Department of Biology
Senior thesis research is the capstone of your Biology major. It provides you with the opportunity to pursue a research project of interest to you in close collaboration with a faculty mentor, and possibly other scientists at Georgetown or other institutions. In your thesis research, you will experience firsthand the application of the scientific method in a contemporary research setting and will gain a greater appreciation of how science is done.
Your research project may take the form of a laboratory, library or teaching thesis. A laboratory thesis will involve you in an active, experimentally based regimen designed to test an initial working hypothesis. This work is often time consuming and frustrating, but ultimately is very rewarding. The results from laboratory theses have been published in quality scientific journals. If your interests, due to their nature or scope, are inappropriate to study in a laboratory setting, you may elect to do a library thesis involving a comprehensive review of the primary literature on a specific topic. If your interests extend to teaching outreach, the teaching thesis option entails developing and teaching a 20-session science curriculum module in a local high school classroom.
Consider the areas of Biology that interest you. Read the descriptions of the research activities sponsored by the Biology faculty. During your sophomore or junior year, you should speak with several appropriate faculty members about their research and how your thesis interests might fit into their programs. Based on this information, determine the faculty member with whom you are interested in working with and obtain his/her approval to mentor your research. Submit the Senior Thesis Declaration Form, signed by both you and your mentor, to the Chair of the Undergraduate Committee by the date indicated on the form.
It is important to pursue your options early, especially if you intend to conduct a laboratory project. Many faculty have space for only a limited number of research students and will accept students on a first-come basis.
The Biology faculty will consider sponsoring laboratory research which is conducted under the direct supervision of scientists in our medical center or in other local research institutions (e.g., at the NIH, consortium universities, Smithsonian). Such a collaboration requires considerable interaction among the student, the Biology faculty mentor, and the external mentor to assure maximal benefits. It is your responsibility to obtain approval from both mentors. External mentors must also sign the Senior Thesis Declaration Form.
You may start laboratory thesis research in your junior year by selecting a faculty mentor and registering for Tutorial Thesis Research (BIOL-300) during one or both semesters, or during the summer before senior year. Your mentor will determine the number of credits awarded for Tutorial Thesis Research up to a maximum of four.
Credits for Non-Thesis Lab Research (BIOL 304) cannot be applied to the major, but do apply as a College Elective towards the course and credit requirement.
Work that is accomplished during the junior year and summers can be included as a part of the senior thesis, although it is not obligatory.
For library-based research, register for BIOL-311 in the fall for 1 credit and BIOL-312 in the spring for 3 credits. See below for Section # for the appropriate faculty mentor.
For laboratory research, register for BIOL-321 in the fall for 1credit and BIOL-322 in the spring for 3 credits. See below for Section # for the appropriate faculty mentor.
For teaching thesis, register for BIOL-331 in the fall for 1 credit and BIOL-332 in the spring for 3 credits. See below for Section # for the appropriate faculty mentor.
For juniors doing laboratory thesis research, register for BIOL-300 (Tutorial: Thesis Research), for a maximum of 4 credits that can be applied to the major. Please see below for Section # for the appropriate faculty mentor.
For students enrolling in courses BIOL-300, -304, -311, -312, -321, -322, -331 and -332, please use the following section numbers to designate the appropriate faculty member.