• Biological Science Independent Research

    Biological Science Independent Research

    Registration Request Form: includes BIOL, BCH, IND, MBI, NSC, PTH, PHP 395 / 395W

  • Instructions for Filling Out Form: Once a faculty agrees to instruct an independent research course, the student must submit a Request for Registration Form by the end of the drop/add period they wish to take it in.

    Only students with faculty who have agreed to instruct an independent research course should fill out this form. The search for a mentor should begin at least a semester before the student plans to register for the research.

    Students trying to find a mentor should consult their advisors and the Biology Department Undergraduate Independent Research website for tips on searching. Also, read Federico Sanchez's advice on getting started in research.

    Submission Deadline for the Fall 2025 semester: Last day of the drop/add period is September 22, 2025. This is a hard deadline. 

    Restrictions: Students who are currently enrolled or have incomplete 395 credit from previous semesters cannot register for another course until their issues are resolved, a final report is uploaded to blackboard, and their instructor submits a grade for the course.

    Instructor Feedback Necessary to Complete Form: New and returning students should plan to meet with the instructor before the semester begins in order to get the information needed to complete this form. 

    Approval Process: Once submitted, this form will go through five stages of review.  Upon approval of each stage, the form will automatically advance to the next via email. 

    Stages include:

    1. Independent Research Instructor 
    2. Bio Department
      • Undergraduate Office
      • Track coordinator of intended/declared biology
      • Undergraduate Program Director
      • After all Bio Department approvals are received, students will receive an email to let them know their form is being forwarded to the Registrar on River Campus
    3. UR Registrar will add the course to transcripts providing the student meets all the conditions of the AS&E enrollment and overload policies. See CCAS Handbook Overload Policy for more details.

    Be sure to build enough time to get the answers to complete this form and enter accurate email addresses, as the form will not forward correctly otherwise.

    Turn around time is dependent on volume and individual workloads. Please DO NOT wait until the deadline to submit this form!

    The system will automatically send daily reminders to the instructors until a decision is reported.

    Applications of 395 credit to Biological Science Majors: 395 registration forms are reviewed by Biology faculty for application to biological science majors and minors only.  The forms of declared and intending biology majors will automatically forward to the faculty advisor who is responsible for that particular area of study to review the project and it applicability to the major.

    Application of 395 to non-biology/UPBM majors:  Effective fall semester of 2023, non-biology/UPBM majors should check with their major department to see what process is required for a 395. If no special process exists, they should submit their 395 request through the college form directly.

    Contact Hours: The time commitment or the amount of time a student should spend on a course (contact hours) depends on the number of credits or "units" the course will be.

    Students should use a 3:1 ratio or three contact hours for each credit registered as a general guideline for predicting how many hours they will need to spend on a course each week during a 15-week semester. A breakdown for each credit hour is provided in the table below.

    Contact hours may include time spent on academic activities the student performs inside and outside the lab, such as literature reviews, lab meetings, presentations, and final reports.

    Please note that students may invest an equivalent amount of work over a different period of time as long as it complies with the UR College policy. 

    Course Credits
    (AKA "Units")    		 Contact Hours
    Per Credit    		 Contact Hours
    Per Week    		 Number of Weeks
    Per Semester    		 Total Required Contact Hours
    4.00 3 12 15 180
    3.00 3 9 15 135
    2.00 3 6 15 90
    1.00 3 3 15 45
      .50 3 2 15 23

    Instructor Eligibility:  Only members of the university "teaching faculty" or faculty who are authorized by their department chair may supervise independent studies.    A list of authorized faculty is now available online so that students may check to see if their faculty are eligible. Click here for list and instructions for requesting to add new faculty.

    Guidelines:  Visit the Biology Department Independent Research Rules and Regulation website for further insight regarding grading, incomplete, final report submission, credits / contact hours and much more.

    Technical issues can be reported by email to the Biology Department Undergraduate Office

  • Student Information

  • Biochemistry Majors:

    Please be sure to note your advisor based on your Class Year:

     

    Class of 2027, 2029... (odd years)

    Advisor Name: Dr. Dmitri Ermolenko

    Advisor Email: Dmitri_Ermolenko@URMC.Rochester.edu

    Class of 2026, 2028... (even years)

    Advisor Name: Dr. Eric Wagner

    Advisor Email: Eric_Wagner@URMC.Rochester.edu

  • Instructor Information

    Faculty who has agreed to supervise research course

  • Instructor Eligibility: Only members of the university "teaching faculty" or faculty authorized by their department chair may supervise independent studies. A list of authorized faculty is now available online so that students can check to see if their faculty is eligible. Click here for the list and instructions for requesting to add new faculty.

