{"id":1099,"date":"2021-11-03T20:40:45","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T20:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/biological-sciences\/?page_id=1099"},"modified":"2026-04-02T16:23:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:23:46","slug":"bsci-3861-directed-lab-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/biological-sciences\/bsci-3861-directed-lab-research\/","title":{"rendered":"BSCI 3861: Directed Laboratory Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Skip to:<\/strong> Prerequisites<\/a> \u00a0Requirements<\/a> \u00a0Selection of a Research Mentor<\/a> \u00a0Registration<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Honors Research\/Research Report Preparation<\/a><\/p>\n

Directed study is defined as the pursuit of a scholarly project conceived by a faculty member. Team work is frequently involved. The student must, however, make a substantial intellectual contribution to the project while being closely supervised by a faculty sponsor. Reading and writing are key elements in directed study (2-4 credit hours, may only be taken once).<\/p>\n

Course Objective<\/h2>\n

Typically, 3861 is taken after 3860 (Introduction to Research) during which the student has established themselves with a Faculty Research Mentor as well as obtaining an appropriate background for 3861. The broad objective of BSCI 3861 is to provide the student with an opportunity to participate in original laboratory research including problem definition, experimental design, performance, and interpretation of results. This course attempts to provide experience in all of these areas, culminating in a written presentation in the form of a scientific journal article. The research is performed under the direct supervision of a faculty mentor. It is expected that during the directed research semester the student will make a substantial intellectual contribution to the goals of part of the mentor’s research program. The mentor will define the initial problem and design the first experiments to be performed by the student. As the semester progresses, it is hoped that the student will begin to develop the necessary skills to define a problem independently and to plan and carry out meaningful experiments. Thus, BSCI 3861 may be the doorway to Independent Research (BSCI 3961) or Honors Research (BSCI 4999).<\/p>\n

Prerequisites<\/h3>\n

Prerequisite: BSCI 1510 or 1511 or 3860.<\/p>\n

Requirements<\/h3>\n

Typically, students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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