CME8117 : MEng Research Project

  • Offered for Year: 2012
  • Module Leader(s): Prof. Ian Metcalfe
  • Owning School: Chemical Eng & Advanced Materials
Semesters
Semester 1 Credit Value: 5
Semester 2 Credit Value: 50

Aims

To develop student’s personal skills at undertaking investigative work of an original kind, the ability to produce a high quality research dissertation and the ability to produce a research poster.

Semester 1.
To introduce students to the research process and to prepare them for their research project.

Semester 2.
Students will pick a project from a list. Thereafter, individual students will carry out their research projects under the supervision of their respective supervisor. Assessment of the module will be via a research dissertation and a poster presentation.

The project may be carried out within the School; in UK industry; at partner institutions under the ERASMUS scheme or other international institutions where we have exchange programmes, including Singapore and Australia.

Outline Of Syllabus

Semester 1.
The nature of research; Resources for research; Writing a research dissertation (layout; key chapters; style; citing references; being critical; making arguments);

Semester 2.
Students will spend the whole of Semester 2 doing a research project supervised by a member of academic staff. All candidates on MEng degrees with specialisms will carry out a project in their respective specialisms.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Academic Staff Contact Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion1120:00120:000:00Prepare research project dissertation
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture31:003:003:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching251:0025:00750:00Meetings with individual project supervisors
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesWorkshops42:008:000:00Library sessions
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study1394:00394:000:00Perform experimental or theoretical work to satisfy requirements of research project
Total550:00753:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures convey the basic processes of research and dissertation writing guidelines.
The library sessions raise awareness of the resources available for research and provide hands-on practise in searching for electronic reference material.

A research project will be selected by the student from a list of projects supplied by academic staff. The projects will range from fundamental scientific investigations through to industrially based development projects. All the projects will have relevance to the process industry and the potential to make a real contribution to the sector. The projects may be carried out in collaboration with an industrial partner, in an overseas university or within the School.
The large amount of private study reflects the fact that this is a project that the students must progress themselves.

Assessment Methods

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Poster2M10Poster presentation (set week 11)
Dissertation2M90A research thesis of around 25,000 words (set week 1)
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The research thesis allows the student to give a detailed and critical account of the project, its relevance to the process industries, the investigative methods they used and the results of their investigation.

The research poster allows the students to present and defend their research work.

Reading Lists

Timetable

Disclaimer: The University will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver modules in accordance with the descriptions set out in this catalogue. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, however, the University reserves the right to introduce changes to the information given including the addition, withdrawal or restructuring of modules if it considers such action to be necessary.