    Faculty who have lead 395/395w courses in the past will likely already be on this list.  If not, please email the Biology Department Undergraduate Office to request to have the person you are working with added.

  • Applications to Biology Major

    Subject to approval by track coordinator

  • Applications of 395 Credits to Biological Science Programs of Study: 395 registration forms are reviewed by Biology faculty for application to biological science majors and minors only. The forms of declared and intending biology majors will automatically be forwarded to the faculty advisor responsible for that particular program of study to review the project and its applicability to the major.
     
    Application of 395 to Non-Biology Programs of Study:
    Students majoring outside of the UPBM program should use the college's Independent Research Form and do not need to submit using our form. (If you are minoring in a biological science program, you may proceed with this form.)

  • BA BIO Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit BA BIO Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    When you complete this form it will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. Ryan Bickel of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • Bi Biology Minors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit Biology Minor Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed, this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1.  Independent Research Course Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • BS BBC Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Biochemistry (BBC) Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed, this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinators, Dr. Eric Wagner (even years) or Dr. Dmitri Ermolenko (odd years) of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • Biochemistry majors:  be sure to email your advisor to set up an appointment to further discuss.

  • BS BCD Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Cell & Developmental Biology (BCD) Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. Gloria Culver of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • BS BCB Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Computational Biology (BCB) Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed, this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. Amanda Larracuente of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • CB Minors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the Computational Biology Minor Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the Minor.

    Once completed, the form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. Amanda Larracuente of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • BS BEB Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed, this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. J. Albert Uy of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • BS BMB Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Microbiology Biology Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. Andrew Varble of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • BS BMG Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Molecular Genetics Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed, this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. Alexis Stein of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • BS BNS Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Neurocience Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed, this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. Renee Miller of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director

  • BS BSG Majors (Intended or Declared):  

    Visit the BS Biology: General Track Major Requirements Website to find out how this course could be applied to the major.

    Once completed, this form will automatically forward to the following for approval:     

    1. Independent Research Instructor {facultyName}
    2. The Biology Department Undergraduate Office
    3. Track coordinator, Dr. James Fry of intended/declared biology for scientific & major application review
    4. UPBM Director


  • Final Report or Poster Requirement for Regular Independent Research Courses (395) Without Upper-Level Writing: A copy of a final report or poster is required for all independent research courses. Students must submit a new and different report for each semester a 395 course is taken; and may be uploaded to Blackboard by the last day of final exams.  

    Students who elect to make a poster may use presentation software to create the poster and upload a copy of the file into Blackboard instead of the report at the end of the semester. Please note that slides must fully explain the research findings. Slides with one-word bullet points are not acceptable. 

    Ideally, the poster options will allow students the flexibility to create materials they can use to present in scientific events such as the UPBM Poster Session in October as well as the Undergraduate Research Expo or other annual conferences organized by the Office of Undergraduate Research during the spring semester.

    Please note that the report or poster is needed for record purposes.  The UG Bio Department Administrative Offices do not grade the papers. Make sure you send a copy of your final report/poster/presentation to your instructor/PI so that they can assign your grade in UR Student. 

  • Final Report or Poster Requirement for Independent Research Courses (395W) With Upper-Level Writing:  Writing is an essential component of undergraduate education. A student who chooses to register for 395W must work with their instructors to produce a high-quality final report that is well written and effectively communicates the scientific justification and results of their research. The writing process involves communication between the student and mentor and extensive document revision. 

    The paper must go through several rounds of revisions based on substantive feedback from the mentor. The revision process must involve more than just small corrections here and there, and it cannot involve the mentor rewording passages themselves. Writing should start early in the semester to allow time for revision. The final paper should be the product of multiple drafts that include comments from the PI on the writing as well as the science.

    Other requirements: Upper-level writing reports must be at least six pages in length. Ideally, students would submit the paper to mentors at various stages of development for their suggestions for improvement so that students may fully benefit from the writing experience( see above). Students should plan to submit a final draft to faculty before the semester ends so there sufficient time for feedback and evaluation from their instructor.

