4.26.1 Overview

The undergraduate science research program at Warren Wilson College is designed to promote student intellectual independence and maturation, a personalized education, and close cooperative academic interaction with faculty members, staff, and peers. Successful completion of the three research courses--SCI 490 Research Design, SCI 486 Natural Science Seminar Research, and SCI 493 Natural Science Seminar Communication--fulfills the College Composition II requirement. Specific objectives of the science research sequence include:

1. Designing a project that will address an original question in the context of literature and relevant professional work, which incorporates choosing a topic important to the student, synthesizing a research problem within academics, and connecting a hypothesis or objective to primary literature. The objective must describe the relevance of the topic as well as what will be done, elaborate on the objective, placing it in perspective in a larger context, and describe prior primary literature that attempts to answer the question or consider competing hypotheses and explanations.
2. Implementing the project using appropriate methods and critical thinking which incorporates learning techniques and theory, organizing several steps in a large endeavor, and practicing problem solution and critical appraisal. Further requirements include at least two credits of research consisting of 80 real time hours outside of Research Design, and a complete final evaluation, permissions, an abstract suitable for publication, and a final clean-up of research space.
3. Communicating the outcome of the project, both orally and in written format, in a clear, concise, organized, and engaging way. This incorporates senior-level articulation, creative expression, and logic and an understanding of professional standards.

By the end of the sequence of three courses, students will be able to define a suitable research topic, choose a research advisor, prepare a research proposal, understand and use the most common statistical, sampling, and experimental design techniques in science research, present research orally before a scientific audience, and prepare a scientific manuscript.

Assessment will occur through assignments, exams, evaluations, drafts, attendance records, final paper and research graded by research adviser, and final presentation graded by participating faculty and staff but not adviser.

4.26.2 Courses

SCI 319 - Careers in Science 1cr

Science and environmental studies students are guided in this course to think about what scientists and environmentalists do. Students explore a variety of career paths: lab work, fieldwork, consulting, business, teaching, and human and animal medicine. Graduate school and professional school opportunities are studied. Ethical issues are addressed, and budgeting is also discussed. Several resumes are completed, and students participate in a mock interview.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing.

SCI 390 - Research Design 2cr

In this course, students begin the Natural Science Seminar process. Included are lectures and activities that teach literature searching, experimental design, sampling, statistics, writing, and speaking. Students consult with faculty members, choose a research advisor, choose a research project, and write a grant proposal. Students attend and critique Natural Science Seminar for a full semester.

Prerequisite: Students must have completed one math course toward the graduation requirements of their major field of study.

SCI 486-489 - Natural Science Seminar Research 1-4cr

This course is for students doing research for their Natural Science Seminar. After completing SCI 390 Research Design, students are ready to begin their independent research projects. Working directly with a faculty research mentor, each student will conduct the research. It is expected that students invest 40 hours of effort per credit hour. A minimum of 2 credit hours are required. Students must inform the Natural Science Seminar coordinator who their research mentor is and their tentative research topic to aid scheduling the presentations.

Prerequisite: SCI 390 Research Design.

SCI 491, 492 - Natural Science Seminar Attendance 0.5cr

This course is taken by science or ENS majors (sophomore - senior) who will not be giving a presentation during the semester. It is required in certain concentrations (e.g., Environmental Policy) and for those who took Research Design before fall, 2009. Participation will involve attendance at all of the sessions where seminars are presented by students, staff, and invited guest speakers. This course is offered on a Pass/Fail basis. Natural Science Seminar Attendance and Natural Science Research Communication must be taken in separate semesters. Note: students completing Research Design (SCI 390) in fall 2009 or later fulfill the Natural Science Seminar Attendance requirement in Research Design and do not have to register for Natural Science Seminar Attendance.

SCI 493 - Natural Science Seminar Communication 1 cr

Some of the most essential skills for natural scientists include the abilities to investigate, organize, and present concepts to their peers--both orally and in written format. This is the purpose of Natural Science Seminar Communication: it provides the forum for the presentation and evaluation of student research. Each student will present a 20-25 minute oral presentation on his/her research project and submit a formal thesis for the College archives. The formal paper includes a complete description of the research project, methods, analysis, final results, and scientific discussion. Students may not enroll in SCI 493 during the same semester they enroll in SCI 491 or 492. The scheduling for the seminar presentation takes place during SCI 390 Research Design one year before the presentation.

Completion of SCI 390 Research Design, SCI 486 Natural Science Seminar Research, and SCI 493 Natural Science Seminar Communication fullfills College Composition II