Syllabus 

Catalyst Seminar (BSCI 279C / BSCI 279H)

Spring 2024

Instructor:

Dr. Kaci Thompson
2322 Symons Hall
301-405-2160
email: kaci@umd.edu

Office hours:  By appointment 

Overview:

The Catalyst Seminar has two overarching learning goals:

1. Students will be able to identify and obtain research opportunities that are appropriate to their professional goals. This includes

• Developing an awareness of the diversity of undergraduate research opportunities available to them in the chemical and biological sciences

• Being able to evaluate and express how particular research programs resonate with their professional goals

• Being able to communicate their interest to potential faculty research mentors

2. Students will better understand what it means to be part of the scientific community, specifically

• Becoming proficient in basic forms of scientific communication (e.g., reading and interpreting primary literature, interacting with researchers)

• Developing awareness of some of the basic ethical issues in the conduct of science

• Understanding the role and limitations of peer review in science

• Developing increased awareness of how scientific knowledge is constructed

In this course, you will learn about the research currently being conducted at the University of Maryland through a series of faculty seminars. The course will also provide an opportunity for you to learn skills essential for becoming a successful student researcher, such as strategies for negotiating the research process, locating a faculty mentor, ethics in science, critical analysis of research papers, and understanding how research findings extend our existing knowledge base.

Text:

Pechenik, J.A. 2016. A Short Guide to Writing about Biology, 9th ed. New York: Longman. The text is *required* but I am flexible about the edition. If you choose to purchase an older or newer version, be aware that the chapter and page numbers may not correspond perfectly to those in the syllabus.

Online resources:

Much of this course will be online. We will use ELMS (http://www.elms.umd.edu/) for readings, videos, most assignments, and posting grades. We will also be using Interview Stream, a tool offered by the University Career Center. For details on how to submit each assignment, see the ELMS Assignments page.

Class meeting time:

Much of this class will take place online and asynchronously. Your presence in class is required on the following dates:

• Monday, January 29 from 3:30-4:45 PM in room 1130 PLS (first class meeting)

• Monday, Feb. 26 from 3:30-4:45 PM in room 1130 PLS (faculty research presentations)

• Monday, Mar. 4 from 3:30-4:45 PM in room 1130 PLS (faculty research presentations)

• Monday, Mar. 11 from 3:30-4:45 PM in room 1130 PLS (faculty research presentations)

During these class meetings, you will have the opportunity to hear from faculty and students about the research currently being conducted on campus. Following faculty presentations, you will also have the opportunity to speak informally with the presenters.

Assignment of grades:

The final grade for the course will be based on a total of 250 possible points. Instead of having a small number of high stakes assignments, this course will have a larger number of small and medium-sized assignments that build over the semester. Instructions and due dates for all graded assignments are given in ELMS. Late assignments will accrue a penalty of 10% for each day past the due date, unless prior arrangements have been made for an alternative due date. 

Academic Dishonesty:

It is our shared responsibility to know and abide by the University of Maryland's policies that relate to all courses, which include topics such as:

• Academic integrity

• Student and instructor conduct

• Accessibility and accommodations

• Attendance and excused absences

• Grades and appeals

• Copyright and intellectual property

Please visit www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html for the Office of Undergraduate Studies' full list of campus-wide policies and don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about how those policies pertain to our class.

Modules:

This course consists of seven modules. The orientation module (Module 0) should be completed first. Each module contains some introductory material (e.g., readings on the web or from your text, videos) and one or more quizzes or assignments. Some of the modules will not be accessible until after the deadline for completing other assignments has passed. An outline of the modules, associated assignments, and due dates is below.