950-612 Environmental Research Topic
Credit points: 25
Coordinators: Prof. M. Burgman, Dr R. Beilin, Dr L. Godden
Prerequisites: Permission of a Coordinator
Contact: Contact details are to be determined by the supervisor. Generally, a subject worth 25 points should entail between 6 and 12 contact hours per week for a 12-week semester, and about 20-24 hours of study per week, including contact hours. Contact includes lectures, practicals, tutorials, being involved in using University resources to acquire data, bench time, library time, time spent with supervisors and other teaching staff.
Description: The subject allows students to conduct an original research topic, under supervision approved by a subject Coordinator. The work will be equivalent to lecture and practical based subjects worth 25 points. The content and extent of the project will be determined by a Coordinator, in collaboration with the student. The work will usually include a review of a body of scientific literature, together with a critical evaluation of research or experimental protocols, a modest original experiment, or a limited exploration of a scientific problem. Projects may involve regular 1-hour discussion groups where students report on progress, major problems and plans.
Assessment: A written report, in the form of a scientific paper, based on the student’s original work, to be examined by a person of the supervisor’s choice and the supervisor. A subject worth 25 points should result in a report of about 5,000 words and no more than 7,000 words. Other parts of the assessment may include a spoken presentation, a research proposal, time schedule, attendance at seminars and workshops.