Class time and location   109 Glover Monday 12:00–12:50 pm   Instructor   Dr. David S. Dandy 100 Glover/Engineering South 491-7437 dandy@colostate.edu   Course description   The intent of this seminar-style course is to introduce new graduate students to research, the PhD process, and the graduate chemical engineering program. Research topics will range from conceptual (develop research questions) to practical (research notebooks, laboratory safety). This course may also be of interest to undergraduates considering an MS or PhD degree.   Course materials (required) RV Smith, Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Sciences, University of Washington Press, 3rd Ed., 1998. I Valiela, Doing Science: Design, Analysis, and Communication of Scientific Research, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2009. On reserve DF Bloom, JD Karp, N Cohen, The PhD Process: a Student's Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences, Oxford University Press, 1998. PB Medawar, Advice to a Young Scientist, Basic Books, 1979. EB Wilson, Jr, An Introduction to Scientific Research, Dover Publications, 1990. Recommended reading EM Phillips, DS Pugh, How to get a PhD. A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors, Open University Press, 2000. EG Seebauer, RL Barry, Fundamentals of Ethics for Scientists and Engineers, Oxford University Press, 2001. Course topics (subject to change) Research methods Types of research questions Hypotheses Modeling and experiments Practical research Notebooks Lab safety Literature searching Journal articles Proposals Research issues Ethics Policy and fact Graduate student experiences Choosing an advisor and project Development as a researcher Theses and dissertations (and "when am I done?") Conferences Graduate chemical engineering at CSU Faculty research presentations The PhD process and Graduate School forms   Grading Grades in this course are either “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” and will be determined by participation in class discussions, reading assigned text selections or papers, and completion of short writing assignments.   Handouts (password protected) Preface to Bloom's The PhD Process Are most research findings false? Teletubbies and autism—a spurious correlation Central Michigan University's GrantSAT Comments on the proposal process The peer review process Issues of science versus policy The future of U.S. science policy Scientists begin forming PACs Scientists behaving badly Naughty scientists The importance of mentoring Breeding cheats PhotoShop science Where have ethics gone? Taking on the cheats Research misconduct Repairing research integrity Where are they now? Weighing reproducibility Interesting and useful links e-Books at CSU SRY Cajal, Advice for a Young Investigator: "Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) was an incredible scientist—he made invaluable contributions to neuroanatomy, including some of the most beautiful scientific illustrations since Vesalius. He was also a popular author, and above all a dedicated teacher, offering fatherly advice to students and young researchers on a wide range of topics. After he achieved success as a scientist, he wrote the first edition of Reglas y Consejos sobre Investigación Biológia (los tonicos de la voluntad) (1916). That work has been retranslated and presented by MIT Press as Advice for a Young Investigator. Although the wisdom contained in this slim, elegant volume is almost a century old, it is as fresh and useful today as it no doubt was then. What student or researcher wouldn't benefit from advice given by a mentor who has carefully examined his own life and career?" (Amazon.com review) NAS, NAE, and IM, On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research (also online here): "On Being a Scientist presents penetrating discussions of the social and historical context of science, the allocation of credit for discovery, the scientist's role in society, the issues revolving around publication, and many other aspects of scientific work. The booklet explores the inevitable conflicts that arise when the black and white areas of science meet the gray areas of human values and biases." (National Academy Press description)   websites on graduate student life Graduate Student Resources on the Web: lots of great links, organized by topic (Advice/Student Life (Getting In, Getting Through, Getting Out), Organizations, Funding Information, Humor) How to be a Good Graduate Student: Written by a recent PhD graduate reflecting on her graduate career and packed with great advice. "This paper attempts to raise some issues that are important for graduate students to be successful and to get as much out of the process as possible, and for advisors who wish to help their students be successful. The intent is not to provide prescriptive advice -- no formulas for finishing a thesis or twelve-step programs for becoming a better advisor are given -- but to raise awareness on both sides of the advisor-student relationship as to what the expectations are and should be for this relationship, what a graduate student should expect to accomplish, common problems, and where to go if the advisor is not forthcoming." (from the site) Graduate School Survival Guide: More good advice, and links to other websites Piled Higher and Deeper: A comic strip on graduate student life from The Stanford Daily. There's also a book of the comics! Tomorrow's Professor: Archive of articles (e.g., "What to do when things go wrong", "The importance of failure in learning") on preparing for and succeeding in an academic career. Also possible to sign up for weekly emailed articles.   websites on laboratory safety CSU Environmental Health Services The Laboratory Safety Institute Sites related to laboratory safety (index) Laboratory Survival Manual (University of Virginia) SIRI MSDS Index

dandy@colostate.edu