Undergraduate Research
Bio 199 Standards & Policies

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 199 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGAM

STANDARDS AND POLICIES

The Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research 199 Program is designed to provide students the opportunity to pursue independent research. Students work under the direct supervision of a professor in the School of Biological Sciences or the College of Medicine as an apprentice scientist. The Research 199 Program provides training in the biological and biomedical sciences. Research training is provided in experimental laboratories, clinical research, as well as field research.

PROGRAM STANDARDS:

PARTICIPATION
All students who will be completing their second year of independent research in Biological Sciences will be expected to present their work at the end of the year at:

1. Excellence in Research Symposium, spring qt., or
2. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Symposium, spring qt., or
3. Co-author on a research article and submission of article to Bio. Student Affairs Office, or
4. By writing a 3-5 page paper, graded by faculty mentor, submitted to the Bio. Student Affairs Office, and placed in the student's file.

Students who do not meet this requirement will have a "hold" placed on the UCI record until completed.

STUDENT PROJECTS

1. Students should be engaged in an academically oriented research project in which they are learning the fundamentals of scientific investigation. Students should be involved in a specific, individual research project in which they are working under close supervision.
   
2. Students should not be brought into a laboratory to do the general laboratory work such as cutting tissue sections, cleaning the lab, digging holes, entering data, filing folders, or caring for animals. While some of these repetitive tasks may be done as part of a larger project, the students should not solely be engaged in such tasks. In the clinical setting students should not be brought into the project only to prepare patients for exams/procedures, and/or distributing surveys, collecting patient information. Students must be engaged in the analysis of findings and outcomes. Students should participate in the laboratory meetings with the faculty sponsors and research team.
   
3. Students should be involved in a review of the research literature regarding the area of investigation .
   
4. Students can not participate in research involving human blood, body fluids, or tissue unless special approval is granted (example, student is a certified phlebotomist). The faculty sponsor must submit request for exception to Susana Sandoval at scanetts@uci.edu
   
5. At no time should a student drive a patient in a car, nor should they ever be working with patients with contagious diseases.
   
6. Students must adhere to all enrollment policies and procedures, and meet all established deadlines.

EXPECTATION OF STUDENTS

1. Students are expected to be working on the project for 3-4 hours a week for each course credit for which they register.
   
2. Students must register for the course within the first two weeks of the quarter and submit the research Proposal, with the faculty signature, within this time frame. The School does not receive any teaching credit for those students who do not register by the deadline.
   
3. Students are expected to read relevant research literature during each quarter.

GRADING SYSTEM

Grading policies are set by the Academic Senate and can be found in the UCI Catalogue, page 65.

A - excellent (4.0 grade points awarded per unit)
B - good (3.0 grade points per unit)
C - average (2.0 grade points per unit)
D - lowest passing grade (1.0 grade point per unit)
F - not passing
I - Incomplete
P - Pass (equal to grade C or better)
NP - Not Pass (equal to grade C- or below)
IP - In Progress (restricted to certain sequential courses, so designated by the Committee on Courses or Graduate Council, for which the final quarter grade of a multiquarter course is assigned to the previous quarter (s) of the sequence)

Plus and minus suffixes may be attached to the grades A, B, C, D. This will modify the above by plus or minus 0.3 grade point per unit, with the exception of the A+ grade which is assigned 4 points per unit.

For Bio. 199 the grade of A+ should only be awarded when the research is beyond excellent and includes such achievements as publications and research presentations or awards at scientific meetings.

For a description of the grades S, U, NR, UR , and W refer to the UCI catalogue. Also available on the web at: http://www.editor.uci.edu/catalogue/

SAFETY AND ETHICS

1. All students must have passed the Bio 194S, Safety and Ethics for Research prior to enrollment in the first Bio. Sciences 199 course. Most students will have taken this 194S course as a prerequisite for Bio. 100LW. Bio. 194S trains students in the safety and ethical issues that they must have before engaging in research at this university.
   
2. In addition, those students conducting Bio. 199 research at the UCI Medical Center, UCI Gottschalk Medical Plaza, Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, UCIMC Laser Surgery Center, City Tower in Orange, UCI Building 200 in Orange, Child Development Center in Irvine, Long Beach VA Medical Center, and Fairview Developmental Center, and any other research site involved with human subjects, must undergo additional safety training that will allow them to receive a badge identifying them as a student researcher in the facility. Further information on the additional training required is in the Enrollment Procedures Section, under item #4.
   
3. Students must adhere to the department policy (where the research is located) for conducting Bio. 199 research evenings and weekends. For example, at UCIMC, Research Bldg. #55 Bio. 199 students can only conduct research from 6am - 6pm , Mon-Fri, unless a staff member is present to supervise.
   
4. In accordance with UC policy, all Bio.199 students must have health insurance.
   
5. Students can not receive both monetary compensation in the form of a salary, hourly wage or work study monies and Bio.199 research units (for the same hours).
   
6. In addition to students completing the Bio. 194 safety & ethics course, students must receive the appropriate safety training needed to work with equipment, chemicals, animals, and application of procedures based on the research conducted in the lab. It is the faculty sponsors' responsibility to assure that Bio. 199 students receive the appropriate training.

REPORTING POLICIES

1. Students are expected to submit the Biological Sciences 199 Proposal form, signed by the faculty sponsor, describing their project by the end of the second week of classes to the Bio. Sciences Student Affairs office. The Proposal is due the quarter that the Bio. 199 is initiated. Registration after that time must be approved by the Student Affairs Office. Failure to submit the Proposal will jeopardize the students continued enrollment in the course.
   
