4th Year Physics Projects
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Students with any problems relating to the administration or supervision of their project should see Prof. R.P.Ferrier without delay; if unavailable students should contact either Dr. P.Soler or Dr. G.Bali.
Notices regarding projects will be placed on the 4H notice board and in the "News and Notices" section of this Web Site.
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To carry out project work there are several steps students have to take:
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All Honours students carry out an advanced project as part of their practical physics education. However the arrangements and requirements are different for each category of student and are described in the sections and tables below.
Most projects are carried out in this department, but some may be carried out in conjunction with external organisations and departments, allowing a measure of cross-disciplinary collaboration. Each project is supervised by a member of the teaching or research staff in this or a collaborating department. The project supervisor will discuss how the project is to be carried out. For externally supervised projects, a Physics and Astronomy staff member will liaise with the supervisor. Problems which arise will normally be resolved by discussion between the students, supervisors and liaison staff involved. Any problems which cannot be resolved quickly should be referred to the relevant Project Coordinator.
Most projects will be accommodated within research groups or in an external departments. Some space in the Honours Labs will be available for projects which cannot be accommodated elsewhere. Computational projects requiring PCs have to compete for use in the open access clusters or for other departmental computers. Students carrying out computational projects in pairs should each have access to a separate computer.
Apart from the longer time allocated to an M.Sci. project compared to the corresponding B.Sc project, M.Sci. students are expected to achieve a good understanding of the underlying theory and the background, context or application of their project. To assist the students in this we plan to run a Seminar on "Working with the Literature" on Tuesday 5th October at 1400 in Lecture Room 222: attendance by M.Sci. students will be obligatory and is strongly recommended for B.Sc. students. In addition M.Sci. students are expected to take considerable responsibility for the direction and management of their project. In contrast B.Sc. students concentrate on performing the technical aspects of their project well. They will be given more detailed advice to keep their projects "on track". These differences will be reflected in the weight given to the project in the final degree.
It should be noted that an Honours degree will not normally be awarded unless the project work has been completed, a report submitted and a total project mark of at least 25% achieved.
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Single Hons. Physics (B.Sc.) students and Combined Hons. Physics and Arts (M.Sci.) students carry out project work in Weeks 2 -11 (4 Oct. - 10 Dec.). The project work of Single Hons. Physics (M.Sci.) students takes place during Weeks 2 - 15 (4 Oct. - 28 Jan.). However Combined Hons. Physics and Music students may have a music input to their project and Physics and Philosophy students may opt for a dissertation in Philosophy, in which case the dissertation may not form one of their four Philosophy papers.
All these students will normally perform their project work in pairs and students should find their own partners. Given the different requirements for M.Sci. and B.Sc. projects, the partners should be of the same degree classification. Projects which are offered will have separate but coherent strands, giving each student some independent work but allowing both to contribute to the overall objectives. Working together in teams allows more demanding problems to be tackled quickly and efficiently, and is an ability highly valued by employers.
The time to be spent carrying out project work is about 135 hours for Single Hons. M.Sci. projects, 100 hours for Single Hons. B.Sc. projects and 68 hours for Combined Hons. Physics and Arts M.Sci. projects and is spread over 14 weeks (Single M.Sci.) or 10 weeks. Students will need to communicate frequently with their supervisor to ensure they are making satisfactory progress. To begin with, discussions may be lengthy as the aims of the project are defined and suitable strategies are developed to tackle the problems involved. The need for long discussions will reduce as the project progresses, but students must continue to discuss progress with their supervisors at least once each week.
Projects will start in Week 2. An interim progress report and plan of work must be submitted by the end of Week 5 (29 Oct.). One side of A4 will be sufficient for this. Each student will give a short talk on their project in one of two sessions (Tuesday 16 November, 13:30-17:00 in Room 222 and Thursday, 18 November 13:30-16:30 in Room 603). The interim report and the presentation of a talk will be taken into account in the overall assessment of the project work. For Single B.Sc. and Phys +Arts (M.Sci.), experimental work is to be completed by the end of Week 11 (10 Dec.) and a final report is due by the end of Week 15 (28 Jan.). For Single M.Sci. experimental work is to be completed in Week 15 (26 Jan.) and a final report is due by the end of Week 18 (18 Feb.). For all students in this group a poster presentation of the project results is required and will take place in the period Week 21/22 (7 - 18 Mar.)
