GRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK Department of Biological Sciences Binghamton University State University of New York 2014-2015

This handbook is arranged to take you from your first day in the department, to planning your research program, and finally to the culmination of your efforts, completion of your degree. No handbook can anticipate all questions or problems. Fortunately, there are many people in the department and university who can help. Included is a list of helpful people, what they do, and where they are. When you have a question, please consult this book first. But if you cannot find an answer here, do not hesitate to ask us (your Supervising Professor, Graduate Program Administrator, Graduate Director, etc.). Two things to note: 1) It is the responsibility of the student and Supervising Professor to know the rules and procedures leading to completion of the degree pursued, but it is always wise for each student to take primary responsibility for meeting deadlines and ensuring his/her own progress. 2) Every academic year, you are required to have a research meeting with your Supervisory Committee, and to file an Annual Report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS GETTING STARTED IN MY GRADUATE STUDIES First Day?………………………………………………………………………... First Week?……………………………………………………………………… First Semester?……………………………………………………………….… KEYS TO SUCCESS IN GRADUATE STUDIES Developing an overall plan of commitment ………………….………………. Developing a research project…………………………………………….….. Benefiting from faculty advisors………………………………………………. Developing social capitol………………………………………………………. RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH Authorship……………………………………………………………………….. Data: Collection and ownership……………………………………………….. Laboratory safety……………………………………………………………….. Animal/Plant care regulations…………………………………………………. Human subjects research……………………………………………………… GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS Master of Arts (MA) [non-thesis] Program ………………………………….. Master of Science (MS) [thesis] Program……………………………………. 3+2 BA-MA/MS Progam…………………………………………………….…. Doctor of Philosophy Program………………………………………………… CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS Certificate in Biotechnology…………………………………………………… Certificate in Advanced Biological Studies…………………………………… Certificate in College Teaching……………………………………………….. GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT TAs: expectations/responsibilities…………………………………………….. RAs……………………………………………………………………………….. Other Funding Sources………………………………………………………… Health Insurance……………………………………………………….……….. Development and Other Services……………………………………………..

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THE FACULTY……………………………………………………………………… 67 KEY PERSONNEL……………………….……………………………….………… 70 OTHER SOURCES OF GRADUATE INFORMATION………………………….. 71 PROGRESS FORMS AND DEADLINES………………………………………… 72 ON-LINE GRADUATE ORIENTATION MODULES…………………………….

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REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………..

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THE FIRST DAY? 1.

How do I get started? On Thursday or Friday before classes begin each semester, the Department has an orientation session. Please make sure that you do not miss this orientation. You will be introduced to important administrators within the department, and you will receive assistance and advice in getting a fast start in your graduate studies. The graduate school also has orientations (https://www.binghamton.edu/gradschool/admissions/new-graduatestudents/orientation/index.html#newgraduatestudent) and these are strongly encouraged and required if you have been awarded a graduate teaching assistantship. 2. Will there be someone to help me get oriented? When you applied for graduate studies, you most likely affiliated with a regular “faculty advisor”. If you were admitted without a faculty advisor, you will be assigned a “temporary advisor” until you associate with a regular advisor. You should meet with your advisor before the first day of classes to discuss your career goals and to decide on courses to be taken during your first semester. An “Advisory Meeting Checklist” with the results of this advisory session will be put into your personnel file. Feel free to email or call your advisor to set up this meeting. If you need any help during this time, please contact the Graduate Program Administrator. 3. How should I approach my relationship with a faculty advisor? Your relationship with your regular faculty advisor largely depends on you. You need to take the initiative in setting up meetings. Make sure that you know what your advisor expects of you. Understand that either of you, at any time, can decide that the relationship is not working. Although that doesn’t happen very often, recognizing the situation and dealing with it openly is always the best policy. The Graduate Director is available to discuss options. 4. What classes do I sign up for? Your advisor will help you select classes during the coming semester from the Schedule of Classes. It contains the days and times of all the courses in the university. If you want a description of the content of a course, look in the on line University Bulletin. The best source of information probably is your advisor or a senior graduate student. 5. How many credit hours can I sign up for? All new graduate students entering with a B.A. or B.S. and who receive a tuition scholarship must register for 12 credit hours for each of their first two “academic year” semesters (fall and spring). After that, they register for 9 credits per semester. ESL courses do not count towards these credit requirements. Students entering with a master's degree and receiving a tuition scholarship register for 9 credit hours per semester. Students beginning in the summer must register for at least one credit of independent research (Biol 597), but only if they are receiving financial support for the summer. 2

6. How do I go about registering for classes? Select your courses from the Schedule of Classes with the help of your advisor. With your list in hand, go to the Graduate Program Administrator (GPA) in Room 210. The GPA has a computer terminal that can access the BANNER System and sign you up. Also, you can do this yourself at any of the numerous BU brain terminals on campus (e.g., in the hallway of Lecture Hall complex). It is your responsibility to check your registration to ensure that it is correct (e.g., courses you want, credits you want). PLEASE BE SURE TO REGISTER BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES. Don’t forget to pay your fees at the Student Accounts Office https://www.binghamton.edu/student-accounts/. Some courses are by permission of instructor only. These professors want to talk with you before allowing you in their course. Do this before trying to enroll. Enrollment in Biol 597, Independent Study, requires some further explanation. All first semester graduate students are encouraged to take this course with a faculty member, usually their advisor. Talk with your advisor about this option. You and a particular faculty member must reach an agreement on the type of independent study, the work to be done, the number of credit hours, and a title for the course (one title per 4 credit hours). You must write down on the Contract for Independent Study what you have agreed to do and also fill out the yellow form for Independent Study, which requires the signature of the instructor. Once you are a continuing student, PLEASE BE SURE TO REGISTER BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES.

