Research Project and Seminar Course 4480E/4483E/4485E/4486E/4500E/4970E

2019-20 1. Project Course Coordinators: Dr. Ken Yeung (kyeung@uwo.ca - Room 374 Medical Sciences Building)

4483E (Biochemistry) 4485E (Clinical Biochemistry) 4486E (Biochemistry and Cancer Biology) 4500E (Chemical Biology)

Dr. Steven Kerfoot (skerfoot@uwo.ca - Room 312 Health Sciences Addition)

4970E (Microbiology & Immunology) Dr. Silvia Penuela (spenuela@uwo.ca - Room 426 Medical Science Building)

4480E (Biochemistry & Cell Biology) 2. Course Information Course Description: The project course is the core of our honors modules. As a course, it is first and foremost a guided educational program in which students work on an independent research project under the mentorship of a faculty supervisor and other lab members. The goal of the course is to give students the opportunity to participate in science, rather than simply consume it. Extra Information: 15 hours per week Course Weight: 1.5 credits Learning Outcomes: Students will learn about the scientific process by participating in it to answer real research questions. Students will also learn about scientific communication through oral presentations and written reports. Requisites: Access to any of the above thesis courses is restricted to students enrolled in one of the Honours Modules offered by the participating departments. Each module has its own prerequisites and requirements. The eligibility of each student is therefore determined prior to enrolment. Nevertheless, meeting the prerequisites and requirements of the thesis course remains the responsibility of the student. Senate regulation regarding the student’s responsibility for prerequisites: Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

Research Thesis Project Course Schedule

2019 - 2020

DATE TIME ROOM TOPIC

01-09-2019 DEADLINE FOR RESEARCH PROJECT PRE-MATCHING

06-09-2019 2:30 - 4:30 pm MSB 384 Meet with all students. General course information

06to13 -09

STUDENT/FACULTY INTERVIEWS

13-09-2019 Deadline to complete all Lab Safety Training courses on OWL

13-09-2019

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT PROJECT CHOICES (via email) by 3:00 PM

16-09-2019 RESEARCH PROJECTS START – Safety training must be complete

27-09-2019 Deadline to complete Research Integrity Training and submit certificates on OWL

18-10-2019

1:00 - 5:30 pm

HSA 62, 64, 66, 68

HSA 062, 064, 066, 068

First Research Project Presentations (20 min/each)

31-12-2019 DEADLINE for December report (Submit via OWL)

7-02-2020 2:00-4:00 pm MSB 384 Guidelines for final report writing

24-02-2020 HAND IN PROJECT OUTLINE TO SUPERVISOR

30-03-2020 DEADLINE TO Submit PROJECT REPORTS via OWL @8:00AM

NOTE: LATE REPORTS ARE SUBJECT TO PENALTY

03-04-2020

1:00 to 5:30

HSA 62, 64, 66, 68

HSA 062, 064, 066, 068

FINAL PRESENTATIONS (20 min/each)

Course Organization: The course is jointly administered by the Departments of Microbiology & Immunology, Biochemistry, and Anatomy & Cell Biology. Together we organize the placements, scheduling, and seminars. Students in any of these programs can select a supervisor in any of the Departments. Early September is devoted to required safety and other training courses that must be completed before starting in the lab. Project matching must also be completed during this time. Projects begin typically by the third week of September (see schedule). Students will give their first oral presentation in mid-October (see schedule). This is intended to give students the opportunity to introduce the background and rational to their project and outline the methods that they will use to answer their research question(s). These presentations are graded by faculty, other members of the department, and peers. Final written reports are typically due at the end of March/early April (see schedule). These will be graded by at least two faculty members from within the given department. Final oral presentations will occur in early April and will again be graded by faculty, other members of the department, and peers. Required Online Courses: There are several, online courses that do not contribute to your grade in the project course but are absolutely required to receive a grade. Upload your certificates of completion for each module on the OWL assignment page by the required date. You will not be able to continue your project past this date until all certificates are uploaded. Any late certificates will affect your first term performance review marks. i) Safety Courses: These six safety courses are available online: https://www.uwo.ca/hr/learning/required/index.html. Certificates showing completion for all of the following courses must be submitted to your supervisor prior to starting any work in the lab.