Students will be assessed on the conduct of their project work, on a detailed report, and on a poster presentation of the outcomes of their work. Each student will be assessed on his/her own contribution, will write a separate report and present a separate poster. The project work will be assessed by the project Supervisor and the report will be assessed by an independent staff member. The poster presentation will be assessed by the Projects Coordinators and the Deputy Coordinator. 50% of the available marks will be awarded for the project work, 40% for the report and 10% for the poster presentation. The total project mark will be scaled to contribute 11.1% to each Single Honours Physics M.Sci. student's final degree score, 8.6% for Single Honours Physics B.Sc.students and 12.2% of the Physics component for Physics and Arts Subjects M.Sci. students.
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Combined Honours Physics and Electronic Engineering students may carry out their project in the Physics and Astronomy Department or the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department. They work singly and many of the projects offered at the start of Term 1 can be adapted to suit either a pair of Single Honours students or one Combined Physics and Electronic Engineering student. Students may reserve a project at the allocation in Week 1 (1 Oct.), or take up any unallocated projects right up to their starting date in Week 6 (1 Nov.).
Students choosing projects in this department will start work in Week 6. The project work will span 15 Weeks, and will take a minimum of 180 hours. Before Week 6, preparatory work should be undertaken (discussions with supervisors, background reading and collection of apparatus) and a preliminary plan of work for the project (one side of A4) should be submitted by the end of Week 5 (29 Oct) to Prof. Ferrier. An interim report on progress and plan of work for the rest of the project must be submitted by the end of Week 9 (26Nov) -one side of A4 will be sufficient. Both the preliminary plan and the interim report will form part of the assessment of the project. The experimental work is to be completed by the end of Week 20 (4 Mar.) and the final project report must be submitted by the start of Week 23. An oral examination will be held in Week 24.
The project assessment will be based on the conduct of the project work, on the final report and on an oral examination and presentation of the results, which may include a demonstration of equipment developed during the project. The project work and the report will be jointly assessed by the project supervisor and a backup supervisor, who may be from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The oral presentation will be assessed by two other staff members, one from each department. The staff member from the Department of Physics and Astronomy will normally be the Projects Coordinator or a Deputy Coordinator. The project work and the report will each contribute 40% of the marks, and the oral examination 20%. The total project assessment will be scaled to contribute 20% of the total Combined Honours Degree score.
Students who carry out projects in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering must inform the Physics and Astronomy Prof. Ferrier what they are doing before Week 6. They must also submit duplicate copies of any project plans, and other documentation so that their progress may be noted.
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Chemical Physics students may carry out their project work either in the Physics and Astronomy Department or in the Chemistry Department. The requirements are similar to those for Physics and Electronic Engineering students. They will work singly and may choose a project at the allocation in Week 1 (1 Oct.), or take up any unallocated projects up to their starting date in Week 6.
The project work will span the period Week 6 - 22, and will take a minimum of 170 hours for M.Sci. students and 150 hours for B.Sc. students Before Week 6, preparatory work should be undertaken and a preliminary plan should be submitted by the end of Week 5 (29 Oct.). An interim report on progress and plan for the rest of the project must be submitted by the end of Week 9 (29 Nov.). Both the preliminary plan and the interim report will form part of the project assessment. The experimental work is to be completed by the end of Week 22 (18 Mar.) and the final report must be submitted by the start of Term 3. An oral presentation/examination will be held in the period Weeks 24 - 25..
The project assessment will be based on the conduct of the project, the final report and the oral examination. The project work and the report will be jointly assessed by the project supervisor and Projects Coordinator. The oral presentation will be assessed by two independent staff members. The project work and the report will each carry 40% of the marks, and the oral examination 20%. The total project mark will be scaled to contribute 15.3% to the final degree score for M.Sci. students and 16.2% for B.Sc. students.
