Environmental Studies Independent Study, Research and Department Honors

Independent Study

air quality monitoring

What is independent study?

According to the College Bulletin, independent study "allows a student to pursue an academic interest outside the listed course offerings" under the direction of a faculty member. In the Environmental Studies Department, independent study courses are for studying knowledge previously acquired by others or for developing new skills. Students typically present their work in one or more papers or some other project(s) acceptable to the faculty member supervising the independent study. Independent study is not permitted for subjects covered in regular courses. A student may enroll in an independent study course only when a faculty member is available to supervise the work; this is not guaranteed. Students should be aware that there are often opportunities to study topics of special interest as part of regular course work (for example, course projects).
 

How do I pursue independent study?  

Students who wish to pursue independent study for academic credit must find a faculty member who will agree to supervise an independent study course on the chosen topic. To increase the likelihood of finding a faculty supervisor, students are advised to begin seeking a supervisor during the semester prior to enrolling in the independent study course. The supervising faculty member may be from the Environmental Studies Department or another department. To enroll in the independent study course, a student must complete the form available from the registrar and obtain the supervising faculty member's signature (it is not possible to register on line for independent study). In consultation with the independent study faculty supervisor, the student will choose a brief title for the course that will be included on the student's official transcript. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 is required to enroll in independent study. Students who do not meet this criterion may petition the Academic Program and Standards Committee for a waiver of this requirement.

 

What are the requirements for independent study?

Supervising faculty members set the requirements for independent study courses. The time and effort required by the student for successful completion of an independent study course is usually greater than for a typical Dickinson course.Further information and requirements concerning independent study are presented in the College Bulletin.

Independent Research

diatom photo from scanning electron microscope (cocconeis)

What is Independend Research?

According to the College Bulletin, an independent research course "should be designed as original research and practice in presenting the results of an investigation. This pursuit must culminate in the student's own contribution to a discipline, whether in the form of fully-supported conclusions or in the form of a creative effort". In other words, the goal of independent research is to answer a question, not simply to gather information. Unlike independent study, independent research projects must have the potential to yield new knowledge.

In the Environmental Studies Department, independent research projects involve field, laboratory, and/or library research. Research questions may come from the independent research student, the faculty research advisor, or both. The work may range from very independent activity by the s tudent under the guidance of a faculty member to collaborative work with one or more faculty members and, perhaps, other students.

How do I pursue independent research?

 
Ideally, the process of conducting independent research begins early in a student's career by talking with faculty about research and by generating ideas for possible research topics. Environmental science and studies majors may work on research with faculty from any department. As soon as the first year, and depending on faculty members' schedules and funding, students may have the opportunity to volunteer to participate in research projects or even work on these projects as a paid assistant. At the latest, students should discuss their interest in research with faculty by the midpoint of the semester before the independent research is to begin. For example, students wishing to pursue independent research during the senior year should begin discussions with faculty no later than the spring break of their junior year. Students who are abroad can conduct these discussions with faculty by e-mail.In developing possible topics for independent research, students should keep in mind that they are more likely to find a faculty research advisor for a project if the topic is related to a faculty member's research interests. But it may also be possible for students to develop and pursue projects that are not related to faculty research projects. Once a faculty member has agreed to advise a research project, work should begin, usually with preliminary reading about the topic. The summer is an excellent time for this initial work. Depending on the advising faculty member's schedule and funding, a research student may be able to work with the advising faculty member for a summer of research. To enroll in the independent research course students must complete the form available from the registrar and obtain the research advisor's signature (it is not possible to register on line for independent research). In consultation with the faculty research advisor, the student will choose a brief title for the course that will be included on the student's official transcript.

 

What are the requirements for independent research?