7. Now that I'm over the traumatic and confusing first day, is there anything else I should do? If you haven’t done so already, read the rest of this Handbook, and note certain things most relevant to your degree program, such as understanding how often to meet with your supervisory committee, what schedule of progress is required, and when to submit the all-important annual report. 8. Besides attending the orientation sessions, meeting with my advisor, and registering, what else should I do before classes start? If you are a teaching assistant, you will be assigned to a course. If you don’t know it, get this from the Administrative Assistant to the Chair (S3-206). Report to the instructor to determine when the first “prep” (preparation) meeting is. Most instructors have a prep meeting the Thursday, Friday or Sunday before classes begin, or Monday or Tuesday the following week. It is your responsibility to call or report to the instructor before the prep session and first classes, so you know when your classes meet and how to prepare for them.

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THE FIRST WEEK? 1.

How do I get office space and a desk? Ms. Pam Watts, one of the building administrators (Room S3-275) is in charge of office space. Usually, she tries to get everyone settled the first week. But be patient, it is a juggling process and takes time. Only those students who are supported as TAs or research assistants (RAs) may count on space and a desk. Assignment of space is at the discretion of the Building Administrator and the Chair of the Department. If you are assigned space in a faculty member’s laboratory, specific assignment within this area is at the discretion of that faculty member. 2. Where do I get keys? See the Graduate Program Administrator for procedures for obtaining keys. A note about keys: The keys are the property of the university and must be returned immediately whenever the Building Administrator or Chair of the Department request that they be returned. The same is true of keys issued through a faculty member or staff person. 3. What about an identification card? BU-SUNY IDs are taken care of by the University during registration. You will have to go Admissions Center, Room 112. 4. Where do I pick up departmental mail? Each student supported by the department is assigned a mailbox inside the Biology Office (Room S3-210D). Check your box daily for announcements. 5. Where do I pick up my paychecks? Paychecks for TAs are delivered to the Biology Office, Room S3-210, every other Wednesday. You must pick yours up within two days, or they will be sent back to the payroll office (Administration Building, Rm 405) for pick up. If you are paid on a grant, checks can be picked up at the Sponsored Funds Payroll office in the ITC building. You can have your check deposited directly in your bank account if you choose. This latter option will make your life much easier; we encourage you to use direct deposit. Get a “Direct Deposit Form” from the payroll office. 6. How do I get an email address and a computer account? You can get your email address and computer account at the Help Desk in the Computer Center.

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WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING THE FIRST SEMESTER? We offer three advanced degrees in Biological Sciences: Master’s of Arts, Master’s of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. The former requires a special project. The last two are research degrees, which means that you must develop and conduct a research project that reflects the appropriate level of advanced study. It logically follows that you should begin the research as soon as possible. The department is set up to help, but there are things that you must do for yourself. 1.

OK! What is the first thing I should do? If you don’t already have an agreement with a faculty member for him/her to be your advisor, decide on the professor under whom you want to work. Here are some hints for identifying an advisor: a. Look at the FACULTY section included in this handbook or online in the Biological Sciences website. The general areas of research are listed as well as other information. b. It is always instructive to talk with some of the senior graduate students and the Director of the Graduate Studies in the department. c. Make appointments with those professors whose research sounds most interesting to you. Do this in the first month of the semester. 2.

What should I do at these meetings? a. Be prepared to talk about yourself: your career aspirations, the courses you have taken, the experience you have had, etc. b. Ask what kind of research is presently going on in the laboratory and how you would fit into it. Of course, the nature and level of involvement depends on whether you are in the MA, MS or Ph.D. program. c. Ask for some reprints or a list of publications from the laboratory. These will tell you several things: details of the research already done and the involvement of graduate students in the research. d. The decision to affiliate in a laboratory always involves two people, you and the professor. Make sure that there is room in the laboratory for another student. “Room” doesn’t just mean physical space. It also means that the professor has time to supervise your research and provide resources to support most or all of your research.

3.

What if I start in one lab and want to switch to another? If you find that you would like to work with another professor-- all is not lost! Talk to your advisor and explain the situation. Understand that the potential new advisor may seek additional information from your file, your current advisor, the instructors of courses you are taking, etc. Switching need not be traumatic; these things occur 5

and professors know it happens occasionally. However, if you have commitments, such as an Independent Study (Biol 597) with the first professor, be prepared to complete these. If you want to talk about it with a third person, see the Director of the Graduate Program. 4. How do I go about having my “Advisory Meeting”? The Department requires every new student to have an “Advisory Meeting” the week before classes begin in their first semester in the graduate program. The purpose of the meeting is to have a friendly determination of the student’s strengths and weaknesses and to discuss the student’s career goals. You should bring copies of your transcripts to the meeting. You and your advisor should fill out the “Advisory Meeting Checklist”. You should make two copies. Give the original to the Graduate Program Administrator, give one copy to your advisor, and keep the second copy for your records. 5. How do I go about setting up a Supervisory Committee? Talk it over with your Supervising Professor. The two of you can decide who would be appropriate to advise you in your work. Consult your chosen faculty members and ask if they would participate. Then get a Formation of Supervisory Committee form from the Graduate Program Administrator (GPA) and fill in the suggested names along with a paragraph describing the general nature of your proposed research. Hand it in to the GPA. This must be done by the end of the first semester. The Graduate Committee will consider your request at the next meeting and let you know its decision (approval or disapproval). 6. How often should I meet with my Supervisory Committee? You will meet with your advisor for advising during your first semester. By the end of the first semester, you must have affiliated formally with a Supervising Professor (faculty advisor) and formed a Supervisory Committee. Beginning in the second semester, you should meet with your Supervisory Committee at least once an academic year. Do not wait until the end of spring semester. Most faculty are very busy then. Do not assume that you can have a meeting in the summer. Most faculty are just as busy then and often away for part of the summer. 7. How do I get money to support my research? Often the Supervising Professor supplies funds for organisms, supplies and equipment from research grants, but your advisor is not obligated to do so. The Department may provide a modest amount of money, on a competitive basis, to help graduate student research and travel. Annual announcements about travel awards are posted through the listserve. Your Supervising Professor may also be able to provide a summer or yearly stipend from a research grant. Usually a stipend obligates you to the grant. For example, you may receive a Research Assistantship from a grant to work on projects funded by this grant. This work, with your Supervising Professor’s permission, may be used for your degree. Discuss this option with your Supervising Professor. 6