Students who carry out projects in the Chemistry Department must inform the Prof. Ferrier before Week 6, Term 1. They must also submit duplicate copies of project plans, and other documentation, so that their progress may be noted.
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Projects for Combined Honours Physics and Astronomy (B.Sc. and M.Sci.), Physics and Mathematics (B.Sc. and M.Sci.), Physics and Applied Mathematics (B.Sc. and M.Sci.) and Physics + Arts (B.Sc.) students will be coordinated by the Deputy Projects Coordinator. These students will normally carry out computational projects in Term 2, working in pairs. They are expected to find a suitable partner that they can work with. Projects may be reserved at the allocation in Week 1 (1 Oct.), or any unallocated projects may be taken up before Week 5. This will give students time for initial preparations for their projects before the detailed work starts in Term 2.
The time spent on the detailed project work will be about 68 hours for M.Sci. students and 50 hours for B.Sc. and M.A. students, spread over 8 weeks. Students should communicate frequently with their supervisors to ensure that they are making satisfactory progress. Projects will start in Week 13 (10 Jan.). An interim progress report and plan for the rest of the project must be submitted at the end of Week 15 (28 Jan.) - one side of A4 will be sufficient. This will form part of the assessment of the project. The experimental work is to be completed by the end of Week 20 (4 Mar.) and the final project report submitted by the end Week 22 (18 Mar.).
The mark awarded will be based on the conduct of the project work and on the final report. The former will be assessed by the project supervisor and the latter by an independent staff member. The project work will carry 50% of the marks and the report the remaining 50%. The total project assessment will be scaled to contribute 12.2% to the Physics component of the Combined Honours Degree score for M.Sci. students and 9% for B.Sc,. students.
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Projects are only arranged for Exchange Students whose exchange agreement specifies an element of project work. Projects are arranged on an ad hoc basis once the requirements of individual students have been clarified. As far as possible projects will be set which reflect the interests of the students concerned. Further information about courses for exchange students can be obtained from Dr R. Crawford, who administers exchange student agreements in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
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| Degree Classification |
Project Allocation |
Supervising Department |
Project Length |
Project Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Hons Physics (M.Sci) Single Hons Physics (B.Sc.) Phys + Arts (MSci) |
Week 1 (1 Oct) |
Physics and Astronomy |
13.5 weeks x 10 hours 10 weeks x 10 hours 10 weeks x 6.8 hours |
Exptl. or Comptl. |
| Phys and Elecectronic Engineering (M.Sci.) |
Wks 1 - 5 |
Physics and Astronomy or E.Eng. |
15 weeks x 12 hours |
Usually Exptl. |
| Chemical Physics (B.Sc. and M.Sci.) |
Wks 1 - 5 |
Physics and Astronomy or Chemistry |
17 weeks x 10 hours 15 weeks x 10 hours |
Usually Exptl. |
| Phys + Maths, Phys +
Appl Maths, Phys + Astr (M.Sci.) Phys + Maths, Phys + Appl Maths, Phys + Astr (B.Sc.) Phys + Arts (M.A.) |
Wks 1 - 5 |
Physics and Astronomy |
8 weeks x 8 hours 8 weeks x 6 hours |
Usually Comptl. |
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| Degree Classification |
Prelim Plan |
Start Date |
Interim Report |
Talk/ Oral |
Final Report |
Poster Presn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sing Hons Phys (MSci) Sing Hons Phys (BSc) Phys+Art(MSci) |
. | Week 2 |
Week 5 |
Week 8 |
Week 18 Week 14 Week 14 |
Week 21/22 |
| Phys and E Eng |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 9 |
Wk 24 |
Week 23 |
. |
| Chem Phys |
Week 5 |
Week 6 |
Week 9 |
Wk 24 |
Week 23 |
. |
| Phys+Maths Phys+Appl Maths Phys+Astron Phys+Arts(M.A.) |
. | Week 13 |
Week 15 |
. | Week 22 |
. |
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| Degree Classification |
Project Marks |
Report Marks |
Oral Marks |
Poster Marks |
Total (1.0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sing Hons Phys Phys + Arts (MSci) |
0.5 | 0.4 | . | 0.1 | 1.0 |
| Physics and Electronic Eng |
0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | . | 1.0 |
| Chemical Physics |
0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | . | 1.0 |
| Phys and Maths Phys+Astronomy Phys + Arts (M.A.) |
0.5 | 0.5 | . | . | 1.0 |
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| Degree Classification |
B.Sc. | M.Sci. |
|---|---|---|
| Single Honours Physics | 8.6% | 11.1% |
| Physics and Electronic Engineering | 20% | 20% |
| Chemical Physics | 16.2% | 15.3% |
| Phys + Arts | 4.5% | 6.1% |
| Physics and Astronomy Physics and Mathematics Physics and Applied Mathematics |
4.5% | 6.1% |
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Descriptions of projects suitable for various degree categories are listed in the section Project Titles. These will also be posted on the noticeboard outside Lecture Theatre Room 222 during Week 1.
