Information for Biological Sciences Students
Topic outline
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For contact details of these and other biological sciences staff see the SBCS Academic Staff listing
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Biology Society
There's been a Biology Society or something like it on and off at QMUL for many years, but it's been inactive for a while now. We would very much like to restart the society and put it on a firm footing as a student-led organisation that:
- lets you get engaged with the subject through talks, field trips and other meetings and activities
- gives you a chance to meet up with staff on an informal basis
- helps with discussion and distribution of careers guidance and publicity for opportunities such as postgraduate research, volunteering on fieldwork and lab placements
We are always seeking volunteers (second or third-year undergraduates) to help with the setting-up and running of the society. If you're interested please mail me and let me know.
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Biological Sciences Student Representatives on SSLCStudent Reps (also known as Course Reps) are the key link between students and staff in their school.
Reps seek out students' views and represent them at Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) meetings, work in partnership with staff to improve their course and resolve any course-related issues as they arise throughout the year. Course Reps work closely with the Students' Union to campaign for change and make things better for students.
Programme
Year
Name
Email
Biology & Zoology
1
Vacant
Biology & Zoology
2
Vacant
Biology & Zoology
3
Medical Genetics
1
Vacant
Medical Genetics
2
Vacant
Medical Genetics
3
To see the full list of students (and see what is happening with the SSLC) follow the link to this page. -
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Each module will have a "module spcification". The purpose of the module specification is to articulate basic information about the module, specifically:
- A brief description of the module,
- Aims,
- Learning outcomes,
- Suggested reading, and
- Teaching and assessment methods.
Note that a module specification is not the same as course syllabus which you may have encountered at school; the former provides a basic overview of what the module should deliver while the latter explicitly lists all concepts that should be covered, and could be examined, in the course. -
As a biology student, you need to develop your general knowledge of the field. This will help you to understand the more specific topics you learn during your degree and a better general knowledge will help you put the material you learn in context. To help you with this we've put together a list of resources that you can use to keep up to date on what's going on in your chosen field of science.
Books
Click here to go to the recommended general reading list. This is a list of books that we think you ought to read. They are all "popular science" books, written to be accessible to the non-specialist, but that doesn't mean they're not worth reading: on the contrary, a good knowledge of the subjects covered here will be a huge help to you in understanding many of the concepts you'll encounter during your degree.
News
It's a good idea to try to keep up to date with science news: biology is a very fast moving science at the moment and there is lots of exciting stuff happening. Some good sources of information are:
BBC News Science and Environment Page
Check these regularly and you'll keep on top of what's going on. Some of these have RSS feeds so you can keep an eye on them with your favourite news aggregator if you like that sort of thing.
Blogs
Blogs tend to come and go and some of them have a tendency to post too many lolcats or holiday photos, and some others are get a bit too political or otherwise opinionated. Nonetheless, some really important discussions in science in recent years have happened mostly on blogs; one example is the "Arsenical life" controversy (see here, here, and here) and it's worth keeping an eye on what's going on.
General biology
Ecology
Evolution
Carl Zimmer's blog The Loom
Brian Switek's blog Laelaps
Dave Hone's blog at the Guardian, Lost Worlds
Zoology
Genetics and genomics
What You're Doing is Rather Desperate
Podcasts
Quirks and Quarks This is an absolutely superb science radio show from Canada.
Palaeocast If you have any interest in fossils then listen to this.
Heredity podcast from the genetics journal
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Throughout your degree you should be thinking about what the next step in your career will be and how you will achieve that step. You also need to have an alternative plan because career paths are rarely straight forward!
To help you find out more about opportunities open to you during your degree and after graduation, SBBS organises:
- Regular email updates listing opportunities available to you,
- Events for you to meet employers or find out more about your careers options,
- A QMplus page of careers information specific to SBBS, and
- One-to-one appointments with SBBS's Careers Consultant.
In addition, there is the QMUL Careers & Enterprise Service which organises a range of events for students across the university. Did you know that you can access QMUL Careers services for two years after you graduate?Remember: a successful career will not happen by accident and the perfect opportunity will not just fall at your feet. You have to be in charge of your career, look out for opportunities and make your career happen. What will you do with yours? -
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This document is a set of notes on plagiarism and a guide to referencing using the Harvard system which has been compiled for the use of students in the biological sciences. Please make a point of reading it, especially the section on plagiarism. Chemists please note that chemistry journals usually don't use Harvard referencing.
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The role of the Academic Advisor is to provide support and guidance to help you realise you academic potential.
You will meet your Academic Advisor during Induction week and that person will be your Advisor throughout your studies. In the event that your advisor leaves QMUL then you will be reassigned to another Advisor. If you are unsure of who your Advisor is, you can check your MySIS record.
SBCS recommends that Advisors meet with their students in one-to-one meetings throughout the degree programme. In addition, you can contact your Advisor outside of these meetings with study-related queries (note that module-specific queries should be directed to the Module Organiser in the first instance). It's usually best to email your Advisor and, if necessary, arrange a meeting with them.
Note that your Advisor will also be your tutor in the first year Essential Skills module (BIO100). This will give you opportunity to get to know each other. These tutorials also enable your Advisor to get to know your academic work so that they can write references for you when you apply for jobs and/or further study. Students should allow their Advisor five working days to provide a reference.
WIth your Advisor you can talk about your studies or issues that may impact on your ability to study. Your Advisor is not a trained counsellor but they are able to listen to your concerns. They should be able to answer questions directly related to your studies and direct you to appropriate specialised support for all other questions and concerns. Your Academic Advisor cannot take responsibility for, or solve, your problems - but they should be able to listen to you and provide you with support and guidance.
In the first instance, you will usually speak with your Academic Advisor. However, there may be situations where you want to contact a Programme Tutor. For example, you may have an issue relating to your Academic Advisor, or your Academic Advisor may be away from QMUL and unable to deal with an urgent and/or serious issue. In Biomedical Sciences we have several Programme Tutors:
- Dr Jayne Dennis
- Dr Chris Faulkes
- Dr Paul Hurd
- Dr Joanne Littlefair
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PASS (Peer Assisted Study Support) is a programme RUN BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS!PASS mentors cover a broad range of SBCS subjects and are here to help you overcome your daily academic struggles (and non-academic as well). We can provide some insight into how you can survive the year (whether you’re a 1st year that needs help easing into uni life or a 2nd year panicking over essay writing under exam conditions etc…)Come along to a session and discover how they can help you succeed!
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Queen Mary has a central Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS) that offers support for all students with disabilities, specific learning difficulties and mental health issues. The DDS supports all Queen Mary students: full-time, part-time, undergraduate, postgraduate, UK and international at all campuses and all sites.
Students can access advice, guidance and support in the following areas:
- Finding out if you have a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia,
- Applying for funding through the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA),
- Arranging DSA assessments of need,
- Special arrangements in examinations,
- Accessing loaned equipment (e.g. digital recorders),
- Specialist one-to-one "study skills" tuition,
- Providing educational support workers (e.g. note-takers, readers, library assistants),
- Ensuring access to course materials in alternative formats (e.g. Braille), and
- Mentoring support for students with mental health issues and conditions on the autistic spectrum.
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Queen Mary has an Advice and Counselling Service (ACS), based in Geography Square, that offers free support for all students at all stages of their degree studies. The full range of services offered by the ACS is detailed on their website (link below). On their website, you will find a series of self-help and guidance booklets covering such diverse issues as adapting to life as a student at university through making a claim for extenuating circumstances to requesting an interruption of studies or withdrawing.
