students in lab coats pipetting at a bench

Independent Research


The Biology Department offers several Independent Research Projects to provide students with opportunities to experience biological research. These projects can be initiated at any time during your undergraduate degree and may count toward complementary credits for your program.


Independent Research Projects can be undertaken with any professor in the Biology Department. To identify potential supervisors, browse our Faculty Profiles and connect with professors whose research expertise aligns with your own interests.

In order to register for an Independent Research Project, you must complete an Independent Research Project Application and submit it to Nancy Nelson at least 3 working days before the end of the add/drop period. Following approval, register on Minerva using the quick add/drop menu.

Upon completion of an Independent Research Project, you must prepare a written report on your research and submit it to your project supervisor(s) for evaluation by the last day of lectures, or by August 15 for summer courses. Your final course grade is a combination of the evaluated written report and an assessment of any laboratory/field work you conducted. The Supervisor must then submit an Independent Research Project Mark Sheet to Nancy Nelson 5 days after the last day of classes, or by August 20 for summer courses.

For information regarding the eligibility criteria, the expected workload and the responsibilities of the student and supervisor(s), please see Guidelines for Taking and Supervising Independent Studies.

BIOL 377: Independent Reading Project (3 credits)


Terms: Fall, Winter or Summer.

Coordinator: Nancy Nelson.

Instructor(s): Any faculty member of the Biology Department.

Restrictions: Open to U2 or U3 Biology students ONLY.

Prerequisites: BIOL 200, BIOL 201 or ANAT/BIOC 212; or BIOL 215; or BIOL 219; or permission of instructor.

Overview & Outcomes: Literature survey under the direction of the Instructor(s).

Method of Evaluation: Please see Suggested Criteria for Independent Reading Projects for guidelines on writing your dissertation.