20.109(F09):DNA engineering "Progress Report"

Research projects take considerable time to complete, and "progress reports" are a common written form that has developed so others can evaluate intermediate stages of a larger, long-term project. Graduate students write progress reports for their thesis committees. Principle investigators write progress reports for funding agencies to summarize the ongoing successes and difficulties within a funded project. For this assignment, you will submit a progress report that describes the construction of the delta5 plasmid. You should write this report as if you were a 3rd year graduate student and you were submitting the report to your thesis advisory committee in advance of a meeting with them. You can presume they know the overall direction of your project from your first meeting with them and your qualifying exams, but now they would like to hear what progress you've made in the lab over the last few months. The following guidelines have been adapted for you from the requirements for Harvard's Division of Medical Sciences PhD Program.

Cover Sheet

Your progress report cover sheet should include the title of your project, your name, the name of your collaborator (i.e. lab partner), your e-mail address, your advisor's name (i.e. instructors), an indication if this is the initial or a follow-up advisory meeting, the date.

Body of Progress Report

• Background and Significance: A concise (i.e. one paragraph) review of the scientific premise that is relevant to the proposal, with emphasis on critical knowledge gaps likely to be filled by the proposed research.
• Specific Aims: Overall goals of the research project. This section should take the form of a numbered list with no more than 2 sentences to describe each Specific Aim. At least 3 and no more than 5 Aims should be listed.
• Studies and Preliminary Results: The studies directed toward specific aims and the positive and negative results obtained should be presented, as well as any technical problems encountered and how addressed. This section will be the longest of your Progress Report. It should refer to your lab data that will be attached as an appendix to the progress report.
• Plans: A concise (i.e. one paragraph) summary of plans to address the remaining Specific Aims, including any important modifications to the original plans based on preliminary results.

===Appendix to Progress Report===