Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear the Associate Dean,

I am Wenji Hu, a fourth-year student, majoring in Geography. I am appealing to have a one-term extension for my thesis research Analyzing the spatial spread pattern of Lyme disease from the US to Canada in time series and the factors that dominate its northwards in GPHY502 (Summer, 2022). I realize the appeal deadline has already been passed, since I did not know I should apply for an extension for my incomplete work. I am very keen to get an extension, as I have already spent lots of time working on my thesis project, and professor Dongmei Chen, my supervisor, who also contributed a lot in my research, and we really wish to finish it and get a decent ending for my undergraduate studies.

It is my first-time doing thesis research, which takes me lots of time and effort to learn how to make the project comprehensive and precise. I kept searching for data and reviewing literature every week and attended lab meetings with other Master and PhD students of Professor Chen to communicate and learn from them. I did put lots of efforts in my project, but the unforeseen health issue brought by the Covid-19 in November made it stagnated for a while, at the same time, the unexpected data missing on Lyme cases and climate data in both US and Canada made my research in a very slow process, and the technique issue of my computer also slowed down the processes, which made me frustrated and a little bit mentally breakdown, losing confidence in my research abilities. However, I have never thought about dropping this course, because Prof. Chen is very supportive and she told me that doing research is all about patience and dedication, and haste will not gain perfection. I really hope to finish it although the process struggled a lot. I gradually adjusted my mindset, keep working to collect all the data I need in this project and work on the modeling and analysis of my research questions, so I believe it will be completed very soon.

I am expected to finish it in March as all the data has already been well-prepared and I have figured out another clear way to complete my research, so hopefully everything will go smoother than last term. If I am able to have a one-term extension, it would be supportive for a more perfect research result, and I will have a perfect ending for my four-year study here in Queen's.