There are also outside sources of funds. See the section OTHER FUNDING SOURCES. 8. What is BGSO? The Biology Graduate Students Organization (BGSO) is the collective voice of the graduate students in the biology department, who are also affiliated with the GSO, the graduate student organization of the University. The BGSO serves as a source of information for departmental programs, helps in sponsoring and entertaining seminar speakers, provides some funds for research, and organizes some social events for the Department. BGSO is administered by several elected graduate officers. All biology graduate students are STRONGLY encouraged to participate actively in this organization. Part of your professional training should include “service” and “leadership” activities. For instance, faculty members serve on a wide variety of university committees (e.g., faculty search committees, policy development committees, multidisciplinary research groups) and have to chair or administrate various tasks. Consequently, employers look for prospects who have had “service” and “leadership” experiences. KEYS TO SUCCESS IN GRADUATE STUDIES Developing an overall plan of commitment Becoming a research scientist requires a commitment of intellect, time, effort, dedication and perseverance. It requires this because considerable knowledge and skills have to be acquired, in more or less a certain sequence. The initial stage focuses on broadening and deepening the knowledge base, while at the same time acquiring numerous scientific skills. This stage includes developing a conceptual framework for the research project, and learning technical skills ranging from simple laboratory procedures to statistics, experimental design, and mathematical modeling. The second stage focuses on planning and conducting a research project and usually includes developing team-work, speaking and writing skills. It also requires expansion of the conceptual framework. The third stage focuses on data analysis and reporting the research, which builds on all the previous knowledge and skills. Recent evaluation of graduate education in the sciences and technology in the USA has resulted in the recommendation of a 2+2+X year model for the doctoral degree The idea is that the first 2 years are spent developing an advanced foundation and beginning the research project. Then the next 2 years are spent doing the research project and finally defending the dissertation. Then X years are spent as a postdoctoral associate or in the first job, becoming more of a specialist. In order to finish a doctoral degree in 4 years, it is necessary to approach the degree program as an internship and make the commitment to devote the time and effort required. In other words, graduate school is not a “9 to 5” job or a 40-hour per 7

week proposition. You will have to budget your time well to ensure that you have enough (and quality) time to complete your research program in a reasonable timeframe (e.g., 4 years from BA or BS to PhD degree). It is unlikely that you will be able to obtain a degree in the recommended timeframe unless you are willing to work at least 50 hours per week. This amount may seem like a lot to you, but it is the amount that people work who are in positions of considerable responsibility in academia, industry and government. For example, most science faculty work at least that amount per week. Furthermore, graduate school is not an extension of college; semester breaks are not “vacation time”. Semester breaks and summer are periods that faculty and graduate students use to get major portions of their research completed. The ideal end product of a doctoral program is an individual who can identify important questions, identify reasonable ways to answer the questions using a variety of sophisticated techniques and approaches, continually absorb and integrate new information, work well with others to obtain group goals, and communicate effectively in writing and in public speaking. Such a person is quite marketable in both academia and non-academic institutions. But how long it takes you to get there will be a function of your dedication to your studies, your identification and fulfillment of critical priorities, and your ability to budget your time efficiently to acquire the knowledge and skills you need. If you are in the MS or PhD track, your primary objective is to develop and conduct a research project. You have probably already started the process by affiliating with a faculty advisor. You may have already discussed a general problem or perhaps a specific problem with your faculty advisor. You will be making a big commitment to the project. Here are some things to keep in mind: Can you enthusiastically pursue this problem or project? Can you sustain that interest during your time in the graduate program? Is the problem solvable? Is the project worthwhile? Will the project lead to other problems that are interesting and worthwhile? Is the project manageable in size? What is the potential for making significant or original contributions? Are you, or can you become, competent to solve the problem? Will you have demonstrated independent skills in your discipline? Will this research program prepare you to meet your career aspirations? To answer these questions, you may need more information. Here are some things that will help you evaluate your potential research ideas: What is the status of this research problem? See current review articles and talk with faculty to identify the conceptual issues. What techniques are necessary and how can you acquire skills with those techniques? See current research articles for methods used to address these kinds of questions. Talk with graduate students and faculty to determine who can help 8

with techniques, equipment, etc. What kind of experimental design is appropriate? See current research articles for the experimental designs used to address these kinds of questions. Talk with graduate students and faculty to evaluate those designs and determine who can help with statistical and graphical analyses, etc. What are the assumptions that others have made, or that you would have to make, and should you test these first? See current review articles and research reports. Talk with faculty and graduate students. You may discover that you need to conduct some preliminary observations or experiments. How much work should be spent on developing techniques and pilot studies? Talk with faculty and graduate students. An excellent way to get the information and feedback that you need is to present your ideas, plans and/or preliminary data to your laboratory group and/or the EEB or BCMB lunch groups.

