Planning for Thesis
Senior thesis is required of all EACS (and Geology) majors. Students may fulfill this requirement by doing either a 1-semester or a 2-semester thesis. A 1-semester thesis is the default experience for all students and may take place in the fall semester or winter semester during AY 24-25. A 2-semester thesis is possible for those students interested in digging deeper into a research project that extends over 2 semesters and is recommended for those planning a career in EACS. For a 1 semester thesis, students register for EACS 457 in the fall or EACS 458 in the winter. For a 2 semester thesis, students register for EACS 457 in the fall and EACS 458 in the winter.
Sometimes (but not always), students begin work on a research project the summer before their senior year. This research can be done as a research assistant for a Bates faculty member, as an intern with a state/federal agency, as an intern with an NGO, or as a research fellow for a variety of programs/universities.
While planning for thesis may sound exciting to some, it can feel daunting to others. This is totally normal. We have broken down the process for thesis planning into a flow chart and three steps below. It may take a several weeks to complete all three steps. We recommend that students begin to plan for thesis towards the end of the fall semester, in their junior year.
Consider the flow chart below. It is designed to have you think about the entire thesis planning process from start to finish and as you move through Steps 1-3 below. Enter the flow chart by deciding if you want to apply for a summer research experience or not. If you do, it may be possible to work with a Bates professor, or as a research intern at an another institution. In these cases, proposals and/or applications may have to be written by specific program deadlines. These deadlines may be in early January, but are usually sometime in February though March. Check all programs and do not delay in planning for thesis and getting feedback from the faculty on your ideas.
After spending some time with the flow chart and reading the details within Steps 1-3 below, go ahead and get started. Reach out to the EACS faculty either by email, in person or over ZOOM. Go through Steps 1-3 listed below, and be sure to complete STEP 3 (fill out the google form) no later than January 25 of your junior year.
To learn more about the department including an introduction to faculty and their research programs, please read on and/or reach out to anyone via email.
Step 1. Thesis Project Ideas – Meet with EACS Faculty
The EACS faculty have research programs currently underway that might be right up your alley. Meet with each faculty member to learn about their research programs and brain storm ideas for projects, and funding, if needed, in the late fall of your junior year and by January 25.
Step 2. Funding a Thesis – Write Proposals and Applications, if Needed
Research can be, but is not always costly. Money is needed to do field work, keep instruments running, and analyze samples, for example. Salaries are needed for summer internships, and can be provided by a professor with an external grant, or can be applied for by writing a proposal to one of the many grant opportunities internal to Bates. It is also possible to apply to a summer research program outside of Bates.
The Department of EACS provides each student with $200 to assist in covering the cost of thesis research. These funds can be used to pay for lab supplies, field supplies, and travel. To access these funds, fill out a Payment Request Form (to get reimbursement for lab or field supplies) or a Travel and Expense Report, (to get reimbursement for travel) and submit form and receipts to the Department Chair.
Other potential sources of funding to EACS students include the Bouley Fund. These funds are primarily designed to assist students in field work.
For more on Funding Opportunities (Internal and External), see Student Research Opportunities.
Some of these funding opportunities require grant proposals and applications to be submitted beginning as early as Jan 25. The grant proposals are usually written with input from the faculty advisor. Talk to the EACS faculty about funding needs and suggestions for thesis projects of interest.
Similarly, if you need a letter of recommendation for these proposals or anything, please ask your professors if they are willing and able to write on your behalf well in advance of the deadlines; 4 weeks advance notice is generally enough time for a letter of recommendation to be written.
Step 3. Thesis Advisor – Fill Out the Google Form
Please fill out and submit the thesis google form to let us know of your research interests by January 25. The EACS faculty will meet to review your answers and preferences and assign thesis advisors to the students. We try to accommodate student interests while distributing the thesis advising workload across the faculty. Please do NOT miss this deadline.