RESEARCH AND HONORS IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Any student pursuing a supervised biological research project expected to last two or more quarters may register for BIOL SCI 399-0 research credit. Only one unit of such credit per quarter is allowed. The potential to graduate from Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences with Program Honors in Biological Sciences involves writing a Thesis based on 399-0 research, but doing 399-0 work does not mandate pursuit of Honors.

Requirements for Program Honors in Biological Sciences

1. A minimum GPA of 3.30 in courses pertaining to the Major, including required life science courses, and also including all major-required physics, math, and chemistry courses. This GPA is calculated as of the end of Winter Quarter of the Senior year.

2. Completion of at least six months of registered 399-0 research, in one laboratory, working on the Thesis project.

3. Submission of a Thesis that is judged to be well written and to represent a significant independent research accomplishment.

Due dates for Honors materials for academic year 2008-9:
Initial Information: to Honors Coordinator by email
(gjg853@northwestern.edu) by 23 October.
Provisional Thesis: to Research Supervisor by 13 March.
Thesis: to Supervisor by 1 May; to PBS office (Hogan Hall 2144) by 8 May.

Steps toward Honors in Biological Sciences

I. Identification of a Research Supervisor
Directories of faculty and their research interests are available via the PBS Faculty webpage. Faculty from various schools of Northwestern University participate in the program and cover a wide range of research areas. A student identifies a Supervisor by visiting with faculty whose research areas are of interest and by exploring the possibility of doing research. By mutual agreement, a plan of research is then prepared with a chosen Supervisor. The Supervisor's responsibilities are to provide guidance in choosing the research project, a supportive research environment, reasonable advice concerning execution and interpretation of experimental results, and reasonable editorial advice concerning the writing of the Thesis. The student must, however, have a unique project, and bears primary responsibility for conducting the research and writing the Thesis.

II. Formal Beginning of the Process
In October of the Senior year, a student signals her/his intention to submit a Thesis by providing via email certain information to the Honors Coordinator for the Program in Biological Sciences. This information includes the title of the Thesis, the student’s full name and University ID number, the student’s 6-digit “Net-ID”, the name of the student’s Research Supervisor, the student’s email address, and the Supervisor’s email address.

III. Structure of the Thesis
The Thesis must consist of stipulated sections, as follows.

• 1.Title Page: Apart from the title of the Thesis, the student’s name, and the laboratory where research was conducted, must be indicated here.
• 2. Abstract: The Abstract summarizes the problem, the experiments, and the conclusion; one page maximum.
• 3.Table of Contents.
• 4. Introduction and Literature Survey: This section places the research in context. Previous published or unpublished work (in the Supervisor's lab or elsewhere) is discussed, and its relationship to the Thesis experiments described.
• 5. Materials and Methods: This section provides details of the experiments and of the analytical (including statistical) techniques utilized.
• 6. Results: This section includes the objective results of the experiments. Figures and Tables are included as needed, placed at appropriate points within the text. The presented experiments and their results are normally expected to reflect the work of the student, not the work of others in the lab. In any instance of collaboration, specific credit must be given to those involved.
• 7. Discussion: This section examines the scientific significance of the experimental results, and suggests possible future directions for related research. The relationship of the results to the work of other researchers is discussed. Included is analysis of why particular experiments succeeded or failed.
• 8. References Cited: References cited in the body of the Thesis should be listed using a format typical of scientific journals in the field. (A consistent style of citation should be used throughout the body of the Thesis; all data or ideas of others must be credited.)
• 9. Curriculum Vitae: The student’s CV concludes the Thesis.

Sample Thesis 1 (PDF Format)

Sample Thesis 2 (PDF Format)


IV. Evaluation of Theses
1. Provisional Thesis. The student must turn in a Provisional Thesis to the Supervisor by a specified date toward the end of Winter Quarter of the Senior year. A grade in Winter 399-0 cannot be given until this has occurred. Obviously, some (even most) data will usually not yet be available, but the student should make the Provisional Thesis as complete as possible, containing minimally all sections except Results and Discussion. The Supervisor reads and edits the Provisional Thesis, and then provides the Honors Coordinator with the revised thesis and a signed form, expressing confidence in the ongoing research of the student and assuring PBS that the Provisional Thesis has been edited. PBS returns the edited Provisional Thesis to the student.

2. Final Thesis. A final Thesis must be provided to the Supervisor by a specified date in late April or early May. A paper copy is due in the Biological Sciences Office (Hogan Hall, Room 2-144) by a slightly later specified date. A signed letter from the Supervisor, in a sealed envelope, must be physically attached to the Thesis when it is received by the PBS office, recommending the student for Honors and/or a Research Prize. PBS will not accept a Thesis without this letter, and neither Honors nor a Prize can be considered without nomination for such by the Supervisor.

3. Analysis by PBS: A Faculty Reader is assigned to each Thesis. When the PBS Honors Board meets, letters from the Supervisor and the Reader are considered, along with the Thesis itself. For Program Honors, there must also be a 3.30 or greater average in all courses required by the Major. After debate, the Board votes with regard to whether Program Honors should be recommended to Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. It also votes with regard to winners of our four Research Prizes; the latter decision is based solely on the quality of the Theses (GPA is not relevant for Prizes).

