Laboratory Challenge

3 EC

Semester 2, period 6

53548LAC3Y

Owner Master Physics and Astronomy (joint degree)
Coordinator prof. dr. D. Iannuzzi
Part of Master Physics and Astronomy, track Physics of Life and Health, year 1

Course manual 2017/2018

Course content

Working on an applied physics research assignment is no easy task. It requires deep, yet timely, analysis of the problem, hands-on skills, organization abilities, scientific know-hows, and critical thinking, to name a few. It also entails a good dose of confidence, which is needed to overcome the reverential hesitation in front of expensive delicate instruments and that sense of frustration that mature scientists are so used to live with. All physics students who are considering to continue a career in either academic or industrial research should be given the chance to confront themselves against this not only to nurture their experimental skills but also to understand whether the life of a scientific laboratory is what they wish to dedicate their career to. The goal of "Laboratory challenge" is to give our students this opportunity, providing a setting that, in four weeks, can put them in front of the typical problems of a real life experimental research activity.

Objectives

After the successful completion of this course, the student will, among others:

  • Better understand the challenges that are common to most experimental research projects;
  • Acquire specific hands-on skills;
  • Develop themselves in time management, critical scientific thinking, problem analysis, problem solving, and teamwork in a real scientific research setting.

In practical terms, they will learn to:

  • Formulate a research question for a short time lab activity;
  • Make a list of equipment needed to conduct that activity;
  • Build a setup for that activity, and debug it;
  • Keep a logbook up to date;
  • Collect the data needed to answer the research question;
  • Analyze the data collected;
  • Write a report of their findings in the form of a short article;
  • Peer review and assess the report of their colleagues;
  • Give a short presentation on their findings in a conference talk style.

Teaching methods

  • Presentation/symposium
  • Supervision/feedback meeting
  • Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis

All of the teaching methods contribute to all of the learning objectives.

Learning activities

Activity

Number of hours

Presentation

8
Working independently 38 
Supervision/feedback meeting 38

Attendance

Requirements concerning attendance (OER-B).

  • In addition to, or instead of, classes in the form of lectures, the elements of the master’s examination programme often include a practical component as defined in article 1.2 of part A. The course catalogue contains information on the types of classes in each part of the programme. Attendance during practical components is mandatory.

    • Additional requirements for this course:

    This is a lab course with compulsory attendance. Students can skip classes only for very urgent matters, which have to be communicated to the teacher.

    Assessment

    Item and weight Details

    Final grade

    10%

    LogBook

    10%

    Plan and list of equipment

    10%

    Individual work in the lab

    10%

    Group work in the lab

    20%

    Actual results achieved

    15%

    Article

    15%

    Presentation

    10%

    Peer review

    Inspection of assessed work

    Contact the course coordinator to make an appointment for inspection.

    Assignments

    Select research question

    • Group / not graded

    Make a list of equipment to answer the research question

    • Group / graded

    Lab work

    • Group and individual / graded

    Write a report

    • Group / graded

    Make a presentation

    • Individual / graded

    Peer review

    • Group / graded

    Hand in Logbook

    • Group / graded

    Fraud and plagiarism

    The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

    Course structure

    All deadlines will be communicated in class and reported in Canvas.

    Additional information

    Max. participants: places are limited and given on a base first come first serve.

    Contact information

    Coordinator

    • prof. dr. D. Iannuzzi