Note to committee

The following note to the committee should be copied and pasted onto the body of the email to the advisory committee at the time of Research Proposal submission:

Note to Committee: (provided as written per Microbiology program guidelines) The Microbiology graduate program stipulates that a Research Proposal be distributed to committee members in the Fall of a students’ second year (usually due in late October). The Proposal is not typically accompanied by a committee meeting but serves as a precursor to the written and oral exams usually taken in spring of the second year, which also focus on the student’s proposed research. Usually, the Proposal is a nascent and distilled version of the anticipated Written Prelim. The primary purpose of the Proposal is to identify any major concerns that may exist so that the student does not move forward with a fatally flawed project; however, a rewrite may be requested for any reason. The Proposal also affords the student a chance to work more closely on developing the written Proposal with their PI, who is not allowed to help edit the Written Prelim. Moreover, feedback from committee members can be invaluable in helping students avoid mistakes or confusion on their Written Prelims. Evaluation of the Proposal should proceed as follows:
•	Within two weeks of receiving the Proposal, committee members should notify the student and the Graduate Program Administrator whether the Proposal is acceptable or not.
•	Faculty may simply indicate “acceptable” or they may provide additional comments and suggestions to help with the longer Written Prelim. Consultation is usually done by email or one-on-one. Typically, the committee does not meet following the Proposal.
•	If significant changes are warranted, faculty should indicate to the student, his/her advisor, and the Graduate Program Administrator that the student must provide a new or substantially revised Proposal. Again, a two-week turnaround from receipt of the revised Proposal to notification is expected.
•	Upon conferring with the advisor and other committee members, a meeting of the full committee to discuss the Proposal may be in order.
•	It is expected that a version of the Proposal be accepted by all committee members by the end of November at the latest.