A new and exciting opportunity initiated in 2019, CHM 395Y represents an independent research project conducted under the direction of a departmental teaching-stream or tenure-stream faculty member. Students are expected to spend approximately 180 hours on their research problem either during the summer (May – August) or during the fall/winter semesters.
Research progress is assessed partway through the project via a mid-course review conducted between the student and the supervisor in June (summer projects) or December (fall/winter projects). Students are required to submit a thesis during August (summer projects) or April (fall/winter projects) that reports the findings of their research project. The thesis is evaluated by their research supervisor and an additional faculty member. Students also present their work in the form of a research poster that is showcased and evaluated by judges at a summer or winter undergraduate poster session. Students are highly encouraged to additionally attend and present their research at the annual Southern Ontario Undergraduate Student Chemistry Conference (SOUSCC) held in late-March.
When taken during the summer, CHM 395Y represents an excellent opportunity for international students who are ineligible to apply for funded scholarships.
Application Process
Eligible students are required to have completed at least 2.0 FCEs of CHM courses with a minimum cGPA of 3.0 in all CHM courses. Projects in the areas of environmental, computational, analytical, physical, inorganic, materials, organic and biological chemistry are typically offered. Students are firstly encouraged to visit the websites of faculty members prior to submission of their application to get some ideas of available research opportunities. After this, they need to personally identify and speak to a potential faculty supervisor before completing the application form (PDF) and contacting the Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies for enrolment permission. Applications are generally made each year during March (for summer projects) and during July (for fall/winter projects). Any questions about the course or the application process should be directed to Professor Andy Dicks (andrew.dicks@utoronto.ca).