MEng Aerospace Engineering

In this unit, students will carry out a self-proposed individual project with the support of an academic or technical supervisor. The project may be experimental, modelling/simulation, or research based but should build on existing prior work by the student, such as: their undergraduate project; their previous research internship; or an ongoing student society project they are involved with. To undertake this unit the student must have demonstrated a strong ability to work independently (e.g. have obtained a grade of ≥ 70% on a previous individual project [AERO31030 or equivalent]). Students wishing to undertake this unit will be required to submit a complete project description form agreed with, and signed by, their proposed supervisor, which summarises the proposed project, describes any prior work of relevance completed by the student, and provides evidence of the ability of the student to complete independent research (a template will be provided). This form will be reviewed by a second, independent academic (not the project supervisor) to confirm the suitability of the student to undertake the unit.  

The unit aims to:
1. Provide students with the opportunity to develop, plan, and execute their own innovative research project to solve a complex problem, working at the forefront of the particular subject of study.
2. Support students through the process of writing an academic paper suitable for publication (or similar) documenting their work.
3. Teach students to communicate complex topics clearly to a specialist and non-specialist audience.
4. Assist students to plan, and address, their professional development needs and work towards obtaining their desired career in research or industry.  
 

In this unit, students will carry out a self-proposed individual project with the support of an academic or technical supervisor. The project may be experimental, modelling/simulation, or research based but should build on existing prior work by the student, such as: their undergraduate project; their previous research internship; or an ongoing student society project they are involved with. To undertake this unit the student must have demonstrated a strong ability to work independently (e.g. have obtained a grade of ≥ 70% on a previous individual project [AERO31030 or equivalent]). Students wishing to undertake this unit will be required to submit a complete project description form agreed with, and signed by, their proposed supervisor, which summarises the proposed project, describes any prior work of relevance completed by the student, and provides evidence of the ability of the student to complete independent research (a template will be provided). This form will be reviewed by a second, independent academic (not the project supervisor) to confirm the suitability of the student to undertake the unit.  

The project runs over both semesters and will be supported by lectures/workshops on project planning, academic writing, and presentation skills. Students will be expected to plan and manage the project independently with the supervisor providing support as required. Students must make their own arrangements to meet with their supervisors as needed to plan the project, ask questions, and obtain feedback; these sessions will not be timetabled.

Tasks:
- At the start of Semester 1 the student will create a project plan to provide a realistic timeline for the project, and a professional development plan to guide their activities for the year in preparation for graduation. 
- At the end of Semester 1 the student will submit an abstract documenting their project and results to date (this should follow the length and formatting guidelines for an appropriate conference).
- During Semester 2 the student will present their work at a departmental seminar.
- At the end of Semester 2 the student will submit an academic paper draft suitable for publication (or similar) documenting their work, as well as a short blog/vlog article (or similar) describing the work for a non-technical audience.

Directly from supervisor