FYS2830 – Undergraduate Research III
Course description
Course content
The course consists of a research project in physics that involves the compilation of research findings, as well as processing information and data.?Some projects involve independent practical research and/or numerical or theoretical calculations in a?chosen topic.
It is the student’s responsibility to find a supervisor with the capacity to offer a project assignment.
Learning outcome
After completing the course, you should:
- have an in-depth understanding of the chosen topic.
- have competence in planning and completing a research project.
- be trained in writing, and orally presenting?scientific results.
Admission to the course
The course is only open for students at?Fysikk og astronomi (bachelor), Elektronikk, informatikk og teknologi (bachelor), Honours-programmet (bachelor),?Kjernefysikk og nukle?rteknologi (bachelor) and exchange students.
Admission to the course is given on the condition that the students themselves contact one or more members of the academic staff in the desired research group at the Department of Physics well before the start of the semester, and that student and teacher together agree on a research project.
IMPORTANT: Only a small number of projects are offered, and varies from none?to only a few every semester. This means that there is no guarantee you will be admitted even if you are interested in taking the course.
Final admission will only be granted when the student has agreed on a project with a supervisor and is signed by both parties.?
The deadline?is 1 September / 1 February.
Special admission requirements
In addition to fulfilling the?Higher Education Entrance Qualification, applicants have to meet the following special admission requirements:
- Mathematics R1 (or Mathematics S1 and S2) + R2
And in addition one of these:
- Physics (1+2)
- Chemistry (1+2)
- Biology (1+2)
- Information technology (1+2)
- Geosciences (1+2)
- Technology and theories of research (1+2)
The special admission requirements may also be covered by?equivalent studies from Norwegian upper secondary school or by other equivalent studies?(in Norwegian).
Overlapping courses
- 20 credits overlap with FYS2820 – Undergraduate Research II.
- 10 credits overlap with FYS2810 – Undergraduate Research I.
Teaching
Individual supervision upon agreement between professor and student.?It is the student’s responsibility to find a supervisor with the capacity to offer a project assignment.
Project description:
You must write a project description, which is to be signed by you and your supervisor and sent or?handed to the?student administration?for approval. The project description should contain:
- The aim of the project
- A progress plan
- A description of how?the project should be limited?in size and time so that the workload corresponds to the correct number of credits. 30 ECTS equals around 19 weeks or approximately 750 hours.
- Overview of which methods and instruments the student will be using/learning.
- Risk assessment
- Supervision. As a starting point, supervision?can be frequent at the start, followed by weekly meetings. If the student is expected to work on the project?on specific?days or times of the day, this should be stated in the project description. A student with an external assignment must have a contact person at the Department of Physics.
- Co-supervisors.?If other people are involved in supervising the student, i.e. guidance and supervision of certain methods or instruments, their roles should be made clear from the project description.
?The student’s responsibility:
The student’s tasks should be outlined in the project description, although some changes might occur. If there are significant changes to the project, the student and?supervisor should revise the project description so that the aims and responsibilities are still clear to everyone. During the project, you are part of the laboratory group, and you participate in cleaning and?maintenance together with other users of the laboratory. However, you should not be given routine cleaning tasks that would normally be carried out by technical staff.
The?teaching may involve?laboratory and/or fieldwork, and you should consider taking out separate travel and personal risk insurance.?Read about your insurance coverage as a student.
Supervision:
The student will need to have sufficient instruction regarding instruments and methods to be able to work safely and efficiently, but must expect to work with a large degree of independence. The type of supervision and frequency of supervision will depend on the project and its stage, but the supervisor is expected to follow up with the student and if necessary correct and help the student analyze the data. The supervisor should also give feedback to the student in the final stage of the project.
Project report:
The?project report?is the basis for the evaluation of your work?in the course. The report should include:
- Description of the project aim
- Background for the project
- Descriptions of methods used
- Results
- Discussion and conclusion
You should write the project report in a scientific manner. References should be included where appropriate, but the requirements for theoretical background should not be greater than the time limits for the assignment allow.
Examination
Written exam in the form of a project rapport, which is assessed pass/fail.
Final oral exam, which is assessed pass/fail, consists of a presentation of the project work followed by an examination where the project will be discussed.
The project report must be passed before you can take the final oral exam.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: FYS2810 – Undergraduate Research I, FYS2820 – Undergraduate Research II.
Language of examination
You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
If you can document that you were ill or had other valid reasons for absence,?you have the right to a deferred exam according to the normal regulations.
If you fail, you may be given the opportunity to hand in a revised project report within 3 weeks, if your supervisor and sensor agree that the scientific basis is sufficient.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- 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.