• Worker Health and Safety Awareness Training • WHMIS - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System • Safe Campus Community • Accessibility in Service • Laboratory Safety & Hazardous Waste Management • Biosafety

ii) Responsible Conduct of Research Modules: These five courses are available through the CITI program available through the Research Western Website (see link below). You must complete the following modules and associated quiz. (https://www.uwo.ca/research/ethics/research_integrity.html)

• Research Misconduct (ID 14367) • Data Acquisition and Management (ID 14355) • Writing with Integrity (ID 16285) • Conflicts of Interest in Research (ID 14381) • Animal Care and Use (ID 14383)

Choosing your Project and Supervisor: The research projects undertaken by honors students can take very different forms, depending on the lab and type of research. The guiding principle is that students must perform a project designed to address a specific research question or questions. Discuss this with your supervisor. Prior to the beginning of the term (see schedule) you can approach faculty that you are interest in working with about potential projects in their research group. By the middle of the summer, you will be given access to an OWL site with descriptions of available projects to help you with your search. Keep checking the OWL site as new projects will be loaded throughout the summer. Keep in mind that it is not required that you find a supervisor prior to the beginning of the term and projects will still be available. Project pre-matching ends September 1. If you do find a supervisor prior to the beginning of the term, send an email confirming your match to the coordinator for your course (see above) with the details of your match. Copy your supervisor on this email. For those students who did not arrange for a supervisor prior to September, the second week of the term (see schedule) will be dedicated to interviews to help you find a match. Expect to interview with no more than 3 potential supervisors, after which you will submit your ranked preferences. Faculty will do the same. The course coordinators will do our best to match students with their choice of project based on these rankings. NOTE: Students may not carry out a Work Study placement in the same lab as they are doing their thesis project, as these are two separate programs. Expectations in the Lab: Projects begin during the third week of September (see schedule). Students are expected to devote a minimum of 15 hours per week on their project. The actual hours spent in the lab should be discussed with your supervisor, but as a rule you should have kept your afternoons available. You should discuss additional expectations with your supervisor. Most labs will have group meetings that you should plan to attend. The quality of your experience in this course is highly dependent on the efforts that you put in. NOTE: Safety regulations prohibits anyone from working alone in a research laboratory. Therefore, undergraduate research students are only permitted to work in the lab under the supervision of a senior lab member. NOTE: Labs can be hazardous places. Ask what the hazards are and know how to handle them safely. Basics will be covered in the mandatory courses at the beginning of September, but you should also receive lab-specific training when you start your project. RECOMMENDED READING: At the Bench: A Laboratory Navigator, Updated Edition by Kathy Barker. In particular, Chapters 1-6. OWL: Students are responsible for checking OWL at regular intervals. OWL will be used to communicate information about the course. Students with OWL issues should see: https://owl.uwo.ca/portal/site/owldocs Accessibility Statement: Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 661-2111 x82147 for any specific questions regarding an accommodation.

3. Evaluations:

Component % of final grade First Oral Presentation 8% First Written Report 10% Final Written Report 50% Second Oral Presentation 12% Final Performance Evaluation 20%

First Oral Presentation: 8% of final grade The first oral presentation will occur early on in your project (see schedule). It should be no longer than 10 min, followed by 5 min for questions. Presentations that go over this time will be cut off. Students should present the research question(s) that their proposal will address, background information and preliminary results, and outline the methods that will be used. Slides should be prepared in PowerPoint or similar. Students should discuss details of content and form with their supervisor prior to preparing their presentations. Sessions will be held concurrently, grouped by field, attended by Faculty and other department members. Project students must attend the entire session. Attendees will grade presentations. First Written Report: 10% of final grade (along with performance evaluation) A written Introduction is due by the end of December (see Schedule) and will be submitted via the OWL HSP Project site. It should be up to 3 pages long (double spaced), plus references. It should provide an introduction to your project, state your research questions, and summarize your proposed experimental approach. This Introduction and your progress to date in the lab will contribute to your December evaluation by your supervisor. Final Written Report: 50% of Final Grade Final reports are due at the end of March/early April (see schedule for exact date) and will be submitted via the OWL HSP project site. Late reports will lose 10% per day up to 3 days. Reports will not be accepted if more than 3 days late. Reports are to be written in the style of a research paper with an Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. Figures and legends should be prepared as if for publication and appended to the end. References should be handed appropriately. Specifics of content and style should be discussed with your supervisor. Reports should not be longer than 20 pages, double-spaced, not including abstract, figures, and references. An outline of your thesis is due to your supervisor after winter term reading week (see schedule). Your supervisor can give you general feedback and guidance at this time, but can’t re-write your paper for you. It is also acceptable to get feedback from other colleagues in the lab. After submission, your paper will be marked by at least two faculty that are not your supervisor, but that are familiar with the subject. NOTE: A 1-page form (see attached example) stating the project start date and outlining your contribution to the presented research must be uploaded as a separate document to the OWL site. NOTE: We will have a lecture specifically on writing your report early in the winter semester (see Schedule).

