Bright and highly motivated CALS students from all majors participate in CALS Honors alongside dedicated faculty from the college and scientists from the surrounding research community. Become involved with the CALS Honors Program!
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Register your research or teaching project
- Registering your project brings you visibility
- Students will contact you about working with you. (You may choose to keep it "hidden" if you have enough students seeking you out without additional visibility)
- Whether you have posted a project or not, you can agree to mentor a student who seeks you out
- The student will submit your name and the title of the project to the CALS Honors Program
- Scientists outside of CALS can also serve as mentors. The student must gain prior approval from the CALS Honors Program office in 111 Patterson Hall prior to enrolling in ALS 498H
Mentor students in a 2-semester research or teaching experience, ALS 498H and 499H
ALS 498H:
- Work with the student on the development of the proposal and help the student learn the protocols necessary to complete the proposal. Help the student set realistic research objectives, given the 2-semester time frame
- Evaluate the student's research proposal and submit a grade (S or U) by Friday of the first exam week to 111 Patterson Hall (Campus Box 7642)
ALS 499H:
- Provide guidance and encouragement as the research project progresses
- Evaluate the student's research paper and poster
- Submit a grade (S or U) by Friday of the first exam week to 111 Patterson Hall (Campus Box 7642)
Honors Program students are expected to make a substantial contribution to the course or research project in which they are involved. In either teaching or research, the student should be involved in planning, preparation, execution and reporting of the specific activity. The student should also be knowledgeable of the overall objectives of the course or research project and related activities in support of these objectives. In other words, the honors projects go beyond simply “working in a lab” or serving as a TA in a course.
All students enrolled in the CALS Honors Program are expected to complete a two-semester research or teaching project in the form of ALS 498H and ALS 499H under the guidance of a mentor within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or a mentor approved by CALS. ALS 498H and ALS 499H should be taken in successive semesters and can constitute a minimum of 1 credit hour per course and a maximum of 3 credit hours per course. Both of the courses are offered in the Fall, Spring, and Summer.
ALS 498H:
- Students submit a proposed project description form prior to enrollment, confirming the name of the mentor and the title of the project. Submission is both online and as a paper copy with mentor signature to 111 Patterson Hall
- Students submit a research proposal to their mentor within 3 weeks of the end of the semester. Students must also submit the final mentor-approved proposal both online and to 111 Patterson Hall in order to receive a final grade
ALS 499H:
- Students submit a project confirmation form prior to enrollment, confirming the name of the mentor and the project title. Submission is both online and as a paper copy with mentor signature to 111 Patterson Hall
- Students complete the proposed research and write a scientific paper with abstract, introduction, material and methods, results, and discussion sections. They submit the paper to their mentor 3 weeks before the end of the semester to allow for grading and feedback. Students must also submit the final mentor-approved paper both online and to 111 Patterson Hall in order to receive a final grade
- Students present their research in the form of a poster at one of the university's undergraduate research symposiums and submit a copy of the poster and poster abstract online
- Advice from the NC State Undergraduate Research Office: Best Mentoring Practices and Ideas
- Advice from Stanford University website
- If you are already mentoring a student, click here for the Grade Report Forms
- See the 2010-2011 Annual Report
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