Bryan Monesson-OlsonNotes appear in the upper left-hand corner to provide information that was included in the live presentation.

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Here you can see the organizational chart for the entire university. I administrate the honors program for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. We work with CHC to run departmental honors. I do not administrate multidisciplinary honors and general studies, they are administrated by CHC. I am happy to discuss them, but I don’t run those programs.

Departmental Honors (DH)

• DH is an Advanced Scholarship track of Commonwealth Honors College (CHC).

• Students may complete DH as part of the full CHC curriculum• Students may complete DH alone.

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General studies is being phased out. If your thesis does not fall under the umbrella of biochemistry and molecular biology then you should register to do Multidisciplinary Honors. I approve projects for BMB departmental honors and they can come from any department, they simply need to use biochemical or molecular techniques.

Who has to write a thesis?

• Multidisciplinary Honors• Departmental Honors• All Honors students enrolled in Fall 2018 and onward

General Admission Criteria

Minimally, to be eligible to apply for DH, students must have:• GPA of 3.40 after one fulltime semester• The ability to complete the CHC minimum residency

requirement: 45-graded (not pass/fail) credits earned at UMass Amherst (not transferred)

• Already a member of a research lab

Departmental Honors Admissions Process

• Students not already part of CHC must apply to join CHC– You don’t have to fulfill the CHC curriculum to do DH.

• Students who are already members of CHC – I will determine your eligibility and preparedness for DH.

• GPA?• Are you in a lab?

Getting into a lab

• It is your responsibility• There are many ways to get into a lab• Selection criteria is decided by each professor• You should try to get into a lab with at least two years left

– chance to learn the techniques in the lab – really contribute to the lab enough to warrant your own project

Getting into a lab

• Emailing everyone with a form letter• Email a professor

– Demonstrate that you know what their research is• Visit their lab

– Don’t be invasive– Ask to meet at another time

Requirements for BMB Departmental Honors

• Do independent research in a lab that uses biochemistry and molecular biology techniques– The lab does not have to be in the BMB department– Members of the Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program

are one source of appropriate mentors.– Approved by the BMB HPD.

• Biochem “H” course at any level • Biochem “H” course above the 300 level • “H” writing course, 430H• Biochem 499Y Thesis Proposal• Biochem 499T Thesis• Alternative “H” course need to be approved by me

Requirements for BMB Departmental Honors

Independent study

• Sophomore year – 296 ISH

• Junior year – 396 ISH

• Senior year– 499Y Fall– 499T Spring

Honors Colloquium

• Honors Colloquia are weekly discussion seminars or laboratory sessions that augment standard 2- and 3-credit university courses and provide students with more focused study of the course content.

• Honors Colloquia must be set up the semester before!• More information can be found here at the CHC site.

CHC PATHS

• All registration for independent study is done through CHC PATHS

• Honors Thesis• Oral Defense

Requirements for BMB Departmental Honors

To BMB Majors about Academic Standards:

• Your BMB Honors Thesis is a scientific document produced as a result of your academic skills.

• Your work reflects directly on the reputation of the BMB Department.

To BMB Majors about Academic Standards:

• Your thesis should reflect your high personal and professional standards.

• Documents containing typographical errors, spelling mistakes, poor grammar or unclear writing will be returned to the student for revision.

Honors Thesis Committee:

• 2 members.• The Chair is the Principal Investigator (P.I.) of your research

lab. • Second committee member

– If your Chair is not from BMB your second committee member must be from BMB

Writing a thesis

• Schedule writing time• Outline• Writing is an iterative process!• Get your drafts out to multiple people as soon as possible.• Use a citation management system.

– Here are two I like: Zotero and Mendely

How to Write a Lot

• How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing; Silvia, P.J. (2007). (Washington, DC: Amer Psychological Assn) ISBN-13: 978-1591477433, ISBN-10: 1591477433.

• Available at the Library

How to Write a LotMain Points

• Make a schedule and stick to it!• Writing is hard• Writing is a skill; like all skills, practice is the only way to get

better.• What counts as writing?

– Writing, reading, working on figures

How to Write a LotBarriers to writing

• There are many reasons we give ourselves for not writing, most of these do not make sense.– “I can’t find time to write”– “I need to read more before I can write”– “I need a better computer, desk, chair, printer, etc.”– “I need inspiration; I need to feel inspired to write.”

How to Write a LotTools to help you write a lot

• Set goals• Make priorities• Monitor your own progress• Writing groups

Pomodoros

• Break down tasks into smaller chunks• 25 minutes on focused work• 5 minutes break• Repeat 4 times• 15 minute break• After 2 cycles take a longer break• https://pomodoro-tracker.com

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Presentation Notes

Here is a great link explaining the Eisenhower Matrix, a great tool to organize your time.

Thesis formatting

1. Title page with original approval signature(s)2. Abstract (2 copies)3. Introduction4. Summary of work of previous researchers

Thesis formatting

6. Explanation of current methodology and goals7. Report and discussion of research results8. Conclusions and implication for future research9. Bibliography10.Appendix (optional)

Thesis formatting

• Paper: clean, white, 8.5 x 11 inch, of consistent quality and weight

• Pages: loose and unbound; double-sided is acceptable if paper is not too transparent

• Margins: set to 1 inch on each side• Page numbering: consecutively, beginning after the title and

abstract pages

Thesis formatting

• Font: consistent type and size throughout (e.g., Times Roman 12 pt)

• Spacing: double-spaced (exceptions: block quotes, footnotes, itemized or tabular material)

• Style manual: if used, it must be used consistently throughout (e.g., Psych APA, English MLA, Chicago, etc.)

Due dates

• You should work out all the details for all honors classes the semester before.– April for Fall– November for Spring

Due dates

• Student deadlines for submission on PATHS are:– August 15 for the Fall– December 7 for the Spring – These deadlines must be in your 499Y proposal

• Faculty deadlines for approvals:– January 26 for the Spring

Timeline

• Part I: Honors Thesis 499Y– Fall Semester

• Part II: Honors Thesis 499T/P– Spring Semester– Submit thesis in April– Oral defense

Turning in your thesis

• Turned in printed version to the main CHC office– Bring a copy on a flash drive for quick formatting fixes

• The manuscript must be accompanied by a completed "Honors Thesis/Project Completion Form“

• Your committee chair and HPD need to sign the form.

BMB Writing TAs

• Jenny Krichevsky• Rebecca Marie Maillet• bmbwriting@biochem.umass.edu

LGRT 907Click here to book an appointment with the Writing TAs

Writing Center

• “We meet individually with writers in 45-minute consultations both face-to-face and online. After an initial conversation about the writing project, the tutor and writer read the text and discuss options for its revision.”

• https://www.umass.edu/writingcenter/

Contact me

• bolson@biochem.umass.edu• Slides available at blogs.umass.edu/bolson

under “Classes”• @monessonolson

• Umass BMB website > Undergraduate > Book now

Schedule a meeting with me