The Master Craftsman Research Project is individually selected and pursued with mentoring from an expert in
the research field chosen. We suggest the following timeframe to ensure your project proceeds in a timely
manner.

RESEARCH PROJECT Year 1

1. Choose project focus area and subject, then submit to MBP Committee for approval.
   1. For example:
      1. Focus Area: Pest/Pathogen Control
      2. Subject: Small Hive Beetles
   2. Suggested Focus Areas:
      1. Pest/Pathogen Control
      2. Biology—pollination, behavioral biology, genetics, ecologyChemistry—the chemistry of urban honey (pollutants, etc.), propolis/wax chemistry
      3. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences—effect of climate on bee populations, foraging behavior, and
         honey production
      4. Mathematics—modeling bee behavior or disease dynamics (honey bee pathogens)
      5. Physics—the physics of flight, honey bee optics, foraging models
      6. Psychology—organizational psychology
      7. Computing—analysis of bee motion, robotics
      8. Interactive computing—real-time hive monitoring
      9. Aerospace Engineering—bee flight
      10. Biomedical and Materials Engineering— antimicrobial and structural characteristics of propolis
      11. Chemical Engineering—honey extraction, processing, analysis
      12. Electrical Engineering—IR web cams
      13. Industrial Engineering—industrial honey production
      14. Mechanical Engineering—stand/hive construction, scale-up for developing countries
      15. Economics—economics of pollination
      16. Literature and History—communication about the project, cultural history of honey production
      17. Public Policy—zoning urban beekeeping, bees and sustainability
      18. Business—marketing and financing urban honey production
      19. Architecture—hive design and construction
      20. City planning—GIS of urban areas (forested, bare, weedy, concrete habitats)
2. Literature Review—journals, books, interviews, popular articles
   1. What is known about your proposed topic?
   2. How have others executed similar projects?
3. Seek and affirm project affiliate (i.e. what institution and individual [expert advisor] will provide project
   oversight?) with the concurrence of the SCBA MBP Committee.
4. Write a project proposal (3–5 pages maximum)
   1. Title
   2. Objective
   3. Background
   4. Materials and methods
   5. Expected outcome
   6. Potential impact
   7. References
5.  Allow advisor to review proposal
6. Submit proposal to MBP Committee—the proposal must be approved by the committee prior to project
   initiation
7. Collect preliminary data
   1.  Acquire/construct necessary materials required for project
   2. Use proper data collection methods (lab notebook, spreadsheets, etc.)
   3. Modify research project based upon preliminary data
8. Review first year’s progress with advisor

Research Project Year 2

1. Review project progress with advisor
2. Project execution
   1. Data collection
   2. Continued literature review: any recently published studies on the topic?
3. Preliminary data analysis—must be approved by MBP Board to proceed
4. Analyze and synthesize the results
   1. Photographs
   2. Data tables, graphs, and figures
   3. Statistical analysis
5. Review project with advisor
6. Prepare final paper, submit to advisor for review
   1. Title
   2. Abstract
   3. Introduction
   4. Materials and methods
   5. Results
   6. Discussion
   7. Conclusion
   8. Acknowledgments
   9. References
      1. Note: This project should reflect a University Level Master’s Degree Research Project
7. Project timeline
   1. First draft of final paper to be submitted to MBP Committee minimum of three months before
      anticipated advancement date (MBP exam day). Multiple drafts or edits may be necessary.
   2. Oral exam may be scheduled (on exam day – summer conference) once first draft of project report is
      submitted.
   3. Submit final, approved, and edited manuscript to MBP Committee on exam day.
   4. Thirty-minute oral presentation of research project to be presented at the SCBA Summer Conference
      with an accompanying slide show.