CHEM 298 or 398: Research Experience

This is intended for students who wish to gain some experience in chemical research under the direction of regular chemistry faculty, adjunct faculty, or senior laboratory instructors. It is offered only with permission of the co-ordinator.

Application Procedure

After you have made suitable arrangments with a faculty research advisor, email the course coordinator (contacts above) with a brief description of the project. The chemistry website is a good place to start looking for projects. If you would like some advice regarding the selection of a research advisor, contact the coordinator (listed above).

Note about deadlines: Students interested in taking this courses should email the course coordinator as soon as the term starts or - preferably - prior to the beginning of term.

Registration

CHEM298 or 398 is a one-term course worth 0 units. You should be able to register yourself online.

Grading

This is a pass/fail course (complete/incomplete), based largely on the recommendation of your research advisor.

CHEM 498: Research Project

This project course is intended for chemistry major students who wish to gain some experience in chemical research under the direction of regular chemistry faculty, adjunct faculty, or senior laboratory instructors. It is offered only with permission of the co-ordinator. Credit cannot be obtained for both CHEM498 and CHEM499

Application Procedure

Project selection should be done before the end of the first week of the semester in which the project is to start. The chemistry website is a good place to start looking for projects. If you would like some advice regarding the selection of a research advisor, contact the coordinator (listed above).

Note about deadlines: Students interested in taking this courses should consult with the course coordinator as soon as the term starts or - preferably - prior to the beginning of term. All of the deadlines listed below are approximate guidelines only. You will receive a personalized detailed schedule upon final approval of your project assignment.

Registration

CHEM498 is a one-term course worth 1.5 units. You should be able to register yourself online.

Research Project

Students interested in taking this course should consult with the course coordinator as soon as the term starts or - preferably - prior to the beginning of term. Students are advised to meet with regular chemistry faculty, adjunct faculty, or senior laboratory instructors for possible CHEM498 research projects.

Not all projects are suitable for CHEM498. Suitable projects should have exposure to research techniques, have a defined goal, and a very good chance for completion within the timeframe allowed. A one-page proposal of the research project, written by the student with the input of the research supervisor, must be approved by the course coordinator before the beginning of experimental work.

During the first 1-2 weeks of the term, students should select a research advisor and decide on a project. Begin research work as soon as a one-page research proposal has been approved by the course co-ordinator. The number of hours per week of work expected in this course is approximately 6-8. All experimental work must end on the Friday of the 10th week of the term.

Final Presentation

Sometime during week 12, the student will give a 10-15 minute oral presentation of the proposal and results. This will be followed by a ~10-minute question and answer session. Using a computer to project slides during your talk is the normal style. You will probably find it useful to arrange a practice talk with your research advisor prior to your CHEM498 presentation.

Grading

The final grade will be based on your research results, presentation, the ability to orally present and defend the work, and the research advisor's evaluation.

CHEM 499: Senior Thesis Research Project

This is an intensive research project required by all chemistry honours students. Chemistry major students may take this course with the permission of the course coordinator. Credit cannot be obtained for both CHEM498 and CHEM499

Application Procedure

Registration

CHEM499a followed by CHEM499b is a two-term course worth a total of 3 units. You should be able to register yourself online for both parts of this course. Note that you will receive a grade of 'INP' (in progress) following completion of CHEM499a. After CHEM499b is complete, the same letter grade will be given for both parts (replacing the INP on your transcript).

Research Project

CHEM499 consists of a research project carried out over two terms under the supervision of a regular faculty member. In addition to the library research, there are four phases of the course, outlined in detail below. Two of these require completion of a written report.

For non-coop students, the course must be completed over two consecutive terms. If the student is in co-op, it is optional to have the course interrupted by one co-op work term. Interruptions for any other reason are not permitted.

Deadlines for each phase of the project will be supplied by the coordinator at the start of the project. Strict adherence to these deadlines is manditory.

Phases

Project Selection. Students are encouraged to discuss their research interests with the coordinator so that they may be directed to the appropriate faculty member(s). In addition, students are encouraged to make appointments with individual faculty members to discuss potential projects.
Literature Survey and Project Plan. The student should begin by making an appropriate survey of the literature and summarizing the findings in a written report (3-5 pages) which also outlines the research proposal and gives an estimated time schedule for experimental work.
Final Report. The exact format should be decided upon through consultation with the student's advisor. A suggested format includes a title page, table of contents, abstract (200 words), introduction (purpose, review and description of the research problem, review and discussion of pertinent literature), experimental, results, discussion, conclusions, bibliography.

sample cover page in PDF format is available for download here.
(For LaTeX users, the source file is available here.)
Final Oral Examination. The student will give a 15-20 minute presentation of the proposal and results. This will be followed by a 30-minute question and answer session. Using a computer to project slides during your talk is the normal style. You will probably find it useful to arrange a practice talk with your research advisor prior to your CHEM 499 presentation.

Grading

Grades for the course will be based on an evaluation of the student's performance in the various components of the course, together with a brief assessment written by the student's supervisor prior to the final oral. Normally, this assessment will weigh heavily in the final grade awarded. However, the coordinator's assessment has to reflect the judgement of a student's performance relative to his or her peers in all components of the course, and must maintain fairness among students. Consequently, the final grade may differ from that recommended by the supervisor.

Generalized Deadlines

Each student registered in the course will be given an individualized list of specific deadlines. In general, they are:

Project Selection will occur during the first week of classes. Final assignments may be made by the committee early the following week.
Literature Report is due by the third week of classes.
Experimental ends generally the last Friday of the second month of the second term.
Report submitted, generally by the third Friday of the third month of the second term.
Oral Examination will be held within ten days of submission of the report.