Overview
Students conducting individual, often ongoing research, designed to broaden and deepen their knowledge of some aspect of molecular, cell, and developmental biology and under the guidance of an MCDB-approved faculty mentor may be eligible to enroll in upper-division MCDB research courses.
Research Petition
If your student wishes to enroll in an upper-division MCDB research course, but your name is not included on the MCDB-Approved List of Faculty Research Mentors, your student will be required to petition their research. More information about this process can be found here.
Please be aware that you may have multiple students petition their research in your lab before your name is officially added to the approved list.
Selecting a Research Course
Your student should be familiar with the MCDB research course offerings and have an idea of the course in which they wish to enroll before they approach you to discuss the topic.
Check out the Quick Guide to MCDB Research Courses for a summary of requirements and responsibilities of both the faculty mentor and the student.
General Responsibilities of the Faculty Mentor
For all faculty mentors of students enrolled in upper-division MCDB research courses, we expect the following:
- Before the start of the quarter, guide your student in the development and preparation of a project proposal that adheres to proposal guidelines. Review and sign project proposal prior to your student submitting it to the MCDB department by the enrollment deadline.
- Supervise your student in the lab. Mentor student in their research experience, either directly or through experienced lab member. Your student must commit to their research project a minimum of 12 hours per week, but you should not require more than 20 hours per week.
- At the end of the quarter, review your student’s final paper.* It should follow the guidelines provided on the webpage for the course in which the student is enrolled. Sign the final paper to confirm you have reviewed it prior to your student submitting it to the MCDB department by the deadline.
- Submit the student’s final grade online via Gradebook by the grade submission deadline only once you have reviewed the final paper.*
*If your student is enrolled in MCDB 180A-B concurrently with MCDB 196A-B or MCDB 198A-D, they will report on their research progress by completing and sharing with you their final assignments for MCDB 180A-B. The only exception is if they are enrolled in MCDB 198C or 198D, then they must submit their final thesis to you and the MCDB department to be eligible for MCDB Departmental Honors.