Final Project Guidelines for EEOB 563 (2025)

The final project will consist of a paper and a presentation. You’ll develop them in several steps.

Step 1. Project outline

Deadline: March 27.

Prepare and submit on Canvas a one-page summary of your project. Include a short introduction, main questions, proposed methods, and source(s) of data.

Step 2. Paper completion

Deadline: May 1 @11:59pm

Conduct all phylogenetic analyses

You are not limited to the software we used in class, but note that available GUI solutions (e.g., Mega, BioEdit, Geneious) are usually limited in terms of options and will not be able to run on Nova.

Write your paper.

The paper should be in the format of a typical research article with the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.
The length will vary depending on the project topic, but you should aim for ~5 double-spaced pages (not including figures and references).
Here is some experts’ advise on producing a first-class paper. Because the focus of the class is on phylogenetics, your phylogenetic analysis will carry most of the weight for this project. However, to get the full grade, I expect you to ask (and at least attempt to answer) some additional questions based on phylogenetic trees that you’ve inferred (e.g., correlated evolution, natural selection, testing different topologies, molecular clock analysis, etc.).

Step 3. Project Presentations

May 6, 8

Prepare a presentation of your project in the PowerPoint/Keynote format.
Plan for a 15 minutes presentation and ~5 minutes for questions and discussion. The presentation order will be determined randomly and posted on the website.

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