Biol 4100: Special Topics in Ecology and Environmental Sciences

 

 

 

Biol4100, Special Topics                    Fall 2013

Special Topics: Ecology and Environmental Sciences

 

Syllabus

 

Dafeng Hui, Ph.D.

Office: Harned Hall 320

Phone: 615-963-5777

Email: dhui@tnstate.edu

 

Office hours: MWF 11:30 am - 2:00 pm; T Th 9:00-1:00 pm; or by appointment

Prerequisites: 12 hours upper-level Biology or permission of instructor.

Textbook:  Not required. Seminar related papers/information will be provided.

 

Class Times/Places:

** The times and places will be set with you faculty mentors.

 

Course Description

Credit Hours:  3 credit hours

Catalog Description: Student- and faculty-generated course. Scope of subject matter is determined by students and instructor.

Course Purpose/Rational: This Special Topics -- Ecology and Environmental Sciences is designed to provide research skills training to upper level undergraduate students in ecology and environmental sciences and to expose them to some important environmental issues and to learn how scientists are working to solve them. Students enrolled in the TSU Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) program – a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) – are required to register for this course.

Course Objectives: This course is designed to provide both research skills training and hands-on research experience to upper level undergraduate students. Students are introduced to different research skills from research topic selection, to experimental design, data collections, data analysis, results presentation (oral and poster presentation), and manuscript writing through seminars. Students will also be paired with mentors to conduct independent research projects. Through these training, students not only learn these research skills, but also use them in their own research.

 

Course Audience: Undergraduate juniors and seniors, NSF URM scholars

Instructional Methodology: Lecture/seminar, and independent research project

Learning Competencies:

After this course, students should be able to understand how scientists conduct research in ecology and environmental sciences and learn basic research skills and use these skills in their independent research project. Specifically, students should be able to know the basic knowledge of experimental design, data analysis, and results presentation and manuscript writing.

 

Lecture/seminar Attendance Policy:  Attendance is required for seminars/discussion. If you miss a seminar and do not have a doctor's or other approved excuse (approved at the discretion of the instructor), the review for that seminar will receive a grade of 0. Since there are only about ten seminar reviews, a 0 is a very significant penalty and should be avoided. Attendance during seminar periods where presentations are given is also mandatory and penalties will accompany unexcused absences

 

Evaluation: This course is designed for research skill training, there is no formal exam. Students will be evaluated through their attendance, seminar reviews or discussion, research participation, and research project reports. Seminar reviews and research project reports should be turned in through email (dhui@tnstate.edu).

 

Grading Policy: 

    Your final grade includes two components: 50% are from seminar/discussion, the other 50% come from research project. For seminar/discussion, 20% are for attendance, and 30% are for the seminar review or discussion. There is a penalty for unexcused seminar absence. Your grade will be reduced by 2 points for each absence you have. For research project report, 10% are for research participation, and 40% are from research project report (10% for middle term report, 10% for presentation, and 20% for final report). The final project report should be at least 5 pages in length, following the format of a published research paper (A template will be provided).

 

The overall grade for the course will be based on the standard TSU point-to-grade scale. The distribution of points is:

 

For NSF URM scholar, a grade of C and above (>=70) is required to be eligible for the continuation of the scholarship.                    

 

Policy on plagiarism and cheating: Cheating on review or project report or plagiarizing on a paper project will result in a 0 grade for the review or report. The Department Chair and Dean will be informed of the occurrence. To plagiarize is 1. to appropriate and pass off as one's own (the writings, ideas, etc., of another). 2. To appropriate and use passages, ideas, etc. from another's text or product (Funk and Wagnells Standard Dictionary of the English Language, 1965). All papers will be kept by the instructor.

 

Accommodating those with disabilities:

The Biology Department, in conjunction with the Office of Disabled Student Services, makes reasonable accommodation for qualified students with medically documented disabilities. If you need an accommodation, please contact Dan Steely of TSU's Disabled Student Services Office at 963-7400 (phone) or 963-5051 (fax), preferably in the first week of class.

 

Learning Resources and References

 

Course website: http://faculty.tnstate.edu/dhui/biol4100

 

 

 

Schedule of Seminar and Research Project Report

* Review of the seminar is due a week after the seminar.

** The report is due at the end of the week.  Word_Template.

Course Evaluation: Nov. 18 - Dec. 5.