Biological Basis of Behavior Program

BBB Independent Research (BIBB 399)

BBB encourages all students to pursue sponsored research while at Penn. Whether one plans to go on to medical school, graduate school or pursue another path, the experience gained while conducting research enhances one's undergraduate career.

Research Sponsors - It is suggested that students begin contacting potential research advisors in the semester preceding the term in which the student intends to pursue BBB 399 credit.

BBB will accept research done with any standing faculty member of the College, medical school or veterinary school. Students may not be sponsored by research professors, lecturers or postdoctoral fellows, although standing faculty members may oversee work mentored by someone in one of these categories. Any exception to this rule must be obtained in writing from the Director's Office, and such permission must be requested prior to the semester in which the research is to be taken.

Research should be based in the broad area of neuroscience and the biological basis of behavior. Students may use the databases of faculty research interests to find a potential research advisor available online at http://www.med.upenn.edu/ins/resindex.html. The BBB Advising Office will also assist students in finding a faculty member whose research matches their interest; students should visit during BBB advising hours.

Students may find a list of potential research advisors by going to the Dean's Advisory Board website at http://www.penndab.org/projects/ and clicking on the "Research Listing" link at the bottom of the page.

Research Projects - Students should develop their projects in consultation with their research sponsor. It is expected that the sponsors will initially guide this discussion, but as students gain experience in the lab, it is expected that they will take a leading role in their research project. BBB requires students pursuing research to gather their own data relevant to the scientific hypothesis being tested. BBB will not accept research involving surveys, literature reviews, or analysis of existing data.

Students wishing to do research that is not approved for credit within the BBB major should consider College 99 by contacting the College Advising Office.

Registration Process - The student should submit a signed application form and a sponsored research proposal to the BBB Office at the beginning of the semester, but no later than one week after the beginning of the semester. The Proposal should be 1-2 pages long (minimum 3 full paragraphs) and explain the research that the student intends to pursue. Students should review the Proposal with their research sponsor for accuracy. The Proposal must include the following sections:

Background
Hypothesis/Goal of the research
Methods to be used
Bibliography of relevant literature

The research proposals will be evaluated and students will be registered for BIBB 399 by the BBB Office. Students may not register for Sponsored Research through Penn InTouch.

Activity during the semester - Students should plan the research paper and work on it throughout the term. This is the point of requiring that a bibliography and research proposal be submitted in advance of registration for BBB 399. The student should devote approximately 10-12 hours per week to the research which should include a weekly meeting of at least 1 hour with a preceptor or mentor in the lab or research group to discuss the background and organization of the work, and the interpretation of results. The student should not focus entirely on mastering the experimental methodology. It is understood that not every research project can be expected to reach completion in a single semester. However, it is expected that the student demonstrate a reasonable degree of mastery over the problem or matter under study in a written document.

Research Paper - For each semester of sponsored research credit, the student must submit a paper of 10-15 double-spaced typewritten pages in length to their research supervisor as well as to the BBB Office by the end of the final exam period. The paper is to be written in 11 point Arial type. The paper is to be taken as seriously as a term paper in a course whose grade depends primarily upon it. The research paper differs from a term paper in that it is devoted to the specific scientific problem upon which the research is focused. The paper should be in the form of a scientific progress report. Each paper should include the following sections:

Title
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
References
Contributions

Students may review the Journal of Neuroscience website for guidelines. The student is expected to demonstrate in the paper a genuine understanding of the scientific background of the problem, and of the logic that ties the experimental work to the problem.

Each paper should include a section on "Contributions" to acknowledge contributions to the research accomplished. It is expected that the research paper has not been submitted and will not be submitted for credit in another course. Students are expected to follow Penn's Code of Academic Integrity. Students caught plagiarizing may face either academic or disciplinary negative consequences.

Grading Process - Grades are based upon performance, which includes understanding the material and successfully communicating that understanding in writing (i.e., upon its substantive content, and its quality as a written document). The Research Sponsor will be responsible for reading and grading the paper and submitting the grade by the time that is designated by the Registrar's Office. The Director will retain the prerogative of challenging a grade assignment if the submitted paper is inadequate.

Incompletes - Students who have not completed their research by the end of the semester may be granted either a short Incomplete (I) or a long Incomplete (II). The short Incomplete must be made up within the first four weeks of the next regular semester in which the student is enrolled. The long Incomplete must be made up by the end of the next regular semester in which the student is enrolled. In either case, if the Incomplete is not made up by the deadline, it will become an F. The Incomplete is made up only when the official grade is received by the College Office. After a grade is converted to an F, the instructor may choose to change it.

Credit - Students may apply up to two course units of sponsored research towards their BBB elective requirements. Students may not receive credit for both BBB 399 and BBB 499 in a single semester.

Poster Presentation - Students doing more than one semester of sponsored research will be required to present a poster at the BBB Student Research Symposium held in April of each year.