Honors Thesis Workshop: Myth Busters

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Honors Thesis WorkshopMyth Busters!

• Fall semester 2009
• This workshop satisfies the thesis workshop
  requirement for Sophomore Honors

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Agenda

• Thesis overview the basics
• Thesis details the nitty-gritty
• Thesis tips the helpful hints to start, finish,
  and survive the process ?
• Questions/Answers/Comments

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What is a thesis???

• General definition
• A piece of research, scholarship, or creative
  activity
• Independent research/scholarship
• Work done in conjunction with a faculty member
• Work done as part of a research team
• Work done in collaboration with other students
• A piece of work that is owned by the Honors
  student
• A unique contribution to your field

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What is a thesis???

• A documentation of your learning
• A method of gaining subject matter expertise
• A culmination of your major course work or course
  work in a related area
• A way to individualize your college experience
• A testament to your hard work and achievements
• An influential experience
• The thesis had the greatest effect on me.
  Without doing the work to finish my thesis, I
  would not be on the career path I am now. My
  life would be completely different now. John
  Eicher, Biological Sciences, 2009

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What is a thesis???

• Can take many forms, depending on your field and
  interests
• Critical or textual analysis or interpretation
• Creative performance or exhibit
• Business plan
• Original creative product (e.g. sculpture or
  music composition)
• Laboratory or field research
• Case study
• Novel or short stories
• Many other possibilities

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Benefits or why bother?

• Personal Benefits
• Ability to work one-on-one with a faculty advisor
• Taking ownership of your education and studying
  something you find interesting
• Further development of research skills, writing
  skills, and analytical skills
• Opportunity to be creative and expand problem
  solving skills
• Accomplishment!

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Benefits or why bother?

• Professional Benefits
• It looks good on your resume
• It prepares you for the next level
• Grad school
• Professional school
• Job market
• It sets you apart
• Graduation as Honors Scholar
• Demonstrates the ability to complete a large
  project
• Possibility of getting work published as an
  undergraduate

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Honors Scholar Graduation Requirements

• A minimum of 12 Honors credits in your major or a
  related field at the 2000-level or higher, with
  no grade below a B- (at least 3 credits for
  thesis work)
• 3.4 cumulative GPA (3.2 for students following
  the 2007-08 Undergraduate Catalog or earlier)
• Completion of an Honors Thesis

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Honors Scholar Graduation Requirements

• Submission of the Final Plan of Study, due during
  the semester preceding the semester of graduation
• Submission of the Thesis Plan, due by the 4th
  week of the semester of graduation
• Submission of Thesis Approval and Cover Sheet
  with completed Thesis
• Completion of the Honors Scholar Senior Survey
• Fulfillment of any additional departmental Honors
  requirements

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Campus Resources (use them!!)

• The Librarys Academic Liaison staff
• The Librarys Honors Thesis Toolbox
• RefWorks
• Library Research Carrel
• The Writing Center
• Digital Commons
• Learning Resource Center

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Honors by Department

• BME
• Economics
• English
• History
• HDFS
• Mathematics
• MCB
• Nursing
• Pharmacy
• Political Science
• Psychology

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Suggested timeline

• Sophomore year
• Talk with juniors and seniors
• Find out about faculty research in your
  department
• Junior year
• Take departmental research methods course
• Explore faculty interests
• Consider various topics
• Decide on a topic by the end of junior year

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Suggested timeline

• Summer of junior/senior year
• Consider beginning Thesis work through summer
  research experience
• Senior year-fall
• Spend semester doing research
• Start writing (at least!)
• Get feedback from your advisor as you go
• Senior year-spring
• Complete writing early in semester
• Spend remainder of semester revising

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Choosing your Thesis Advisor

• Review the FACULTY section of departmental
  websites
• May categorize faculty by research area or area
  of expertise
• Will list faculty research and scholarship
• Read recent publications by faculty members if
  youre interested in their research/scholarship
• Seek recommendations from your Honors Advisor

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Choosing your Thesis Advisor

• If you liked a class talk to that professor
  more about the area as a potential thesis topic
• Take another class with the faculty member
• Ask about taking an independent study course or
  research hours to further explore the topic
• Make an appointment to meet with a potential
  advisor
• Ask if he/she would be willing to work with you
  on your thesis
• Dont email do this in person
• Dont assume make sure everyone is committed to
  the project

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Getting started in research

• Getting started will look different in
  different fields
• Lab sciences students can start research as
  early as freshman year most start by sophomore
  year
• Social Sciences you may work with a faculty
  member early or start later on your own project
• Humanities typically you need coursework in
  your major before you can formulate an idea and
  work independently

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Getting started in research

• Take a research methods or undergraduate research
  seminar in your major
• Take an independent study course to explore your
  interests
• Participate in a study abroad program where
  research is a component of the experience
• Find out about IRB/IACUC requirements in your
  field
• Training is available from the IRB website
• IRB/IACUC approval may be required BEFORE you
  begin any research

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Funding opportunities

• Apply for an OUR Grant
• Fall and Spring semester grants of up to 500 for
  research consumables/expenses/presentation
• Applications taken on a rolling basis apply
  early
• Apply for a SURF Grant
• 3500 to fund research expenses/research travel
  in the summer
• Applications typically due in February
• VERY competitive
• Apply for the Life Sciences Honors Thesis
  Research Grant
• Consult the Office of National Scholarships (ONS)

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Funding opportunities

• Faculty grants
• Faculty may have grants that provide stipends for
  undergraduate researchers
• Scholarships
• Presidential Scholarship at UConn enrichment
  award stipend
• Goldwater scholarship
• Search for scholarships through the Office of
  Sponsored Programs databases

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Coursework and the Thesis

• Take courses in your department that are relevant
  to your topic
• Investigate courses in OTHER departments that are
  closely related to your topic
• Confirm with your Honors Advisor that a course in
  another department will count towards your Honors
  graduation requirements
• Look into graduate courses (often more specific
  and in-depth on topics) that are related to your
  thesis topic

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University Scholar Program

• Highest honor you can graduate with at UConn
• Apply during Fall of Junior year VERY
  competitive
• Allows you to adapt major requirements around a
  complex and creative research proposal
• Visit the University Scholar website for more
  information

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Student Profiles

• Animal Science
• Business
• Chemistry
• Education
• English
• Engineering
• HDFS
• Individualized
• Journalism
• Fine Arts
• MCB
• Nursing
• Pharmacy
• Political Science
• PNB
• Psychology

Stop by the Honors Office in CUE 419 to see
Thesis profiles of students in different majors