Grad FAQ

The following topics address questions that have been frequently asked over the years. If you have an FAQ topic you would like to have addressed here, please contact Marc Pline at marc.pline@biology.gatech.edu (Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to insure that the following information is accurate and timely, it can never be construed as authoritative.)

Audio-visual equipment
Banner
Computer accounts in Biology
Copy machine
Course closed
Course restricted
Course scheduling
FAX
Health insurance
Keys
Lab rotation
Offices
Overloads
Permits
Room reservations
Special Problems (Biol 8901, 8902)
Teaching assistantships - assignments
Telephones
Thesis (Biol 7000, 9000)
Variable hour courses

AUDIO-VISUAL EQUIPMENT
Rooms 204, 320 and 322 have overhead projectors that are not to be taken from the room. Portable overhead projectors are available for use in other rooms within Cherry Emerson. Room 320 is equipped with a long lens 35mm slide projector with remote control. It is locked up and available for use in room 320 only. Ask the main office staff for the key. A second slide projector is available for use in other rooms and is kept in the audiovisual closet. Ask a faculty or staff member for access.

Computer projectors are located in rooms 204, 320 and 322. Ask the Main Office Staff for instruction in their use before using them for the first time. They may also be connected to laptop computers with a special cable that can be checked out from the main office. The projector in room 320 can be connected to a VCR, a MAC or a PC on a mobile cart. Ask a faculty or staff member for access to the cart and instruction.

Portable computer projectors compatible with PCs and MACs can be checked out to biology personnel from the main office. Request instruction before using them for the first time.

In addition, rooms 204 and 322 have TV / VCR units. Remotes are available from the main office.

In general, audiovisual equipment is not to be removed from the building without explicit permission from the Administrative Manager or the Chairman.

BANNER
Banner is the software system that runs virtually every computerized administrative function on campus, including OSCAR (On-line Student Computer Assisted Registration).

COMPUTER ACCOUNTS IN BIOLOGY
In addition to your acme (e-mail) account that is provided to every student by the GT Office of Information Technology, each graduate student is allowed an in-house account on the computers in room 206 Cherry Emerson. They are available whenever room 206 is not being used for teaching. Each secure account has substantial memory on a local server, internet access on Netscape and Internet Explorer, several programs including MS Office with Word, Excel, Power Point, Binder, a Photo editor, Visual Genetics, Corel Draw and Rasmol, and connection to a printer in the room. See the Computer Services Representative or the Lab Manager for an account application.

Security Issues - Students who leave a computer either logged in and/or locked and unattended for an extended period of time will have their account blocked after the first infraction, and disabled for the remainder of the term after the second infraction.

COPY MACHINES
Two digital copy machines are located in room 208. These are available for school related business by faculty, staff and graduate students. Faculty and staff have access codes for this machine. Graduate students and undergraduate teaching assistants may be given access. Inquire in the main office. Request assistance from the main office staff if paper jams or the machine otherwise fails. Always ask main office staff for the correct materials to make transparencies. Improper materials may melt and damage the machines.

COURSE CLOSED
See Overloads.

COURSE RESTRICTED
See Permits.

COURSE SCHEDULING
To maintain full-time status in Fall, Spring or Summer terms, a graduate student must register for at least 12 hours of letter grade (L/G) or pass/fail (P/F) courses. In Fall or Spring, 3 of these 12 hours may be taken as audit, but only with advisor/departmental approval.

In Summer, 6 of these 12 hours may be taken as audit with advisor/departmental approval. For definitive campus-wide guidelines, see Graduate Course Load under the Biology Student Intranet webpage.

The following is suggested for full-time biology graduate students. A typical first semester (Fall) graduate student will sign up for the following courses:

Biol 8002 Departmental Seminar (1 hr credit)
Biol 8101 Introduction to Research (2 hrs credit)
Biol 8901 Special Problems (3 hrs credit) - first lab rotation
6 hrs credit or more of other courses appropriate to your program of study. These may include any of the Biol 7913/4, 7923/4, or 7963/4 "Advances in ..." (2 hrs credit) courses that may be offered Fall Semester.

If you have received a Teaching Assistantship or Research Assistantship, you will also register for up to 9 hours of Biol 8997 or 8998, which are audit courses, to bring your total to 21 hours.

A typical second semester (Spring) graduate student will sign up for the following courses:

Biol 8003 Departmental Seminar (1 hr credit)
Biol 8902 Special Problems (3 hrs credit) - second lab rotation
8 hrs credit or more of other courses appropriate to your program of study. These may include any of the Biol 7913/4, 7923/4, or 7963/4 "Advances in ..." (2 hrs credit) courses that may be offered Spring Semester.

If you have received a Teaching Assistantship or Research Assistantship, you will also register for up to 9 hours of Biol 8997 or 8998, which are audit courses, to bring your total to 21 hours.

