| Home > Undergraduate > Research | |||||||||
|
 |
Research Opportunities in the Biological Sciences Undergraduate research experience is often a major factor considered by admissions committees at medical schools and graduate programs across the nation. Northwestern undergraduates are encouraged to take advantage of such opportunities in the laboratories of our faculty as part of the Independent Research 398/399 program. The 398/399 program offers extensive, for-credit, hands-on training and research. Of special note, several sources are also available for Summer Research Grants for undergraduates to support their research projects during the summer months. Assistance in finding laboratories that may be accepting undergraduates for academic year research positions can be obtained through the Science Research Workshop or by contacting the Director of the Program in Biological Sciences. Please see the section below for details on applying for BIO 398-BIO 399 courses. Provost Sponsored Opportunities and The Undergrad Arch Research Lab Opportunities Evanston Campus High Throughput Analysis Facility Chicago Campus Chicago Area Research Affiliates Field Museum of Natural History Please note that the institutions and Northwestern departments listed here are only a representative sample of opportunities available to undergraduate students.
Funding For Research Projects Katherine Krieghbaum Scholarship
Students are required to submit a brief research proposal including a description of their project, the budget required to do the research (maximum of $2,000). In addition, two letters of recommendation are required: one from the faculty research supervisor and one from a faculty member who is familiar with the student either through classes or other collaborations. The proposal application can be submitted via email before the deadline in mid-April (date specified in the official February notification from the Program in Biological Sciences). Please note that the nomination procedures in the Program in Biological Sciences differ substantially from those requirements specified by the WCAS Dean's Office.
WCAS Research Grant Support Northwestern Undergraduate Research Grants The Northwestern Undergraduate Research Grants fund students' individual academic and creative projects, designed and implemented under faculty supervision. The grants aim to stimulate student initiative and allow students to immerse themselves in scholarly work independent of the regular curriculum. Academic Year Grants
Summer Research Grants
Weinberg College Research Grants If you don't meet the criteria for an Undergraduate Research Grant (e.g., you can't commit to devoting your whole summer to your project), you can apply instead for a WCAS research grant. See this link for more information and how to apply. WCAS research grant applications must be received - and be complete, including the faculty recommendation - no later than June 3, 2010 . If you have additional questions, please contact the WCAS research grants office.
External Summer Research Opportunities Howard Hughes Medical Institute National Institutes of Health The University of Iowa Department of Microbiology Summer Research Program Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill The University of Texas Southwestern Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships -SURF Quantitative and Physical Sciences - SURF Registering for BIOL SCI 398-0 or 399-0 We are delighted that you are interested in either Tutorial in Biology (BIOL SCI 398-0) or Independent Research (BIOL SCI 399-0). Please note that there can be no remuneration involved when taking BIOL SCI 398 or 399. Biological Sciences 398 involves laboratory training and experience (including initial preparation for a research project), and/or assigned reading, under the supervision of one of our faculty (termed your Research Sponsor). It is graded P/N only. To register for BIOL SCI 398, do so directly via CAESAR; no permission number is needed. (If a 398 section is not shown for your faculty Research Sponsor, please contact our program assistants in Hogan 2144.) Biological Sciences 399 involves an independent research project of the student, conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. A permission number from Biological Sciences is required for 399 registration. The first quarter of registered work in a lab, normally being organizational in nature, should be a 398 rather than a 399. For potential BIOL SCI 399 registration, apply to our Associate Director, at (gjg853@northwestern.edu). Please provide to him: (1) Provide the name and email address of the Northwestern faculty member under whose supervision you would be working, and under whose name you would register. (2) If there is an intermediate mentor (graduate student, postdoc, other researcher, etc.), provide that person's name, position, and email address. (3) Provide a thorough description of your independent research project (following discussion with your Research Sponsor). This description should include methods of analysis, including statistical methodology. The project must involve either experimentation and data collection in a lab, or collection of natural history data during fieldwork. Surveys (e.g. of patients, of the literature in a field, etc.) are not sufficient. Social science topics, including those with medical relevance, are not appropriate for BIOL SCI 399 (but it may be possible to obtain credit in other Departments for such work). (4) Your project will normally fit into the larger scenario of work going on in a lab, but your project should nonetheless have a distinct and unique focus. Please therefore detail the differences between your work and that of those in the lab whose work is most closely related to yours. (5) All parties must understand that BIOL SCI 399 data you collect will be fundamentally yours for publication purposes. This should be explicitly discussed with all involved. Therefore, provide an assurance that such a discussion has taken place. (6) If you are continuing a 399 project from a previous quarter, indicate how the work is progressing, and how much longer you believe it may take to complete the project. No more than 4 quarters of 399 registration pertaining to a project will normally be allowed.
Graduation with Honors in Biological Sciences A 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 require the pursuit of Honors. Steps toward Honors in Biological Sciences III. Partial Thesis By February 1, the student must provide to both the Research Supervisor and the Honors Coordinator, provisional versions of the "Introduction and Literature Survey" and the "Materials and Methods" sections of the thesis.
V. Thesis Submission A final Thesis must be provided to the Supervisor by specified date indicated above. 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. An electronic copy must be sent to the Honors Coordinator by the same deadline. The PBS office will not print theses; the student is expected to print the paper copy elsewhere. VI. Review 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 discussion, 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).
“Nanodiamond Patterns for Therapeutic Applications”
“The Roles of Mitf and SoxE Factors in Melanocyte Development”
"Implementation of Lentiviruses for a High-Throughput, Cell-Based Transcription Factor Activity Assay Designed for Temporal Monitoring of Gene Regulatory Networks"
“Neuronal Toxicity of Amyloidogenic Proteins in C. elegans Models”
“Unraveling the Catalytic Mechanism of Topoisomerase V”
“Development of Lentiviral Delivery System for the Induction of M2 Macrophage Phenotype by Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines”
“Effects on Glucose Homeostasis due to the Selective Disruption of Circadian Oscillations in the Brain”
“Analysis of the Heat Shock Response in Cellular Models of Huntington's Disease”
“Attenuation of Parylene Thickness for the Controlled Elution of Corticosteroids from a Biocompatible Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Substrate”
“Regulation of the Inhibin-Alpha Subunit Gene by the NR4A Subfamily
of Orphan Nuclear Receptors in Ovarian Granulosa Cells”
“Changes in the Protein Repertoire of the Eukaryotic Chaperome”
“Structural Studies of the RNA T-Loop Motif in RNAse P”
“A Comparative Analysis: Understanding Ldh-C4 through its Expression in Somatic Cells”
“Cellular Localization of dsRBD Protein CG10630”
“Partial Urinary Bladder Regeneration Utilizing Autologous Sources of Stem Cells Seeded onto a Novel Synthetic Elastomer”
2008-2009 SENIOR HONORS THESES 2007-2008 SENIOR HONORS THESES 2006-2007 SENIOR HONORS THESES 2005-2006 SENIOR HONORS THESES 2004-2005 SENIOR HONORS THESES 2003-2004 SENIOR HONORS THESES
|
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
|||||||
 |