Second Oral Presentation: 12% final grade The final oral presentation will occur the week after the written report is due (see schedule). It should be no longer than 10 min, followed by 5 min for questions. Presentations that go over this time will be cut off. Students should present an introduction to their project, rational, research question(s), and results from the year. Slides should be prepared in PowerPoint or similar. Students should discuss details of content and form with their supervisor prior to preparing their presentations. Sessions will be held concurrently, grouped by field, attended by Faculty and other department members. Project students must attend the entire session. Final Performance Evaluation: 20% final grade At the end of the course, your supervisor will evaluate your overall performance in the lab. This will be based on your commitment, effort, initiative, overall understanding of the project and intellectual contribution and performance. This will in part be based on the THESIS OUTLINE that you submit to your supervisor after Reading Week. Final Note on Evaluation: Keep in mind that different projects can have very different types of outcomes. Negative results are common, especially in short time frames such as this course. Sometimes experiments just don’t work. The excitement of the projects that you are undertaking is that you and your supervisor don’t know what the outcome will be, and therefore evaluations are not based necessarily on how much data is produced. All faculty are experienced in what kind of effort is required for any given type of project and this will be taken into consideration at all levels of evaluation. If problems arise in your project or lab, discuss it first with your supervisor. If this does not resolve the issue, contact your course coordinator. Additional Information on Evaluations: A detailed and comprehensive set of regulations concerning the scheduling of tests, assignments, etc. is available at: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/academic_policies/examinations.html Assignments are due at the time and date indicated on the course schedule. Late assignments will not be accepted without approved accommodation from the Academic Counselling Office. If scheduling conflicts arise for an assignment due date (professional school interviews, other course assignments etc.) it is up to the student to plan ahead to meet the deadline. Accommodations for presentations, whether for reasonable scheduling conflicts or an approved accommodation from the Academic Counselling Office, will be handled through discussions with your supervisor to arrange a time for you to give your presentation in front of an audience of faculty and other department members at their earliest convenience. Policy on Rounding and Bumping of Grades: Across the Basic Medical Sciences Undergraduate Education programs and within the departments of Biochemistry, Anatomy & Cell Biology, and Microbiology & Immunology we strive to maintain high standards that reflect the effort that both students and faculty put into the teaching and learning experience during this course. All students will be treated equally and evaluated based only on their actual achievement. Final grades on this course will be calculated to one decimal place and rounded up to the next whole integer, e.g. a 74.5 becomes a 75. Marks WILL NOT be bumped to the next grade or GPA, e.g. a 79 will NOT be bumped up to an 80, an 84 WILL NOT be bumped up to an 85, etc. The mark attained is the mark you achieved and the mark assigned; requests for mark “bumping” will be denied.

