Dissertation

Learning Outcomes

First part: group work. Teams of students will carry out joint work on a given topic. The list of topics will include a comprehensive selection of ideas and challenges from different areas of physics and astronomy. Some may be of interdisciplinary nature and include aspects of mathematics, biology, chemistry or nanotechnology, for example. In general, the topics will not be `cut and dried', where the material is readily available in textbooks or has been covered in depth during lectures, but should require students to synthesise the research and/or technical literature into coherent conclusions. Scientific judgement must then be used to select the key material and an overview must be developed to discuss material from specialised research papers in a broader context. While the topics’ titles highlight the main concept, creativity and going beyond their abstracts are encouraged. The main goal of the joint work is to provide an opportunity to develop independence and initiative as well as to learn how, within a team, group members can support and share work to achieve a common goal. To this end, the groups are responsible to carry out their work independently, namely without seeking scientific or technical supervision, help or guidance from academic or research staff. Second part: individual dissertation. All the students will be allocated a topic (guided by their expressed preference) of their own, individual dissertation. The individual topic will have to be researched and the report written, demonstrating clear comprehension as well as critical judgement of the findings. As with team work, the focus of this individual dissertation is on gaining confidence in exploring independently a particular idea or concept and in developing analytical and critical problem solving skills. It is also an exercise in time management and getting the right balance between the time devoted to researching the literature and relevant resources, and writing up the report. The individual topics are intended to be linked with the subject pursued during team work.