Dean's Office Undergraduate Courses

The College of Biological Science Dean's Office supports a number of college wide undergraduate courses. These courses are unique courses that have a rotating topic or have been specifically designed for students within the biological science major. More details regarding each of these courses can be found below. 

The current courses include:

1. Applications in Biology, BIOL*3650 - restricted to specific majors within CBS and varies from year-to-year
2. Integrative Problems in Biology, BIOL*4020 - restricted to Biological Science majors
3. Internship in BIological Science, BIOL*3660 - open to all majors within CBS

Applications in Biology BIOL*3650 

Applications in Biology was created in 2015 with the goal to enrich our undergraduate programs by welcoming and supporting a practicing biologist from the public or private sectors to spend time on campus interacting with students.  This is seen as an opportunity to develop a ‘biologist-in-residence’ within the college, who would interact, inspire and teach students from the perspective of applications of biology and alternate career paths. This course was thus developed to be flexible in topics from year to year and is only offered when an external ‘resident’ is available. 

Past offerings and 'biologist-in-residence' for this course have included:

• Chris DeZorzi - Athletic Therapist, University of Guelph Department of Athletics
• Jennifer Bock and Kyle Horner - Communicating Science to the Public
• Jim Dougan and Associates - Director and Senior Ecologist of Dougan and Associates which is an incorporated ecological consulting & design firm 
• Joe Grabowski - Founder of Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, Science and Math Teacher, 2017 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellow 
  • Course Topic: Applications in Biology: Communicating Science for Public Education
• Janet MacKinnon - MSc (PT), MSc (Bio Med), BSc Hon, Registered Physiotherapist, Clinical Director of GWHA
  • Course Topic: Applications in Biology: Fundamentals of Physiotherapy
• Dr. Sherri Cox - Executive Director, Research Innovation & Knowledge Mobilization and Veterinarian
  • Course Topic - Wildlife Rehabilitation
• Valerie Blackmore, founder and CEO of Wyndham Forensic Group 
  • Course Topic - Applications in Biology - Forensic Science

Integrative Problems in Biology BIOL*4020 

Based on a number of factors including the recommendations from the B.Sc. Quality Assurance review, results from our curriculum mapping exercise, and the highly variable student population within the Biological Science majors, the College of Biological Science has created a fourth year course specifically geared towards Biological Science majors. The goal of creating this course is to create a culminating, independent, and integrative learning experience that contributes to the identity of the biological science major and ensures students can reflect on and demonstrate achievement of the major’s learning outcomes. 

In this 1.0 credit capstone course, students work in teams to explore and address an authentic biological problem using an integrative and interdisciplinary approach. Topics are proposed by an external client or source and will focus on a problem-related to societal needs (e.g, food, health, environment), advanced technologies (e.g., genetic modification), or aspirations (e.g., sustainability). Students will develop skills in problem identification and research, stakeholder analysis, ideation of solutions, and communication to address the client’s needs. This course is restricted to students in the Biological Science (BIOS) major who have completed a minimum of 14 credits.

Internship in Biological Science

The College of Biological Science (CBS) is excited to offer an Internship in Biological Science (BIOL*3660), available to all CBS students. Over the past couple of years there has been an increased interest, from the institution and provincial government, to support and increase work-integrated learning opportunities for undergraduate students.  We have also seen a growing amount of literature to support the benefits of work-integrated learning on student learning and career preparation.

What is a CBS Internship?

The Internship in Biological Science course provides an opportunity for independent learning in the biological sciences within a work-related environment (volunteer or paid). Students can work with an external organization or an academic or non-academic unit, on campus. Students will be expected to set personal and professional goals for themselves related to the development of employability skills. They will be required to critically reflect upon their development throughout the experience through reflective writing assignements. Using the knowledge of the organization that they gain through the experience; the student will be required to propose a subsequent plan to address a ‘problem’ that is generated from the work the student completes.

• Application Form

Criteria

The Internship is initiated when a student establishes a position with an organization, or unit within an organization (e.g. summer position, part-time job, volunteer opportunity). The organization will set the deliverables and requirements of the position, as well as hours and wages (if applicable). The student engages in the position, as outlined by the organization, and is expected to meet all requirements of the position. The student will simultaneously enrol in the Internship in Biological Science course to receive academic credit for their position with the organization. The College of Biological Science establishes the course requirements, which are guided by the work or volunteer experience, and are to be completed outside of work hours.

For the ‘work’ experience to qualify for this course, the following criteria must be met:

• The activity must comprise no less than 100 h and span from 3 to 14 weeks in duration
• The experience must involve a sustained activity in a workplace (volunteer or paid), with clear responsibilities that are related to an application of biological science knowledge or methods, and development of select employability skills
• A workplace Supervisor must be identified, who is a professional staff member with expertise in the field to which the experience relates
• The workplace Supervisor must be committed to provide regular feedback to the student.
• The workplace activity/project must be outlined on the workplace agreement form
• The workplace Supervisor must sign the workplace agreement form indicating they are committed to provide the necessary resources, facilities and training to complete the experience and to meet the defined goals/project
• The student must sign the workplace agreement form indicating they are committed to performing the outlined activities to the best of their abilities and in a professional manner

Opportunities that would not qualify for an internship:

• Co-op placements
• Peer Helper placement
• Positions that have already been completed

How to enroll in the course

The Internship in Biological Science is restricted to students who are enrolled in any CBS major. Students must have completed at least 7.50 credits and have a cumulative average of 60% or higher. Meeting these minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission into the course. Students must find their own internship position within an organization prior to submitting the application form to the course instructor.  

To be considered for the course each student must complete the Internship Application Form. This form is to be completed by the applicant with input from the external organization supervisor. Please note that the supervisor from the organization must be a professional/full-time staff member.

Once the application form is completed, it should be submitted to the course instructor along with a University of Guelph Undergraduate Course Waiver form. An accurate and up-to-date description of the position must be submitted with the application form to ensure that the position meets the criteria of the internship requirements. This could be the job posting or, if that is not available, a statement from the supervisor. If the application is approved, the course instructor will sign the course waiver form which will allow the student to enroll in the course.

Please note that a majority of the course is completed independently and outside of the scheduled class time. Students will be required to attend the first class meeting during the first week of the semester. Students will also be required to give presentations at the end of the semester. 

Current Opportunities

The College of Biological Science (CBS) does not place students in internship positions however we have been fortunate to have been contacted by a number of organizations that are looking for students. Below are descriptions of positions that organizations are currently recruiting students for. Students are responsible for applying directly to the organizations for the various positions. The selection of candidates is done by the organization itself and is independent of CBS and the University of Guelph. Please connect with exp.cbs@uoguelph.ca if you have any questions.