I'm a sophomore so hopefully I still have time. I haven't been turned down yet, but I'm almost certain I will be. The lack of research will probably be the major deciding factor.
Actually I would say the deciding factor is that you are a sophomore - like I said they are looking for people who are applying this summer for med school. I would reapply again for the summer you are applying to med school.
Two questions:
1) I'm sure I can look it up but if you know of the top of your head, what is an honors project and how do I do one?
2) Would working in a lab that studies biomechanical response to car crashes count as research? It technically is a research lab that has a driving simulator and gets videos from volunteers that place a device in their cars. I may get involved in it, it sounds really interesting.
1. from
http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/about/honors.html
College of Engineering Honors Program
Graduating with Honors is a prestigious distinction that will not only be recognized during commencement, but it will also be noted on your diploma and your permanent academic records.
Related LinksUniversity Honors ProgramHow to Graduate with Honors in the College of Engineering
(The following links are .pdf files. Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
here)
Requirements
Printable version
Part I of Application
Part I needs to be filled out and turned into Rebecca Whitaker, Dean's Office, during the semester you are taking Honors Seminar. (Please type directly onto the form.)
Part II of Application
Part II needs to be filled out and turned into Rebecca Whitaker, Dean's Office,
at least four weeks prior to your anticipated graduation date. (Please type directly onto the form.)
Honors Project Guidelines
In accordance with The University of Iowa's Honors Program, we'll be implementing the same format for your Honors Project. (Same cover page guidelines and same margin guidelines.) We will also be submitting a copy of your Honors Project to The University of Iowa Honors Program for binding and storage.
Requirements
- Completion of all requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree with a minimum UI cumulative grade-point average of 3.33.
- Exceptional accomplishment as demonstrated by completion of an approved project under the supervision of a faculty member. (Examples include: research; directed independent study; development of a computer-assisted tutorial for a course; creation of a demonstration experiment or a new experiment for an engineering course; or other departmentally approved enrichment or extracurricular activity.)
- Completion of a written report and an oral presentation on the finished honors project.
- Satisfactory completion of at least one semester of the Honors Seminar course, 57:001, 1 sh.
- Verification by the honors certification committee that the honors requirements have been fulfilled. The honors departmental adviser and the students faculty mentor will comprise the certification committee. Both committee members must certify the achievement of honors status.
- Submission of Part II of the application at least four weeks prior to the date of college graduation.
- Hours earned from enrollment in independent study for the honors project cannot count toward the 128 sh required for a B.S.E. degree.
College of Engineering Honors Program Seminar
The College of Engineering Honors Program Seminar (
057:001) is one of the requirements for undergraduate engineering students who seek recognition as an Honor Student.
Generally, students register for the seminar in their junior year, but some wait until later. The seminar is a one-credit hour, weekly meeting of the College's Honor Students. The students discuss current events that involve engineering issues, increase their awareness of the College's resources and research areas, participate in a group project that investigates a common interest area of the students, attend other significant University and all-College professional events, and present their Honors Projects in a special seminar.
An example of the group project is the investigation of airport security conducted by the Fall 2002 seminar students. Each student explored a different aspect of airport security: threat & security alternatives, current procedures & plans for improvement, assessment of needs, government regulations & programs, and customer service. The Director of the Eastern Iowa Airport gave an invited lecture to the class. The class prepared a brief report of their findings.
Departmental Honors Advisors
Biomedical Engineering -- Dr. Ed Dove
Chemical Engineering -- Dr. Audrey Butler
Civil Engineering -- Dr. Michelle Scherer
Electrical Engineering -- Dr. John Robinson
Industrial Engineering -- Dr. Linda Boyle
Mechanical Engineering -- Dr. H.S. Udaykumar
2. Yes it does count as research - however have you thought about whether you would like to do a PhD in BME or are you interested in another field, such as chemistry? If you aren't wanting to do an engineering PhD I would recommend trying to get more wet lab (traditional) experiance. The same MSTP I refeered to in an earlier post had some difficulty with his application because his research experiance was in computer protein modeling. He told me that some people said he had not experianced the "highs and lows of bench work" and thus wasn't truly prepared for MD/PhD. However, he did get in on his first try so this isn't true everywhere.