Biology majors who are also members of the UIHP may enroll in the Honors Program in Biology.
The Honors Program in Biology offers students the opportunity to learn research techniques directly from the faculty
and their research groups in the Department of Biology.
These students acquire skills through:
Independent Research Projects
One-on-One Teaching by one of the Department's Scientists
Seminar Presentations
Writing an Honors Thesis describing their Research Results
Join the University of Iowa's Omicron Rho Chapter of Beta Beta Beta The National Biological Honor Society!
Information about the Program
The following links provide helpful information about the Honors Program in Biology:
Biology Honors Degree Requirements
In order to graduate with Honors in Biology, students are required to:
be a member of the UIHP.
fulfill the regular requirements for a Biology B.S. or B.A. degree.
maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.33, both overall and in the biology major (includes all biology
courses as well as cognates in chemistry, physics, biochemistry, mathematics, and statistics) taken at UI.
complete 2 semester hours in either 2:198 Honors Seminar in Biology or an advanced-level biology seminar course.
complete a minimum of 6 semester hours of 2:196 Honors Investigations, taken over 2 or more semesters. This course involves both
laboratory research and readings. Biology honors students must undertake their honors research within a laboratory belonging to a
member of the Department of Biology faculty including Professor Jeffrey Murray (Neonatology). Research performed elsewhere is ineligible
for 2:196 credit.
write a brief research proposal (not exceeding 5-6 double-spaced pages) summarizing the background, goals and
significance of the honors research that is to be undertaken. This proposal should be approved by the research
supervisor and then placed on file with the Biology Honors Advisor no later than 2 months after beginning laboratory
research.
write an honors thesis upon completion of research. This thesis should have the general format of a scientific
paper and should be printed double-spaced. The text of the thesis, which does not include the tables, figures or
bibliography, will ordinarily range from 15-30 pages. After its approval by the thesis supervisor, the thesis should
be submitted to the Biology Honors Advisor. The Advisor will review the thesis to ensure compliance with the prescribed
format and forward it to the UIHP.
give a brief oral presentation of their research findings to other biology honors students as part of a colloquium.
Requirement Notes
At first glance, getting a Biology Honors degree appears to add at least 8 s.h. to the traditional Biology degree (e.g.
2 s.h. for 2:198 and a minimum of 6 s.h. for 2:196). However, as shown in the table below, there are several options
for "double-counting" (where Honors requirements count towards Biology major requirements).
Degree
2:196
2:198
Biology B.A.
6 s.h. satisfy Biology Elective with Lab requirement
2 s.h. satisfy Biology Elective requirement
Biology B.S. (all tracks)
6 s.h. satisfy Investigative Lab requirement
****
For further information or answers to any questions you may have, consult either: Dr. Jonathan Poulton, Biology Honors Advisor (Phone: 335-1322; Email:
jonathan-poulton@uiowa.edu) Amy Korthank Gabaldon, Biology Undergraduate Advisor
(Phone: 353-2484; Email: amy-korthank@uiowa.edu).
Honors Program - Frequently Asked Questions
NOTE: If you are experiencing difficulties in viewing the answers to the FAQs, please make sure that popups are enabled for your browser. A popup window will appear with the answer to the following FAQs. If difficulties persist, please use the no-popups version of this page, located here.
In addition to submitting your Application For Degree, you must also complete two copies of the Application for
Graduation with Honors form, which can be downloaded from the UIHP website. After obtaining the required
signatures of your thesis supervisor and the Biology Honors Advisor (Dr. Jonathan Poulton, 108 BB), you must submit the original form
to Graduation Analysis (1 Jessup Hall, Window D) on or before the established deadline (see below). The copy is retained by Dr. Poulton.
Spring Semester: March 6, 2009. Summer Semester: June 11, 2009. Fall Semester: TBA
Deadline for Submission of Honors Research Proposal
Your proposal should be approved by your thesis supervisor (as indicated by his/her signature) and then submitted to
the Biology Honors Advisor (Dr. Jonathan Poulton, 108 BB) no later than 2 months after beginning laboratory research. The
submission deadlines for Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters are November 1, April 1, and September 1, respectively.
Deadline for Submission of Honors Thesis
Your thesis should be submitted to the Biology Honors Advisor no later than the last day of classes of the semester in
which you plan to graduate (e.g. one full week before Commencement). This allows the Advisor sufficient time to review
your thesis before submitting it to the UIHP by the University's stated deadline.
