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Department of Biological Sciences

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Undergraduate Biology Research Courses

The guidance on this page applies to certain undergraduate research courses that are required for the GW BS in Biology, BA in Biology, and BS in Neuroscience. Visit the respective degree page for a full list of course requirements.

Each of these three courses (BISC 4171, BISC 4171W, BISC 4172W) require the student to find a research internship opportunity at GW or in a research institution of the DC area on their own initiative. Most students commit to a lab for more than one semester. The research must be done in any field related to the life sciences, providing an opportunity for the student to gain experience in academic research, to acquire laboratory skills, and to achieve proficiency in analytical methods. Clinical research limited to data collection activities from patients (recruitment, logistics, interviews, check-in) or analyses of existing data do not fit the requirements for this course. Likewise, professional experiences that are not primarily related to research in basic biology do not fit the requirements.

BISC 4171: Undergraduate Research

Available to: Students who joined a research project in a laboratory
Offered in: Spring and Fall
Credits: 1-3 credits
Minimum Workload: 3-4 hr/wk per credit-hour
WID course, includes writing assignments: No
Can be repeated for credit: Yes, but a maximum of 6 credits of BISC 4171, BISC 4171W, or BISC 4172W may be applied toward degree requirements.
Contact for registration: Dr. Orti
Email: [email protected] 
Syllabus & instructions to register: BISC 4171 (PDF)

BISC 4171 Registration Process
  1. Confirm with your Research Supervisor that you are scheduled to do research at a workload of 3-4 hours weekly per credit taken. Please discuss expectations, weekly hours, and a project (including if you will be an assistant on an existing project, which is common).
  2. Once a project and weekly workload have been arranged, please ask your Research Supervisor to fill out the approval form linked in the syllabus.
  3. Once your supervisor has filled the form, please pre-fill the RTF-Classic form, including the following information:
    - CRN : see the GWU Schedule of Classes - Main Campus - Biological Sciences for the semester of interest
    - BISC 4171 ; Grade mode : C ; Section : 10
    - Please send the form to Dr. Orti and a one-paragraph summary of the research you will do. 
    - Instructor approval: leave blank for Dr. Orti to sign. The RTF-EZ form cannot be used here because of the variable credit.
  4. Once the RTF is signed by you and Dr. Orti, you can submit it to the College for registration using the yellow button on the CCAS Undergraduate Advising site.

BISC 4171W: Undergraduate Research (Senior Honors Thesis)

Available to: Seniors doing a Honors Thesis in Biology
Offered in: Spring only
Credits: 3 credits
Minimum Workload: 12 hr/week
WID course, includes writing assignments: Yes
Can be repeated for credit: No
Contact for registration: Dr. Orti
Emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]  
Syllabus & instructions to register: BISC 4171W (PDF)
Senior Honors Thesis only. Please contact Dr. Jeremic and Dr. Smith before your senior year.

BISC 4172W: Research Internship and Writing in Biology (WID)

Available to: Students who joined a research project in a laboratory. Cannot be taken the same semester as BISC 4171.
Offered in: Spring and Fall
Credits: 3 credits
Minimum Workload: 12 hr/week
WID course, includes writing assignments: Yes
Can be repeated for credit: No
Contact for registration: Dr. Martin
Emails: [email protected] 
Syllabus: BISC 4172W (PDF)

BISC 4172W Registration Process
  1. Confirm with your Research Supervisor that you are scheduled to do research at a workload of at least 12hr/week on average. Discuss expectations including weekly hours, and a project (including if you will be an assistant on an existing project, which is common).
  2. Ask your Research Supervisor to fill out the approval form linked in the syllabus.
  3. Once your supervisor has filled the form, please pre-fill an RTF-EZ form including the following information:
    - CRN : see the GWU Schedule of Classes - Main Campus - Biological Sciences for the semester of interest
    - Subject: BISC
    - Course: 4172W
    - Section : 0
    - Course title: Research Internship and Writing in Biology
    - Instructor approval : leave blank for Dr. Martin to sign.
    - Send the RTF-EZ to [email protected], explaining that your Research Supervisor filled the form from Step 2 above.
  4. Once signed by Dr. Martin and by yourself, you can submit it to [email protected]