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Vascular Tissue in Poplar (Alan Jones Lab)

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Biology Honors Program

To graduate with honors in Biology, students must meet the following requirements:

  1. GPA requirement. To graduate with honors in Biology, Biology majors must have an overall GPA of at least 3.2  and a GPA in Biology department courses of at least 3.4 at the start of their final semester. The Biology department GPA includes all courses taken (or cross-listed) in the Biology department except Biology 395, but does not include courses in other departments (such as Math or Chemistry) that are required for the major. Students with Biology GPA of 3.85 or better are candidates for high honors.  All candidates must be approved by the Biology Honors Co-chairs, Dr. Steve Rogers and Dr John Bruno.
  2. Research requirement. Students must complete at least six credit hours of biology research in BIOL 395 and/or BIOL 691H/692H.
  3. Honors course. In the final semester, candidates for Honors must enroll in BIOL 691H or 692H. This class meets weekly and provides a series of exercises designed to aid students in preparing their research for evaluation, focused on four general professional skills: (a) explaining research to different audiences, (b) design of graphical aids, (c) effective writing, and (d) giving a research presentation. Students receive a grade for their work in the course that is separate from their honors grade. BIOL 691H/692H is taken for a grade (691H if the student has taken less than 6 credits of BIOL 395, or pass-fail (BIOL 692H) if the student has taken four or more credits of BIOL 395. To enroll in BIOL 691/692, students should fill out a application form obtained from Summer Montgomery, Undergraduate Student Services Specialist (sundance@email.unc.edu) in 213 Coker Hall.  Applications are due the first week of classes.  After your application has been approved, Summer will register you.  BIOL 691/692 application – updated April, 2012
  4. Written work. Candidates for Honors must complete an Honors Thesis based on the independent research project. Two graders independently review and grade the thesis. The thesis is due 1-2 weeks before the symposium.
  5. Symposium presentation. Candidates for Honors must present and defend their thesis research during the John K. Koeppe Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium. Two graders independently evaluate the content and presentation of the work. The symposium is held twice a year (Fall semester in November and Spring semester on the last Friday in March). For specific dates see the current BIOL 691/692 website.