Small research project and symposium

Uitgebreide vaknaam	Small research project and symposium
Leerdoelen	In the second semester of the first year, each student will carry out a small research project around an already defined problem. This course is designed to provide a first taste of scientific research, as well as acquainting the student with a research group. Guided by a junior staff member, the student will participate in ongoing research. The results will be presented in a symposium at the end of the first year, jointly with other students of the Top Master Programme in Nanoscience. The objectives of this task are: to broaden the student's view. Therefore, the small research project needs to be performed in a different group from the master thesis project (WMNS901-45). Moreover, it is required that students that have the intention to do the master project on a physics topic do the short research project on a chemistry (or bio-chemistry/physics), and vice versa. to develop and train generic research skills, including the use of scientific database or graphics software, keeping a log-book (of activities, tasks and results), and presenting results in the form of an oral presentation. to get experience in organizing a scientific meeting/symposium at the end of the semester as a team. In addition, there are training modules attached to this course (session with obligatory attendance) for development of skills on - keeping a lab journal; - oral presentations; - organizing a scientific symposium.
Omschrijving	Selecting a topic Research groups in the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials submit proposals, which are collected on the website The student selects a topic and discusses this with her/his mentor, before contacting the project supervisor Note: students should not feel restricted to this listing, when a student has an idea for a small project of her/his own, she/he is always welcome to approach a prospective supervisor with the idea for asking whether it can be carried out. Time schedule (will be announced in detail by the course coordinator) Kick-off meeting by course coordinator (late January) Selection of a project: early February (declaration of choices, 2021: 8 Feb). Workshops on lab journal and organization symposium. Start actual working on a project: typically shortly after 15 February, but 1 March at the latest. Students and supervisors must plan a workload of 13 ECTS (13 x 28 hours) in the period up to the symposium (including the symposium presentation), in parallel with the other study tasks. Mid-term-evaluation (early May) Seminars and feedback meetings on oral presentation skills. Symposium should be held before 1 July. Hand over your lab journal to course coordinator. Feedback meetings on oral presentations and small research project in general are scheduled some days after the symposium. Evaluation The small research project is reported individually as well as collectively: each student must present the progress and results of his/her research to the supervisor in the form of a log-book (note that a thesis-like report is not required as output to pass; however, upon mutual agreement between a student and a supervisor documenting the results in a report can be part of the student's task). all students belonging to the same cohort jointly organize a symposium in which everyone gives an oral presentation.
Uren per week	variabel
Onderwijsvorm	Bijeenkomst (S), Opdracht (ASM), Practisch werk (PRC), Werkcollege (T) (Individual guidance by staff members. Tutorial about oral presentation by Guimaraes. Tutorial about lab journal and organization symposium: van der Wal. Mandatory attendance.)
Toetsvorm	Practisch werk (PR), Presentatie (P) (Mandatory atttendance for workshops on oral presentations. Part of the grade is based on the student's performance during the project, on aspects that are specified on the grading form.)
Vaksoort	master
Coördinator	prof. dr. ir. C.H. van der Wal
Docent(en)	M.H. Diniz Guimaraes, PhD. ,prof. dr. ir. C.H. van der Wal
Entreevoorwaarden	Assessment and remediation of Small research project: 1. The assessment of the small research project must take place at the time that is determined by the student and the supervisor and in accordance with the guidelines for the degree programme. 2. If the assessment cannot take place on the date agreed due to a late delivery to the work by the student, the student must notify the first supervisor and send a request to the board of examiners to postpone the deadline (for a maximum of 10% of the total time). When this request is approved a new deadline is set by the board of examiners. 3. Before or on the agreed end date the project will be assessed and when the assessment criteria are not met an insufficient grade will be registered. Then the student is offered a remediation trajectory by the supervisor and second examiner. 4. The student is offered a remediation trajectory of up to one third of the time of the original individual project period. 5. The supervisor and second examiner will agree on a new deadline in consultation with the student. 6. On the deadline of the remediation trajectory, the project will be assessed again. 7. If after this deadline, the assessment does not meet the set criteria, the project will be assessed with an insufficient grade again. The student will have to carry out another project.
Opmerkingen	Guidelines for the symposium Each presentation should take approximately 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions and discussion. Use of modern audio-visual presentation techniques is encouraged. It is the student's responsibility to avail him/herself of advice on scientific presentation skills, if needed. The presentations should be aimed at an audience of fourth and fifth year students of physics or chemistry. Staff members of the Zernike Institute will also be present. A proposed final grade is formed by averaging a grade for the symposium presentation (weight 1/3), and a grade by the supervisor (who use a standard form) reflecting the research project's quality (incl. the log-book keeping) as performed in the research group (weight 2/3). The grade for the symposium presentation is the average grade from at least 2 (typically 4, incl. the coordinator) staff members who use a standard form. The coordinator defines the final grade taking into account the various student cases and the student's contribution to the organization of the symposium. Guidelines for performing the research project, the final assessment, duties and expectations to supervisors and student, guidelines for the oral presentation will be explained in the kick off meeting and can be found via the link below. More information about the available projects, examples of previous years, guidelines for lab journal keeping and the grading forms can be found: small research project This course was registered last year with course code NS194
Opgenomen in	Opleiding Jaar Periode Type MSc Nanoscience 1 semester II verplicht