Biology Honors Colloquium
The final requirement of the Biology Honors degree is to give a brief oral presentation of your research at the Biology
Honors Colloquium, which takes place each semester during the last week of classes. Please inform the Biology Honors
Advisor by mid-semester of your intention to take part in the Colloquium. You will be notified later of the date, time,
and location of this event.
Questions?
If you have any questions, or if you foresee that you will be unable to meet any of the above deadlines, please contact:
Dr. Jonathan Poulton, Biology Honors Advisor (Phone: 335-1322; Email: jonathan-poulton@uiowa.edu)
as soon as possible.
Honors Program - Application Form Downloads
To download the following forms, click on the form of interest listed below:
Graduation with Honors in Biology (Deadline: March 6, 2009)
Department of Biology - Avis Cone Summer Fellowships
To support undergraduate Honors students undertaking research in laboratories that focus on organisms exhibiting
chlorophyll-based metabolic processes (e.g. plants, photosynthetic bacteria). For details, contact Dr. Bernd Fritzsch,
Department of Biology (108 BB). Amount to be announced.
The University of Iowa - Iowa Biosciences Advantage
The mission of the Iowa Biosciences Advantage program is to maximize diversity in the Biosciences. Science
majors with an interest in diversity gain research experience with cutting-edge faculty and benefit from professional
development seminars and a strong community of people with similar interests. By the time IBA Scholars graduate, they
are strong candidates for top graduate programs in the sciences. http://ogei.grad.uiowa.edu/iba/
Honors Program - Awards and Scholarships
For additional information about Awards and Scholarships available through the Department of Biology, The University of Iowa Honors Program, The Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates (ICRU), The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and The University of Iowa, please click here.
Department of Biology
The Department of Biology is pleased to announce the availability of the following awards and scholarships. Further details may be obtained from Dr. Jonathan Poulton (335-1322).
Robbie Prize ($300): Awarded each year in May to an undergraduate senior Biology major who has
demonstrated excellence in both course work and research and is preparing for a career in science. Application
deadline: April 15.
Evelyn Hart Watson Undergraduate Scholarship ($500): Awarded each year in mid-summer to a
Biology undergraduate who has shown outstanding performance during his/her freshman year. Is renewable for an
additional three years at $500 per year, contingent upon satisfactory progress toward a Biology Honors degree. Application deadline: May 1.
Clifford W. Hesseltine Award in Biology (two $300 awards): Awarded each year in May to two Biology
undergraduates (one sophomore, one junior) in recognition of excellence in formal course work and in research
undertaken within the Department of Biology. Application deadline: April 15.
Richard G. Kessel Scholarship in Biology ($750): Awarded in May to an outstanding senior
Biology Major who has performed noteworthy research and/or is intending to pursue graduate work in cell and/or developmental
biology. Application deadline: April 15.
Lowden Prize in Biology ($300): Awarded in the Spring semester, in conjunction with the College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences, to the student who achieves the highest standing in the course 002:134 Ecology (in previous Fall Semester).
For a list of the previous award winners, click here.
Honors Research Proposal Preparation and Submission
When you begin your Honors research, one of your first tasks is to write a Research Proposal. This proposal, which
should not exceed 5-6 double-spaced pages, should include the following elements:
Research background
Proposed experimental goals or hypotheses to be tested
Overview of experimental approaches to be taken
Significance of proposed work to the field
Literature citations
Your proposal should be approved by your thesis supervisor (signature required) and then submitted to the Biology
Honors Advisor no later than 2 months after beginning laboratory research. Submission deadlines are:
Fall Semester - November 1
Spring Semester - April 1
Summer Semester - September 1
Samples of Research Proposals written by former Honors students may be accessed
here.
If you have any questions about your Honors Research Proposal, or if you foresee that you will be unable to meet
your submission deadline, please contact: Dr. Jonathan Poulton, Biology Honors Advisor (Phone: 335-1322; Email:
jonathan-poulton@uiowa.edu) as soon as possible.
Honors Thesis Preparation and Submission
To graduate with Honors, you will need to write an Honors Thesis and have it approved (i.e. signed) by your thesis
supervisor and the Biology Honors Advisor. Please follow these guidelines:
Thesis Sections:
Your thesis should have the general format of a scientific paper and should contain the following components
in the order indicated below. Each section begins on a new page.
Title Page
Abstract
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
List of Tables (optional, but desirable for lengthy theses)
List of Figures (optional, but desirable for lengthy theses)
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
Literature Cited
A combined Results and Discussion section is also permissible, but check first with your thesis supervisor
to see if he/she approves of this approach.
