Toxicology Undergraduate Research Experience Program (TUREP)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Rationale and Scope

The University of Saskatchewan Toxicology Program wants to offer more research opportunities (either laboratory or field based) to its best undergraduate students, especially those in earlier years of their academic program.  The rationale is four-fold: (1) since we do not have a true laboratory-based undergraduate course in toxicology, this would provide at least a few more of our students with practical, hands-on experience in toxicology research that they are currently lacking and requesting; (2) it could encourage more of our good students to pursue graduate studies in Toxicology; (3) it could possibly entice a few new students to our program if this is implemented on a meaningful scale; and (4) it could be a way for us to encourage students to declare their Toxicology major earlier in their undergraduate career.  The Toxicology Undergraduate Research Experience Program (TUREP) was created to address these needs.  In order to facilitate faculty interest and participation in the program, the Toxicology Centre will pay 50% of the student wages; the participating faculty member will be required to pay the remaining 50%.  In order to participate, faculty members must be active in some aspect of the Toxicology Program.

Program Guidelines 

• The TUREP will be open to Toxicology Undergraduate Program majors only.  Students must therefore have formally declared their major prior to applying.
• The employment term runs for one academic term only, either Fall (Term 1) or Winter (Term 2).  Faculty are free to extend student employment past one term at their own discretion and expense.   Summer student employment already occurs at a meaningful scale, so this program will not apply to summer hires.
• The TUREP is a research experience program, not an independent research project; it is not part of a student’s formal academic program.
• Each position is offered for up to 8 hours per week during each term (to a maximum of 16 weeks), using standard U of S pay scales for undergraduate student assistants.  The Toxicology Centre’s commitment is capped at 50% of the employment cost to a maximum cost to $1,000 per student.  Faculty supervising a TUREP student are welcome to make commitments beyond that, but will then agree to pay 100% of the additional costs (e.g., if a student is hired for more than 8 hours/week).
• There will be three TUREP positions created each Fall and Winter term starting in Fall 2013.  Pending availability of qualified candidates, one position per term will be awarded to one student enrolled in each of Years 1, 2 and 3 of the Toxicology Undergraduate Program.  Fourth-year students are not eligible (many of these students are already offered employment opportunities, especially during the summer, and TUREP should not “compete” with TOX 480/481 for students).
• Students are only eligible for this program once during their undergraduate career.  Faculty are, of course, free to re-hire students in subsequent years outside of the TUREP.
• Students apply to be considered for the program using an application form available on the Toxicology Centre website.  The form will include their research interests and identification of potential faculty supervisors.  Students must attach a copy of their most current U of S transcript, and their high school transcript if they are enrolled in Year 1 of their undergraduate program.
• Students who apply will be ranked largely based on academic standing.  Once ranked, the top student per term in each of the three eligible years (Years 1, 2 and 3) will be notified and can then freely select which Toxicology Program faculty member they want to work with (prior to each academic term, faculty members will indicate if they want to participate in the program that term and the resulting list provided to successful students).  Ranking and final selection of students who apply to the TUREP, and identification of the order in which successful candidates will be allowed to choose a supervisor, will be performed by the TUREP awards committee, comprised of the Toxicology Centre Director and Associate Director - Academic, and the Chair of the Toxicology Undergraduate Program. 
• If a faculty member decides, for whatever reason, that they do not want to work with a student who has identified them as the desired supervisor, the student will have to identify another potential supervisor.  Ideally, a supervisor will be allowed to supervise only one TUREP student each year (assuming suitable options are available).
• To ensure that successful students are provided a meaningful research experience, faculty employing these students will have to commit to offering students an opportunity to participate in existing research and get hands-on experience with techniques and experiments.  Simply using TUREP students for menial laboratory tasks, such as washing glassware, labeling, ordering supplies, etc., is not acceptable.  Any faculty member who violates this agreement will become ineligible for future participation in the TUREP.
• Impact and success of the program will be evaluated at the end of the first full year of implementation and this policy modified accordingly, following approval by the Toxicology Faculty Council.

TUREP Application Form

Policy approved by the Toxicology Faculty Council on March 8, 2013.