Procedures for the Class

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Procedures for the Class

• OR,
• How to ENJOY the semester and GET AN A in
• IDH3931, Science for Life
• Seminar, Fall 2008

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Registration

• First, register for the course with Carol
  Blankenship in the Honors Office in Tigert Hall.
  She must add you to the course
• Second, register with the course on the Science
  for Life website, http//hhmi.chem.ufl.edu/metadot
  /index.pl

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Attendance

• 20 of grade perfect attendance earns you 20
  points
• SIGN IN every class period and STAY until last
  speaker answers questions
• Everyone allowed one missed class
• Medical absences require doctors note
• Contact Prof. Dunn if you will be absent, have
  good excuse

4
Listen politely to presentations

• Talking during class disturbs students around you
  and disturbs Prof. Dunn
• Ask questions after presentation identify
  yourself
• ONE extra credit point for each good question on
  the science give TA your name
• Only one question per student per day

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Four Required Reports

• Write four reports on four different professors,
  each worth 20 points
• Can be speakers or other professor from the
  program listing on website
• MUST conduct FACE-to-FACE interview in
  professors office and/or laboratory, not phone
  or email
• Learn about science in that lab, consider for
  your research experience

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Plagarism

• Copying directly word-for-word from a Professors
  website is plagarism and will result in a score
  of ZERO points on a report
• TAs have software to detect plagarism
• Avoid this by conducting a face-to-face interview
  and writing reports in your own words

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Alternative Report Breakthroughs in Bioscience

• One of the four required reports may be done by
  writing about one of 24 publications on a
  special website
• Website address http//opa.faseb.org/pages/
• Publications/breakthroughs.htm
• Summarize the publication in 2-3 pages, single
  spaced, one inch margins, 12 point font

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START EARLY

• Start now to set up interviews with faculty you
  may be interested in working with
• Phone or email to request an interview
• In your email SUBJECT LINE, put Freshman (or
  sophomore) eager to get involved in research or
  Honors freshman looking for research
  opportunities

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Start Early (2)

• Phone or email MULTIPLE professors now to
  maximize your chance of setting up an interview
• Set a day and time for the interview and show up
  early with a resume
• Email a reminder the day before the interview is
  scheduled and ask for directions to the
  professors office
• If you cant make a scheduled interview, email
  the professor to cancel

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Start Early (3)

• Set up all four interviews as soon as possible so
  you dont get left out and are not late on your
  reports
• Be polite, but persistent address all professors
  as Dr or Professor
• Expand your thinking about the area you might be
  interested in
• Visit the professors lab talk to students LEARN

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Rules for Reports

• Face-to-face interview
• Report must be in your own words
• Report filename based on YOUR NAME
  SmithA_report1.doc, i.e., LastnameFirstInitial_re
  port1.doc
• Only MS Word files in PC format (.doc)
• Spell and Grammar Check Everything

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Rules for Reports (2)

• Upload report on COURSE WEBSITE using Upload
  Your Report button
• MUST be registered on the course website to
  upload report
• Report should answer all questions given in
  syllabus (next page)
• Use headings to separate answers

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SIX questions to answer

• Biographical information on the professor (where
  born, where educated, current title) How did the
  professor become interested in science?
• Number of Students undergraduates, graduate
  students, and post-doctoral fellows currently in
  the laboratory.
• Projects a paragraph on each project that would
  be available for undergraduates with a
  description of the research.
• Experimental techniques that are used in the
  laboratory.
• Major Collaborators Names and affiliations of
  major collaborators of the professor.
• Bibliography Five most recent publications from
  the professors laboratory, with full citation
  including authors, title, year, journal (or
  book), volume, pages, i.e., 1163-1172. THIS IS
  THE BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE REPORT

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Extra Credit

• Submitting your reports one week early will
  result in a bonus of two extra credit points
• This is necessary due to the number of students
  in this class

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Extra Credit-2

• Attend Science for Life Poster Session this fall,
  learn about undergraduate research at UF
• Sign in for credit 3 points

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Questions ??