Cellular Biology Research Paper: Honors Contract Example

Honors Contract Example: Dear Dr. Marrs, My name is Mohamed Zahran. I am a sophomore first-year student who is planning on doing an honors contract in your class. My major is Biology with a minor in chemistry. I have described below a proposed assignment for my honors experience in your class.

Cell Membrane Transport Paper: The cell membrane is one of the most vital parts of the animal and plant cell. It controls what goes in and what is taken out of the cell. The cell membrane has selective permeability, so it will allow only certain molecules into the cell. In this five-page paper, I am going to explore the different types of cell transport. I am going to explore the history of the cell membrane model and the current fluid mosaic model that explains the structure and chemical compounds of the membrane. In this paper, I am going to look at the chemistry of the phospholipid and how its dual nature affects the permeability of the cell. I am going to explain the interesting topic of how the membrane is fluid-like in nature but acts as a barrier. I am also going to explain the difference between diffusion and the active transport model for the cell membrane. This will include explaining the different parts of the cell that are responsible for the transport of molecules across the cell membrane, such as carrier proteins. I will then conclude the paper by explaining the importance of the cell membrane to human life and the concept of tonicity. This assignment will allow me to enhance my skills as an innovator, as I will be looking at the current research on the cell membrane and expanding on it in a summary.

Timeline Jan 15: Formalize Honors Contract Jan 17: Talk more with the professor about how I can structure the paper Jan 20-Feb 20: Research about the cell membrane and transport March 1- March 8: Write the first draft of the paper March 15-March 19: Revise the paper April 1: Turn in the final paper April 3: Write to Reflection on the Honors College Experience Canvas Page

Reflection of the assignment: This was my first honors contract to write. I did an honors class last semester, so I did not know how to compose a contract. As a result, I spoke with Dr. Marrs, and he guided me through it. He explained that I had to come up with an interesting topic from the class to make an artifact about. I was really interested in the cell membrane in many of my biology classes, so decided to choose it as my topic. Then, I chose that the best way to explain the cell membrane would be to write an essay about it. I also liked how the introduction to honors class helped me in composing my honors contract. The Growth from the assignment: This assignment gave me the framework for future honors contracts. I learned that for a contract to be accepted, it needs to have a proper introduction. This means that you have to introduce yourself to the professor. Also, an explanation of your interest needs to be written along with a detailed summary of your desired Honors assignment that you want to do in the class.