Profile of a molecular genetics researcher
Each student will provide a critical assessment of the contribution of a particular scientist to the field of molecular genetics. Each student will pick a profile subject from a list of molecular genetics researchers. The profile will briefly describe the personal history of the researcher (to the extent that can be determined from available sources of from an interview of the subject conducted, for example, by E-mail) and then discuss the major contributions the researcher has made to his or her area of research interest. The discussion should critically assess the value of that work to the field as a whole. The profile should be intelligible to a scientifically well-informed audience.
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Grading rubric
A grading rubric will explain the method for assessing these projects.
Milestones
As the course progresses, students will be required to meet milestones in the completion of this project.
- Selection of a profile subject (due Thursday, February 14). Each student will forward the name of their chosen profile subject by E-mail to the instructor by the due date.
- Annotated bibliography (due Tuesday, March 25). Each student will be expected to create a list of research journal articles (not reviews) that will be used in the creation of the profile. The entries will contain complete bibliographic information on the article, a universal resource locator (URL) for a web site that provides the text of the article and a short (about 200 word) abstract of the paper written to summarize the subject matter of the paper and its relevance to the profile topic. These articles can be written by the subject or by competitors/colleagues from the subjects research field.
- First draft (due Tuesday, April 29). Each student will submit a first draft of their project to peer review by two members of the class; the identity of the reviewers will be assigned by the instructor. Three copies of the draft will be brought to class on the due date. One will be given to the instructor for grading and two will be used in peer reviewing during class. The rough draft should conform to the requirements of the final draft in length and content. For the peer review you will use a peer review response form.
- Final draft (due Tuesday, May 13). The final draft of the project will be turned in by the beginning of class on the due date. It should be sent to the instructor in electronic format using the class Blackboard site. The project should be in Microsoft Word format.
Requirements for students in BIOL 414
Each BIOL 414 student will briefly review the research career of the profile subject, indicating the topic of research performed by the subject. The profile will discuss a representative selection of the most important work done by the subject. This discussion should not attempt to be comprehensive in discussing the contents of the papers. The intent is for the discussion to identify the major problems addressed, observations made or theories proposed by the subject. Because no research is done in an intellectual vacuum, it will be necessary to have read papers by major colleagues or competitors of the subject and to comment on the relationship between the subjects work and those of the other researchers. Finally, the profile should take a position as to the value of the work, the areas of research the student feels the subject should focus on in the future and the overall importance of the work to the field of study.
Students may wish to consult review articles and if they are consulted in writing the document they should be properly referenced. However, profiles that are overly dependent on reviews will receive a lesser grade than those that properly focus on the primary research literature.
There will be no specific requirement for a number of research papers to be consulted in preparing the project. The degree to which the chosen papers are representative of the research output of the subject will be considered when assigning a grade for the project.
The scope of each student project should be approximately 3000 words, equivalent to about 7.5 pages of double-spaced text. Projects that are significantly shorter or longer will be downgraded.
Requirements for students in BIOL 614
BIOL 614 students are expected to create a similar profile but will be required to discuss a representative set of papers from competing researchers and to discuss the significance of the subjects work in the larger research field. In addition, in discussing the research papers BIOL 614 students will be required to provide a critical assessment of the work. For example, this assessment should comment on the extent to which the scientific data in the papers supports the conclusions of the researchers. A significant part of the project should be devoted to discussions of possible future research areas that the subject or competitors should focus on in the future; these future research aims should elaborate on topics that are developed in the discussion of published research papers.
BIOL 614 projects should be 5000 words, equivalent to about 12 pages of double-spaced text. Projects that are significantly shorter or longer will be downgraded.
Due dates
Subject selection: Thursday, February 14
Annotated bibliography: Tuesday, March 25
First draft: Tuesday, April 29
Final draft: Tuesday, May 13
