The Honors Program in Biological Sciences is designed to offer advanced training in laboratory and field research through the performance of an original research project under the direct guidance of a member of the Cornell faculty.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES
Applications for the Honors Program are available online (Honors Application Part 1) and must be submitted to the Honors Program Committee at the end of the student’s junior year. The deadline for this year is May 18th, 2012. Application forms for the Honors Program are separate from the enrollment forms for BIOG 4990, Independent Research in Biology.
To qualify for the Honors Program, students must have:
- Completed at least 30 credits at Cornell or be Junior standing for transfers
- An overall Cornell cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0
- At least a 3.0 Cornell cumulative grade-point average in all biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses. Grades earned in courses in other departments that are used to fulfill major requirements are included in this computation.
- A Cornell faculty member who agrees to supervise the student's research program in a field of biological science
HONORS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Accepted students will be notified and assigned to an Honors Research group based on the content of their work. The requirements of the Honors Program include:
- Participation in honors group meetings , one in late fall and one in spring
- Submission of an acceptable honors thesis
- Public presentation of your research in the last semester
- Completion of your major
- Maintenance of a 3.0 Cornell cumulative grade point average both overall and in all biology, chemistry, physics and math courses.
- Students may volunteer to submit a copy of their final, approved thesis (in pdf or Word format) to the honors committee chair for Mann Library. Mann Library has given CALS the opportunity to have theses available to the public electronically, as long as doing so does not interfere with other plans, such as patenting or publishing in another journal. A permission form to allow a thesis to be made available online at Mann Library can be obtained from the honors committee chair.
- Each summer, in recognition of the research performed by honors students and their faculty mentors, a compilation of honors thesis abstracts is published in the CALS Research Honors Abstracts. Students are required to submit their thesis title, research advisor’s name, and abstract (in Word format) to the honors committee chair for inclusion in this publication. Students should be advised of the abstract publication instructions and deadlines for submission.
IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES
Timeline for Honors Graduates 2013
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Fall 2012 (January & May 2013 Graduates) |
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Advisor Agreement Due (Download the form from the Bio website or pick one up in 216 Stimson Hall) |
September 21, 2012 |
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January 2013 Graduates |
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Extended Outline of Proposed Thesis Due |
September 5, 2012 |
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Meet with Honors Group Leader |
TBA by Group Leader |
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Thesis due to Research Supervisor |
November 2, 2012 |
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Thesis due to Honors Group Leader |
November 8, 2012 |
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Anonymous reviewer comments back to Group Leader |
November 26, 2012 |
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Comments available to students |
Check with group leader |
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Honors Thesis Presentations |
December 4, 2012 |
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Final Revised Thesis due |
December 14, 2012 |
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May 2013 Graduates |
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Honors Group meeting(s) |
TBA by Group Leader (End of Fall Semester) |
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Outline of Thesis |
February 8, 2013 |
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Completing the Honors Process Info session |
February 25, 2013 |
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Thesis Due to Research Supervisor |
March 26, 2013 |
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Thesis Due to Group Leader |
April 9, 2013 |
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Anonymous Reviewer Comments back to Group Leader |
April 30, 2013 |
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Comments available to Students |
Check with Honors Group Leader |
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Honors Presentations |
On Events Page on Bio site (May 2013) |
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Final Revised Thesis due |
May 10, 2013 |
If you have any questions, please contact Kristy Long at 255-6859 or email at kll25@cornell.edu.
Complete program details can be found in the Biological Sciences section of the Independent Research and Honors Program catalog. Information on faculty research, applications, and program requirements may be obtained from the Office of Undergraduate Biology, 216 Stimson Hall or at biology.cornell.edu/index.php/honors-program.