    When experimentation does not yield enough data to write extensively about or simply runs out of time, the student or faculty may email the UG Bio Dept Office to request the removal of the writing component "W" by changing the course registration to "395".

    Although the Instructors for 395W courses will assign a final grade, the decision to permit the course to fulfill a writing requirement for the student's major is determined by the advisor of their intended or declared program of study.  

    At the end of the semester, students must also email a copy of their final reports to their intended or declared biology major advisor. It will be reviewed in order to apply to your major. Please, note this is not an automatic process. 

    Additionally, the department requires students to upload a final draft of their final report to 395 Independent Research course on Blackboard by the last day of finals at the end of the semester.

    Students may not select the poster option if the course is taken for upper-level writing credit (395W).

  • Students Taking a Second Semester of Independent Research with Writing (395W) and are Continuing to Write on the Same Project..... should know that it is acceptable to reference the experimentation done in previous semesters but should include at least six new pages of content (double spaced) for the second semester. When requesting advisor approval, students must email a copy of the paper from the first and second semesters.

  • Clear

  • Course Details

  • Contact Hours: The time commitment or the amount of time a student should spend on a course (contact hours) depends on the number of credits or "units" the course will be.
     
    Students should use a 3:1 ratio or three contact hours for each credit registered as a general guideline for predicting how many hours they will need to spend on a course each week during a 15-week semester. A breakdown for each credit hour is provided in the table below.
     
    Contact hours may include time spent on academic activities the student performs inside and outside the lab, such as literature reviews, lab meetings, presentations, and final reports.
     
    Please note that students may invest an equivalent amount of work over a different period of time as long as it complies with the UR College policy.
    Course Credits

     

    Course Credits
    (AKA "Units")    		 Contact Hours Per Credit  Contact Hours Per Week  Number of Weeks Per Semester Total Required Contact Hours 
     4.00  3 12   15 180 
     3.00  3 9   15 135 
     2.00 3  6  15 90  
     1.00 3 3   15  45
       .50 3 2 15 23

     

     

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  • THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH BIOL 395/W (NON-CLINICAL) AND INDEPENDENT STUDY 391/W (CLINICAL)

    Research involving clinical trials and patient studies falls under a different classification of independent studies, and students need to follow a different process to register for these types of courses. 

    Independent studies should be registered under the 391-course number instead of the 395-course number. Visit the CCAS Handbook for Independent Studies for more information on policies and instructions on how to register.

    Please note that students are not required to use this form to register for a 391. Additionally, approval from the Bio Department UG Office is not required for 391 courses. Intending biology majors should be aware that 391 courses do not apply to biological science tracks and should consult their advisor for further clarification if necessary.

  • IF USING THIS COURSE TO SATISFY A WRITING REQUIREMENT (395W)

    Please initial below to acknowledge the following statement regarding 395W requirements:

    “I understand that for upper level writing credit, I must write a paper that goes through at least one round of revisions based on substantive feedback from my mentor. The revision process must involve more than just small corrections here and there, and it cannot involve my mentor rewording passages themselves. Writing should start early in the semester to allow time for revision. The final paper will be the product of multiple drafts that include comments from the PI on the writing as well as the science, and that you will be using an incremental edit process with the PI faculty throughout the semester. This will be documented using the 395W progress report form, which will be turned in at the end of the semester."


  • NOTE ABOUT MONETARY COMPENSATION:  Students cannot receive monetary compensation for the same work they earn academic credit. However, a student may hold a paying job within the same lab but must keep their work separate from their research project.

  • 395 Course History

    End of Form Print / Submit

  • Note:  Students with incomplete independent research from past semesters or those currently enrolled should not submit a form to register a new course until any outstanding issues are resolved, the final report is uploaded to blackboard, and the grade has been received.

  • CREDIT LIMITATIONS

    Maximum Per Instructor:  Eight 
    Students are allowed to take no more than eight credits of independent studies courses.      Students may request to take more than 8 credits by submitting a petition to the College's Administrative Committee

    Please note that 395 enrollment is not required of biology majors who are writing and defending an honors thesis in their senior year.  

    Maxiumum Per Semester:  Four
    Faculty rules restrict students to one four-credit independent studies course per semester. Students may request a second independent study in the same semester by submitting a petition to the Administrative Committee.

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