Maximum hours in Summer term is 16. If you have a GTA or GRA for Summer term, register for up to 4 hours of 8997 or 8998 to bring your total to 16 hours.

See Special Problems and Thesis.

FAX
A Fax machine is available in room 201 during office hours for school related business. Ask one of the office staff to assist you.

HEALTH INSURANCE
According to the 2001-2003 General Catalogue, p. 11, supplemental insurance to cover major illnesses and surgeries, specialist consultations, and diagnostic procedures (not available at the Student Health Center) should be purchased by all students who are not included in their parents' or spouses' medical insurance plans. See p. 10, 11 of the General Catalogue for services provided by the Student Health Center to students who have paid the health fee.

KEYS
Keys are issued by the Building Manager with the approval of a faculty member or the Lab Manager to specific persons needing access to a research lab, teaching lab, or personal office in Cherry Emerson Building. Keys are never issued to faculty or anyone else for bulk distribution. A deposit policy is being considered and may be instituted in the near future.

Safekeeping of keys should be taken very seriously. NEVER TRANSFER ASSIGNMENT OF A KEY TO ANOTHER PERSON - always return it to the building manager or the lab manager! Registration and/or payroll holds may be placed on students who do not return keys when they should.

LAB ROTATION
See Special Problems.

OFFICES
Currently, space exists in Cherry Emerson for the assignment of offices to most graduate students and all post-doctoral fellows working in the building. Priority is as follows: post-doctoral fellows, PhD students, financially supported Master's students, and unsupported Master's students. (Office / desk space for graduate students working in the IBB or ES&T Buildings is at the discretion of their professor.)

In Cherry Emerson, offices are assigned by the Lab Manager within the first few weeks of your arrival. While not always possible, every effort is made to place students near their research labs. Because of changing needs for space in the building, you may or may not keep the same office throughout your program. Basic furniture such as a desk, chair and filing cabinet are provided. If you need furniture, internet connection or room repairs, see the Building Manager. Telephones are not provided by the school in PhD or Masters graduate offices, but may be provided in post-doctoral offices or research labs by the major professor.

OVERLOADS
When a course lecture section or lab section fills up during registration, Banner closes that section. Many schools anticipate that popular courses will fill up and they will set aside one or more seats for students who were shut out of the course but who "must get in" for one of any number of reasons. As with registration, the early bird gets the worm. If you are closed out of a section, first try to rearrange your schedule so that you can take a different section of the same course that's not closed. If that doesn't work, quickly go to the school offering the course and request an overload. Most schools require your physical presence to request an overload; each school handles them differently. You can find out if you received an overload by checking your "Registration Status" on-line.

Don't sit back and wait. In many courses, the number of registrants fluctuates constantly during registration. If you don't get the overload you requested, monitor the numbers as often as possible and you might be able to grab a seat when one becomes available. "Request for Overload" forms for biology courses may be found shortly before and during phase 1 and phase 2 registration on the door of room 321 Cherry Emerson: Those courses which require the instructor's signature on the overload request form are posted on the door.

Almost all overload requests are granted within 24 hours if overload space is still available. Overloads are issued for 48 hours only. Requests are not taken over the phone or by e-mail.

Important ! You must still register for the course if you receive an overload.

PERMITS
There are at least seven categories by which schools may restrict access to courses, and it is up to them to decide on a case by case basis if you are to be allowed into the course. Most restrictions are indicated in OSCAR beneath each course title. Most "permit required" courses are those which require a professor's personal approval because you will be working in their lab. Other courses may be restricted to undergraduates only. Graduate students are automatically restricted from taking any course below a 4000 level. If you feel that your circumstances warrant you being allowed into a course regardless of these restrictions, you must request a permit from the professor or school that is offering the course, and the approval of your advisor. You will note that this is a request, and as such may not be given. But then again, you might get lucky.

If you receive a permit to register for a course below the 4000 level, you must go to the registrar's office to be registered for the course. You can find out if you received a permit by checking your "Registration Status" on-line. "Request for Permit" forms for restricted biology courses may be found shortly before and during phase 1 and phase 2 registration on the door of room 321 Cherry Emerson. In general, you need the signature of the professor who will be teaching the course before submitting the completed form back to the door of room 321. Requests are not taken over the phone or by e-mail.

Important ! You must still register for the course if you receive a permit.

ROOM RESERVATIONS
Scheduled classes are posted on the doors of classrooms and teaching laboratories in Cherry Emerson. Reservation of rooms when classes are not scheduled is on a first come, first served basis. Fill out the reservation form found on most classroom doors; otherwise tape a post-it note to the door indicating time, duration, date and contact person. Because of the availability of offices and lounges, you may use the library, conference room and classrooms but may not reserve them for private activities such as studying. Reservation of teaching laboratories is by arrangement only with the Laboratory Manager.