2. A summary report of work conducted for the quarter is required at the end of each quarter. The summary includes the following:
   
   (1) General goal of the project and the specific hypothesis that the student has been testing, (2) What methods were used to test the hypothesis, (3) What are the results (if any of the research), and (4) the citation of journal articles or book chapters read concerning the research topic during the quarter. The Summary Form is available on line and only submitted electronically to the Associate Dean of Biological Sciences.
   
   Web site: http://www.bio.uci.edu/Bio199/
   (to complete the summary report, the student will need the 4 digit id code that was assigned when the student submitted the Proposal, the code is at the top of the Proposal)
   
3. GRADES: It is the student's responsibility to check grades when they are available at the end of each quarter. NR (no report) grade assignment: should the grade of NR be assigned for the quarter, it is the students' responsibility to contact the faculty sponsor to resolve the problem. The NR will change to the grade of F at the end of the following quarter.
   
   Change of Grade form. For all Bio.199 courses, it is the responsibility of the student to fill out the grade change form in the Bio. Sciences Student Affairs Office and submit to Sherry Ong or Susana C. Sandoval.
   
4. Enrollment through University Extension : students must comply with all Bio. 199 Program requirements. Concurrent enrollment is mandatory in the Bio.194 Safety course unless an equivalent safety course has been completed elsewhere. The transcript and course syllabus for the safety course must be submitted to Bio. Sciences Student Affairs Office.
   
5. All Bio.199 students must sign a Waiver and Release of Liability and Acknowledgement of the Assumption of Risk form at the time the research is initiated. This Waiver must be submitted with the student Proposal. Forms are available in SH231.

LEGAL ISSUES

Students should be aware of the University's sexual harassment policy:

"Sexual harassment is unacceptable to the University. It subverts the mission of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Sexual harassment is especially serious when it involves relationships of unequal power such as those between teacher and student, senior and junior faculty, or supervisor and subordinate.

Through grades, recommendations for graduate study, promotion, wage increases and the like, a teacher or supervisor can have a decisive influence on the career and the future of a student, faculty or staff member. Instructors, supervisors, and others should be aware that there are substantial risks in an apparently consenting relationship where a power differential exists. Even if there are no obvious conflicts of interest, and both parties have consented or appear to have consented to the relationship, it may result in favoritism or perceptions of favoritism that adversely affect the learning or work environment.

ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS & PROCEDURES

MANDATORY: Students must be in good academic standing to participate in the Bio. 199 research.

1. Students can only enroll in the Bio. 199 research by faculty approval and the submission of the course code on an add card with the signature of the professor. Students must enroll by the second Friday of each quarter.
   
   **Students enrolling in Bio. 199 in any department other than Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Developmental and Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Neurobiology and Behavior, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Biological Chemistry or Physiology and Biophysics must obtain the signature of the Associate Dean, Dr. Leon (on the instructor section of the add card), in the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office, Steinhaus Hall 231 - not in his office in BSII. Please be advised to obtain Dr. Leon 's signature, students must have the Biological Sciences 199 Proposal form completed with the research professor's signature. This signature on the add card will be in addition to the actual supervisor's signature on the Proposal.
   
2. The Proposal form can only be accessed on the web at: http://www.bio.uci.edu/Bio199/
   Submit electronically and print hard copy. Submit hard copy with faculty signature to Steinhaus Hall 231 by the established deadline.
   
3. Proposals are for one academic year only (July 2004-June 2005). A new Proposal must be filed each year.
   *** The Deadline for enrollment and submission of student Proposal is the second Friday of the quarter:
   
4. Students conducting Biomedical Research at clinical sites as defined under the Safety and Ethics , Section B , of this document can pick up the specialized enrollment packet in the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office. Students must complete the following procedures:
   
   a. TB screening (skin test results are valid for one year and must be updated as appropriate, chest x ray valid for 4 years)
   
   b. Hepatitis B vaccine only if student has had accidental exposure
   
   c. Immunizations required for Pediatric units: measles, mumps, rubella and Varicella Titer
   
   d. Provide proof of health insurance
   
   e. Complete the following training certification
   
   1. Fire Safety (sessions at UCIMC or UCI campus)
   2. UCI IRB HIPPA Training Model
   3. College of Medicine Annual Training 2004-2005: Bio. 199 Students Computer Based Training Cour
   
   f. Department orientation signed by research supervisor or faculty sponsor
   
   g. Confidentiality agreement signed
   
   h. Waiver and Release of Liability form

*Upon completion of the above requirements, students will be issued the Bio.199 Student Research Photo Badge.

Students participating in biomedical research at UCI School of Medicine affiliated hospitals and clinics must go through the institutions' requirements and procedures, safety training and department orientations for conducting research at the clinical site. It is the Bio. 199 faculty sponsor's responsibility to assure that the required training has been completed prior to beginning the Bio. 199 research course.

Enrollment procedures for research at hospital/clinical locations, and human subject research at other sites, must be completed by the second Friday of the first quarter of Bio. 199 research and updated appropriately (check with Bio. counseling office, SH231)

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions about these policies, or would like to discuss a problem with your Bio. 199 course , please contact program administration in the Bio Sci Student Affairs Office:

Susana C. Sandoval, 949 824-4702 scanetts@uci.ed

Sherry Ong, 949 824-7626 ongsh@uci.edu

Updated 4/21/05