4. Additional Information/Statements

The website for the Office of the Registrar is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca Statement on Official Email Addresses In accordance with policy, http://www.uwo.ca/its/identity/activatenonstudent.html the centrally administered e-mail account provided to students will be considered the individual’s official university e-mail address. It is the responsibility of the account holder to ensure that e-mail received from the University at his/her official university address is attended to in a timely manner. Statement on Academic Offences Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following website: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf All required written papers will be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com Statement on Use of Cell Phone and Electronic Devices The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is committed to ensuring that testing and evaluation are undertaken fairly across all our departments and programs. For all tests and exams, it is the policy of the School and the Department of Microbiology & Immunology that any electronic devices, i.e., cell phones, tablets, cameras, or iPod are strictly prohibited. These devices MUST be left either at home or with the student’s bag/jacket at the front of the room and MUST NOT be at the test/exam desk or in the individual’s pocket. Any student found with one of these prohibited devices will receive a grade of zero on the test or exam. Non-programmable calculators are only allowed when indicated by the instructor. The Department of Microbiology & Immunology is not responsible for stolen/lost or broken devices. 5. Absence from Course Commitments Academic Consideration for Student Absences If you are unable to meet a course requirement due to illness or other serious circumstances, you must seek approval for the absence as soon as possible. Approval can be granted either through a self-reporting of absence or via the Academic Counselling Office of the Faculty of Science located in NCB 280, and can be contacted at scibmsac@uwo.ca . For further information, please consult the university’s policy on academic consideration for student absences as there are updates to the academic consideration procedures. https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf The policy on Accommodation for Religious Holidays can be found here: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_religious.pdf A. Absence for medical reasons: Students must familiarize themselves with the Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness for Undergraduate Students, located at: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_medical.pdf

A Western Student Medical Certificate (SMC) is required when a student is seeking academic accommodation. This documentation should be obtained at the time of the initial consultation with the physician/nurse practitioner or walk-in clinic. http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/medicalform.pdf Medical/Compassionate Relief Program Policy It is current policy that students who are unable to write a test or examination or other form of course evaluation are required to obtain a medical certificate that is taken to the Academic Counseling Office, NCB 280 (for Science and Basic Medical Science students) or to your appropriate Home Faculty Counseling Office. In the case of an unexpected absence on compassionate grounds, documentation is also requested. Such documentation must be submitted by the student directly to the Academic Counseling office and not to the instructor. An academic counselor in that office will review and either approve or deny the accommodation request. It will be the Academic Counseling office that will determine if accommodation is warranted. This policy applies to all forms of assessment, including evaluations that are less than 10%. B. Absence for non-medical reasons: • Bereavement or Compassionate Reasons. Documentation must be submitted by the student directly

to the Dean`s Office and not to the instructor. It will subsequently be the Dean`s Office that will determine if accommodation is warranted.

• Religious Holiday. Students must familiarize themselves with the Policy on Accommodation for Religious Holidays.

Academic Consideration for Missed Work Students who are seeking academic consideration for missed work during the semester may submit a self-reported absence form online provided that the absence is 48 hours or less and the other conditions specified in the Senate policy are met: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf

Students whose absences are expected to last longer than 48 hours, or where the other conditions detailed in the policy are not met (e.g., work is worth more than 30% of the final grade, the student has already used 2 self-reported absences, the absence is during the final exam period), may receive academic consideration by submitting a Student Medical Certificate (for illness) or other appropriate documentation (for compassionate grounds). The Student Medical Certificate is available online at https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/medicalform.pdf

All students pursuing academic consideration, regardless of type, must contact their instructors no less than 24 hours following the end of the period of absence to clarify how they will be expected to fulfill the academic responsibilities missed during their absence. Students are reminded that they should consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying submission of work, and are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances.

Students who have conditions for which academic accommodation is appropriate, such as disabilities or ongoing or chronic health conditions, should work with Accessible Education Services to determine appropriate forms of accommodation. Statement from the Academic Counselling Office, Faculty of Science (for Science and BMSc students) If you are unable to meet a course requirement due to illness or other serious circumstances, you must provide valid medical or other supporting documentation to the Academic Counselling Office as soon as possible and contact your instructor immediately. It is the student's responsibility to make alternative arrangements with their instructor once the accommodation has been approved by the Academic Counselling Office and the instructor has been informed.

