Biomedical Research Capstone

Biomedical Research Capstone 1
MEDS 5030  |  3-6 credit hours  |  Fall Semester 

Bryan Mackenzie, PhD | bryan.mackenzie@uc.edu | 513-558-3627

Biomedical Research Capstone 2
MEDS 5031  |  3–6 credit hours  |  Spring Semester

Kevin Haworth, PhD | kevin.haworth@uc.edu | 513-558-3627

M 4:00 – 4:55 PM  |  Syllabus (PDF)

Submit your completed enrollment form (DOC) by May 1, 2024 for AY 2024-25

This two-semester sequence provides students in the Medical Sciences major with a rigorous senior-year capstone experience in original biomedical research. The course is designed to give a highly personalized laboratory research experience to students who are interested in careers in biomedical research, medicine, and other health professions by matching them with some of the best and most accomplished scientists in the College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Students gain a critical appreciation of the research process from inception to completion and communication of the study.

Biomedical Research Capstone 1

At the start of the semester, students work closely with their faculty research mentor to identify a scientific question or clinical problem, research the literature, and articulate the impetus for the study. The student then develops a hypothesis and research plan. The student receives required laboratory safety and compliance training, and training or refreshing in the laboratory techniques needed for the project. In the first semester, emphasis is placed on study design, training, troubleshooting in the laboratory, and the collection, recording, and analysis of data.

The student's efforts in the library and the laboratory are complemented by programmatic elements throughout the semester. Class meetings comprise student presentations (research proposals, work in progress), and workshops on the responsible conduct of research (conflicts of interest, research integrity, data manipulation or fabrication, plagiarism, authorship issues etc), and research funding (funding agencies, and the essential elements of grant and fellowship applications).

Course Objectives

Upon completion, the student will be able to do the following:

• Study the literature in order to identify a scientific question or clinical problem, and articulate the impetus for the study
• Formulate a hypothesis
• Analyze the literature to determine the best approaches to testing the hypothesis
• Develop a detailed research plan that includes experimental design and plans for statistical analyses
• Write a research proposal
• Collect, analyze and interpret experimental data accurately
• Communicate the study objectives and work in progress in oral presentations

Prerequisites

In order to enroll in MEDS5030, the student must be majoring in Medical Sciences, and have earned C or better in MEDS3023C Statistics & Experimental Design for the Biomedical Sciences.

Biomedical Research Capstone 2

The student will normally have been placed with a faculty research mentor in the first semester, and given responsibility for a project that they will continue into the second semester. In the second semester, emphasis is placed on the collection and analysis of data; troubleshooting and, if necessary, redesign of the study or revision of the objectives; interpretation of the study findings; and the communication the study results in written and oral reports. Whereas no research study is guaranteed success, the expectation is that the student’s final written report will be of such a quality that it can serve as a draft manuscript or contribute to a larger study that may be submitted for publication in a biomedical or clinical journal, with the student as a co-author.

The student's efforts in the library and the laboratory are complemented by programmatic elements throughout the semester. Class meetings comprise student presentations (work in progress), and ‘refresher’ workshops on statistics, scientific writing, and the presentation of scientific data in reports or manuscripts, and poster or oral presentations.

Course Objectives

Upon completion, the student will be able to do the following:

• Collect, analyze and interpret experimental data accurately
• Troubleshoot technical issues in experimentation and weaknesses in the experimental design, redefining the study objectives or research plan if necessary
• Communicate findings in work-in-progress oral presentations
• Write a final written report, carefully reporting the results and outcomes of the study
• Present the results and outcomes in a capstone poster presentation

Prerequisite

In order to enroll in MEDS5031, the student must have earned C or better in MEDS5030 Biomedical Research Capstone 1.

Find a Researcher at UC

Students are encouraged to explore a research topic that interests them and identify a potential faculty member at the College of Medicine or Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Search the UC Research Directory by topic, keyword, or researcher's last name.

Research Programs

Browse UC College of Medicine research programs (note that not all faculty are affiliated with a research program and students may work with any researcher at UC College of Medicine or Cincinnati Children's Hospital):

• Cancer & Cell Biology
• Environmental Genetics & Molecular Toxicology
  
• Immunobiology
• Molecular & Developmental Biology
• Molecular, Cellular & Biochemical Pharmacology
• Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry & Microbiology
• Neuroscience
• Pathobiology & Molecular Medicine
• Systems Biology & Physiology