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR MEETINGS WITH YOUR ADVISOR You are in charge of your career development. So you need to think about what you want to accomplish and how to go about that. Your advisor is here to assist you in the process of developing your plans. Talk with your advisor often about your plans. Set goals for yourself and then review with your advisor what you have accomplished. Below are some topics that you may wish to discuss with your advisor: 1. My current career aspirations are ….. and this is why I want to do research…. 2. My proudest research accomplishment this year was …… and the reason I feel that way is …… 3. My biggest research stumbling block this year was ….. and what I have resolved about that is…… 4. My research strengths are ….. and I want to capitalize on those by…… 5. My research weaknesses are….. and I want to eliminate them by….. or work around them by…… 6. The major thing that I need help with is ……. 7. My research plan for the next year is ….. (e.g., research schedule, schedule of supervising committee meetings, graduate exams, first drafts of research papers or dissertation chapters, submitting papers for publication or presentation at meetings, etc.) 8. I plan to finish by …….and here is my plan for how to do that….. 9. I need postdoctoral experience and here is my plan for that…. 10. I need more, or a different kind of, teaching experience and here is my plan for that…..

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READ THIS !!!! CRITICAL GOALS & TIME MANAGEMENT Probably the biggest problems that new graduate students have are establishing goals and learning how to budget their time. Most graduate students must take courses, teach, and develop a research project all at once! No matter what your initial load is, it is crucial that you establish goals, a time budget to achieve these goals, and to begin this process immediately. The key to budgeting your time is to set priorities and then assign time and effort accordingly. To set priorities you need to determine your goals: lifetime, intermediate (e.g., years to obtain a degree) and short-term (e.g., today, this week, this year). Write these goals down and review them periodically. Your ultimate goal in graduate school should be to do what is necessary to be competitive for your dream job once you graduate, which entails more than just doing excellent research and earning advanced degree(s). The awards received, publications submitted, research presentations given at national meetings, grants funded, and special training completed will mainly determine your opportunities for further advancement and/or employment. In general, the priorities that are “critical” to do are often the most unpleasant and difficult to keep up with, and yet a large proportion of your goals can be achieved by completing these critical priorities [Smith 1984]. The items that “can wait”, “may or may not be goal related”, “have no significant time pressure” and “usually are easy, quick and pleasant” rarely make it to the “A” list of priorities, and these lesser priorities can frequently be avoided. Once you have your “critical” and “lesser” priorities figured out, the next step is to organize yourself and develop a plan of attack. For example, try to use the times of the day when you are most alert and creative for the parts of your research that require thinking and writing. Use the “down periods” for mentally less demanding and routine work. Develop a daily routine. Set deadlines and try to stick to them. Lastly, you should talk with senior graduate students and your faculty advisor about ways to manage time effectively in a research and teaching environment. Do not wait until your 2nd semester or 2nd year to establish and begin to fulfill your critical priorities. For each semester’s delay in fulfilling your critical priorities, you lose at least one half year’s salary of your first job, which would be $ 25,000 for a job with an annual salary of $50,000. Need more be said?

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DEVELOPING YOUR SOCIAL CAPITOL Social capitol refers to connections among individuals – social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them “…the links between social networks and economic success at the individual level are” clear. “You can be reasonably confident that you will benefit if you acquire a richer social network.” For instance, community connectedness provides civic skills, social support, professional contacts, friendship and more. Therefore, our advice is that you make a concerted effort to develop your social capitol while here in this graduate program. Participating in, for example, the BGSO (Biology Graduate Student Organization) will provide opportunities to work with faculty and staff in areas outside of research, which prepares you for similar work situations in government, industry and academia. Such work through the BGSO serves to establish and enforce norms of commitment and performance on the part of faculty and staff. It also allows for the deepening of interpersonal bonds and “weness” between graduate students and faculty. Furthermore, interactions with BGSO members, and so with both EEB and BCMB graduate students, are bound to establish, or strengthen, norms of reciprocity and mutual concern among graduate students. These connections will almost certainly payoff in the future. For instance, you may hear of a job opening from a BGSO friend, a former graduate student who isn’t in your area but is now at an institution that is hiring. Or ten years from now, a former BGSO friend may see your name on a list of potential panelists for a NIH or NSF program and say, “Yes, I know that person and he/she would be a great addition to the panel.” That is, your expanded network can payoff in unexpected ways. Research studies indicate that such peripheral ties are as important as immediate ties in terms of finding good job opportunities and career advancement. Of course, there are additional ways that you can increase your social capitol. For instance, you SHOULD make an effort to get to know the members of your research supervisory committee, by chatting with them at departmental functions. You SHOULD attend lunch and departmental seminars with the goal of chatting with faculty before hand and chatting with the speaker afterward. You SHOULD attend and present your research at scientific meetings. Will this make a difference in your development here and success when you leave? Yes! The graduate students in our program who did these kinds of things on a regular basis were more likely to find good jobs or positions quickly and continue to advance quickly. RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH All persons in the department engaged in research are expected to carry out their activities with the highest possible ethical standards. Any serious deviation from the practices commonly accepted within the scientific community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research and creative scholarly activity are considered misconduct. Scientific misconduct is defined as interference, 11

fabrication, plagiarism, deception or other deviations from accepted research practices. Scientific misconduct by anyone in the Department will be handled according to the policies and procedures of the University as outlined in the booklet, “University Rules and Expectations” and other university publications. It is the responsibility of every graduate student to read the booklet “University Rules and Expectations” and adhere to it. AUTHORSHIP Authorship requires a significant intellectual or practical contribution. Most professional societies and other scientific organizations have a “code of ethics”, which includes guidelines for authorship. Here is a summary to help guide you. Based on the Ecological Society of America’s code [http://www.esa.org/esa/about/governance/esa-code-of-ethics/], authorship is justified if a person has made a substantial contribution, such as: conceived the ideas and design of the experiments participated in the execution of the study analyzed and interpreted the data wrote the manuscript or some combination of these. Also, authorship may be justified by obtaining resources for the project, when resources were requested by outlining the general or specific research program, and by long-term guidance and development of the project. Persons should not be included as authors if, for example, they only provided use of instrumentation, services for a fee, routine paid technical work, or advice in a narrow context. If you are unsure about who should be an author or the order of authorship, you should discuss the issue directly with those involved. DATA COLLECTION Gathering data and retaining accurate records are of the utmost importance in research. Furthermore, increasingly federal funding agencies are requiring that accurate and well-documented records of data collected for grants be archived and made available to anyone with a reasonable request. Based on the report “Responsible Science: Ensuring the Integrity of the Research Process”[5], here are some guidelines: Custody of all original data should be retained by the unit in which they are generated. This applies to graduate students whose research is funded by grants to the university (and/or to faculty). When graduate students leave the program, they may take copies of their data records, but the original data books and sheets, summaries, spreadsheets, etc., should remain archived in the research unit with clear documentation. An exception would be data gathered by a graduate student who was completely self-supporting and sole author on the resulting publications. Whatever you do, make sure that you work the details out with your Supervisory Professor. It is recommended that data be kept in an orderly fashion so that the data are accessible and easily reviewed by the researchers involved. The records should 12

