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Molecular Biology of the News Take Home Exam

The lecturers are addressing topics in hot new areas for which questions may outnumber answers.  Write a 2-3 page essay discussing an unanswered question from the lecture of your choice. 
Indicate your choice of lecturer as early as possible.  A maximum of three essays will be permitted per lecturer.

Due:  May 6, two weeks after the last lecture

Format: 2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced, 12 point font.  Figures and references are not included in the page limit.  References should be in the style of a standard scientific journal and include the title of the article.  Don't forget to check spelling and grammar.  Grades will be marked down for carelessness.

5% extra credit: Propose an experiment to answer some aspect of your chosen question.  To get this credit, your experiment should answer a specific hypothesis, be theoretically feasible, and no more than one page.  State the hypothesis and proposed experiment clearly and succinctly. 
Including a proposal cannot hurt your grade and may help!

Essay grading system:

A (4.0) = perfect, can't be improved upon (100%) or excellent (95%)
outstanding explanation with superior supporting information; unusual insights and flashes of brilliance; creative and original analyses and thoughts; goes well beyond the minimum required for the assignment

B+ (3.5) =                   borderline (89-91%)

B (3.00) =                      very good (85%)
good solid job on explanation with excellent support from examples, data, figures, etc.; excellent reasoning or excellent explanations; goes beyond the minimum required for the class

C+ (2.5) =                   borderline (79-81%)

C (2.0) =                      average (75%)
does what the assignment asks; decent reasoning or explanations; decent support by data, examples, figures, etc.

D (1.0) =                     poor (65%)
does part of the assignment correctly, but is too general or has inaccuracies or flaws in reasoning or coverage is accurate but cursory

F (0) =                         abysmal (<60%)
does not effectively address assignment; fails to support assertions with data or examples; unclear explanations; inadequate understanding; major flaws in reasoning or explanation

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department Guidelines on Academic Integrity
Like all students of the UMDNJ - Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), students enrolled in Biochemistry courses are expected to adhere to the policies addressing academic integrity described in:
The GSBS Website and Handbook: (http://www.umdnj.edu/gsbsnweb/ac_integ.htm http://www2.umdnj.edu/gsbspweb/documents/pdf/Fall_06_Handbook.pdf),
The University Guidelines for Conduct of Research (http://www.umdnj.edu/acadweb/Guidelines.pdf),
and at the UMDNJ Website on Policies (http://www.umdnj.edu/oppmweb/Policies/contents.html).

The following text is a synopsis of these policies with particular emphasis on plagiarism.

From the Code of Professional Conduct:  All students are expected to observe generally accepted principles of scholarly work, and to submit their own rather than another's work.  Students may not falsify (state or write something you know to be untrue), fabricate (make up information with the intent to deceive) data, or plagiarize (to pass off the words or ideas of another as your own).  Students must reference the published work of others appropriately.  Students may not receive or give aid during examinations or other work requiring independent effort.  When submitting written material, students explicitly imply that both the ideas and words used are their own. Cheating on exams, in any manner or form, will not be tolerated. Note also that individuals are responsible for reporting acts of academic dishonesty that are done by others.

Penalties:  The GSBS Executive Council requires all instructors who encounter instances of student academic dishonesty to report them to the Dean of the GSBS.  Penalties may include a zero grade on the individual assignment, failure of the course, or dismissal from the program.

Definition of plagiarism: the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism).
To see numerous examples, Google "examples of plagiarism" (~45,200 hits).

Tips for avoiding plagiarism:
1.  Take hand-written notes from your sources.  These notes should be brief bullet comments.  Cartoons and lists are great.  If your first language is not English, take notes in that language.  Do not copy and paste text as a form of note-taking.
2.  Use more than one source.
3.  When you begin to write your text, put away all copies of your sources and work entirely from your notes.
4.  Consider the goals of the assignment carefully.  Plagiarized text and figures often stand out because they were composed by the other author for a different purpose and do not precisely address the needs of the current assignment.

This site has an excellent on-line tutorial that defines plagiarism, offers examples of different forms of plagiarism, and provides tips on avoiding plagiarism: 
http://www.cte.usf.edu/plagiarism/plag.html.