Course Title: Honours Physics Project 2

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Honours Physics Project 2

Credit Points: 24.00


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

PHYS2081

City Campus

Undergraduate

135H Applied Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 2 2006,
Sem 1 2007

Course Coordinator: Prof James Macnae

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 3401

Course Coordinator Email: james.macnae@rmit.edu.au


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

There are no prerequisites for this course, other than graduate entry to Honours.


Course Description

This course forms the second half of the Honours year research project. The research projects available to students will be strongly based on the needs of industry or government research laboratories, and the availability of expert supervision. Each student will select a topic for a supervised research project from a list supplied annually by the Department or by negotiation with an academic staff member of the Department. Approved research projects will lead to the student’s acquisition of practical skills, experience, knowledge and attitude appropriate to his or her future employment and role in the community.
General fields in which projects are likely to be available include:
• Surface Physics
• Colloid Physics / Light Scattering
• Electron Microscopy (TEM and SEM)
• Optics
• Acoustics
• Radiation
• Computer Simulation
• Environmental Geophsyics
• Biophysics
• Theoretical/computational studies of semiconductor nanostructures and quantum dots
• Theoretical modelling of nanoscale interfacial phenomena


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

On completion of the course, the student should have:

1. a greater understanding of advanced techniques and methods used in physics;
2. a greater knowledge of current research work in physics;
3. the ability to conduct independent scientific investigations under minimal supervision;
4. enhanced skills needed to conduct scientific investigations in physics;
5. a greater ability to report critically on scientific investigations.



Overview of Learning Activities

Under the individual guidance of their project supervisor, students will conduct experiments, investigations and research using a range of instrumentation, computing resources, and materials according to the nature of their project, and will analyse and reflect on their results in self-directed study. In the case of collaborative research projects, some of this work may be carried out in external laboratories.


Overview of Learning Resources

Texts and references for background material may be available through the RMIT Bookshop and Library. Students will need to search Library and online resources, particularly in the current scientific journal literature, for supporting material and references relevant to their research project. Students will make use of RMIT research facilities for scientific measurement, analysis and computation under the direction of their supervisor.


Overview of Assessment

The course will be assessed on the basis of a research thesis submitted on completion of both Honours Physics Project 1 and Honours Physics Project 2, with an identical mark to be provided for each course.