BSc Zoology with Industrial/Professional Experience / Course details

Your final year project is your opportunity to undertake a research project in an area of your interest, whilst potentially contributing to cutting edge scientific research. There are a wide range of project types available, depending on supervisor availability and previous academic performance:


Laboratory Based Project

Design and carry out a piece of original research in a specialist research laboratory. A recent project tested the effects of anti-viral drugs on reducing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.


Field Based Project

Design and carry out a piece of original research in the field. A recent project took place in a conservation area in Peru examining the population of species of Caiman (which are similar to crocodiles).

Bioinformatics/Biomodelling Project

Carry out research using computers. This may be achieved by running other software, or querying online data resources, or it may be done by designing and writing your own software. A recent project identified the areas of interaction between specific proteins by analysing data on protein structures which is available in a protein database. Interaction between proteins governs the majority of biological processes.
 

Bioscience Stakeholder Opinion Project

The aim of Stakeholder Opinion projects is for students to identify stakeholders and gather their opinions on a topic relevant to the Biosciences. The topic would be similar in scope to a parliamentary ‘Green Paper’ (consultation documents to gather opinions/ feedback on policy or proposals). The upshot of a Green Paper is to produce a ’White Paper’ (an authoritative report or guide that informs readers about a complex issue and is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision).

Environmental Sustainability Project

Students will act as consultant(s) who will advise on actions and directions a research lab (or other settings as appropriate) can take to lower the single-use plastics burden, and/or other environmental targets as recommended during the project.

During the final year of your course you will be undertaking project work. You will be allocated one of the following types of projects described above:

Laboratory, field or data-based

• Laboratory or Field Based
• Bioinformatics/Biomodelling
• Bioscience Stakeholder Opinions Project (BSP)
• Environmental Sustainability Project (ESP)

Science Communication Projects (SCP)

• e-Learning (ELP)
• Education (EDU)
• Science Media (SMP)
• Public Engagement Project (PE)

Projects with the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (HSTM)

Life Sciences Enterprise Project (LSEP)

Outcomes for students are that you should:

•      learn to work independently or as part of a group/team as required (research group, for example) to address a particular bioscience question or topic

•      be able to search for and critically review the literature in a particular field and relate your own research to that in the existing literature

•      develop critical and creative thinking skills (develop ideas, data analysis and evaluation skills, be able to form judgements)

•      gain experience in the scientific method and develop problem solving skills; for example, how to design experiments or develop strategies to test hypotheses and/or evaluate your output

•      develop communication skills

•      write a scientific review and project report (or equivalent)

•      develop oral presentation skills (tutorial talk)

•      liaise with supervisor, other staff and students, as appropriate

Assessment methods BIOL30030 ONLY For assessment of other project types see relevant unit specifications

•        Project output (not diss/n) Project Report (85%)

Your Report should be submitted via Blackboard as an electronic PDF file. The deadline for handing in final reports is given on Blackboard, or can be obtained from the Student Support Office. Details of Assessment and marking criteria can be found in the Guidelines to Literature Reviews and Projects document in Blackboard.

Other:

A Project Performance mark (15%) is awarded by the Supervisor. This broadly measures how a student performs over Semesters 5 & 6 in their project work