The allocation for all projects, both Single Honours and Combined Honours, will be made from 13.30--15.30 on Friday afternoon of Week 0 (Friday 1st October 2004) in The Departmental Common Room. Project supervisors will attend the allocation to discuss projects with students before they make their final choices.
Projects will be allocated to students, as far as possible, to match their particular interests. Some projects are reserved for particular degree classifications or for students with particular backgrounds. There may be other limits on the allocation of projects. For instance, in order to provide more choice of projects, some members of staff have offered more projects than it is possible for them to supervise. In such cases not all the projects described will be allocated.
Students interested in specific projects may register their interest by sending me an e-mail r.ferrier@physics.gla.ac.uk before the project allocation, or directly with me at the allocation. In the case of over-subscription of particular projects I will try to find similar projects for all of the parties involved. However, if agreement cannot be reached any other way, lots will be drawn.
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All students carrying out project work are required to write a final report on their project work. The report is an in-depth account of a detailed piece of experimental work, and should be tailored to suit the individual project. Students should discuss the style, content and level of their report with their supervisor. In most cases the format of a scientific paper will be appropriate, including an abstract and a bibliography or a list of references. The report should be a concise account of the project work containing a full description of the aims, method and outcomes of the project.
Failure to meet any of the deadlines set for project work will be taken into account when assessing the marks allocated to the project. Students are advised to discuss a draft of the final project report with their supervisor WELL BEFORE (e.g. three weeks) the deadline for submission. Remember that it is UNLIKELY that the supervisor will be able to read a draft report immediately and the supervisor MAY suggest substantial modifications to the report, which WILL take YOU some time to carry out.
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Single Honours Physics students and Combined Honours Physics + Arts (M.Sci.) students are required to produce and present a poster summarising the results of their project work. The poster presentation, which will take place in Week 21/22 (7 - 18 March), will be an open event to which all students and staff members will be invited. It offers students the opportunity to develop their communications and presentional skills and to display their project work to a wider audience. Where projects have been carried out jointly by two or more students, each student must present a separate poster.
Display boards and fixing materials will be provided for the presentation. The material for the poster must fit within one sheet of A1 size paper ( approx. 600x840mm), plus a separate title. Any writing should be sufficiently large that it can be easily read at a distance of 1 - 1.5m. The poster should present a brief summary of the background and main results of the project. It should not include all the details of the work done but rather the material presented should be carefully selected to attract the interest of the audience. The poster will have achieved its aim if members of the audience are sufficiently interested to ask detailed questions about the work done. After the poster presentation all the posters will be retained and may be displayed later in the Department.
The poster presentations will be assessed by the Projects Coordinator and the Deputy Projects Coordinator; the mark awarded contributes 10% of the overall project assessment for Single Honours Physics students and Combined Honours Physics and Arts M.Sci. students.
The department normally offers small prizes of 30 pounds, 20 pounds and 10 pounds for the three best posters as judged on the day of the Poster Presentation. Combined Honours students, who are not required to present a poster, may still, if they wish, produce a poster and enter the prize competition.