In general, Biomedical Engineering in IBB and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences or Chemical Engineering in ES&T control access to common rooms in those buildings

SPECIAL PROBLEMS (Biol 8901, 8902)
You will familiarize yourself with the research that is being conducted in the school through what is called Lab Rotation or Special Problems. Three (3) credit hours of Special Problems is required, and only three credit hours of Special Problems will count toward your degree.

Discuss your research interests with the faculty before you arrive or as soon as you arrive. Find a professor who will agree to have you work in their lab the first semester, and register for 3 credit hours of Biol 8901. The specific section you register for is determined by the first three letters of the professor's last name.

If you decide at the end of the first semester that you would like to continue working in the same lab, but you have not yet formalized a thesis topic, register for 3 credit hours of Biol 8902. (These 3 credit hours will count toward your full-time status as any letter grade (L/G) or pass/fail (P/F) course would, but they won't count toward your degree.) If, however, you feel it would be better to explore other research lab opportunities, and come to an agreement with another professor, sign up for Biol 8901 the second semester under the section corresponding to that professor.

Rarely, a graduate student may enter the program already under the full tutelage of a professor and actively working on a stated research project and thesis topic, or they may develop a thesis topic by the end of their first semester. Under this circumstance, the student should register for 3 credit hours of Special Problems 8901 the first semester. For the second semester, with the professor's approval, the student should sign up for thesis hours (masters or doctoral) and bypass the second semester of lab rotation.

Occasionally, students will be allowed to register for a third semester of lab rotation / special problems if a good faith effort has been made to find a compatible research lab and/or develop a thesis topic but circumstances have prevented it.

For definitive campus-wide guidelines, see Graduate Course Load under the Biology Student Intranet webpage.

Registering - After receiving approval from the professor, register for 3 credit hours of Special Problems. Special Problems is a restricted, variable hour course. See Permits and Variable hour courses.

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS / ASSIGNMENTS
The Laboratory Manager makes teaching assignments for those graduate students receiving teaching assistantships. An effort is made to match a graduate student's background with the lab subject which they'll teach, but since good matches are few, you may be expected to teach any of the undergraduate labs.

A typical weekly teaching load includes two 3-hour lab sections, about 1 hour of a weekly prep meeting, several hours devoted to grading reports and quizzes, and occasionally proctoring exams for the professor.

In scheduling your teaching responsibilities, every effort is made at the beginning of the term to accommodate your course work and research activities as much as possible. Once that schedule is made, your teaching responsibilities take precedence over all other responsibilities.

PLEASE NOTE: After the term of contract (usually 9-12 months) expires for entering graduate students who have received a teaching assistantship, such assistantships are extended by the Chair in consultation with the graduate committee. This is generally done provided the student makes satisfactory progress. Support is generally limited to 2 years for the M.S., or 5 years for the Ph.D. Extensions require a special review and approval.

TELEPHONES
Telephones are in faculty and staff offices, and a phone without long-distance access is in room 208 Cherry Emerson. Phones may be in a research lab or a post-doctoral fellow's office if a professor has had them installed. Dial 9 to access local off-campus lines. Dial the last 5 digits of on-campus lines.

THESIS (Biol 7000 or 9000)
Once you have developed with your academic advisor a Thesis Topic, you will begin registering for thesis hours. This usually occurs by the end of the second semester but may occur after the first semester if your research progress warrants it, and your professor agrees. Concurrently, you must submit your Program of Study to the Graduate Committee Chairman.

Full-time students working exclusively on thesis research should be registered for 18-21 hours of Biol 7000 or 9000 (Master's or Doctoral Thesis) in Fall or Spring semesters, and for up to 16 hours during Summer term. If you are taking other courses either for letter grade (L/G) or pass-fail (P/F), you may reduce the number of thesis hours accordingly. If you have a research or teaching assistantship (audit courses), register for 9 hours of assistantship (4 hours in summer) and for 12 hours of thesis (or thesis plus other L/G or P/F courses), for a total of 21 hours (16 hours in summer).

For definitive campus-wide guidelines, see Graduate Course Load under the Biology Student Intranet webpage.

Registering - thesis hours can vary. See Variable hour courses.

VARIABLE HOUR COURSES
Variable hour courses are indicated in OSCAR under the CR HRS (credit hours) column as a range of hours, usually 1 TO 21, or 1 TO 9. Generally, the number of hours that you will register for is determined by the professor with whom you will be working. You should consult with them before registering.

When you register on-line for a variable hour course, the default number of credit hours is 1. At the bottom of the Add/Drop Classes page, click on the "Change Class Options" link to change the number of credit hours.

If you have questions about the School of Biology that you feel would be of interest to current and future biology majors, please submit them to Marc Pline.