Place: 343 Agriculture
Prerequisites: Intermediate Plant Genetics (39.433) or Introductory Cytogenetics (39.314) or equivalent. Students should have some background in botany or plant physiology.
- an ability to read and understand the current literature
- familiarity with major areas of research in the field
- an appreciation of the potentials and limitations of plant biotechnology
- an ability to apply these techniques for biological investigation or agricultural innovation.
Lecture notes and handouts for the lectures in any given week will
be available on the course web site by Thursday of the preceeding week.
http://www.umanitoba.ca/campus/acn/accounts/
| WWW Paper
presentations, 3 @ 10% each
Each student will present the results and conclusions of a
research article chosen by the student from a list of articles. These
presentations will be scheduled as part of the class lecture. Grades
will be assigned based on standardized evaluation forms filled out by
students and the instructor. |
30% |
| Database Project
(Due last day of classes.)
Throughout the term, you will design and construct a database
pertaining to your research work, research work in your lab, or some
area of interest withing the topic areas of the course. This project
will use the ACeDB database system. The final product will be a
database, which should be clearly organized, internally consistent and
well documented. |
30% |
| Grant proposal
At some point during the term, students will be required to write a 5 page grant proposal in the style and format of the NSERC General Operating Grants. The proposal will be on a subject selected by the student and approved by the instructor. Generally, grant proposals will describe an experimental plan which uses molecular genetic techniques to address a biological problem, or an applied project in genetic engineering. The proposal may be handed in at any time during the term. After consultation with the instructor, students may revise
the grant proposal once in order to improve their grades. This policy is
subject to limitations of the academic calendar, and by other University
or Departmental regulations such as those concerning deadlines for
grade reports. |
40% |
The notebook "Student Papers", which can be signed out in the Plant
Science photocopy room, contains examples of student grants from
previous years.
Grading is according to the Letter Grade System (Graduate Calendar section 2.1, pg. 19) ranging from 0 to 4.5 or F to A+. Roughly speaking, a C corresponds to understanding of a large portion of the material, the B range encompasses mastery of most of the material, and the A range indicates original thinking and creativity.
a) First, ask yourself: what is the significance of this paper? Work backwards from there.b) All experiments should in some way contribute to making the case.
c) Concentrate on the results and what they mean
d) Don't get hungup on minutae. eg. Don't show a cloning strategy when all you need to show is the final product even if the author chose to include it.
e) You don't need to include every figure and table. Just include enough data to substantiate the main points of the paper.
f) Give the minimal background needed for the listener to understand the research. Remember, your paper will usualy be part of a larger lecture on the same subject.
g) Keep visual aids simple and readable from a distance
h) Use handouts to save writing on the part of the listener.
i) If you don't understand something, come see me.