name the experiment, researchers, date, basic protocols, etc. Statistical analyses should be documented with printouts that include notation of the experimental design, results of tests of statistical assumptions, inclusion or exclusion of data, and conclusions drawn from the statistical results. There should be sufficient notation to allow someone else to reconstruct the experiments and/or analyses. Laboratory books or binders are recommended; these can easily be cataloged and stored. LABORATORY SAFETY You are required to attend a Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Waste Management Information Session each year. The dates and times will be advertised in the Department. It is also your responsibility to make sure that undergraduates working with you know the proper safety procedures for the work they are doing. CARE OF ANIMAL SUBJECTS All research with animals is expected to conform to the most current standards of care. For research that involves vertebrates, the University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) must be consulted and the protocol must be approved by IACUC prior to the initiation of any research. This includes both laboratory and field work. Consultation should be done well in advance of the proposed research. All faculty, staff and students who use vertebrate animals are required by federal regulations to complete a training session before working with animals. Please see: http://research.binghamton.edu/LaboratoryAnimalResources/ for information regarding the use of vertebrate animals on campus. HUMAN SUBJECTS The University requires that researchers (faculty and students) who conduct research with human subjects must submit a “human subjects protocol” for review and approval by the University’s Human Subjects Research Review Board well before the proposed project is to begin. Please see: http://research.binghamton.edu/Compliance/humansubjects/ for more information. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION More details about the University’s research policies can be found at http://research.binghamton.edu/Compliance/

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THE MASTER OF ARTS (NON-THESIS) PROGRAM Master of Arts — Non-Thesis Program The master of arts non-thesis degree is designed for students who want to expand their knowledge of the biological sciences primarily through coursework. The degree is designed to be completed in one year. Entering students may either:   

A. affiliate with an individual faculty advisor B. progress through the special capstone courses or C. complete a coursework only program focused on health related courses

Pathways A and B require the completion of a major review paper, pathway C does not require the completion of a major review paper. Degree Requirements The SUNY requirements for a Master’s degree state the following. Master’s degree programs shall normally include: 1. A minimum of one academic year of full-time graduate level study, or its equivalent in part-time study 2. An accumulation of not less than 30 semester hours A minimum of 30 semester-credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree is required for completion of the master of arts—non-thesis degree. A cumulative gradepoint average of 3.0 or above is required. These credit hours are to be distributed as follows: For Tracks A and B: 

 

24 credit hours of formally structured courses numbered 500 or above (exclusive of BIOL 591, 595, 597, 599 and all MAT/MSEd courses). Four of the credit hours for this requirement may be taken as courses outside of the biological sciences with the approval of the supervisory committee. At least two credit hours of BIOL 680X At least four credit hours of BIOL 597 (Independent Study). BIOL 597 may be either a library or laboratory research project designed to acquaint the student with the principles of experimental design.

For Track C:  

22 credit hours of approved formally structured courses numbered 500 or above (exclusive of BIOL 591, 595, 597, 599 and all MAT/MSEd courses). At least 4 credit hours of BIOL 680 (various topics in biology) of which 2 must be the seminar series 680X. 14

  

Up to 8 credits hours could be taken from outside of BIOL courses (see graduate director for list of approved courses or get approval of the student’s committee). Up to 8 credit hours could be BIOL 597 (Independent Study). Up to 4 credits hours could be BIOL 585 (internship).

3. Research or a comparable occupational or professional experience 

The professional experience would be fulfilled by the Departmental Seminar Series (BIOL 680X, 2 credits). Other experiences (i.e., 597 or 585) could be approved by the student’s committee if conflicts prevent the student from attending the seminar series.

4. At least one of the following: passing a comprehensive test, writing a thesis based on independent research or completing an appropriate special project. 

This would be fulfilled by: a. forming a supervisory committee (either constructed by the student or assigned from graduate committee members) **the original approval stated each student would have a committee** AND (either b or c) b. for tracks A and B students must complete a writing project (i.e. review), either through a course, via affiliation with a faculty mentor (by permission of mentor) or through BIOL 680M and 683M capstone courses (by permission of instructor). The review may be based on, or actually be, a term paper submitted in fulfilling the requirement of a course. The review is expected to be a thorough review of the appropriate literature in a critical, synthetic manner. The quality and length of the review should be similar to an article that would appear in the Quarterly Review of Biology or Biological Reviews. The student must defend the review to the supervisory committee in an oral defense. c. for track C students must complete a special project approved by the supervisory committee (examples could include presentations, independent research…). The special project may be based on, or actually be, a project fulfilling the requirement of a course.