 
With assistance from the faculty research advisor, the student will develop a written plan for the independent research. The written plan is normally completed prior to the beginning of the semester in which the student intends to enroll in independent research. By the end of the last semester in which a student is enrolled in independent research, a student must:

submit a written report on their completed independent research project with references to key literature
orally present their project in a public forum, such the Earth Issues seminar series
present a poster at the Dickinson College Annual Science Dinner, if the content is appropriate for this venue
Faculty research advisors may set additional requirements
For research projects that extend beyond a single semester, a short progress report is presented during Earth Issues at the end of the first semester of research, if the Earth Issues schedule permits. The written report and full oral presentation described above are normally presented at the end of the last semester of the project. Students doing a multi-semester research project are also encouraged to do a presentation at a professional conference. Upon successful application, Dickinson provides funding to support student's travel to present their work at professional conferences. For students continuing their research beyond one semester, faculty research advisors have the option of assigning an S grade for all but their last semester of enrollment in independent research. In this case, a letter grade will be assigned and the previous S grade(s) will be converted to that letter grade on completion of the last semester of independent research. A second semester of independent research may be substituted for ENVST 406 (Advanced topics in environmental studies), the senior seminar required for the environmental science and environmental studies majors. Further information and requirements concerning independent research are presented in the College Bulletin.

TIMELINE FOR RESEARCH PROCES 

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Departmental honors

background research

What are departmental honors?

Departmental honors is a distinction awarded at graduation to students who have successfully completed an outstanding independent research project and achieved a distinguished academic record.

What are the requirements for departmental honors?

Departmental honors may be awarded only to students who have successfully completed two semesters of independent research on a single project. Departmental honors are awarded by a committee of three members, convened by the faculty research advisor. This committee must consist of at least two Environmental Studies faculty members. To be considered for honors the student must have:

• completed two semesters of independent research with particular distinction
• achieved an excellent grade point average, particularly in courses required for the major
• completed the required oral and written presentations for multi-semester research projects, including a presentation at a professional conference (see above)
• completed a formal discussion of their research projects with the faculty on their committee (see below for further details).

How do I pursue departmental honors?

Independent research students who have completed all of the requirements for a multi-semester independent research project, including a presentation at a professional conference, and who are interested in being evaluated for honors must submit their papers to their faculty research advisors one week before the last day of classes prior to their graduation.

Their committees will then decide whether or not to invite honors candidates to an oral discussion of their research with all the members of their committees. The advisors will designate the time and place for the research discussion meetings; normally these meetings will be held during the final exam period, after which point a decision on the awarding of honors will be made.

For a student to achieve honors, the following criteria must be met:

• The research must be a significant project commensurate with a full year's worth of work.
• The project must have clear objectives, an appropriate study design, and explicit conclusions based on thoughtful analysis.
• The paper must be clearly written in the appropriate format, as determined by the faculty research advisor.
• The student must demonstrate a deep understanding of his/her work and its context.

Students awarded departmental honors must submit the final version of their papers for archiving in the College library. This final version must meet the library's format requirements.

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Research Experience (REXP) Transcript Notation Program

 A research experience (REXP) that may qualify for transcript notation has been defined by the Science Executive Committee as an experience in which the principal activity and focus is original investigation designed to create new knowledge in a recognized field of inquiry.

In order for students to receive the REXP notation, students must satisfactorily complete a part/full-time (at least 80 hours in length) research experience in an area of environmental science/studies (broadly defined). Research experiences can be completed during the fall, spring or summer. The Environmental Studies Department Chair will contact the student’s immediate supervisor in order to verify that the research experience was satisfactorily completed. Research experiences can either be paid or not.

Examples of the types of research experiences that would qualify for the REXP notation include (though not limited to):

• Student/Faculty research conducted during the summer at Dickinson College
• Off-campus research at another college/university
• Involvement in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program
  
   

  Process for Receiving REXP Notation:

STEP 1: Before the beginning of the experience (semester or summer), students will complete a registration form through the Student Forms tab in Gateway (much like they do for internships). That form will collect demographic information and have a box for the student to input a 500-1000 word proposal/description of the research experience.
STEP 2: Once the proposal is submitted, the department chair will review the proposal and indicate whether the experience is appropriate for the REXP notation.
STEP 3: After the initial approval, students will be able to access documents about the abstract and reflective statement via the Student Forms tab in Gateway.
STEP 4: At the end of the experience, students will submit the abstract and reflective statement via the Student Forms tab in Gateway; department chair will read and review them, and mark them as complete (or not complete) in the system.
STEP 5: After the students have completed the necessary components for the notation and receive final approval from the department chair, the information will be sent to the Registrar’s Office for the notation to be processed.

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