[Academic] PH450 Pre-Allocation Deadline 31/8/2022, Project List, PH570

[Daniel Oi]

Dear All,

Just a reminder that if you have agreed to supervise a PH450 student for the upcoming session, you need to notify myself and Claire by the 31st August 2022 (there was a typo in a previous email stating 31 Oct 2022, apologies for the mistake). After which all remaining students will go through the usual General Allocation Process.

The first draft of the PH450 Project list will be released to students on 1st Sept 2022 via MyPlace. If there are any last-minute changes to your projects, let us know ASAP. In particular, if there have been changes in Staffing circumstances that affect the provision of projects within your group, please let us know.

Please CC Claire (claire.mcnally at strath.ac.uk<mailto:claire.mcnally at strath.ac.uk>) on correspondence relating to 4th and 5th Year Projects so that we can keep our records up to date.

To PH570 Supervisors, if your student has not yet begun engaging on their project, please get in touch.

Thanks,
Daniel

----Previous Message 11/7/2022----
To all Academic and Research Staff,

Executive Summary (TL;DR):

  *   Submit/Revise PH450 Projects by 31st July 2022
  *   Pre-allocated Projects deadline 31st August 2022
  *   All Academics/Senior Research Staff generally expected to offer 2 or 3 Project Places (total number of students able to be taken, can have more than 1 student per project topic)

Thanks to all who contributed to last sessions' PH450 Projects. Students were on the whole very appreciative of the efforts of staff to run these under still quite challenging circumstances. The projects in 4th and 5th Year are often the highlight of our undergraduates' degree.

For the next session (2022-23), in line with the University's aims, our goal is to return to more normal running of the projects and provide a full and enriching experience of independent work embedded within a research group. I am now requesting topics for next year's PH450 Projects. As a default, I will carry over the ones from last year unless notified of any changes (see attached list for reference). The incoming 4th year class size is expected to be similar the previous one so I am looking to maintain the same, or slightly increase, the number of project topics on offer.

Project Descriptions:

  *   All new and modified projects should use the attached Project Descriptor spreadsheet. Please only fill in the indicated boxes and do not change its structure as this will cause problems with the system used to collate all the projects
  *   Deadline for additions and changes 31st July 2022
  *   Primary Supervisor is usually an Academic of Senior Research member of Staff
  *   Secondary Supervisors can be PDRAs
  *   A more junior researcher can be Primary Supervisor as long as the Secondary Supervisor is an experienced senior member of staff who will assist in the supervision and assessment
  *   As we transition back to in-person teaching, please consider whether you can offer experimental/lab-based projects (if applicable)
  *   All academics and senior researchers are expected to offer at least 2 to 3 project places (there can be more than one student per topic, if it suits the project. Unless requested, I will try to balance project allocation to that no one received no more than 3 project students, with most having 2 or fewer students. If you would like more than 3, then let me know. If there are particular circumstances that significantly impact upon your ability to take on the expected average number of project students, please discuss with me accommodations that may be able to be made. Newer academic staff will likely be allocated fewer than average students in any case.
  *   Project topics can be shared by more than 1 student, please indicate if your project can do so. Such projects should have some aspect of differentiation between the students taking the project, e.g. different samples, different regimes etc.

General notes about the projects

Project structure

  *   Run across Semester 1 and 2, project worth 40 credits.
  *   General Allocation in Sem 1 Wk 1.
  *   Final Report Due Monday 3rd April 2023 (50% of mark) TBC, guideline length 20-25 pages.
  *   Viva during Sem 2 Exam period (20%), Supervisor Mark (20%), Presentation (Talk/Poster TBC) (10%).
  *   Assessment committee for each project, Supervisor, Independent Marker, Chair. All mark Presentation, Report, and Viva (joint mark).
  *   Rough supervision time commitment 1 hour a week on average (will vary). Supervisions are expected to transition back to in-person if possible (with some exceptions).

Student Project Selection Process, General Allocation

  *   Students will be given a booklet of projects available for selection beginning of September. Students can discuss with supervisors to find out more about projects.
  *   At start of Sem 1 Wk 0, students will be given a talk on the projects and allocation process. They will have till the end of Sem 1 Wk 0 to submit via MyPlace their student project preferences (5 to 10).
  *   Projects will be allocated based on preferences and a "coin flip" to break ties.
  *   Project allocations released in Sem 1 Wk 1, all students can now begin projects. Additional rounds of allocations may be conducted if not all students successful at first

Pre-Allocation Process

  *   Some students may be pre-allocated a project before the General Allocation.
  *   Pre-allocation is usually (though not always) for students doing a summer project who want to continue working with a particular supervisor/group.
  *   PH450 Projects should not directly relate to a summer project or previous work performed by the student with the supervisor, this is to avoid undue advantage. The PH450 project can utilise skills gained during a summer project but research work/results cannot be brought forward. Any such case of a summer student (or similar) wishing to be pre-allocated a project should be discussed with the PH450 Coordinator prior to confirmation of the project.
  *   A pre-allocated project requires both student and supervisor to agree on the arrangement, this must be confirmed (by email) to the PH450 Coordinator (i.e. me) by the 31st August 2022 and commits the student to being allocated the agreed upon project. This deadline is strict, any student not pre-allocated a project at this date will go into the General Allocation. It is expected all projects in the project booklet released to students at the start of September 2022 be available to any student during General Allocation.
  *   Pre-allocated projects not available for General Allocation are not included in the project booklet released at the start of September 2022 so that students do not select an option that they cannot get.
  *   A pre-allocated project that can have more than 1 student on it, and are not all taken up in pre-allocation, can be included in the project booklet.
  *   Pre-allocated students cannot start working on their PH450 project until the General Allocation list is released (so to not give an advantage).

PH550 Related Notes:

  *   I am now taking over the coordination of PH550 (previously Nigel Langford)
  *   Continuing students going from 4th to 5th Year are highly encouraged to retain their supervisor and continue their topic from PH450
  *   As a default, PH550 students are assumed to be continuing with their PH450 Supervisor, but I request that Supervisors of such students informally enquire about their supervisee's plans at least a few weeks prior to the start of Semester 1 in case there are any issues with continuing
  *   5th Year students wishing to switch topics will need to discuss this with me, and should do so as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Daniel, Project Coordinator for PH450 & PH550

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