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Course Syllabus

BIOL 2925 Undergraduate Research

  • Division: Natural Science and Math
  • Department: Biology
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 2; Lecture: 1; Lab: 2
  • Repeatable: Yes.
  • Prerequisites: BIOL 1610 & BIOL 1615 or instructor permission
  • Semesters Offered: TBA
  • Semester Approved: Spring 2024
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Spring 2029
  • End Semester: Fall 2029
  • Optimum Class Size: 2
  • Maximum Class Size: 6

Course Description

This course provides an opportunity for students to apply knowledge and techniques learned in classroom settings to actual research experience. No more than six students will assist one faculty member in that person's research. Students will receive faculty direction for at least one hour a week and lab research participation will usually range from two to four hours weekly. A short summary will be required to be presented to a small, in-lab seminar of interested students and faculty at end of semester. An additional fee is required for consumables.

Justification

Actual hands-on experience in lab and field research has given a significant number of Snow College Biology students the opportunity to enter into research programs at transfer institutions such as Utah State University, Brigham Young University, University of Utah, etc. A number of professional programs require such research as a prerequisite for admission. This course is repeatable and will be under the direction of individual faculty members engaged in research.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Undergraduate research students will develop good research habits, particularly in making observations, note-taking and data-recording, and data analysis along with integrity of process.
  2. Undergraduate research students will practice and perfect techniques specific to a given research project.
  3. Undergraduate research students will be encouraged to draw connections to research in professional publications.
  4. Undergraduate research students will prepare a short summary to be presented to a small, in-lab seminar of interested students and faculty.

Course Content

Content will be specific to the particular research topic addressed. Some examples of previous undergraduate research include root beer fermentation parameters, diatom culture, cellulose synthase gene PCR and analysis, cloning of plasmid color markers into public expression vectors, cloning and analysis of mutant color genes, analysis of Serratia marcescens mutant pigment-overproducer, sunscreen tests using Serratia marcescens, isolation of Salmonella contaminants in turkey agricultural systems, etc.

Students are encouraged to explore a variety of academic sources for ideas and evidence into their research topics.