Biomedical Engineering

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General Comments

Biomedical engineering majors may fulfill the requirements for the Honors Research Project in one of two ways: by using the senior design project that is the capstone experience of their engineering degree, or by using undergraduate research in the department.

Honors Project Course Information

Students should register for BMEN:492–BME Design II during the semester in which they will complete their project (usually their graduating semester). The grade will be assigned by the Faculty Sponsor.

Format and Style

The project is to be written as a formal technical report.

Timeline and Schedule

Using Senior Design for the Honors Research Project

By the fifth week of BMEN:491–BME Design I, each senior design team will select their project. At that point, the honors students on the team will submit the title of the project, and identify the Project Sponsor and Honors Faculty Advisor for their Honors Research Project Proposal by the Honors College proposal deadline. Note that this is acceptable with the Williams Honors College, as an additional proposal description will be submitted later, as described below.

Prior to the end of the fall semester, the team will submit a more complete Honors Research Project Proposal form with a description of the project and an Initial Progress Report. Each team member should provide a one-page summary of their proposed personal contribution to the team project along with the proposal, but the Honors Project proposal may be submitted on one form with the names of all Honors team members included. On the form, the team will list the team’s assigned department faculty advisor for senior design as the Honors Project Sponsor, other department faculty (including the senior design instructor) as the Readers, and the Honors Faculty Advisor. The complete proposal must be received by the Honors College by December 1st of the senior year.

During the spring semester of the senior year, the team’s final design report is submitted to the Honors College as the Honors Research Project Report following the requirements set forth by the Honors College. The Honors Research Project Report should document the entire design, and be co-authored by the Honors students on the design team. The process for revision is similar to the process for a MS thesis:

• The student submits a full version of the Honors Research Project Report to the Honors Project Sponsor, and responds to any requested revisions and edits. (Honors College deadline: eleventh week of Spring semester)
• When both student and Sponsor are satisfied with the revised document, the student submits the document to the Readers, and again responds to any requested revisions and edits. (Honors College deadline: twelfth week of Spring semester)
• When the Readers are satisfied with the revised document, signatures of the Sponsor, Readers, and Honors Faculty Advisor are obtained, and the full report is submitted to the Department Chair for signature.
• The abstract from the report and the report itself are submitted electronically to the Honors College (Honors College deadline: thirteenth week of the Spring semester). Each team member should provide a one-page summary of their actual personal contribution to the team project along with the report, but a single copy Honors Project, with the names of all Honors team members included, should be submitted.

Students should expect reports to require significant revision at each step, and will need to start the process well in advance of the Honors College’s deadlines to allow time for the faculty to read and edit the document.

Using Undergraduate Research for the Honors Research Project

Students choosing to use a research project to fulfill the Honor College Research Project should follow the requirements set forth by the Honors College.

General Guidelines

• You must receive a grade of "B" or higher on your Honors Research Project to graduate as an Honors Scholar. If you do not achieve this grade you may still meet the requirements to graduate as an undergraduate student in your major. Please contact your Honors Advisor for more information.
• When there are multiple students involved in an Honors Research Project, each student should be included as authors on the final report, even if they are not part of the Williams Honors College. Every student should receive the proper recognition for thier contributions.
• Every committee must be composed of a Sponsor and two Readers. More information on these roles is available here.
• Students expecting to work on an honors project involving the use of human subjects should be aware that such projects may need to be evaluated by the University of Akron Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB reviews all proposals for research involving human participants to insure appropriate ethical and safety standards are observed. Depending on the nature of the proposed research, IRB review and approval may be required prior to moving forward with your study. In the same way, any research involving live animals will require review by the University of Akron Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). Please communicate with your project sponsor regarding the need for IRB or ACUC consideration as it relates to your specific project. Information concerning research applications and review procedures can be obtained via the University of Akron Office of Research Administration (ORA).