APBI 398: Research Methods in Applied Biology

This course is intended to provide students with in-depth research experience, and with the support and skills that will allow them to succeed in research. The course is intended for students who wish to acquire more familiarity with research, and will prepare students for more independent research offerings such as directed studies courses, and the undergraduate essay and thesis courses (APBI 498 & 499). Specifically, this course provides students hands-on experience with a specific research project in the form of an internship in a laboratory of their choosing, combined with a supportive classroom setting in which they receive peer feedback and learn more general research skills.

Time and place

The class meets on Mondays, 14:00-17:00 in SWNG room 207. We will be conducting the class at UBC, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.

Learning objectives

• The course is based on experiential learning. You will work together with a researcher throughout the semester to gain exposure to research techniques and ideas, and to develop a passion for your research area.

• You will show your general understanding of the main research questions and approaches through a “news feature” style presentation, designed to be accessible to a general audience. This presentation will allow you to develop skills in scientific journalism and will expose other students in the class to your research area.

• You will demonstrate understanding of your research area by completing a “scientific conference” style abstract and a poster presentation. The abstract and presentation will be based on your work with your mentor and will describe your research objectives, methodology, (predicted) results and conclusions. The presentation and abstract will allow you to develop scholarly presentation skills.

• You will show your grasp of your research area, your ability to develop novel scientific ideas, and your ability to summarize research papers by writing a 2-page novel research proposal. This proposal will be on a research topic of your choice that ideally builds on your experience with your mentor.

Learning activities

The course requires that students find a mentor who allows the student to work in their research group for a minimum of 20 h. Classes involve exercises and discussions, reflecting upon the mentorship experience, learning research skills (including public speaking and scientific writing), and interacting with peers (including giving and receiving peer feedback). A high level of attendance and participation is crucial for success. Little material is presented in lecture format; factual recall of lecture material is not one of the objectives of the course. 

Instructors 

Nina von Keyserlingk (she, her, hers), Room 181 MacMillan, nina@mail.ubc.ca

Daniel Weary (he, him, his), Room 189 MacMillan, dan.weary@ubc.ca

Christine Kuo (she, her, hers), Room 180 MacMillan,  

Sarah Bolton (she her, hers), Room 180 MacMillan, sarah.bolton@ubc.ca 

Evaluation 

Evaluation emphasizes independent research and effective communication, as evidenced by an oral presentation, a research proposal, and a scientific poster presentation describing their research to the class.

There will be no examination.

*Participation in external seminars: up to 2% bonus

Learning materials

Readings and materials will be posted on Canvas.

Plagiarism

This course involves a lot of writing. Before taking the course, make sure you are very clear on what is considered plagiarism at UBC. Everything should be written “from scratch” in your own words. If you want to include text from any source – a paper, the internet, or another student – the material should appear in quotation marks and the source should be clearly acknowledged. Sometimes plagiarism happens accidentally, for example if someone copies material into their rough notes and then uses the notes in their own writing. To help avoid such problems we request that students use Turnitin for their final paper, and include your Turnitin number on the title page.

University Policies

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of the policies and how to access support are available on the UBC Senate website.

Course structure and schedule

COVID-19 Safety

This course will follow the UBC policies regarding the response to COVID-19. You can access updated information on COVID-19 the UBC's response here: https://covid19.ubc.ca 

Some UBC guidelines to follow during in-person classes are: 

• Know the symptoms of COVID-19 and complete a daily health assessment. If you are sick, stay at home. Learn about the self-assessment tool at https://thrive.health.
• Wash your hands regularly.
• We strongly recommend that all UBC community members get vaccinated and if eligible, receive their booster dose. You can learn more at https://immunizebc.ca. 
• As a reminder, in BC, free vaccines are available to students arriving from international destinations and other provinces 

Personal Health

If you are sick, it is important that you stay home – no matter what you think you may be sick with (e.g., cold, flu, other).  Make a connection early in the term to another student or a group of students in the class to share notes in the event that one of you needs to miss class.

If you do miss class because of illness:

• Consult the class resources on Canvas.
• Exchange lecture notes with your fellow classmates.
• Come to office hours.
• If you will need to miss a particular activity due to illness, please contact the teaching team to discuss. We will do our best to accommodate and consider these absences in the calculation of participation grades.

Instructor Health

If we (the instructors) are sick: We will do our best to stay well, but if one of us becomes ill, develop Covid symptoms, or test positive for Covid, then we will not come to class. If that happens, one of the other instructors will fill in, or we may have a synchronous online session or two. If this happens, you will receive an email telling you how to join the class on Zoom. Our classroom will still be available for you to sit and attend an online session, in this (hopefully rare) instance.