Research in Microbiology (MIU44001)

Content Overview

Each student undertakes a nine week research project during semester 2 under the supervision of an academic member of staff. Students will receive a list of laboratory and computational research projects during semester 1.  There will be an opportunity for students to discuss the projects with the supervisors at a coffee morning.

Whichever project a student is allocated, it is up to the student to get stuck in and take ownership of the project.  Part of the marking criteria for the “lab performance” grade is about the student’s ability to work independently and bring their own ideas and thoughts to the project.  

The research module consists of several components, including research, presentations, a literature review, a poster presentation and a thesis. At the end of semester 1, students are asked to arrange to meet their supervisor to discuss the project and receive guidance on relevant reading material. Students are asked to read around the topic and write a 2000 word literature review summarising published research relevant to the project. This literature review is worth 3 ECTS and the submission deadline is during week 3 of the project. Students will receive feedback from their supervisors on the literature review during week 8 of the project and students are encouraged to apply this feedback to their thesis.

At the start of the projects, students are asked to present an outline of their project to their lab group. Similarly, towards the end of the projects students will present their findings to their lab group.  During week 10 of semester 2, students will create an A0 poster showcasing their project (specific details to follow) that will be presented at the Festival of Research. The lab group presentations and poster presentation are opportunities for students to get feedback on their project before the thesis submission deadline, and form part of the lab performance mark. 

At the end of the project, students produce a thesis of their research project (specific details to follow). In addition, students will undergo a short viva voca examination with the project supervisor and a second academic assessor. The aim of the viva is to assess a student’s understanding of the background literature for their project, as well as the techniques used and their critical analysis of their findings. The project viva is used to moderate the module grades.

Throughout the academic year research seminars on the most current topics in Microbiology will be delivered by visiting scientists to the department. Attendance is compulsory as the subject matter is often relevant to the course work. Seminars will be usually held on Thursdays at 1pm, unless specified otherwise. Students are encouraged to attend these seminars, read up on the seminar topics and to integrate this information with that provided in their course. This will help develop a deeper understanding of topics and facilitate more in-depth answering in examinations. Details of each invited seminar will be circulated in advance.