MIMM 501/502 Honours Research Project

Description

Students who will enter their final year of undergraduate studies in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology are encouraged to consider Independent Studies in Microbiology and Immunology, MIMM 501/502. The laboratory-based MIMM Honours program builds on lecture-based content from previous years with the goal of executing a year-long, hands-on research project in Immunology or in Molecular Microbiology in students' final undergraduate year. Although the program will continue this year with Professor-guided research projects, the total number of credits will be decreased from 12 to 9 with 3 credits in the Fall and 6 credits in the Winter semesters. In addition, in-class activities will be redesigned for live, remote learning.

The number of places is limited.To qualify for registration in this course, students must have a CGPA of at least 3.5 or higher (given the limited space, the minimum CGPA may increase depending on the number of applicants).

9 Credits - Fall and Winter

Registration

An information meeting about the course MIMM 501/502 is held annually in November for students who intend to apply for registration. Students interested in registering must submit an up-to-date unofficial academic transcript and a statement of research interest (Immunology or Microbiology) to Christine DeSantis, Student Affairs Officer at undergrad.microimm [at] mcgill.ca by January 13, 2023.

During the month of February, professors in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology will indicate the number of undergraduate students whom they are willing to accept into their laboratories for the coming year. A list of these professors will be sent to qualified applicants. Students are then required to contact a prospective supervisor and to obtain his/her approval for registration. Each student will report this arrangement to the Student Affairs Officer on or before March 1. This information will be conveyed through a letter of agreement between the supervisor and the student, which will include a description of the proposed research project, signed by both parties. The course coordinators must approve all such arrangements prior to registration.

Classes

Mondays in autumn and winter semesters, 2:35 to 5:00 pm.

Research Project and Coursework

The professor who acts as supervisor will direct the research project and will provide laboratory space, materials and supplies for the project. Because this is a 12 credit course, students are expected to devote at least 40% of their academic effort towards their research. The nature of the project is determined by consultation between the professor and the student.

In-class time and tutorials will be dedicated to scientific writing and creating effective scientific presentations.

Grading

1. 10% of the final grade will be assigned by the course coordinator for attendance and active contributions at seminars and tutorials.
2. 10% of the grade will be assigned to the research proposal, due mid-November. Expectations for the proposal will be delivered at one of the Fall term classes by the course co-ordinators.
3. 35% of the final grade will be assigned by the professor who directs the project. This grade will be based on an assessment of the performance of the student and will consider the student's efforts, abilities and success in research. A written evaluation by the professor will be requested by the course coordinator and this evaluation will be transmitted to the student.
4. 25% of the grade will be assigned to the final written report due in mid-April. The report will take the form of a scientific manuscript and will include a Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Literature Cited, Figures and Tables. The Instructions to Authors are those of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) and are found here: http://jimmunol.org/site/misc/authorinstructions.xhtml. The report will be graded by a professor who is not the supervisor of the project and who is familiar with the general research area of the student's project. Written comments by the evaluator will be encouraged.
5. 20% of the grade will be assigned to the oral presentation at Student Research Day. This event will be scheduled at the end of April just after final examinations. A title for the presentation must be submitted to the course coordinator by mid-April. The research presentations will be evaluated by professors.