Zoology Honours - Information for Applicants

Entrance Requirements

Students are required to have attained above 65% in their undergraduate coursework. Prospective students should arrange an interview with the honours coordinator during the October prior to intended study. Applications by UWA students should be made online via StudentConnect no later than December 21st. Prospective students from outside UWA, both national and international, should contact the Coordinator of Honours. Procedures for application for external students can be found in the External Students Application Pack. Late applications will be considered up to 31 January but incur a late application fee of $100. All students must enrol for and complete their hons year within 4 years of finishing their undergraduate degree.

The Course

There are four units in the 48 point course, Honours in Zoology: [Major/Programme Code 5011H]

Group project [FNAS Special Topic SCIE7480]
Literature Review and Thesis Proposal [FNAS Research Preparation SCIE7472]
Individual Project [FNAS Research Thesis SCIE7474/7475/7476/7477/7478]
Perspectives in Science [FNAS Research Orientation SCIE7479]

The Group Project, worth 9 points, occupies the first 10 weeks of the course. The number of groups and size of each group depends on the size of the overall class and on the nature of the projects but typically each group will comprise between 4-5 students. Group projects are closely supervised by one or two members of staff and are intended to give students introductory experience in designing and completing a research project while, at the same time, developing a sense of camaraderie that will be valuable throughout the year. When the size of the Honours class is sufficiently high to warrant running 2 or more Group Projects concurrently, a meeting will be called at the beginning to discuss the project choice. Students essentially will be free to select their preferred Group Project, but ideally the selection should ensure different advisors for the Group and Individual projects. Each group will present the findings at a Departmental seminar and submit a thesis for examination. Assessement will be the responsibility of the project supervisors and will involve an individual viva with each group member.

The Individual Project, worth 30 points. Students should discuss potential projects with all members of staff at the beginning of the course. A list of staff and their research interests is provided below. Projects may also be proposed from bodies outside the School of Animal Biology, including other schools, CALM, Fisheries WA, Perth Zoo and Western Australian Museum. In such cases the student must organise a qualified supervisor within Animal Biology to chair their panel. Once a student has committed themself to an individual project, the Honours Coordinator will appoint a panel of up to 3 persons to serve as an advisory panel. The panel will comprise of the principal supervisor of the project and at least one academic member of staff who is an expert in the field of study, and/or one member of staff learned but not necessarily expert in the field.

The Department provides a sum of $800 for each Individual Project, and $100 is allocated for printing of theses. An important part of the Individual Project is designing and carrying out your investigation within the constraint imposed by the budget. To ensure that you always remain within budget keep your own independent ledger of all spending, preferably using an Excel spreadsheet. Keep an accurate record of the numbers of pages of photocopying, of printing and kilometres travelled using departmental vehicles. The purchasing officer and the Honours coordinator will monitor your spending, independently, to ensure that you do not go over budget. There may be sources of funding outside the school and students are encouraged to seek additional funding where necessary. Students should consult their principal supervisor and the Honours Coordinator for potential sources of funding.

The Literature Review and Thesis Proposal is worth 6 points. It is expected that the first six weeks of the Individual Project would be spent on preparing the review and proposal. The objective is to prepare a critical, synthesis of the literature providing the context for the project and from which the thesis statement should emerge. Hence a formal thesis proposal is expected. The Literature Review and Thesis Proposal is intended to provide both the intellectual framework for the project and formal experience in planning a research project. The review and proposal is marked by all members of the Individual Project advisory panel, with critical comment being provided on one draft only before the final version is submitted. Students present their proposals to a Departmental seminar, providing opportunity for additional critical comment. A budget statement should be included.

The course Perspectives in Science, is worth 3 points. The course is intended to encourage development of a broad view and understanding of science. A member or members of the School of Animal Biology will select a book to be read and critically discussed by the honours group. Each student will submit a formal book review which will be double marked. Five weeks are allocated to this formal part of the course. The Honours Coordinator will also organise a series of workshops to be attended throughout the year, and honours students must attend all postgraduate and departmental research seminars. Postgraduate seminars take place on Fridays at 1.00pm throughout the year. Departmental seminars take place on Fridays at 4.00pm during semester.

Staff Interests and Potential Research Areas

Research projects are offered broadly in line with the Current Interests of Staff in the School of Animal Biology. Applicants are encouraged to contact relevent staff members for further information on available projects and to view the individual staff members personal web pages where provided.

Prof Lyn Beazley
Development and regeneration of the vertebrate visual system, neurobiology, colour vision.
lynb@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

A/Prof Bob Black
Population and Marine Ecology
rblack@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

A/Prof Sarah Dunlop
Development and regeneration of the vertebrate visual system
sarah@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Dr Jon Evans
Behaviour & Evolution of freshwater fishes
jonevans@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Prof Mike Johnson
Population and conservation genetics
msj@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Dr Jason Kennington
Population and conservation genetics
wjk@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Dr Brenton Knott
Crustacean biology, aquiculture
bknott@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Dr Jamie O'Shea
Comparative morphology, bat ecology and physiology, vertebrate cardiac function
jeoshea@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Dr Jane Prince
Marine Ecology
jprince@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Prof Dale Roberts
Amphibian conservation, ecology and evolutionary biology
droberts@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Prof Leigh W. Simmons
Evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology
lsimmons@cyllene.uwa.edu.au Website: http://www.ceb.uwa.edu.au

Dr Joseph TomkinsCondition-dependence and sexual selection
jtomkins@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Prof Phil Withers
Comparative physiology
pwithers@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Contact

Coordinator of Honours
Professor Leigh W. Simmons
Centre for Evolutionary Biology
School of Animal Biology (M092)
The University of Western Australia
Nedlands
WA 6009

Tel: 08 6488 2221; FAX: 08 6488 1029
lsimmons@cyllene.uwa.edu.au