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The following criteria are used in assessing the marks to be awarded to each student for the conduct of project work, for project reports, for poster presentations and for oral examinations.
M.Sci.
The following questions are considered in assessing how well students have carried out the project work.
B.Sc.
The following questions are considered in assessing how well students have carried out the project work.
M.Sci.
The following questions are taken into account when assessing reports. The assessment does not re-mark the project work itself but is based on how well the project work is communicated.
The length of the report should not normally exceed 25 pages for Single Honours students or 15 pages for Combined Honours students; the typescript should be 12 point.
B.Sc.
The following questions are taken into account when assessing reports. The assessment does not re-mark the project work itself but is based on how well the project work is communicated.
The length of the report should not normally exceed 20 pages for Single Honours students or 12 pages for Combined Honours students; the typescript should be 12 point.
In assessing the poster presentations the following criteria are considered.
In assessing the oral presentation for Physics and Electrical Engineering students and for Chemical Physics students the following questions are considered.
For Physics and Electronic Engineering students the following point is considered.
For all M.Sci. students the following questions are also considered.
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Once your work has been completed you are invited to complete a detailed questionnaire on project work. This will be used to determine how well the aims and objectives for project work are being achieved and will help us to improve the standards and organisation of project work in future years. If you prefer, you can write directly to the Projects Coordinator r.ferrier@physics.gla.ac.uk expressing your views.
Completed questionnaires should be returned to the Projects Coordinator.
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As project work may involve the use of non-standard equipment or non-standard procedures it is important to consider carefully the safety issues involved with each project. It is the policy of this Department that the safeguarding of the Health and Safety of all staff, students and visitors is of the utmost importance. With this in mind a Safety Assessment and Plan for Safe Working, specific to your project, must be drawn up as the first step of your work.
The Safety Assessment should be completed collectively by all of the students involved in the project together with their supervisor and must be submitted by the supervisor to the Project Coordinator before any project work is undertaken. The project supervisor(s) and student(s) involved must sign the form to indicate that they have discussed the safety issues concerned, have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all persons involved in the project work, and that they agree to work according to the Plan for Safe Working. Separate copies of the Safety Assessment and Plan for Safe Working should be made for each person involved in the project and for the Projects Coordinator. No marks will be allocated to the project if the Safety Assessment has not been completed and received by the relevant Project Coordinator at the start of the project.
The Safety Assessment must identify any forseeable hazards or dangers involved in the project, or in any equipment used. These may include working with lasers, handling of radioactive substances, working with high voltage equipment, working with very strong magnetic fields, working with low temperature materials, working with vacuum systems, or using mechanical tools. Standard computer equipment is not considered hazardous. If the project involves no forseeable hazards this should be noted on the Safety Assessment. The Safety Assessment must however still be submitted.
The Plan for Safe Working must define a safe method for dealing with any hazards or dangers identified in the Safety Assessment and where necessary the project supervisor should arrange suitable training. In particular, machining or mechanical workshop operations should only be done after proper instruction has been given and it is a precondition that a second trained person must be present while the work is in progress. In defining a Plan for Safe Working students should follow the recommendations of the current University of Glasgow Safety Handbook and the Department of Physics and Astronomy Safety Regulations and Emergency Plan. In the case of any uncertainty reference should be made to Prof. G. Rosner the Chairman of the Departmental Safety Committee.
Except in the case of project work which is carried out in the Computer Open Cluster, students should only carry out experimental work outwith normal working hours if their supervisor, or another responsible person appointed by their supervisor, is present to supervise them during their work. They must also follow the Departmental regulations for working outwith normal hours.
Students who suffer from any medical condition which may affect their ability to carry out project work, or which may, on occasion, require immediate medical treatment ( eg. epilepsy) should inform their project supervisor and any person who may supervise them from time to time. All students should find out who is the nearest qualified First Aider, and where to find them in the case of any accident or emergency.
Complete your Safety Assessment and Plan for Safe Working now!
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Last modified: 24/09/04
24/09/04 13:19