
There were two additional major course
objectives:
(a) We wanted o facilitate
your introduction to scholarly
literature. The goal was to identify and develop a few specific
testable hypotheses or questions. Data collected associated with
your hypotheses or questions, in the end, may lend themselves to descriptive statistics only (which is
perfectly fine) ... although depending on your questions and
experimental design, you may have the opportunity to analyze your data
with inferential
statistics (e.g.
statistical tests).
(b) Secondly, we worked towards
the development of a formal research
proposal that properly motivated a compelling research question as well
as outlined a feasible procedural plan to collect your data. We placed
a great deal of emphasis on the elements of experimental design
including the development of adequate sampling designs, anticipation of
analytic methods, and estimation of project costs.
This semester the emphasis will be
on collecting and
analyzing data in an effort to test the questions you developed
in your proposal.
Biology
421
Course
Learning Objectives:
Course
Leaning Objectives extend directly from the Biology Department's
Learning Goals. In particular, the learning objectives for this
course emphasize Biology Department Learning Goals 1-4. As a
result of successfully completing this course, students will:
(1)
Know, based on the questions asked and the experimental
design, whether to employ descriptive
and/or inferential
statistics in order to interpret their data.
(2) Develop a scientific abstract based on the results of
their research which will be submitted to the Ohio Academy of Sciences for
potential acceptance as a poster or oral presentation at the Spring
2011 spring meeting of the OAS.
(3) Develop figures/tables that will graphically
illustrate their research findings.
(4) Develop a research poster outlining the progess they
made to date. They will present their poster during the fall
semester student internship colloquium in October.
Course Goals for BIO 421:
(1) Within the first two weeks of
the semester, each student will be
responsible for developing a time-line that identifies benchmarks along
the path to project completion and estimates the time required for each
component. We will be
meeting on Monday afternoon from 3:00-3:50 p.m in my office.
(2) Students should plan on
developing a poster during the first 6 weeks of the semester which will
include an introduction, bulleted methods, results and conclusions to
date --- so that they can present their poster at our annual fall
research/internship colloquium.
(3) Students should plan on preparing and submitting an abstract
of your results (or work to
date) to the Ohio
Academy
of Sciences (typically
due in early
November) in order to
participate in the annual meeting that
occurs in mid-April 2012.
(4) All students should plan on
submitting a written progress report by
the end of the semester. The report should represent an
expansion of your proposal. In addition to a further developed
Introduction and Methods section, you should plan on presenting
any results (including figures & tables)
that you
might have. It is also time to determine what statistical
tests
will be used --- and then to begin to analyze your data either with descriptive and/or inferential statistics..
BIO 422 Spring 2013
Monday 3:00-4:00 - BSC 429
During this semester we need to
rapidly shift the emphasis of your
efforts from data collection to the formulation of a detailed
scientific report featuring the results of your study. You should plan
on meeting weekly with me. In addition, the
following are course objectives:
(1) Remember we will be attending
the Ohio Academy of
Sciences meeting
which occurs in April 2012. You
may either
present a poster or a podium talk at the OAS meeting
(this will have been decided when you submitted your abstract to the
OAS in October).
(2) Your final written report
will be due on the last day of classes.
Thus you will have time to
prepare
your presentations for Science and Technology week here at Muskingum
... during which time you will likely use the same poster that you
presented at the Ohio Academy meeting.
(3) Your report should be turned
in, as a Microsoft Word
attachment and should include the following: Cover Page, Table of
Contents, Abstract, Introduction, Methods/Study Area, Results,
Discussion, Literature Citations, Tables, and Figures (in this order).
. As you progress in writing your paper, you will be
required to turn in rough drafts of each section so that
we can discuss them in our weekly meetings and make necessary
corrections. All drafts as well as your final report should be typed
and double-spaced.
(4) You will be required to prepare a
poster summarizing your
findings for Science & Technology Week at Muskingum. One
evening during the week will be reserved for poster presentations, at
which time you will stand by your poster and answer questions from
visitors. Also one
of you may be asked to represent Biology or Conservation Science in the
annual Jim Bradford colloquium in which you would present the results
of
your study to a group of your peers and faculty members, or at the
annual Beta Beta Beta induction ceremony (so be considering the
possibility].
Course Learning Objectives:
(1) Students will develop a research poster or power point podium talk
which will be presented at the April 2013 Ohio Academy of Sciences
meeting.
(2) Students will present research poster at the annual
Science/Technology week at Muskingum University - April 2013.
(3) Students will complete final research paper (which may go through
several drafts) which will be turned into me by the last day of classes.
Eastern Meadowlark - Left;
Green Salamander Pair - Right
Grading - Your course grade
for Biology 422:
(a) Poster Presentation at Ohio Academy of Sciences
and
Muskingum Science & Technology Week - 30%
(b) Final Research Paper - 70%
Good Luck -- Have a good semester
