Research Practice 199 (RES PRC 199) – UCLA

Course Overview

Overview

UCLA undergraduates who are conducting a research project with a faculty off-site from UCLA may enroll in RES PRC 199 to receive course credit for their experience. Off-site locations include Cedars-Sinai Medical Center or the California Rehabilitation Institute. To enroll during fall, winter or spring quarters, students must be in good standing and have junior or senior status. For summer enrollment, full time status is not required. For RES PRC 199, students working 12-20 hours per week will enroll for 4 units. During the summer, RES PRC 199 is offered during the A10 Session only. Grades for RES PRC 199 will be submitted after submission of a culminating Research Paper by Friday of Finals Week.

Eligibility

Before enrolling in RES PRC 199, you must:

1. Have a junior or senior status
2. Be in good academic standing (at least a 3.0 GPA)
3. Have completed a minimum of two quarters of SRP 99 or other supervised research in that laboratory
4. Your research should have reached a point where you already have generated enough data for at least one figure for your research paper.

Please note: Enrollment in RES PRC 199 will not fulfill an upper division elective.

Enrollment Instructions

Step 1: Create your Course Proposal

Your work will be supervised by your Faculty Research Mentor and they will serve as the faculty/instructor of record for the course. To begin the enrollment process, you must first submit a three-section written proposal for approval to the Research Practice Office: researchpractice@college.ucla.edu. This proposal must be submitted by FRIDAY OF WEEK 1. Any proposals submitted after that date will be declined.

Please submit your written proposal as a Word document or PDF for approval.

Section 1: RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT:

Your full name, major, and UID
The department and institution where you will be conducting research
The name(s) of your Faculty Research Mentor and direct supervisor (if different)
Link to your faculty mentor’s web site
Date you started research with this group (please note: students must have completed a minimum of two quarters of SRP99 or other supervised research in that lab before they are eligible for 199)
Hours per week you will be committing to the project for this term (this should be 12-20 hours per week for a 4-unit enrollment).
The name of the research program you are participating in (if any) and link to the program web site

Section 2: RESEARCH PLANNED:

Please provide the following information and include the headers (in all caps) listed below. This document should be approximately 2-pages in length. You will need resubmit an updated version of this document every quarter.

PROJECT TITLE
INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE
o Briefly summarize the field of study.
o State the question or hypothesis that you plan to study and/or state the specific objective(s) of the proposed study.
PROCEDURES
o Explain the methods of data collection and analysis.
o Describe the expected results.
Bibliography
o List at least 5 publications that are pertinent to the project and cite these references in the text of your proposal. Use the following format for your references and list them in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name. For example:
- Bareyre, FM, Kerschensteiner, M, Raineteau, O, Mettenleiter, TC, Weinmann, O, and Schwab, ME (2004) The injured spinal cord spontaneously forms a new intraspinal circuit in adult rats. Nature Neuroscience 7:269-277.

Section 3: PROOF OF SAFETY COMPLIANCE:

Please list all safety trainings and certifications you have completed prior to beginning your research tasks and activities.
If you are working with human subjects, CITI training (or equivalent) is required.

Culminating Assignment: All students will submit a research paper as their culminating assignment, due by Friday of Finals Week. Instructions for the research paper will be sent following successful enrollment in RES PRC 199.

All approved RES PRC 199 students will be added to the Research Practice Bruin Learn page for resources to help with writing a research paper, presenting your research, and more.

Step 2: Submit your Course Proposal

Email your Course Proposal to researchpractice@college.ucla.edu.
- Use “RES PRC 199 course request” in the subject line.
- Copy on the email the appropriate Undergraduate Research Center. If your research is in the life sciences, physical sciences, or engineering disciplines, cc:
  urcsciences@college.ucla.edu. If your research is in the humanities, arts or social sciences disciplines, cc: urhass@college.ucla.edu.
Your proposal will be reviewed and you will be notified of its approval. Once it is approved you can create your contract.

Step 3: Faculty Mentor Assignment/Approval

Once your proposal is approved, you will receive an email from the Research Practice team with your URC Faculty Mentor assignment or approval to begin creating a contract with your off-campus, UCLA-affiliated faculty mentor. If you are unsure if your off-campus faculty mentor is UCLA affiliated, please contact us at researchpractice@college.ucla.edu with your faculty mentor’s first and last name. All course contracts will be created via MyUCLA.

Please follow the instructions received via email carefully and obtain your Faculty Mentor’s signature on your contract.

Step 4: Contract Submission

Once your contract has been signed, please submit your contract to the Research Practice Message Center queue (Topic: Research Practice (RES PRC) Subject Area Questions Only) via MyUCLA for final enrollment processing. Students will receive confirmation via Message Center once they have been officially enrolled in the course.

Step-by-step enrollment instructions can be found here.

Course Expectations

FAQ

When is RES PRC 199 offered?

RES PRC 199 is offered during the academic year (Fall, Winter Spring), and during Summer Session A10. If you would like to enroll in Summer Session C, please reach out to researchpractice@college.ucla.edu for approval.

Can I enroll in less than or more than 4 units?

No, units are fixed at 4 units for the RES PRC 199 course.

Should I take RES PRC 195 or 199 during the Summer?

We highly recommend enrolling in RES PRC 195 during the Summer if eligible. Enrollment in RES PRC 195 includes opportunities for professional development through workshops hosted by various faculty members and researchers, a guaranteed presentation slot in the SPUR Showcase, and more.

Can I present my research during the Summer?

Yes, our department hosts a virtual Summer Program for Undergraduate Research Showcase during Weeks 8 and 10 of Session A. If you are interested in presenting, please reach out to researchpractice@college.ucla.edu for more information.