The Honours Coordinator for 2009 is yet to be appointed.   However, in the first instance, all applications and questions about admission to honours for 2009 should be directed to the BaMBi Administrator in room 1.31 in the BaMBi Building (Birt Wing), e-mail bambi.admin@anu.edu.au or phone: (02) 6125 2284.

A. The Research Project is the major activity of the Honours year. Students will carry out experimental work in their supervisor's laboratory over an eight-month period and then write their project up in the form of a thesis.

A number of activities are associated with the research project:

•     A two page outline of a primary and a secondary ("safety net") project, written by the student after discussion with the supervisor, should be given to the supervisor and the two examiners at the Introductory Seminar. The second project might have different hypotheses, methods or experimental requirements. It is a back up in case the primary project breaks down or otherwise proves to be unsatisfactory.

•     Students present two research seminars during the year. The Introductory Seminar is a brief survey of the literature and an outline of the proposed project including the hypotheses being tested and the experimental strategy being employed. The Final Seminar is presented about 6 weeks before the thesis is due and allows the student to tell the School what they have achieved during the year and to receive feedback before thesis writing is complete. Each seminar lasts 15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions. Seminars are not formally assessed but supervisors will provide feedback on their students' performance - content, organization, presentation, style, etc. Supervisors must attend the presentations given by their students; in an emergency the supervisor must arrange for another staff member to deputize in providing feedback.

•     The literature survey is written up as a Literature Review (commonly about 10 pages long) which often forms the basis of the first chapter of the thesis. This will be read and commented upon by the supervisor. The Literature Review should be submitted directly to the supervisor some 4 weeks after the introductory seminar.

•     Two examiners, drawn from appropriate academic staff (inside and outside the School), are appointed for each student early in the year. They attend the Introductory Seminar and provide feedback on the project at a meeting with student and supervisor held in the following week. In mid June, students give a 3-4 page Research Progress Report to their supervisor and examiners which is discussed with the student within a few days. As part of this discussion, the examiners will talk separately with both student and supervisor to ensure that both are satisfied with the way the project is going. Examiners will give feedback on the progress of the project but should not be seen as part-time supervisors. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to arrange meetings between their student and the examiners.

•     Students will be given detailed information on the format of the thesis and advice about its preparation at a Thesis Writing Workshop in August.   The thesis is submitted to the Honours Coordinator in early November for assessment by the two examiners. An informal discussion (usually lasting about 60 minutes, but not more than 90 minutes) between the student and the examiners is held 1-2 weeks later to assist the examiners in their assessment. The supervisor should be present but may not participate in the discussion unless invited. After the discussion is completed, the examiners will meet individually with student and supervisor as part of the assessment process. The supervisor will provide an assessment of the student to the examiners.  The examiners will give an agreed mark and a 1-2 page report on the student's performance to the Honours Coordinator before the examiners' meeting.

•     A Nature-style ‘News and Views’ article, which develops the skills of critical thinking, analysis and  clear writing, is submitted for assessment in late April/early May.  The coordinator will provide a brief introduction to this exercise about 6 weeks before it is due. The aim of the exercise is for you to summarise a significant breakthrough, described in a recently published paper, in a style suitable for a general audience. The News and Views article should be no more than 1000 words long (not including legends to figures and tables or bibliography).

Each News and Views article will be read by three examiners who will not know the identity of the author.  The examiners will not be specialists in the area of your article so it is very important that you write clearly for a general audience.  Written feedback will be given by the examiners.

•     The Journal Club.  During May/June/July you will prepare and give a Journal Club presentation to your laboratory group.  The talk, of about 30 min, should comprise a presentation and critical assessment of a recently-published experimental paper on a topical subject in science. The topic or paper chosen should be one that will generate discussion among the group. The Journal Club is not assessed but it is a course requirement.

•     Other components include workshops on laboratory safety, working with radioisotopes, preparation of seminars, ethics of animal use, the BaMBi network and time management. Participation in laboratory 'lab-chats' of the supervisor’s research group is expected. Attendance at weekly BaMBi seminars (Tuesdays at 1pm) is a course requirement.

For 2008 the formal assessment of the Honours year work was as follows:

            Research Project and Thesis

            Examiners’ mark*                  75%
            News and Views                     20%
            Final Seminar                          5%
            Literature survey                   CRS (Course Requirement Satisfied)
            Seminars Attendance             CRS
            Journal Club                          CRS

This assessment may be reviewed for 2009

*The examiners’ mark is determined after discussion with the supervisor.