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THE MASTER OF SCIENCES (RESEARCH THESIS) PROGRAM The purpose of our Master of Sciences Degree is to provide research experience with a short-term project (about two years). The project will necessitate careful planning, literature review, learning laboratory and/or field techniques, preliminary data collection and analysis, revised planning, final data collection and analysis, a written report complete with graphics and appropriate statistical analysis, oral presentation to the Department, and oral defense to the Supervisory Committee. Consequently, entering students are expected to affiliate with a professor and begin research in the first semester. Usually, the advisor suggests a research project, which allows the student to begin immediately developing the key skills needed for this degree. A Supervisory Committee guides the progress of the student. Coursework is secondary, in that it expands the foundation of the student, and so it is not the primary focus of the degree program. The major steps leading to the degree are: 1. Have an “Advisory Meeting” the week before the first semester. Give signed form to the Graduate Program Administrator. 2. Affiliate with a Supervising Professor in the first semester. 3. Identify a Supervisory Committee in the first semester. Give signed form to the Graduate Program Administrator. 4. Have a “Research Meeting” with your Supervisory Committee in the second semester (within two months after the 2nd semester begins). Give signed form to the Graduate Program Administrator. 5. Have a “Research Meeting” in the third or fourth semester but before the end of March. Give signed form to the Graduate Program Administrator. 6. Declare candidacy prior to the beginning of the semester you expect to graduate. Inform the Graduate Program Administrator after you do that. 7. Complete and submit your thesis to your committee. Give a copy of your thesis to the Graduate Program Administrator at least two weeks before your defense. 8. Give departmental seminar. 9. Take final oral examination. 10. Submit the signed thesis to the Graduate School. The following is an outline of suggested progress for students pursuing the MS degree. Actual progress may vary depending on the background and needs of the student. 16

However, insufficient progress at any point in the program may be a reason for dismissal.

Year

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

1

12 Credit Hours*

12 Credit Hours*

Have Advisory Meeting Affiliate with Supervising Professor Establish Supervisory Committee

Have Research Meeting with 3-member Supervisory Committee within 1st two months of 2nd sem

9 Credit Hours

9 Credit Hours

Meet with Supervisory Committee

Declare Candidacy Departmental Seminar Final Oral Examination Submit Thesis

2

• 12 credit hours per semester establishes the Residency Requirement of the University; To satisfy the Residency Requirement you should take Biol 597 for “research” in the first year, not Biol 599; ESL does NOT count toward these credits. During your four semesters, you should take an average of 6 credits of formal/regular courses per semester. Formal/regular courses are 500-600 level, excluding 585, 597, 599. ADVISORY MEETING We require an “Advisory Meeting” the week before the first semester for the purpose of a friendly determination of the student’s strengths, weaknesses and career goals. The student should provide a list of college-level biology and chemistry courses taken and be prepared to discuss career aspirations. Advice on courses and development of a research project is given. The Advisory Meeting Checklist should be completed at the meeting and then given to the Graduate Program Administrator for filing. You can obtain the form from the Biology office. AFFILIATION AND SUPERVISING COMMITTEE In the first semester following admission to the department's graduate program, the student must affiliate with a Supervising Professor, agree on a research topic, and establish a three-member Supervisory Committee. The membership of this committee will be the Supervising Professor and two other faculty from the Department of Biological Sciences. If someone from another department on campus is appropriate, that person can be requested as a fourth member. Names of desired members must be submitted for approval by the departmental Graduate Committee. See the Graduate Program Administrator for the form.

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RESEARCH MEETINGS The Supervisory Committee and in particular its chairperson, who is the Supervising Professor, are responsible for the progress of the student. Soon after it is established, the committee should meet with the student and agree on the scope and nature of the research project. To set up a Supervisory Committee meeting, contact your committee members a month ahead of time to establish a day and time. Once you have that established, reserve a room (S3-204, or S3-214) with the secretary in S3-210 and send your committee members a note reminding them of the day, time and place. For research meetings, you should reserve the room for at least an hour. Any written material to be distributed should be approved by your advisor first and then given to the committee at least one week in advance. Be sure to bring a Research Meeting Form to the meeting for signatures. Mini Research Proposal - For one of the Research Meetings in the first academic year, the student should provide a research proposal to the Supervisory Committee at least one week before the meeting. (If there is only one Research Meeting, then a Mini Research Proposal must be presented for it.) The proposal should be about 5 pages (roughly 1250 words) of text. The proposal should be approved for distribution by the Supervising Professor. Consequently, the student should submit a draft to the Supervisory Professor about a month before the meeting. The proposal should provide: a statement of the general problem or question, framed by the current literature; then more specific objectives or hypotheses; a brief description of the system, a brief description of the methods, if appropriate, preliminary data (including tables and figures); potential results; and references. The first “Research Meeting” can occur before the second semester, but it must occur no later than two months into the second semester. There should be regular research meetings to assess the progress of the student. For the first year, the “Advisory Meeting” in the first semester and the “Research Meeting” in the second semester would suffice. The dates of these meetings must be recorded with the Graduate Administrator . Get the forms from the Biology office. ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT In addition, the graduate student and the Supervising Professor are required to write, review and submit an annual report about the progress of the student to the Graduate Committee in the middle of spring semester of each academic year. The Graduate School requires this annual evaluation. Get the form from the Graduate Program Administrator. The Graduate Committee uses the Annual Progress Reports to allocate TA lines for the following academic year. RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY Regardless of previous graduate experience or courses, students in the Master’s program must complete 24 credit hours to satisfy the minimum Residence Requirement of the University. This requirement must be completed in the first year. Biol. 597 counts, but Biol. 591, 599 and English as a Second Language (ESL) do not count toward this requirement. This requirement does not refer to New York State residency.

