MENA3020 – Undergraduate Research II
Course content
How to become a researcher or work with chemistry or physics in working life? A project assignment at bachelor level is a safe and exciting step into a world where not all questions have been answered.
The course consists of a research project in physics or chemistry, with a focus on material science.? It includes literature studies, compiling information and data, and presenting research-based findings in a project report. You will also be involved in practical laboratory work and/or theoretical calculations within a specific subject.
Learning outcome
After completing this course, you:
- have basic skills in searching for and familiarizing yourself with the contents of scientific literature
- know the theoretical foundation for your research project.
- master the experimental and/or theoretical techniques relevant to your project.
- have experience in carrying out a research project according to scientific standards.
- can present your research results and discussion in a scientific form.
In a 20 credits project assignment, you will gain thorough experience with experimental and/or computational methods, and most likely with adapting and presenting your results, but literature search and report writing will also be a large part of the project.
Admission to the course
To be admitted to the course, you must be admitted to Fornybar energi og nanoteknologi (bachelor). For detailed information about the requirements, see "Formal prerequisite knowledge".
Students must plan their project assignment and find a supervisor as early as possible, about three months before the semester starts. The head supervisor will be one of the scientific staff members of one of the research groups at Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology.?This also applies when selecting an external project assignment.?You and your advisor?will draft a project description that is signed by both parties and submitted to the study administration, studieinfo@kjemi.uio.no, for approval by September 1st in the autumn semester and February 1st in the spring semester.?Please read the guidelines for the project description.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
To be admitted to the course, you are required have passed at least 30 credits of chemistry or physics courses. If doing a chemistry project, you will need to have passed?a laboratory course in KJM1101 – Generell kjemi, KJM1121 – Inorganic Chemistry MENA1101 or equivalent?or equivalent courses. MENA-courses?can be included in the 30 credits. Students with other similar background can apply to the study administration.
In addition to the departments own HSE course (see "Teaching", the following HSE courses must be passed before you begin the laboratory work in MENA3020:
Teaching
The teaching will consist of four parts:
- At the start of the semester, you will have a mandatory introduction to HSE regulations at The Department of Chemistry.?
- Individual guidance based on an agreement between the student and the teacher/supervisor. You will normally receive up to 60 hours of guidance in this subject.
- Course in literature search and reference usage, 6 hours.
- You will write a project report that will be the basis for your examination in the course. Please read the guidelines for the project report.
As?the?teaching involves laboratory and/or field work, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance.?Read about your insurance cover as a student.
Examination
Approved project description and completed health, safety, and environment (HSE) course are prerequisites for being eligible to take the final exam.
The final project report forms the basis for assessment. The supervisor's evaluation of your effort and independence in the project work will influence the result. Additionally, the candidate is to present the research project in an oral presentation, followed by an examination based on the project report.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are?offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.
If you fail, you may be given the opportunity to hand in a revised project report within 6 weeks, if your supervisor and sensor agree that the scientific raw material is sufficient.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.