Research proposal... What is it?
Research proposal... Why is it?
Research proposal... What topic?
Research proposal... How to get there?
Research proposal... What will happen to it?

Research proposal... What is it?
By the end of the semester you will have written and defended a proposal to perform an experiment that you believe will extend our knowledge in a significant way of how something works at the molecular level. It will present a phenomenon worthy of our attention and argue that we could make headway in understanding that phenomenon if we knew the answer to a specific bite-sized question (clearly stated) amenable to experiment with the currently available tools of molecular biology. Then you will proceed to explain the workings of that experiment, what results you might obtain (not just the result you want), and what are the implications of those possible results.

All of this will occur within several pages.

It is important to understand that there is no expectation that the experiment you propose will actually be performed. If you and your mentor strike up an association and you end up working in a lab -- wonderful! -- but that lies outside the scope of this course. Most will complete the proposal without ever having set foot in a lab.

Research proposal... Why is it?
Last year many of you (those in phage lab) joined in on a project to understand the variation in mycobacteriophage genomes. You were given the tools and had ample direction concerning their use. Still there was some room for creativity. Next semester many of you (those in Intro to Bioinformatics) will conceive and perform a project concerning the comparative analysis of phage and/or bacterial genomes. There will be a great deal of room for creativity, both in the conception of the project and its execution. This semester you are offered the prospect of something in between: freedom in conceiving the project but carrying no obligation to do it.

...but for what? There is a broad consensus that learning is deeper and more persistent when it is done with the whole mind engaged, through active inquiry. Here are reports from two panels that drew the conclusion that the research should be a routine part of the undergraduate experience:

Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University (1998). Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities. Stony Brook, NY.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (2011). Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action. (summary) (full report).

That's research. A research proposal has an additional benefit. Every February there's a competition amongst undergraduates for stipends given out by VCU and a separate competition for stipends from the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity. In both cases, undergradutes are asked to submit a proposal concerning the research they hope to do. You will have a proposal ready to go, critiqued and polished, should you wish to try for a stipend.

Even if you don't, you will have gotten a glimpse as to what you could do should you turn your hand to research during your time at VCU. Here's a link to an article -- one inspiration for this course -- that describes the benefits of research proposals within a course on molecular biology:

Wiegant F, Scager K, Boonstra J (2011). An undergraduate course to bridge the gap between textbooks and scientific research. CBE Life Sciences Educ 10:83-94.

Research proposal... What topic?
Research is not done in a vacuum. You may have a wonderful idea for a new energy source for interstellar space travel, but if you're the only person who has ever thought about quantum self-annihilation, the chances of doing the crucial experiments are remote. In real life, you extend the boundary of what is known by just a bit, in an environment where others are exerting themselves in similar directions. This way, you have available the necessary equipment, intellectual support, and experience to make a go of it.

With that in mind, you will choose a topic related to molecular biology that lies within the sphere of a VCU faculty member, so that this faculty member can serve as a mentor during the process of conceiving and writing the proposal (and perhaps later, if you should choose to actually do the experiment). As preparation, you will be asked early in the semester to compose an annotated list of articles focused on some research area of interest to a VCU faculty member.

Click here to learn more of the process of finding a mentor and here to learn more of the process of writing the proposal.

Research proposal... How to get there?
Even though the proposal itself will run about 8 minutes (oral presentation) and a handful of pages (written proposal), there is no doubt that you will need a semester-long, major sustained effort to reach a successful conclusion. There will be several intermediary points along the way to help you find your way. Finding a mentor and learning how questions are addressed in your mentor's lab will be an important first step. You will also summarize one or more experiments from research articles related to your chosen question, as preparation for your proposal. You will also report on your progress at intermediate stages and give a presentation prior to the final presentation. Click here to learn more about the time course leading to the final proposal.

Research proposal... What will happen to it?
Your proposal will be poked at by a panel of your colleagues, in the roles of proposal reviewers, and from the comments from the panel you might learn which logical connections that seemed so clear to you are not clear to others. At the end of the semester, a revised version of the proposal will be submitted to a panel consisting of faculty mentors, who will have the opportunity to question you on aspects of your proposal.

It will be a lot of fun.