Catalyst Seminar
BSCI 279C
January 29, 2009

Why? The role of undergraduate research experiences in your professional development

• Introduction and Where are they now? Fates of former undergraduate researchers
• Panel Discussion with HHMI Undergraduate Research Fellows
• Overview of assigments for the next few weeks
• How to read a scientific paper advice and tutorial

Readings for Feb. 5

Topic: Peer review

Example: Genetically altered foods

Required reading:

• Gene Altered Food Study Fuels a Debate - Washington Post, October 15, 1999
  
  
• Pusztai Published! - Social Issues Research Center
• Ewen, S.W.B. and Pusztai, A. 1999. Effects of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine. Lancet 354:1353-1354.
  PDF version
  HTML version
  
  
• Commentaries (pp. 1725-1727)
  PDF version

Additional readings (optional):

• Dr. Pusztai's home page contains reviews of his research by the Royal Society and his rebuttals
• Interview with Dr. Pusztai - June 3, 1999
• Reviewer comments on Pusztai's study (solicited by the Royal Society of London)
• More web sites focusing on the debate about genetically modified foods

Assignment for Feb. 12:

Readings

• Ch. 1 (Introduction)
• Ch. 3 (Reading and Note-taking)
• Ch. 6 (Revising), pp. 83-119
• Ch. 7 (Writing Summaries), pp. 130-135
• Ch. 13 (Writing for a General Audience), pp. 251-255

Write a non-technical summary of a high-impact paper written by a UM faculty member

• Choose an article from the list of faculty publications to summarize. These were all published in either the journal Science or the journal Nature. The full text of both publications is available online if you access it from a campus computer or log in from off campus through the library research port. The online version of the journal Nature only goes back to volume 387 (from 1997). Both journals are of course also available in hard copy at McKeldin Library (including the earlier volumes of Nature).
• Read your article. Your text has some useful guidelines for effective reading of scientific material in Chapter 3, as do the links above.
• Specific instructions for writing and submitting the summary will be posted on the Calibrated Peer Review website.
• Submit your summary via the CPR website by Feb. 12. You will then have until Mar. 5 to complete the peer review calibration process, review three summaries written by your classmates and submit a self-assessment of your original summary. Your final grade for this assignment will be based upon all of these elements.

Go to the Calibrated Peer Review Webserver. Choose "Login" from the top menu. Click on "New users: First time logging in?" From this point you will select "University of Maryland-College Park" as your institution and enter your university ID number. You will then get a CPR login and password that you can use to access the system from now on. Please record this in a safe place. Here is a guide for new users, with screen shots of what to expect. The CPR site also has a tour and additional information that will help you learn about how the system works.