Finding a Research Director and Registration for Research Independent Study
Finding a Research Group. Participation in independent study usually involves joining an existing research group, which may be located in the chemistry department, or in a chemistry-related department elsewhere on campus, or in an approved nearby laboratory such as the Veterans Hospital or in Research Triangle Park. Majors who would like assistance in finding or joining a research group should see Dr. Roy in French Family Science Center room 1222 (in suite 1219).
To join a research group, you first have to decide what kind of research you find truly interesting. Your deep interest will be essential to your surviving some failures you will likely experience on your way to success.
You next need to determine what local groups are doing research in your area(s) of interest. Go online and look up research interests of faculty in the appropriate departments. Look at faculty research interests as described on faculty and research group websites. Click here for a complete listing of chemistry faculty, and follow links to faculty and research group websites. Some faculty maintain web sites that specifically address undergraduate research opportunities. See, for example: Dr. Charbonneau, Dr. Craig, Dr. Dubay, and Dr. Roy.
In addition, a major can identify faculty who do research in areas of interest to them, by going to the descriptions of their research interests found on their web sites. These web sites can be accessed from their department's home pages. Links to the most common departments in which chemistry majors have done independent study are biochemistry, pharmacology, or environmental chemistry (Stapleton or Hsu-Kim)
Majors may also work with a researcher who is on the clinical staff of the Medical Center (such as someone in the Cancer Center or at the VA hospital such as Dr. Dipak Ghosh). Frequently faculty web sites will also include links to recent publications that you will find helpful in determining a match for your interests.
Next you need to contact those faculty members whose research areas appeal to you to find out if they have openings in their research groups. If so, arrange to meet with them and discuss specific research problems that they have available. Notice that generally you will be asked consider problems that are already available rather than creating a research problem on your own. The reason for this is that research requires significant funding for supplies, instruments, etc. The process of obtaining funding is rather lengthy and you will not have enough time to write a full grant proposal and get it funded before graduation. The faculty member has likely already obtained funding for the specific projects that you will be asked to consider.
Joining a research group involves a two-way selection process. Just as you probably interviewed with several research directors, those research directors have probably interviewed several students. As soon as you make your decision, notify your first choice research director that you would like to undertake a specific research problem with him/her. The research director will then decide which of the applicants is the best fit and will notify all applicants of the decision. If you are not selected, repeat the process with another research director.
Enrolling in Independent Study.
If the research is done in the chemistry department, a major registers for CHEM 191B-194 in successive semesters. Permission numbers can be obtained by sending an email to dus@chem.duke.edu.
If the research is done outside the chemistry department, approval is required in order for it to count toward chemistry major requirements and requirements for Graduation with Distinction in Chemistry. To obtain such approval, please provide Dr. Roy with a brief synopsis of the reseach project that specifically describes its relationship to chemistry. This synopsis can by submitted by email to chris.roy@duke.edu.
If the approved research is done outside the chemistry department in a chemistry-related area such as biochemistry or pharmacology, a major registers for research independent study in that department using their numbering scheme such as BCH 210, PHR 297-298, etc. If your research director has a listing in ACES, s/he will provide you with his/her course and section number and a six-digit permission number. Enroll in ACES using the permission number.
If your research director does not have an ACES listing, your approved research will need to be sponsored by a member of the chemistry faculty - usually Dr. Roy. To enroll in ACES, you will need to get a course, section number and permission number from Dr. Roy. If your project has not already been approved by Dr. Roy as being sufficiently chemical/molecular oriented to count toward the chemistry major and graduation with distinction, please provide Dr. Roy with a brief synopsis of the reseach project that specifically describes its relationship to chemistry. This synopsis and your request for a permission number should be submitted by email to chris.roy@duke.edu.
As your sponsor, Dr. Roy will take care of the necessary paper work involved with registration, monitoring your progress during the semester, and turning in your grade at the end of the semester. Your research director (or designee) will supervise all of your day-to-day research activities. To fulfill the requirement that your sponsor monitor your progress, you will need to send to Dr. Roy a brief progress report every two weeks on dates that he will set. At the end of the semester, your research director will assign and transmit your grade to Dr. Roy, who will then report the grade to the registrar.
Requesting Writing Credit for Independent Study
The procedure for W-credit for Independent Study is as follows. Prior to the end of Drop/Add of your final semester of participation in independent study, you can go to the following URL: http://www.aas.duke.edu/faculty/forms/c2000.html#forms and print a form for requesting W-credit for one Independent Study course. Fill out the form, have your research mentor and DUS sign it, and deliver the completed form to room 011 Allen Building prior to the end of Drop/Add.
See http://www.chem.duke.edu/undergraduates/research/is_req.php for requirements for research.