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IN-STATE TUITION You must establish New York State residency to qualify for in-state tuition status. If you are a TA or RA, your tuition scholarship is only for in-state tuition, unless you are an international student. See the Graduate School’s website for information on establishing residency. FULL-TIME STATUS If you are not on a TA or RA line and need to demonstrate to the Financial Aid Office that you are a full-time graduate student (for the purpose of justifying a loan), you must fill out a Certificate of Full-time Status form and submit it by the Graduate School’s deadline. You can obtain that form from the Graduate Program Administrator. The Graduate Director can only sign this form if you and your advisor state that you working full-time on your research. You also must be registered for at least one credit of BIOL 599 or 699. It is your responsibility to get this paperwork done each semester by the deadline. Do not wait until a day or two before the deadline! COURSE REQUIREMENTS A minimum of 30 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree is required for completion of the Master of Sciences Degree. These credits are distributed as follows: - 16 to 24 credit hours of courses numbered 500 or above (exclusive of Biol 591, 599, 696, 699 and all MAT/MST courses). - A maximum of 12 credit hours of Biol 597, Independent Study, are normally allowed. - 0 to 8 credit hours of elective courses outside of the biological sciences. Except for PSYC 503/504 (Statistics), approval of the departmental Graduate Committee is required. - At least 6 credit hours of Biol 599, Investigations in Biology-Thesis, are required. Courses numbered 400-499 are advanced undergraduate courses. Up to two of these courses may be taken for graduate credit, under the following conditions: a) the course is taken with the regular grading option (i.e., NOT pass/fail); b) the instructor agrees; c) the Director of Graduate Studies approves; d) the Graduate School approves; and e) the student does additional work beyond that required for undergraduate students to justify graduate student status, with the instructor stipulating what that extra work is. However, the Student Account Office will not count such courses toward full-time status, which is needed for financial aid. To satisfy that office, you must take such a course as a BIOL 597. Courses numbered 500 and above are graduate courses. Descriptions of these courses are in the graduate section of the University Bulletin. Regular courses must be taken with the normal grading option (i.e., you cannot take these for Pass/Fail or 19

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading). BIOL 599, 696 and 699 can be taken as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. The following courses require additional instructions: Biol 585. Internship This course is designed for students seeking a Certificate in Advanced Biological Studies or Biotechnology rather than a Master’s or PhD degree. Internship involves work that specifically requires a strong biological background but not necessarily involving laboratory or fieldwork, usually off campus and not within the Dept. of Biol. Sciences, that is not independent research. The Graduate Committee must approve in advance both the proposed work and the off-campus supervisor. If the student has taken BIOL 495, this internship cannot be an extension of that same internship. The student must write a proposal before approval, keep a log during the work and submit a written report after the experience that includes library research for background. Prerequisites: consent of the Graduate Committee. Pass/Fail only. It may be taken by Master’s and PhD track students only with approval by both the student’s Supervisory Committee and the Graduate Committee. Biol 591. The Teaching of College Biology This is not a course for MA/MS students. It is a way for M.A.T. students to receive recognition on their transcript for teaching in laboratory classes. The credit hours for this course are variable but only 1-2 hours is usual. This course is subject to several restrictions: it does not (a.) qualify for a tuition scholarship; (b.) count toward the 30 credit hours required for the degree; and (c.) count toward the Residence Requirement of the University. Biol 595. Special Studies for MAT/MST Students This is not a course for MA/MS students. For MA/MS-MAT students, it may count toward the MAT degree, but it will not count toward the MA/MS degree. Biol 597. Independent Studies in Biology This course is the key to the flexibility of the graduate program. It may be used to register for: (a.) independent study with a professor on a particular topic or subject that is not available through regular courses (which provides an intensive, one-on-one, learning situation in areas of immediate interest to the student); (b.) credit hours for research conducted in a laboratory situation, when credits are necessary to establish the Residence Requirement of the University; and (c.) another means to take an undergraduate course for graduate credit (and so must be worked out with the instructor). The course may be taken for 1 to 4 credit hours per course title. Remember usually you are allowed a total of only 12 credit hours of BIOL 597 toward graduation credits. At the option of the instructor, BIOL 597 can be taken as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Biol 599. Investigations in Biology--Thesis This course is intended to provide credit hours for the preparation of the master's thesis. Six credit hours are required for completion of the degree. Biol 601/602.

Topics 20

Do two BIOL 601/602s equal one BIOL 680? Not exactly! These courses are designed to meet somewhat different objectives. For example, BIOL 680 has a more structured format and a specific theme, which allows for development of expertise in a particular area with a sequence of tasks that builds your skills and knowledge over a semester. In contrast, BIOL 601/602 introduces you to a variety of topics over a semester and about once per year provides you with practice presenting research ideas to others. However, if you are in the MS or PhD track, you may substitute two BIOL 601/602s for one BIOL 680, BUT ONLY ONCE - AND ONLY IF YOU GAVE A PRESENTATION IN EACH BIOL 601/602! If you are MS track, you will need to take two BIOL 680s (or one BIOL 680 and two BIOL 601/602s). If you are doctoral track, you will need to take four BIOL 680s (or three BIOL 680s and two BIOL 601/602s). If you are MA track, then you may not substitute BIOL 601/602 for BIOL 680. Biol 680. Seminars These are 2-credit hour seminar courses. All students in the master’s program are required to take two BIOL 680 courses. You may take more than that if you wish. At the option of the instructor, BIOL 680 can be taken as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Usually the instructor makes it all normal grading for the class, or all S/U. Biol. 700. Continuing registration. If a student is no longer in residence and/or is not doing course work that will receive a grade and be reported on the transcript yet needs to maintain continuous registration, then the student should register for one credit of BIOL 700. Although the Graduate Program Administrator will assist graduate students with registration, it is the student’s responsibility to check his /her registration before deadlines to ensure that the registration is correct (e.g., number of credits, type of course needed, specific courses). Students can check on-line with the Office of the Registrar. COURSE LOADS All graduate students who have assistantships, fellowships or traineeships must be enrolled as full-time students. A full-time load for students in the master’s program who have accumulated less than 24 graduate credits (G1 level) is 12 credit hours per semester. For students who have completed at least 24 credit hours (G2 level), a full time load is 9 credit hours per semester. Thus usually students in their first year need to take 12 credits per semester, and after that first year, they take 9 credits per semester. Most first year students take 2 formal/regular courses per semester (e.g., a 4-credit formal/regular course and a 2-credit course = 6 credits) and take the rest of their credits as BIOL 597 (e.g., 6 credits per semester), yielding a total of 24 credit hours the first year. Most second year students take 2 formal/regular courses per semester and take the rest of their credits as BIOL 599. Over the four semesters of the program, you should average 6 credits of formal/regular courses per semester, for a total of 24. Students who need time beyond the second academic year to finish their 21

