Honors in Research Admissions

Deadline: Submit the completed Application to the Office of Research, 2-13 HMRC, before Monday, February 19, 2024 (11:59 pm). Late applications will not be considered, except in the most extenuating of circumstances.

Prior to the deadline, applicants must:

• First, discuss their interest in applying to the program with Ms. Roberta Martindale (roberta.martindale@ualberta.ca), Co-ordinator (780-492-6601), Division of Medical Laboratory Science Once they have decided to apply to the program, make an appointment for a brief consultation with Dr. Ing Swie Goping (igoping@ualberta.ca), Chair, MD Research Committee (780-492-6130)
• Identify a supervisor. Supervisors must be willing to spend the time needed to direct the research and be able to provide appropriate materials and facilities. Normally, any faculty member who is actively engaged in biomedical research, has adequate resources and a good publication record will be suitable.
• Submit the following documents to the Office of Research, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, 2-13 Heritage Medical Research Centre
  • The original completed MLS with HIR Application Form, which can be accessed in eClass Student Resources.
  • Research proposal (double-spaced and following the requirements outlined in the application form).

Please note:

Remember to include references to the relevant literature - both within the proposal and as a list of complete references appended to it.

A supervisor's signature on an application indicates their agreement to provide an applicant with the supervision, materials and space required for the project.

Applicants should discuss the research proposal with their supervisor, but must write it themselves.

Applicants must have their supervisor send a separate letter recommending an applicant's appropriateness for the project to Dr. Ing Swie Goping, Chair, MD Research Committee, Office of Research, 2-13 Heritage Medical Research Centre

Applications will be reviewed by an Evaluation Committee of the MD Research Committee. The committee considers the quality of the research proposal and the appropriateness of the student, the supervisor and the research environment. Both the applicant and the supervisor will be advised in writing of the committee's decision. The candidate should be prepared to improve perceived weaknesses in their proposal if requested to do so by the committee.

Supervisors are responsible for supplying their student's research requirements but not for personal financial support.

Students are expected to apply for a summer studentship in order to secure personal financial support. For further details, please see: Undergraduate Summer Student Research Program.

In order to complete the program, students must:

Attend a Research Ethics/Integrity Seminar. This 1-2-hour seminar is provided by the Faculty. It is usually held in April; you will be advised by email of the date, time and place of the seminar.

Participate in the Summer Student Seminar Series. To complement your research experience, the Office of Research organizes the Noon Hour Seminar Series held from 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm every Tuesday in June. Regular attendance and participation is expected from all summer students.

Prepare the following final reports:

Written Report

This should be submitted by the last day of classes for Year 4, MLS. It should be approximately five typewritten pages in length (double-spaced) excluding the figures, tables and references. The body of the report should include:

Summary of the objectives of the project, including background information and literature.

Progress achieved (include Methodology, Results and Discussion).

An additional sheet that define the student's role in their research project. Since several, often closely inter-related projects may be underway in a research group, it is important that the student define both their technical and intellectual contributions to the project. The student should also indicate any oral or written presentations made on the project, append any relevant abstracts or pre-prints or reprints, and indicate any plans for publication of the research findings.

Supervisor's Evaluation

While preparing the written report, the student should supply the supervisor with a copy of the supervisor evaluation form. The supervisor should consider the student's performance over the entire year of research. The supervisor should send the appraisal in a sealed envelope by the last day of classes for the academic year to: Dr. Ing Swie Goping, Chair MD Research Committee, Office of Research, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, 2-13 Heritage Medical Research Centre

Oral Presentation

The MD Research Committee will appoint an Evaluation Committee of three to five members who first will review each student's final report and then adjudicate your oral presentation. The date for the presentation will be determined by the Research Office in mid-April, after consultation with you and MLS, so that an appropriate Evaluating Committee can be convened. This Committee will include representatives from MLS.

The oral presentation should provide an overview of the student's research and should take no more than 10 minutes to deliver. The Committee will then question each student for approximately 10 minutes to determine their understanding of the rationale behind the research, their knowledge of the specific methods that were used, and their ability to interpret the results of their work in light of the current scientific literature. Each student's supervisor will be invited to attend this presentation.

Should any student fail to complete the requirements of Honours in Research program, it will not result in any notation being made on their record and will not in any way affect the candidate's BSc in MLS degree.