Undergraduate Research Project
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| BIOS3040 | Biosciences | 3 | 40 | Full Year UK, Spring UK |
- Code
- BIOS3040
- School
- Biosciences
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 40
- Semesters
- Full Year UK, Spring UK
Summary
The project is a level 3 module. The topic of the project will be chosen from a list of suggestions, and will be finalised after consultation with the student's Course Project Co-ordinator and a member of academic staff who will act as the supervisor. It involves detailed research on the topic chosen after discussion with the supervisor. Each project will involve collection of data by means such as experiment, questionnaire, observation and/or literature search as well as the analysis and interpretation of the data in the context of previous work. Reading and summarising previous research by other scientists working in the area, and writing a clear concise final report are essential components of the project.
Please note that this is a full year course, with the spring offering available for Food Science/ Food Science and Nutrition students only.
The Research Project cannot be undertaken in an ACDP2 laboratory environment unless students attend a minimum of 75% of the practical's in BIOS1027 The Physiology of Microbes and BIOS2030 Microbial Mechanisms of Foodborne Disease and achieve a pass mark in the practical elements of both of these modules. This is in addition to attending the Laboratory Induction and passing the Laboratory Safety Test in BIOS2083 Research Techniques in Biosciences. Students who score less than 55% in either or both of BIOS2030 Microbial Mechanisms and Foodborne disease and BIOS2083 Research Techniques in Biosciences will not normally be offered a laboratory based undergraduate Research Project
Target Students
All Biosciences students registered for Honours Degrees in the School of Biosciences apart from those studying Nutrition, Environmental Science and Environmental Biology.
Classes
Further Activity Detail: Approximately 240 hours of supervised project work and 160 hours of student-centred work including report writing.
Assessment
- 70% Coursework 1: An experiment-based (5,000 word max) or literature-based (6,000 word max) report comprising an abstract, introduction/aims, review of the literature, methodology, outcomes, discussions/conclusions and reference list written as a scientific paper.
- 15% Coursework 2: Experiment-based (e.g. laboratory, field, schools, questionnaires, interviews) or literature-based (e.g. review) research undertaken in a professional manner.
- 15% Coursework 3: Oral presentation
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
The module will provide students with an opportunity to use their initiative and knowledge to undertake an original research project under the supervision of an individual member of academic staff. The student will design the study, gain familiarity with the methods/techniques, ethical issues and where appropriate safety procedures relevant to the topic, undertake data collection and appropriate quantitative analysis and prepare a report.Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Carry out research work in a professional manner (manage their time, attend meetings, work expected hours, pick up techniques approaches in a timely fashion, ask intelligent questions of the system).
- Work safely in laboratory and field environments and respond appropriately to relevant safety and ethical issues (ADD)
- Set the scene for their work, articulate the research questions being addressed, define research goals, and clearly describe the experimental approach.
- Generate, analyse, and interpret data from experiments/extended reading designed to test an hypothesis.
- Attempt to explain their results by drawing on rational insight and the wider context of scientific literature.
- State succinctly a summary of their work and what it has clearly demonstrated, and recognise its potential impact.
- Communicate their research story through oral presentation.