C. Special Examinations http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/exam/definitions.pdf A Special Examination is any examination other than the regular final examination, and it may be offered only with the permission of the Dean/Academic Counselling Office of the Faculty in which the student is registered, in consultation with the instructor and Department Chair. Permission to write a Special Examination may be given on the basis of compassionate or medical grounds with appropriate supporting documents. You may also be eligible to write the Special Examination if you are in a “Multiple Exam Situation”. See: http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/examinations/exam_schedule.html A Special Examination must be written at the University or an Affiliated University College no later than 30 days after the end of the examination period involved. To accommodate unusual circumstances, a date later than this may be arranged at the time permission is first given by the Dean/Academic Counselling Office of the Faculty. The Dean/Academic Counselling Office will consult with the instructor and Department Chair and, if a later date is arranged, will communicate this to the Office of the Registrar. If a student fails to write a scheduled Special Examination, permission to write another Special Examination will be granted only with the permission of the Dean/Academic Counselling Office in exceptional circumstances and with appropriate supporting documents. In such a case, the date of this Special Examination normally will be the scheduled date for the final exam the next time the course is offered. When a grade of Special (SPC) or Incomplete (INC) appears on a student's record, the notations will be removed and replaced by a substantive grade as soon as the grade is available. 6. Support Services: Academic Counselling (Science and Basic Medical Sciences): http://www.uwo.ca/sci/counselling Accessibility: Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 661-2111 x 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation. The policy on Accommodation for Students with Disabilities can be found here: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic%20Accommodation_disabilities.pdf Student Development Centre (SDC): Learning-skills counsellors at SDC are ready to help you improve your learning skills. They offer presentations on strategies for improving time management, multiple-choice exam preparation/writing, textbook reading, and more. Individual support is offered throughout the Fall/Winter terms in the drop-in Learning Help Centre, and year-round through individual counselling. http://www.sdc.uwo.ca Mental Health: Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western for a complete list of options about how to obtain help. http://www.health.uwo.ca/mental_health Student Health Services: https://www.uwo.ca/health/shs/index.html Additional student-run support services are offered by the USC, http://westernusc.ca/services

HSP Presentations October XX, 2018

Student Evaluators

This package contains the evaluation forms for all presentations. Take it with you

if you move to another room and turn it in to the Chair at the end of the last session.

You are encouraged to make a critical evaluation for each talk.

Signature___________________________

Name (print) ______________________

HSP First Oral Presentations - Student Evaluations Room: HSA 62 October 21, 2016 Chair: Dr.

Evaluations out of 20

Back

grou

nd

/

20

Org

aniz

atio

n

/2

0

Rat

iona

le/O

bjec

tives

/20

Pres

enta

tion

Skill

/2

0

Res

pons

e to

Que

stio

ns /

2 0

Tota

l

/

100

Time Student Topic Supervisor

1:30

1:45

2:00

2:15

2:30

2:45

3:00 COFFEE BREAK

3:20

3:35

3:50

HSP Final Presentations - Student Evaluations Room: HSA 62 April 7, 2017 Chair: Dr.

Evaluations out of 20

Back

grou

nd

/ 20

Org

aniz

atio

n

/2

0

Res

ults

/Pro

gres

s

/2

0

Pres

enta

tion

Skill

/20

Res

pons

e to

Que

stio

n s

/20

Tota

l

/1

00

Time Student Topic Supervisor

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00 COFFEE BREAK

3:30

4:00

4:30

STUDENT:

SUPERVISOR:

BIOCHEMISTRY / MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY / ANATOMY & CELL

BIOLOGY Project Course

DECEMBER STUDENT EVALUATION REPORT

The purpose of this evaluation is to provide early feedback to students regarding their progress and to offer them the opportunity to improve their research skills over the remaining time in the course. This is also an opportunity for supervisors to go over their mark with the students, pointing out areas that need improvement. This evaluation is worth 10% of the student mark. Note that this evaluation will be released to the student. Confidential comments (if necessary) should be emailed directly to the course coordinator. The following categories should be used as a marking guide and to provide feedback to the student. Please add your comments to this document under each heading. _/40 December paper: quality of writing and demonstration of understanding of the project _/10 Understanding: background knowledge of the project and of methods used. _/20 Time and effort spent in the lab: a minimum of 15hrs per week is expected, on a

schedule negotiated between the student and supervisor. Time in the lab is spent efficiently.

