The course AGRI 490 (3cr) is required for students taking the Professional Agrology Specialzation. In this course, you will apply agronomic knowledge to a real-life scenario. You will work independently or in a team with a Faculty Member on a topic of your choosing.
TIMELINE
| Timing | Activity |
|---|---|
| Before the term when you will register in AGRI 490 | Think about an current issue or problem faced by the Agri-Food sector, that is of particular interest to you. |
| 3-4 weeks before the term begins | Book a meeting with Dr. Julie Major. Dr. Major will discuss your ideas with you and direct you to Faculty Members who could supervise your project. |
| 2 weeks before the start of the term | Meet with your project supervisor to define specific project objectives, deliverables and due dates. Fill out and sign the AGRI 490 approval form. |
| At latest 3 days before the Add/Drop deadline | Hand in your completed form to Dr. Major, and register for AGRI 490 after being notified you have been authorized. |
| Throughout the term | Complete your project, in collaboration with your project supervisor. Write your blog post* and email it to julie.major [at] mcgill.ca. |
| At the end of the term | Your project supervisor will be responsible for entering your final grade in Minerva. |
EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS STUDENTS DID IN THE PAST
- Cover crops for controlling weeds in Québec field crops: literature review and fact sheets
- The impact of flooring type of hoof health of dairy cows: literature review and interviews with hoof trimmers
- Consumer decision making: front of package labels, fat taxes, and thin subsidies: literature review
- Caterpillar detoxification of plant compounds and/or biopesticides: lab experiment
- Evaluating insect meal as a new high-quality protein source for poultry and swine production: lab experiment
- Impacts of agricultural management practices on carbon sequestration in the soil: literature review
*REQUIREMENTS
It is up to you and your supervisor to determine what your project will consist of. All AGRI 490 students are required to write a blog post about their project work. You can write in French or English, and aim at informing an audience composed of agri-food industry participants. Blog posts will be worth 10% of your AGRI 490 grade, and will be graded by Julie Major. If you agree and if your blog post is selected, it will be published on the AgriRéseau blog or on the website Elevage et Cultures. Due date for blog posts will be communicated at the beginning of term.
AGRI 490 blog post grading rubric:
-Content is technically accurate, coherent and valuable : /1
-Tone and level of detail are suitable for an audience of Québec ag industry participants: /2
-Text is engaging, and interesting to read: /3
-Post has a clear take-home message: /2
-Post is appropriately referenced*: /1
-Post is well written in terms of spelling, grammar, syntax: /1
-Total: /10
*References are to be cited throughout the text, as in a research paper.
After the grading of the initial submission of the blog post, students who achieved a grade of 8/10 or less will be asked to rework it and resubmit. Grade can then be increased by up to 1/10, based on the quality of the reworking.
Here are examples of good blog posts:
Blog post by Valérie Dubuc on Agri-Réseau (in French)
Blog post by Jade Marquis in Elevage et cultures (in French)