Studying at York
Nanoscience experimental mini-project - PHY00059H
Module summary
This third-year module for MSci Nanoscience students will develop a range of practical laboratory skills in preparation for the extended MSci research project the following year.
Related modules
Pre-requisite modules
Co-requisite modules
- None
Prohibited combinations
- None
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching cycle |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2021-22 |
Module aims
The purpose of this module is to develop a range of practical laboratory skills, expertise and experience in preparation for the extended MSci research project.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, a successful student will:
- be familiar with good working practices in a modern laboratory
- be able to write a laboratory experiment risk assessment
- be able to generate an standard operating procedure for a laboratory experiment
- have written a laboratory notebook with the appropriate level of record keeping
- have engaged briefly with relevant scientific literature
- have written an experimental report using a recognised structure
Module content
This module will be predominantly based in the York Plasma Institute laboratory building. Each week will consist of 90mins briefing and a day in the lab. The students will work as a pair to undertake a single relatively open-ended mini-project (see below for examples). Following a laboratory induction and a description of the experiment, students will be taught how to write a risk assessment, which they will then write themselves. They will undertake the experimental work themselves, with support from the module coordinator. They will each keep a record of the experimental work in a laboratory notebook and each write a formal record of the experiment in a final report.
Possible topics for the mini-project include: (a) programming a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) board for experimental control (b) generation of nanotubes in a carbon arc
Assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Final experimental report |
N/A | 55 |
| Essay/coursework Laboratory notebook |
N/A | 40 |
| Essay/coursework Risk assessment |
N/A | 5 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
The risk assessment must be submitted and approved before experimental work can begin.
It will not be possible to re-run the laboratory. Repeated laboratory sessions missed in the absence of exceptional circumstances may lead to a formal warning.
Reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Re-assessment: Final report |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
Our policy on how you receive feedback for formative and summative purposes is contained in our Department Handbook.
Indicative reading
Depending on choice of mini-project:
- BBC Horizon (1992) "Molecules with Sunglasses"
- "Isolation, Separation and Characterisation of the Fullerenes C60 and C70: The Third Form of Carbon", R. Taylor, J. P. Hare, A. K. Abdul-Sada, H. W. Kroto, J. Chem. Soc., Chemical Communications., 1990, 1423-1425. DOI: 10.1039/C39900001423
- Peter J. Ashenden, The Designers Guide to VHDL