_/10 Quality of lab work: learning required skills at an appropriate rate. Performing work

carefully, and in an organized fashion. _/10 Record Keeping: organized, clear, up-to-date lab book. _/10 Progress to date: evidence of appropriate early progress Additional comments: Mark: /100 Once filled out, attach this document to the student’s December Report using the “Add Attachments” button at the bottom of the student’s Assignment page on the HSP Project OWL site (due January 31st).

STUDENT:

SUPERVISOR:

BIOCHEMISTRY / MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY / ANATOMY & CELL

BIOLOGY Project Course

FINAL STUDENT EVALUATION REPORT

The purpose of this independent research project is to acquaint students with how research is carried out, to expose them to multiple techniques, and practice problem solving. Therefore, emphasis should be on the above factors rather than on the completion of the project or obtaining particular result. The final thesis is evaluated separately by independent readers. This evaluation by the supervisor is worth 20% of the student’s final mark for the course. Note that this evaluation will be released to the student. Confidential comments (if necessary) should be emailed directly to the course coordinator. The following categories should be used as a marking guide and to provide feedback to the student. Please add your comments to this document under each heading. _/20 Problem solving: analysis, logic, creativity, systematic approach _/20 Effort: initiative, motivation, time commitment _/20 Record Keeping: organized, clear, up-to-date lab book. _/20 Understanding: background knowledge of the project and of methods used. In part as

demonstrated in the FINAL REPORT OUTLINE turned in February. _/20 Progress: accomplishments appropriate to the project, difficulty, and student’s stage of

training. Additional comments: Final Mark: _/100 Once filled out, attach this document to the student’s Thesis report using the “Add Attachments” button at the bottom of the student’s Assignment page on the HSP Project OWL site (due April 16th).

HONORS PROJECT COURSE FINAL THESIS STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION

Student Name: ____________________________________

Supervisor(s): ____________________________________

Supervisor’s Department: ____________________________________

Please fill out this form and submit as a separate document along with your thesis via the OWL Assignments page. Project Start Date: ____________________________________ Briefly – what contribution did the above student make to the data presented in this manuscript? (For example: student performed all experiments for Figures 2 and 3, and contributed to experiments in Figure 1) List Figures or Data presented in this manuscript supplied by someone else: (For example: Figure 1a generated by Grad Student x) Signatures: Student Signature: ____________________ Supervisor Signature: ___________________

Date: Date:

STUDENT: READER #: (you will be assigned a number, please select) 1 / 2

BIOCHEMISTRY / MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY / ANATOMY & CELL BIOLOGY Project Course

FINAL REPORT READER FORM

The purpose of this independent research project is to acquaint students with how research is carried out, to expose them to multiple techniques, and practice problem solving. In marking the final report, emphasis should be on the above factors rather than on the completion of the project or obtaining particular result. The reports are to be in the form of a scientific paper appropriate to the field. The final report is worth 50% of the student’s final mark for the course and will be calculated by averaging the grade assigned by (at least) two readers. Note that this evaluation will be released to the student. Confidential comments (if necessary) should be emailed directly to the course coordinator. The following categories should be used as a marking guide and to provide feedback to the student. Please add your comments to this document under each heading. __/20 Form: including spelling, grammar, quality of figures, organization, quality of references

etc. __/20 Content – Introduction and Abstract: sufficient and appropriate to understand the

aims, appropriate reference to the literature. The problem, hypothesis, or research question is clearly stated. Abstract is appropriate.

__/20 Content - Methods: sufficient explanation to allow a knowledgeable reader to repeat the

experiments. __/20 Content - Results: clear, logical exposition/explanation of results obtained, evidence of

reasonable accomplishments given the time spent, evidence of systematic approach __/20 Content - Discussion: Depending on the nature of the project could include: discussion

of data quality, implications of the results and conclusions that can be drawn, limitations of methods, further experiments needed/possible: should demonstrate an understanding of the results and their place in the scientific field.

Final Mark: _/100 Thank you again for this important contribution to the course. Once filled out, attach this document to the student’s Thesis report using the “Add Attachments” button at the bottom of the student’s Assignment page on the HSP Project OWL site (due April 16th).