Student Resources

Integrative Capstone in Biological Sciences (B.A.)

The Integrative Capstone in Biological Sciences (BIOL F410, 3 credits) is a course-based project designed to integrate knowledge and skills learned in biology courses, including scientific knowledge and quantitative literacy, with science communication and another discipline, most commonly that chosen as your minor (e.g. arts or humanities). This course will be offered annually in the spring and will be available to students completing their degrees in person or online.

The Integrative Capstone in Biological Sciences course should be completed in your junior or senior year. 

The requirements are:

  1. The capstone project must be chosen by the student in consultation with the BIOL F410 instructor.
  2. The instructor must approve the project before work begins.
  3. The project should consist of:
    1. A product, which could take a variety of forms, depending on the nature of the project. For example, the product might be a written report, an art-science exhibit, a set of educational curricula, a virtual experience available through a public website or app, or other format
    2. A public dissemination component
    3. An oral or video presentation to the class
    4. A written reflection on the process

Students must successfully complete the BIOL F410 course with a C- or better to earn their capstone.

If you fall under catalog years 2022-23 or later, you are expected to complete BIOL F410: Integrative Capstone in Biological Sciences for your capstone. Click tab #1 to learn more about this class.

If you fall under an earlier catalog year, you are expected to complete BIOL F400 Research Capstone in Biological Sciences and do a research project either in a designated capstone class (e.g. BIOL F440, F441, F472, F473, F481) or working individually with a mentor. However, if you would like to replace that requirement with BIOL F410, you may do so, and you may count the BIOL F410 count as one of your required biology electives. You will need a petition to take advantage of these options; see your advisor or the BIOL F410 instructor for help.

In order to complete the Integrative Capstone in Biological Sciences for the B.A. in Biological Sciences, students must enroll and successfully complete BIOL 410. This course will be offered annually in the spring and will be available to students completing their degrees online or in person.

Catalog description:

BIOL F410  Integrative Capstone in Biological Sciences
3 Credits Offered Spring

In this course, students learn concepts of interdisciplinary integration across the sciences, arts, humanities, and social sciences. They then complete a capstone project that integrates the biological sciences with another discipline, most commonly that chosen as their minor. This meets the criteria for the B.A. in Biological Sciences. Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing.

BIOL F410 Integrative Capstone in Biological Sciences

This course provides a guided and mentored opportunity for students to design and complete an integrative capstone project that meets the criteria for the B.A. in Biological Sciences. The student learning outcomes of this capstone experience are to learn to a) integrate concepts and paradigms from the biological sciences and one or more other discipline (e.g., in the arts or humanities) to produce an original project, b) present integrative material effectively in oral and written form, and c) practice working in an interdisciplinary context. Students will learn about concepts in interdisciplinary integration of the biological sciences with the arts, humanities, and social sciences through a mixture of lectures, readings, and group discussions. Then, students will apply these concepts as they create a capstone project that integrates the biological sciences with another discipline, most commonly that chosen as their minor. Students will also submit a written reflection that describes the disciplinary concepts involved in the project, how they’ve been integrated, the process the student used to create the project, challenges faced, and lessons learned from the experience overall.  Students will receive regular guidance and feedback from the course instructor(s) as well as a mentor with relevant skills and experience in their secondary disciplinary area.

Links to Related Forms

Capstone Project Evaluation Form - non-fillable pdf

Each student’s project will be unique based on their interests and the disciplines involved. Below are a few examples of integrative capstone project types, though this is by no means exhaustive:

 

  • An art exhibit that integrates climate change science with the visual arts
  • A dance performance about the discovery of the causative agents of infectious disease
  • An educational nature trail app for smartphones/tablets about the boreal forest ecology observable within the UAF campus trails
  • An environmental justice analysis of contaminated sites in ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Native communities
  • Traditional ecological knowledge and pharmacology of medicinal plants in Interior ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥
  • A paper on hibernation as metaphor in the literature of the Circumpolar North