Course manual 2018/2019

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

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.

Assessment

Item and weight	Details
Final grade

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

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 Master Physics and Astronomy (joint degree), track Biophysics and Biophotonics, year 1

Laboratory Challenge