SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
HONOURS COMMITTEE
HONOURS STUDENT PROJECT DESCRIPTION
NOTE: Please complete this form in Word (12 point font), then print it, add appropriate signatures and submit to the School of Biomedical Sciences office.  Hand-written forms will not be accepted.  Early submission is welcomed.  Send FULLY completed forms to SBMS General Office, Room 312, Skerman Building.  All new UQ Students (International and/or student’s from other University’s) are required to attach their current Academic Transcript with their Honours Application.

The purpose of this form is to clarify for all participants in the honours process the nature of the project, to verify that ethical approvals are in place to carry out the proposed project, to identify backup plans in the event of experimental problems and to ensure continuity of quality supervision. 

It is anticipated that this form will be completed by the Principal Supervisor in consultation with the student, and where appropriate, by the Co-Supervisor or Associate Supervisor.  

Definitions: 
The Principal Supervisor (often referred to as “the supervisor”) is a staff member who will take primary responsibility (i.e. at least 60%)  for the overall program of research including issues such as OHS training, and will provide appropriate levels of supervision and feedback in tasks such as preparation of talks and the thesis.

A Co-supervisor is a staff member who is able to fulfil all of the roles of a Principal supervisor.  These roles may be exercised jointly with the principal supervisor (eg. 60:40 supervision).  It is expected that a Co-supervisor or Principal supervisor will be in a position to adequately supervise the student during critical times such as the period of thesis writing. A Co-supervisor is essential if the Principal Supervisor will be absent at critical periods in the Honours year.  If absence is not anticipated a Co-Supervisor is optional, but is advised for new staff members who may be unfamiliar with the supervision process.

An Associate Supervisor is an individual who may assist with selected aspects of the project eg lab skill training and supervision in the laboratory environment.  Postdoctoral staff are frequently asked by the Principal Supervisor to be an Associate Supervisor and this is strongly encouraged.  An Associate supervisor is not regarded as sufficient substitute for a Co-Supervisor or Principal supervisor at critical times such as seminar preparation or thesis writing etc.  Postgraduate students should not be asked to be an Associate Supervisor as this will not be approved. An Associate supervisor is optional if the supervisor can confirm continuity of supervision throughout the honours year.

School Supervisor: Where the Principal Supervisor is based in an organisational unit outside the School of Biomedical Sciences (eg. in hospitals etc), a School Supervisor is required.  This individual will be able to assist in issues such as nuances of thesis and seminar preparation, advice on expectations etc but may or may not be directly involved in the project. If School Supervisor is required, this application will not be accepted until a School Supervisor has been chosen.

The Principal supervisor may be asked to clarify some points and verify continuity of supervision. The student and supervisor(s) will be notified of approval of the project in approximately the third week of the first semester of enrolment.

Student’s Name:		Student Number:		

Please choose ONE option for each of the following:
Semester Start	Semester 1 	Semester 2 	Full Time/Part-Time	
Field of Study in:
       	Anatomy  Pharmacology   Physiology   Toxicology  	
	Biomedical Sciences   Developmental Biology  Neuroscience  	
Other field (please specify):		
Program:	BSc Honours      BBiomed Honours 	

UQ International students only:

Program code :	
Are you an international student?	Yes 	No 	
Program commencement and completion date (dd/mm/yyy):	Commencement
	Completion	
Scholarship details: 
	
Are you a Scholarship or Sponsorship Holder?	Yes 	No 	
Scholarship/Sponsorship Provider: 	
Expiry of Scholarship/Sponsorship (dd/mm/yyy): 	
Please attach evidence from your sponsor approving your change of program	

Student Signature:								Date: 

(NOTE: This form does not replace the normal University requirements for enrolment)

Principal Supervisor:		% of Supervision::		
Co-Supervisor:		% of Supervision::		
Associate Supervisor:				
School Supervisor:				
Department(s) where project will be carried out:			
Title of Project:		

	
Ethics Approvals (humans, animals, radiation, etc) – include numbers of approvals and expiry dates:	

When submissions are pending please indicate date of submission.

Where approvals are not current, please ensure timely submission of documentation to appropriate ethic committees to avoid delays in starting the honours program.  Please ensure that if a student is to perform a procedure for which you currently have ethical approval, that the students name is submitted as a modification to the current approval.

Supervision:  It is expected that supervisors will be contactable and in a position to provide feedback to students especially at critical times (eg. the 3 week period before the literature review is due and before the thesis is due).  Staff on study leave during any part of the honours year will also need to verify that effective supervision can be maintained for the duration of the honours year and should consult the GSC at the earliest opportunity
Will the Primary Supervisor be absent for more than one week during the honours project?	Yes 	No 	
Please give dates of proposed absences:		
Please initial here		

Will the Co- Supervisor be absent during the same time period?	Yes 	No 	
Please give dates of proposed absences:		
Please initial here		
Will the Associate Supervisor be absent during the same time period?	Yes 	No 	
Please give dates of proposed absences:		
Please initial here		
School Supervisor:		
Please initial to confirm willingness to act in this role:		
Does the project form part of an externally funded research project?	Yes 	No 	

Is it likely that this project will result in data which needs to be treated as “commercial in confidence”? If so please consult the Chair of the Honours Committee prior to submitting this proposal.  The Honours committee strongly encourages wherever possible, the formulation of projects in a manner which does not cause the student difficulty, whether real or perceived, in presenting their honours work in an open and effective manner.

Background to project:

Aims and significance of project:

Experimental approach and methods to be used by student: 

Provision for failure to obtain results:

This section is included to reflect the unpredictable nature of scientific research and the finite time that an honours student has to complete their research.  Please delete this text and replace with details providing an alternate plan which can be invoked if the main thrust of the initial project does not proceed in the manner initially predicted.  Please do not simply state “it has always worked” or similar as this does not provide guidance to the student or to the committee as to your likely backup plan.

Other students and personnel associated with project and their role:
When listing other personnel it is assumed that they are aware of this listing. 

Signatures:	Please ensure all signatures are appended before submission.	
	Primary Supervisor:		Date:		
	Co-Supervisor:		Date:		
	Associate Supervisor:		Date:		
	School Supervisor:		Date:		
	Student:		Date:		

 SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
HONOURS CANDIDATE DETAILS
Personal Details
Student Name:		Student Number:		
Lab Address:		
		
Lab Phone:		Fax Number:		
Email Address: *		
Home Address:		
		Sex:       MALE/FEMALE	
Birth Date 	/         /			
Home Phone:		Mobile Phone:		
* due to problems with Hotmail accounts in the past, please use your student account number where practicable.
 required for new university student’s where we will enrol you into the university system

Principal Supervisor’s Details
Name:		
School/Departmental Address:		
		
Phone:		Email Address:		

Co- Supervisor’s Details
Name:		
School/Departmental Address:		
		
Phone:		Email Address:		

Associate Supervisor’s Details
Name:		
School/Departmental Address:		
		
Phone:		Email Address:		

PLEASE NOTIFY THE HONOURS ADMINISTRATOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF ANY OF THESE DETAILS CHANGE DURING THE YEAR.

Student feedback

Where did you hear about the School of Biomedical Sciences, Honours program?

  School of Biomedical Science webpage
  Honours Open House
  Students/Staff
  Other (please specify)