This is the advising FAQ page. We also maintain a general FAQ page for prospective students.
Edit FAQ order (choose the iCons 2, 3, or 4 category, not general)
If you enter iCons as a freshman:
The normal sequence of iCons courses is:
If you enter iCons as a sophomore:
The normal sequence of iCons courses is:
If you have met the pre-requisites, you may petition to take iCons 2 and iCons 3 at the same time, and you may be added on a space-available basis. Students wanting to get into iCons 3 in the "typical" sequence have priority over students wanting to take iCons 3 early.
If you would like to change tracks, please contact icons@cns.umass.edu and provide a statement of why you would like to change tracks.
Yes, for most majors, but please contact icons@cns.umass.edu to double-check with us.
You follow this two-step process:
The two section of iCons 2 meet at different times:
If you have already taken ICONS 189H, you simply add it in SPIRE. iCons 2 = ICONS 289H. There are two sections listed:
The three iCons 3 courses are:
Aim to find a lab where the research is interesting to you, and where you can draw a connection to your iCons problem area (either Biomedicine/Biosystems or Renewable Energy -- for now). Read UMass Amherst faculty research websites, listen to your gut about what you find interesting, then write a short email to each of the professors whose research interests you. Make sure to do the following in your message:
If you get a meeting, make sure to prepare for the meeting by downloading a paper of theirs and read it, generating thoughtful questions and even some of your own ideas for future work. If the 1st meeting goes well and you remain interested in their work, ask for a follow-up meeting where you talk about the possibility of joining their lab, eventually leading to your having your own project. Then, if/when you join their lab, be a good team player and a careful, creative, honest, and hard-working scientist. That's all :)
If you have already taken iCons 2 Biomed, then you can simply add iCons 3 Biomed in SPIRE. The current formal course name is ICONS 390BH.
If you have already taken iCons 2 RE, then you can simply add iCons 3 RE in SPIRE. The formal course name is ICONS 389H, which is the permanent course number.
iCons 3 RE is:
Friday 1:25-4:15PM (lab). Wednesday 8:30-9:55AM (discussion section).
Interested students must first email the instructor, Mila Sherman, and express interest in the course. You must mention you are in iCons.
The prerequisites for the course include working knowledge of Excel, calculus, probability, statistics, familiarity with accounting terms and basic computer literacy.
iCons 4 is made up of 6 credits of research or project work (outside of iCons courses) and two 1-credit iCons seminars taken in the Fall and Spring semesters of your Senior year. Here is how it breaks down:
Advanced Study Options:
If you are unsure about your Advanced Study plans, please email icons@cns.umass.edu to ask for advice.
No, there is no iCons thesis. If you are in Commonwealth Honors College, you will do your thesis through your department.
You must be able to articulate the following details in your plan, due April of your junior year:
View the 499-Y Honors Research Instructions and Contract and Registration Form
Choose a project that offers a balance between: (i) Your intellectual interest in a given topic and (ii) The topic's potential for transformative science.
How do you know if a topic has scientific potential? Ask yourself whether it will allow for the application of the Scientific Method.
The steps of the Scientific Method:
A structured research or design project of 6 credits taken over 2 semesters, such as:
To be considered an “iCons Advanced Study Project” the project must meet the following criteria:
In general, the iCons 4 (i4) research adviser offers advice to help you succeed in your research project. Such advice might involve (but is not limited to) help in choosing topics and questions, in framing hypotheses and designing experiments, and in analyzing and interpreting data. Your research adviser may also provide encouragement and perspective along the way of your research experience.
From an administrative perspective, your i4 research adviser provides constructive criticism on your proposal, and eventually accepts the proposal and hence gives you the green light to do the work. Your i4 research adviser then meets with you in a mutually-agreed-upon meeting schedule, to help supervise the research. Then your i4 research adviser provides constructive criticism on your written thesis, and eventually gives you a grade on your written thesis.
Your i4 research adviser is NOT involved with the peer support teams, the cohort wide meetings, the integrative experience, or any of the Senior Expo planning.
Enroll in "Dept" 396(H) for an independent study ("H" if you are in the Commonwealth Honors College), where "Dept" is the name of your major department. For example, if you are a biology major in CHC, you would sign up for Bio396(H).
No. The problem is that many potential advisors won't welcome you into their lab at the late date of senior fall or even summer's end. Many advisors will not allow a student to begin a new research project at the beginning of senior year, because that student has so little time to get up to speed on things. For many advisors, you'll need to convince them that you'll do some reading over the summer to get up to speed, so when you start in the Fall you can hit the ground running. It's much harder (namely impossible) to make that case if you approach them at the end of the summer or the beginning of senior fall. We strongly suggest you find a lab during junior spring, before you leave campus.
If you are NOT a member of the Commonwealth Honors College, the Senior Design Project may count for 6 credits of Advanced Study in iCons 4. The requirements are:
iCons starts with the premise that to solve really big problems, we need interdisciplinary technical approaches. So for every research project in iCons 4, it is crucial (why crucial?) for a student to engage in two different but related reflections:
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