General Information

• The Department of Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Program provides an opportunity for students to conduct research with Biological Sciences faculty or with outside faculty whose research is relevant to the biological sciences.
   
  
• All undergraduates are eligible, but faculty may prefer students that have completed two years of coursework.
   
• Once you find an advisor, all student researchers must submit a
registration form notifying the Director of Undergraduate Research of your intent to do research.
 
• You may ask any faculty member if they have a research project available. Students are turned down for many reasons besides their qualifications, so be prepared to search, and you may want to check with the same faculty again later. Also have a look at the informational sheet with tips for contacting advisors.
   
• If you are not familiar the research interests of Biological Sciences faculty, our faculty contact page has brief descriptions of research interests and links to more information. The list of faculty publications is a good place to see which areas of research are currently most active.
  
  
• Many faculty outside our department conduct biological research and may serve as your advisor. AFTER you have selected an advisor, you must email the registration form to the Director of Undergraduate Research for approval.  For help finding an external advisor (for instance at the UC medical school or the VA or Children's hospitals) consult the links to external research. To post your availability or to look for credit/pay postings, see the section on Research Postings via Listserve.
   
• Students are permitted to use research to fulfill multiple requirements. For instance, an oral presentation at the Spring Undergraduate Symposium may fulfill elective, capstone and honors requirements. However, students cannot be paid and receive credit for the same hours of research.   
  
  
• If you do not see find the information you need on this web site, email Dr. Ken Petren (ken.petren@uc.edu) with your question, or to arrange a time for an appointment.
  

Director of Undergraduate Research & Biology Honors Program Dr. Kenneth Petren ken.petren@uc.edu  802 Rieveschl Hall (513) 556-9719

Students can expect to work about 3 hours for each credit. This may vary depending on your advisors. Please be aware that your advisor may require you to commit to research for more than one quarter, because they must invest time to train you. We do not allow students to receive credit and get paid for the same research hours.

After submitting the research form, you may register for your advisor's section of BIOL600-603. If your advisor is outside our department, you will enroll in section 040, and the Director of Undergraduate Research will coordinate grading with your advisor.

Biology Major Elective Credit

Research may count as one upper division elective (lab or lecture) for Biology majors if you were registered for at least 3 credits of research in one quarter and if you present your research at the Spring Undergraduate Symposium. Other oral presentations may be substituted only with prior approval of the Director of Undergraduate Research. With few exceptions, more than one quarter of effort will be required to conduct research appropriate for a presentation. Specific requirements are left to the discretion of individual advisors. Most will require effort over multiple quarters.  

Capstone Credit

Research may fulfill the Capstone requirement with a written and oral presentation of your research before graduation. You must have prior approval from your advisor and you must fill out the capstone application form. See the Capstone page for more information.

 Departmental Honors Program

Departmental Honors provides recognition of outstanding research and scholarship by Biology majors. This accolade is given to those students accepted into the Departmental Honors program who write and defend a senior thesis based upon original research and whose overall grade point average at the time of graduation is 3.3 or higher. The diploma will read "Bachelor of Science with Honors in Biology", and the distinction will appear in official records and transcripts.

Research effort. Honors in Biological Sciences is based on a minimum of one academic year of research. A student will typically work on research 7-10 hours a week for 3 quarters or more. Many students continue with research for 2 or 3 years; some students concentrate their effort during the summers. Specific arrangements may be flexible, but the student and the faculty advisor should agree to common goals and requirements early on. Honors students can earn course credit as for undergraduate research or through honors research (BIOL 615-617).

Graduation Requirements. Honors students must graduate with a GPA of 3.3 or higher, submit a written thesis of their research, and make an oral presentation at the Spring Undergraduate Symposium. The thesis must be submitted before the end of the eighth week of classes of the graduating quarter of the student's senior year, and must be accompanied by written approval of the faculty advisor.

Admission. Undergraduate majors in Biological Sciences with a grade point average of at least 3.3 for all courses may apply for admission to the Honors Program in Biology. You must find a faculty research advisor as described above, and apply for admission after spring quarter of your freshman year, but generally before the beginning of your senior year. A completed application, containing an honors application form, a transcript and a letter of recommendation and agreement to act as research advisor from a faculty member, should be submitted to Dr. Ken Petren (ken.petren@uc.edu).

University Honors. In addition to departmental honors, there are several other honors that an undergraduate can earn at UC. Latin Honors are based on the overall GPA at the University: cum laude (3.6-3.7499), magna cum laude (3.75-3.8999), summa cum laude (3.9 or higher). Students awarded Latin honors receive a gold seal placed on the diploma and it appears on their transcript. The University also has an Honors Scholars Program, and students completing that program can graduate as a Distinguished Honors Scholar (3.75 or higher) or Honors Scholar (3.2-3.7499).

A good place to search for research opportunities is the archive of the Biology Listserve or the Environmental Sciences Listserve (try searching for "research"). You can also sign up to receive future postings. Undergrads may advertise their availability for research projects by filling out the student availability form. Faculty may post a research opportunity by filling out a project availability form.

WISE Program

The "Women In Science and Engineering" program provides summer fellowships for Women undergraduates to conduct research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.  The fellowship includes a stipend and a series of informational workshops on career preparation, but may not be combined with summer coursework. The application deadline typically falls near the beginning of Winter quarter. Please consult the WISE program website for more information.

Turner Scholarships

Undergraduates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply for Turner scholarships that provide scholarship aid and guidance from a faculty mentor. Please consult the Turner scholars website for more information.

SURF Summer Fellowships

The "Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship" program at the UC Medical School is a competitive program to attract promising undergraduates to UC for a summer of biomedical research. Science majors with at least one year of classes completed are eligible to join active research labs. The program targets undergrads who are considering careers in biomedical science. Stipends are provided. Applications are typically due in late February or early March. Go to the SURF website for more information.

ATA program

Some professors have budgets for paid research assistants.  Find these opportunities by contacting faculty just as you would for course credit, or looking at postings on the Biology Listserve or the Environmental Sciences Listserve.