degree and do not have an assistantship will need to continue their registration with the university. Continued registration is accomplished by registering for one-credit of BIOL 599 if a grade is desired, or BIOL 700, if not. Failure to maintain continuous registration will necessitate reapplying to the Graduate School and Department to complete the degree (and that costs more money). GRADE REQUIREMENT A cumulative average of at least 3.0 in all graduate courses is required for continuation of financial support and for awarding the Masters degree. Note a 3.0 GPA means a B average. Although A through C- are passing grades in graduate courses, basically you do not want to get below a B in any course. If a student receives a U (unsatisfactory) in a course, it does not affect the GPA. But it is a message to the student, that his/her work is not satisfactory. DEADLINES FOR A GRADUATE DEGREE The definitive source for deadlines is the "Graduate School Student Handbook" available online from the Graduate School website. Prior to the beginning of the semester in which a student expects to complete all requirements and receive the degree, she/he must visit the Department’s Graduate Program Administrator to have an evaluation of course, departmental and graduate school requirements. Only then can the student file the form for "Graduate Application for Degree" with the Office of the Graduate School. Inform the Graduate Program Administrator after you have done that. You can submit the form online on the Graduate School’s website. WRITING THE THESIS The thesis must be submitted to the Supervising Professor for evaluation, at least one month before the student wants to defend the thesis. But usually it takes about 2-3 months of revising to get a thesis in shape for defense, so it is to your advantage to plan on about one semester of analysis and (re)writing for the thesis, if you haven’t being doing that all along. The corrections must be incorporated into the thesis, and the Supervising Professor must give approval for distribution to the Supervisory Committee. Approval for distribution means that the thesis is in good enough shape for the Supervisory Committee to review it. It does not imply that the Supervising Professor has voted to pass the student’s thesis. Under no circumstances should the Supervisory Committee receive a preliminary draft or a draft unapproved for distribution by the Supervising Professor. With the faculty advisor’s approval, the thesis may be written as a stand-alone chapter(s) so that the chapter(s) can be more quickly submitted for journal publication. In this case, a separate journal format may be used for each chapter. Each chapter must have its own abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, tables, figures, etc. If there are multiple chapters, the thesis would still need an overall abstract (required by the Graduate School). A short introduction should be attached to the beginning of the thesis to explain how multiple chapters are related, and if necessary, a short synthesis should be attached at the end of the thesis to tie things up. 22

You can reduce the amount of revising that your Supervising Professor requires by: a) looking at recent theses, which the Graduate Program Administrator can show you, and then formatting your thesis accordingly, b) reading the “Graduate School Student Handbook” guidelines for thesis submission, c) being a tough self-editor (e.g., use spell-check programs, use grammar-check programs, cross-check the citations in the text with your reference list, be consistent in format, check for topic sentences, check for adequate explanation, check for logic), d) using an easy-to-read font style and size (e.g., Times New Roman, 12 point is recommended), plus two spaces between sentences (e.g., “…..the end. The start…”), and one inch margins all around, e) using a good graphics program, f) providing clear and complete explanations in table captions and figure legends. Following the guidelines of the Council of Graduate Schools [1], you may include published material provided that:    

The work represents research conducted while the student was enrolled in the Masters program here, is the product of the thesis study and has not been used to obtain another degree. The student is the sole or primary author of the published work. The work is logically connected and integrated into the thesis in a rational and coherent way. You have received permission from the copyright holder (e.g. the journal publisher)

Additional items that the Department expects in a thesis: a) a thesis abstract (about 200-250 words), and if your thesis has multiple chapters, you may also want chapter abstracts b) multiple “authorship” acknowledged, by listing authors in “publication” order on the first page of each chapter page and indicating in a sentence or two, for example in an introductory chapter, the role of each author. If the author is the faculty advisor, the advisor’s name and role isn’t necessary. SUBMITTING THE THESIS TO THE SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE At least two weeks prior to the time the student wishes to have the final defense she/he must: 1. provide a corrected copy of the thesis to each member of the Supervisory Committee, 2. place a corrected copy of the thesis in the departmental office, with the understanding that the seminar flyer is also an invitation to all members of the department to review that thesis copy, 4. negotiate with the Supervisory Committee for a date and time for the seminardefense, with an hour for the seminar and 2 hours set aside for the oral defense. 23

Date and time of seminar and defense should not overlap with those of others. Only when the above has been completed will the Graduate Program Administrator schedule the time and location of the examination. You must give the Graduate Program Administrator the appropriate information for the seminar flyer. The Graduate Program Administrator has to distribute the flyer two weeks before the defense, so it is the graduate student’s responsibility to get that information to the GS sufficiently before that. The Graduate Program Administrator will also advise you about Graduate School deadlines that must be followed. Failure to follow the departmental and graduate school deadlines will delay the defense and possibly graduation. SEMINAR REQUIREMENT Candidates for the Master of Sciences degree must present a formal seminar to the department based on their thesis research. This seminar is given in the hour before the oral defense. Plan for about 45-50 minutes of presentation, with acknowledgements kept to