Biology Requirements for Honors

The Department of Biology grants departmental honors to a number of senior majors at each graduation in order to reward those who have distinguished themselves through their work in the department.

Those receiving honors achieve this distinction through overall performance in courses, attendance and participation in departmental seminars, and completion of a research project and thesis.  Research is emphasized because it is generally acknowledged that participation in independent studies serves as a capstone on undergraduate training in biology.  Satisfactory completion of a substantial piece of research indicates the student's ability to make use of previous training and experience and to develop new ideas through synthesis of concepts drawn from various sources.

In awarding honors the faculty members look for evidence of critical thinking, creativity, and resourcefulness and for the ability to communicate ideas and experimental results.  Collecting data without attempting to interpret them is not sufficient.  Also, students should be aware that simply spending a great deal of time in the laboratory or field or being an excellent technical assistant is not in itself worthy of the honors distinction.

Since many honors candidates complete a portion of their research during the summer, a student considering honors should consult with a faculty member during the spring semester of the junior year.

The receipt of an honors award will be determined by the biology department faculty upon consideration of both the written thesis and oral or poster presentations as required by the department.

The following are the minimum requirements for honors in biology:

1.  Candidates for honors must have a grade-point average equivalent to a "B" in all Biology courses (other than independent study) and in all other courses submitted for the major (including mathematics, chemistry and physics courses) through the fall semester of the senior year. The Department will consider granting exceptions to this requirement in instances where a student's grade-point average has fallen below this minimum standard because of extreme medical or personal circumstances (beyond the student's control) that were not accommodated by a petition to the Recording Committee. Exceptions to this requirement will be considered by the entire faculty of the department after oral petition on behalf of the student by the faculty mentor.

2.  Candidates must demonstrate a serious commitment to participate in departmental programs and are required to attend the majority of Biology Department seminars. Candidates are also required to participate in the Senior Honors Seminar series.

3.  Candidates must complete two semesters of Independent Study (Biology 401, 402) devoted to research on a single topic.

4.  Candidates need to choose (with the consultation of their research advisor) a primary and secondary reviewer (reader) for their project.  The names of these reviewers, along with a tentative title of the research project, must be given to the Biology Department coordinator, Julie Santorella (Druckenmiller Hall, room 157A,) on October 31, 2007.

5. Each honors student will present orally a description of his or her project in the Fall semester during Reading Period, December 10 - 11, 2007.  The student will describe the background of the project in broad terms and then focus on the specific area to be investigated in the Independent Study.  The student will submit a research summary to the research advisor and readers before their oral presentation. That research summary will include an introduction, including literature background (with citations), goals of the project and a brief description of methods and results to date (not more than 5 pages). It is the responsibility of the student to consult with the readers and research advisor concerning his or her project prior to the winter break. In January, students will be invited into the honors program by the Biology faculty based on the review of their work and academic standing.The oral presentations in the Fall are 20 minutes overall, which includes 12 to 15 minutes for the presentation with 5 to 8 minutes for questions .

6.  Final Honors Presentations will take place at the end of the Spring semester during Reading Period, May 8 - 9, 2008, students will describe their final project work and the results obtained. The presentations in the Spring will be 30 minutes overall, which includes a 20 minute oral presentation followed by a 10 minute discussion, or a poster presentation, as determined by the Biology Department Faculty.

7.  Favorable departmental consideration of the Honors thesis and oral presentation are necessary for honors distinction.  Requirements for the preparation of the thesis are established by the Faculty and may be obtained from the Librarian.  In order to have time for adequate evaluation and revision of the thesis, the following additional deadlines have been established:

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT DATES:

    • October 31, 2007 - The names of the primary and secondary reviewers (readers) and tentative thesis title due to Department Coordinator.

    • December 7, 2007 - Submit thesis summary to advisor and reviewers. 

    • December 10 - 11, 2007 - Fall semester oral presentations.

    • **April 11, 2008 - Final thesis title to Department Coordinator. 
      To be forwarded to the Publications Office for inclusion in the Commencement Program.

    • April 18, 2008 - Thesis to advisor.

    • April 28, 2008 - Revised thesis to reviewers.

    • May 2, 2008 - Final revised thesis to advisor.

    • May 8-9, 2008 - Final oral presentation of thesis.

    • May 16, 2008 - Final Revised and approved thesis due to library 5:00 p.m.
      The student should continue to consult with all three faculty members until thesis is ready for final submission. The approval of each of the faculty readers is required before the thesis is submitted to the College Librarian.