Honors Program Description (PDF File)


2007-2008 SENIOR HONORS THESES PRIZE WINNERS IN BASIC RESEARCH


Neil Welker Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Laboratory Coursework Samuel Yu (pictured left, receiving award from Dr. John Mordacq)
Constance Campbell Prize for Basic Research Lisa Battisfore Sleep disturbances caused by changes induced by high-fat diet, independent of weight gain, in mice Research Advisors: Dr. Aaron Laposky (left), Dr. Fred Turek (far right)
David Shemin Prize for Basic Research Bryant Priromprintr (pictured left) Structure-Function Analysis of the C-Terminal Transrepression Domain of the Inversion (16) Gene Product and Its Implications in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research Advisor: Dr. Ishwar Radhakrishnan (pictured right)
Irving M. Klotz Prize for Basic Research Daniel Schaffer Molecular mechanism of the in vitro response of nuclear orphan receptor NOR-1 to DMI: A Possible Biomarker Candidate in Depression Research Advisor: Dr. Eva Redei (award presented by graduate student Laura Sittig)
Emanuel Margoliash Prize for Basic Research Michael Schieber Understanding the role of the HSP70 Chaperone Family in Maintaining Protein Homeostasis Research Advisor: Dr. Richard Morimoto (award presented by adviser and postdoctoral fellow Cindy Voisine)

 

2007-2008 Honors in Biological Research

Anna Banc
Cryopreservation and In Follicle Maturation: The Future of Female Fertiility Preservation
Research Advisor: Dr. Teresa Woodruff

Maureen Beederman
The Role of SoxE Factors in Neural Crest and Inner Ear Development
Research Advisor: Dr. Carole LaBonne

Daniel Bohl
Drosophila Fragile X Mental Retardation Gene (dfmr): Exploration of its circadian role
Research Advisor: Dr.Ravi Allada

Olga Cherepanova
Phosphorylation of N-Terminal Regulatory Region of Cubitus Interruptus
Research Advisor: Dr. Robert Holmgren

Chris D'Angelo
Celestrol Selectively Binds to Cysteine Residues of the Model Protein Dihydrofolate Reductase from E.coli
Research Advisor: Dr. Richard Morimoto

Dianne DeLeon
Age-Related Loss of Calbindin Identifies Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons Destined to Degenerate in Alzheimer's Disease
Research Advisor: Dr. Changiz Geula

Molly Fansler
Isolation, Release, and Characterization of "Native State" Amyloid Beta-Derived Diffusible Ligands (ADDLs)
Research Advisor: Dr. William Klein

Matthew Fishman
Molecular analysis of the cadmium-responsive gene cdr-1 expression in Caenorhabditis elegans
Research Advisor: Dr. Richard Morimoto

Alex Froyshteter
Defining the Mechanism of Gene Recruitment to the Nuclear Periphery
Research Advisor: Dr. Jason Brickner

Jessie Golbus
Characterizing the Fine Structure of a Novel Protein Processing Signal
Research Advisor: Dr. Andreas Matouschek

Peter Hanna
Exploring the Function of a TRPML3 Splice Variant
Research Advisor: Dr. Jaime Garcia-Anoveros

Chen He
Kainic Acid and Pilocarpine Models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Comparison on the Cellular Level
Research Advisor: Dr. Dane Chetkovich

Molly Hogan
Understanding Gene Recruitment: An Investigation of the Regulatory Elements Involved in Gene Recruitment
Research Advisor: Dr. Jason Brickner

Ankaj Khosla
Characterizing the change of the Trp-41 residue of the M2 protein in influenza during activation using bimane fluorescence quenching
Research Advisor: Dr. Lawrence Pinto

Natalie Kim
Sleep inertia in delayed sleep phase syndrome subjects
Research Advisor: Dr. Kathryn Reid

Ryan Leary
Effect of serotonin on retinotopic mapping in the visual cortex
Research Advisor: Dr. Jianhua Cang

Adam Lewno
An Investigation into Dopamine-based Contrast Agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Research Advisor: Dr. Thomas Meade

Sarah O'Shea
The Determination of the Reactive Oxygen Species Released During the CCS Mediated Copper Loading Mechanism of SOD1
Research Advisor: Dr. Thomas O'Halloran

Dmitri Papagiannopoulos
The role of ERE-dependent and ERE-independent ERalpha signaling in the stress response, anxiety and depressive-like behavior in male mice
Research Advisor: Dr. Jon Levine

Paul Park
Effects of Chronic Free Fatty Acid Exposure on the Mouse ZnT (SLC30a) and ZIP (SLC39a) Family of Zinc Transporters
Research Advisor: Dr. William Lowe

Kalen Rimar
Effects of Fluoxitine, lipophosphotidylcholine, and arachadonic acid in murine models of post-menopausal hot flashes
Research Adviser: Dr. Teresa Horton

David Sum
Role of the simple sequence domain in the proteolytic processing of Cubitus interruptus in Drosophila
Research Advisor: Dr. Robert Holmgren

Happy Thakkar
Effects of Aggregation Suppression on Toxicity in C. elegans Models of Protein Aggregation
Research Advisor: Dr. Richard Morimoto

Jennifer Tsau
The modulatory effect of Transforming Growth Factor Beta Signaling on Heat Shock Factor 1 Mediated Stress Responses in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Research Advisor: Dr. Richard Morimoto

Muthiah Vaduganathan
The Relationship Between Discretionary Sitting and Knee Symptoms in Radiographic Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Research Advisor: Dr. Dorothy Dunlop

Jamie White
The Role of Estrogen in Thermoregulation
Research Advisor: Dr. Teresa Horton

 

2006-2007 SENIOR HONORS THESES
PROGRAM IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

2005-2006 SENIOR HONORS THESES
PROGRAM IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

2004-2005 SENIOR HONORS THESES
PROGRAM IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

2003-2004 SENIOR HONORS THESES
PROGRAM IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

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