Font:
Please use Times or Times New Roman with a font size of 12.
Formatting of Title Page:
The UIHP has specific instructions for formatting your Title Page; these can be viewed at:
http://honors.uiowa.edu/research/theses/requirements.shtml. The most important items to remember when formatting
this page are the following: (i) Page Margins: Please use left, right, top, and bottom margins of 1.5".
This will facilitate proper binding of your thesis by the UIHP. (ii) Centering and Spacing: All components should be
single-spaced. Center each line from left to right. Space the components more or less equally from top to bottom, as
illustrated in the example Title Page,
written by a former Biology Honors student. (iii) Thesis title: Use capital
letters for the title. Use a regular text font, not italics or boldface. The sole exceptions to this rule are names
of genes, genera, and species (e.g. FOXE1, Arabidopsis thaliana). (iv) Names and Initials: You must include your first
name, middle initial(s), and last name (i.e. Susan B. Anthony). Please do likewise for the names of your Honors Thesis
Supervisor and Biology Honors Advisor (Jonathan E. Poulton). (v) Semester and Year: The semester of the year must be
an academic term (e.g. Spring 2009) rather than a month. Note: no comma between semester and year.
As of Fall Semester 2008, the UIHP also requires that you submit an electronic copy of your Abstract for future display
on their website. You must therefore submit to UIHP an electronic copy that prints to produce exactly the hardcopy
submitted. The electronic version must be readable by Microsoft Word. It may be provided on diskette or attached to an
e-mail received at: honors-program@uiowa.edu.
Approval of Title Page and Abstract by UI Honors Program: Before you seek the signatures of your Honors Thesis Supervisor and the Biology Honors Advisor, take your Title
Page and Abstract to Mary Uhl (UIHP, 420 BHC) for proofing and formatting approval. Mary recommends that you also bring
a copy of both pages in a portable electronic form. If corrections are needed, you can make them in the Honors ITC (318
BHC) and resubmit the copies immediately, thereby sparing you a second trip. When your documents are approved, Mary
will apply a seal to the Title Page to show the Honors Advisor that these requirements have been met. Honors Advisors
are not to approve projects without this seal. Please remember to give Mary an electronic copy of your approved Abstract
on a diskette or via e-mail.
Page Margins for Remainder of Thesis:
All pages, except for the Title Page and Abstract, should have margins (top, bottom, left, and right) of 1.0".
Page Spacing:
All pages, except for the Title Page, Abstract, and the legends to Tables and Figures, should be printed double-spaced.
Formatting of Table of Contents, List of Tables, and List of Figures:
Please click here to view correct
formatting of these documents, as illustrated by pages from David Brauer's thesis.
Tables and Figures:
Tables and Figures (with relevant legends) should NOT be provided as a collection at the end of the thesis.
Instead, there are two acceptable ways to include them:
Method 1: Insert them into the thesis, printed one Table or Figure to a (new!) page (along with relevant
legends), immediately following first mention of that Table/Figure in the text.
Method 2: Embed Figures and Tables (along with relevant legends) within the text, placing them close to first
mention within the body of the text. Allow ample space between the embedded Figure (Table) and the text.
Irrespective of which method you adopt, make sure that you draw the reader's attention to a specific Figure or Table
by inserting a "flag" within the text, e.g. "Castanospermine competitively inhibited amygdalin hydrolysis (Figure 1)".
Page Numbering:
The Title Page should NOT be numbered. The Abstract, Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, List of Tables
(optional), and List of Figures (optional) pages should be numbered with Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc). Then,
use Arabic numerals for the remainder of the thesis, beginning with the Introduction as page 1. Number the pages
centered at the bottom of each page. If you chose Method 1 for insertion of figures and tables above, don't forget
that pages bearing these components should also be numbered.
Preparation of Thesis for Submission:
Do not staple or punch your thesis pages in any way. Just submit them to the Biology Honors Advisor as a stack of
pages in the correct order. The UIHP will bind your thesis for their library.
Submission Deadline:
Please submit your approved thesis to the Biology Honors Advisor no later than the last day of classes of the
semester in which you intend to graduate (i.e. one full week before Commencement). This allows the Advisor
sufficient time to review your thesis before submitting it to the Blank Honors Center by the UIHP stated deadline
(Wednesday of Finals Week).
Questions:
Please feel free to consult the Biology Honors Advisor (335-1322) at any time, if you have any questions or concerns.
Department of Biology 143 Biology Building Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1324
