Instructions and Responsibilities

1.    Please interview prospective ABI 187 students when they make appointments with you and choose one or more.  Please contact the ABI master advisor with any questions you may have about the student or the nature and intent of the practicum.

2.    Help students to select a practicum project and research question that is thought provoking and will provide them a capstone undergraduate experience.  An ABI Practicum Handout details the two categories of acceptable practicum projects. Ideally the question would additionally be useful to you in your ongoing research program, but it may be entirely independent of your research as well. Students may work in groups.  Have students establish a tentative, two-quarter timetable for completion of the practicum including writing for you to approve.

3.    Assist students in selecting the restricted electives for their academic plan totaling 25 units.  The following page lists the selection criteria for restricted electives and may be used by the student in his or her practicum proposal.

4.    See that students have the necessary technical and safety training, the environment, resources, and guidance for the work to be completed.  Meet regularly with students to keep them on track.  With your oversight, a graduate student or post doc may day-to-day guide students on the project.

5.    We recommend students log their activities and thoughts during the project in notebooks in the standard way, whether the project is experimental research, or an issues project.  Notebook entries should be made in a timely manner.  You should read and comment on the notebooks periodically.

6.    Encourage high quality work, analysis, writing, and timely completion.  The mentor should interact with students during the whole process, and make corrections on draft reports prior to the submission of final reports.

7.    An ABI Practicum Report Style Guide handout similar to a scientific journal “Guide to Authors” guides students in matters of format and style.  Where the nature of an issue practicum deviates from normal scientific reporting, students should include the following in their reports

a.    The day-to-day activity log book (optional but a very good idea)

b.     The science and societal background of the project.

c.     The fundamental questions asked.

d.     How the work was performed.

e.     What was found?

f.      How findings fit into scientific and societal contexts and affect the student’s thinking and future.

g.     Comments of the mentor.

h.     Bibliography

8.    Determine that the final project paper meets your critical standards, sign, and please see that the master advisor receives two copies.

ABI Restricted Electives

The student’s academic plan includes a list of courses that he or she will take to fulfill the restricted electives requirement for graduation in the ABI major.  This consists of 25 quarter hours of upper division courses; lower division courses generally do not qualify.  Independent Research (199 units) must be approved by the mentor together with a brief written explanation about how they fit into the academic plan. The courses should fulfill one of the following criteria:

1.    Teach skills needed to complete the practicum.  For example, if collecting numerical data needing analysis, consider an advanced course in statistics.

2.    Teach procedures required in the laboratory.  For example, consider 199 research units with the mentor before the practicum begins to learn highly technical processes where training opportunities are unavailable elsewhere.

3.    Provide background adding depth and breadth to the student’s knowledge about the subject area of the practicum project.

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Mentor Signature                                         Printed name                                                Date

PRINTABLE VERSION (.pdf):
ABI Practicum Mentors