Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students
The Department of Biological Sciences has an active undergraduate research program. Interested students should read the instructions for Bio 399/499 (below) and complete the permission form in consultation with your proposed research supervisor. BIO399 (for Juniors) and BIO499 (for Seniors) offer students the opportunity to carry out directed experimental research in some aspect of biology.
Steps Required to Register for BIO399 or BIO499
Select a Supervisor/Laboratory
Students should directly contact one or more approved Research Supervisors listed in the Supervised Research for Juniors and Seniors booklet in order to discuss the possibility of conducting research under their guidance. Because there are limited spots available, the process is competitive; students with more academic experience, higher GPAs, and greater motivation for research are given higher priority. A new project or supervisor not previously listed among the approved Bio399/499 supervisors must be approved by the Undergraduate Research Coordinator (Robert Osuna) prior to beginning the project.
Fill out a Permission Form
After discussing your research project with a research supervisor, fill out the permission form:
Permission form (PDF format)
Permission form (MSWord format)
Include a title and abstract stating the research question and how it will be addressed. Also include a signature from the Research Supervisor.
Complete Online Training Course in Biosafety
If this is your first semester conducting undergraduate research, you will need to complete an online Biosafety Training before a permission to register may be given. Instructions to complete the online Biosafety Training:
- Go to this website
- Register to create a new account
- In the list of institutions, select "SUNY - University at Albany"
- Complete the "account creation" process
- From the list of available courses, select "Biosafety and Biosecurity"
- Complete the "Basic Training"
- Select "Training for Investigators, Staff, and Students Handling Biohazards"
NOTE:
- Remember your username and password
- Make sure you click on SUNY - University at Albany
- You can log on as many times as you like, your progress will be saved
- Should you have experience any problems, contact Cindy Higgins at the Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Print the final report and store it as a PDF file
Registration
In order to obtain a class number and a permission number to register, you must turn in the following electronic documents to [email protected] (in the Biology Department Office, Room 126 on the ground floor of the Biology Building):
- Permission form complete with abstract and supervisor signature
- IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME REGISTERING FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH you will also need to submit the final report of the Biosafety Training as a pdf file. When you register, please remember to indicate the number of credits you wish to take. Otherwise, the default number of credits will be one.
Important Notes
- The Research Project: Three credits is equal to nine hours per week in the lab (20 hours per week in the Summer); Four credits is equal to 12 hours per week in the lab (30 hours per week in the Summer).
- The Project should be a self-contained activity from which a paper with introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion sections can be written.
- A Written Research Paper is required for each semester of registration: The format must be consistent with scientific manuscripts published in the related field (generally including: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections). Papers should give evidence that the student understands the scientific intellectual context of the work.
- The paper must reach the Research Instructor by the last day of classes each semester. A graded copy of the paper will be due to the Research Coordinator seven days after the last day of classes.
- Students who register for TWO or more semesters of Bio 399/499 are required to participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium.