Useful documents

Project supervisors may find the following documents useful.

Supervision and student support:

• Types of Final Year Projects
• How To Supervise a Final Year Project: Deadlines and Milestones
• Responsibilities of Final Year Project: Supervisors and Students
• Writing Up and General Advice for Science Communication Projects
• Final Year Project Presentation for Supervisors - the podcast for this talk can be found here. 

Information documents:

• UG Health and Safety Induction Form
• Ethical Considerations for Final Year Project Students
• Guidelines for HSTM Projects
• Science Communication Seminar Series 1617
• Science Media Projects Guidelines and Aides Memoires
• Student FAQs

Marking schemes and marking forms:

• Marking Scheme and Marking Forms for Literature Review
• Project Performance Mark Scheme
• Science Media Guidelines
• Marking Scheme for Science Media Projects
• Marking Scheme for Lab Projects
• Marking Scheme for HSTM Projects
• Marking Scheme for eLearning/Education Projects
• Literature Review and Project Report Guidelines
• Literature Review and Project Proposal Assessment and Feedback
• Literature Review and Project Report Assessment and Feedback
• Supervisor and Moderator Pairings for Final Year Projects

SUPERVISOR MARKING FORMS:

• Lab Marking Forms (BIOL30030)
• Education & PET Marking Forms (BIOL31220)
• eLearning Project Marking Forms (BIOL31220)
• Science Media Project Marking Forms (BIOL31230)
• HSTM Marking Forms (BIOL31250)

MODERATOR MARKING FORMS:

• Lab Marking Forms (BIOL30030)
• Education & PET Marking Forms (BIOL31220)
• eLearning Project Marking Forms (BIOL31220)
• Science Media Project Marking Forms (BIOL31230)
• HSTM Marking Forms (BIOL31250)

Aims and outcomes for final year projects

Final year projects aim to enrich the student experience, develop research skills, both bioscience and generic, promote independent learning and enhance employability of students.

Outcomes for students are that they should:

• Work independently or part of a group/team as required (research group, LSEP team etc) 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, and skills of data analysis and evaluation)
• Gain experience in the scientific method and develop problem solving skills, e.g. how to design experiments or develop evaluation strategies to test hypotheses.
• Develop communication skills, including:
  • Write a scientific review and project report  
  • Develop oral presentation skills (tutorial talk)
  • Liaise with supervisor, other staff, students, general public as appropriate
• Acquire project-specific skills (eg lab skills, use of software or other technological applications, researching historical sources, commercial skills such as developing  business plan etc) 

Laboratory and field-based projects

Lab projects are usually hypothesis-driven, and address a specific research question.

It is anticipated that students will develop a range of skills, outlined above, in addition to experimental design and technical skills specific to the project topic. They are conducted in our state-of-the-art research laboratories across the Faculty.

Note that the content, style and techniques used in these projects will depend heavily on the research of the supervisor, with which the timing and conduct of the project must be congruent.

Biomodelling projects (BMP)

These projects use computers to build models of biological processes such as metabolism, intracellular signalling, electrical activity in neurones, ion transport across epithelia, blood flow in the circulation, or homeostatic regulation of the body fluids. You will start by identifying a biological system and a question that interests you, with guidance from your subject supervisor, and you will use this as the basis of your literature review.

At the same time you will receive training in the use of MATLAB software (if appropriate), a programming language widely used in scientific computing and engineering.

No previous programming experience is required or expected.

You will then build a computer model of your system and use it to run virtual experiments. By comparing the predictions of your model with real experimental data, either from your supervisor's lab or from the published literature, you will be able to progressively refine and improve the model. this approach is at the heart of the emerging field of Systems Biology.

It provides vital insights into how the individual components of complex systems interact; it generates ideas for new experimental strategies; and it is really the only way of checking that our understanding of complex biological processes is complete and correct.

Bioinformatics

These projects are just like any other biological project, in that they address a particular research question, but are carried out exclusively using computers (databases and software applications).

Since the sequencing of the human and other genomes, vast amounts of biological data can be generated and made available via databases. Bioinformatics uses computers to manage, interrogate, analyse and interpret this information; it is where molecular biology meets computer technology.

This genomic and related information can enhance our understanding of biological function, help study molecular mechanisms and the causes of disease, and much more.

Most bioinformatic projects are designed to be accessible to all students in the Faculty, and can be tailored to suit the skills and interests of individuals. Previous programming experience is usually not needed. The requirements for a bioinformatics project are a familiarity and interest in basic computing skills and enthusiasm to learn more data analysis techniques.

Enterprise projects

The Life Sciences Enterprise Project (LSEP) is a collaboration between the Faculty and the Manchester Science Enterprise Centre (MSEC).

Through an approach of enquiry-based learning and independent research, you would develop an idea based on the commercialisation of a bioscience idea. You would work in a team of 6 students. To begin, you write an independent Lit Review like everyone else, and then you develop an original idea for commercialisation based on this topic, and produce a poster.

The team judge the posters and decide on the best idea that you will develop as a group into a business proposition. You then have to develop a business plan for this proposition as a team and end the project by pitching your idea to ‘pretend’ investors. If you have an interest in bioscience and business then this could be the project for you, but you must be a team player, organised and professional, otherwise the whole team will suffer.  These are the skills that employers always ask about, so this could be your chance to really develop them.  

Prior business experience is not essential and there will be supporting business workshops; however, these are only an introduction and students will be expected to develop their business expertise through individual and team learning. 

History of Science, Technology and Medicine projects (HSTM)

HSTM projects are designed for students who want to develop a broader picture of how people develop, promote and receive scientific and medical ideas.

Working with staff from the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM), you will perform original research on a particular case, through techniques which may include archival research, oral history interviewing or intensive literature searching.

Drawing on this material, you will construct a reasoned argument – for example, explaining why a particular event occurred, or what its effects were – and use it to frame an extended piece of writing.

Available case studies are based on supervisors’ research expertise, and range from the nineteenth century to the present day. An HSTM project provides valuable transferable skills in writing persuasively, time management, meeting deadlines, locating relevant sources, problem-solving, managing a bibliography, and working independently.

Science communication projects (SCP)

Science communication projects aim to enhance the understanding of biology by effective communication of a selected topic to a particular target audience. These projects have three distinct flavours, depending on the mode of communication. eLearning and Education Projects generally involve the production of a resource to enhance learning, whereas Science Media Projects involve the production of a portfolio of communication materials. Further details of each type of project are given below:

eLearning projects (ELP)

eLearning Projects  involve the design, development and evaluation of an online resource that aims to enhance the understanding of a particular biological concept, mechanism, or process. Resources usually support the undergraduate curriculum (virtual practical, problem-solving activity), or promote the public understanding of science in more general terms (by showcasing research, for example). Evaluation is a key feature of project work and you would normally be expected to develop a hypothesis to test the effectiveness of your resource on a particular target group.

eLearning projects are not simply ‘text on the web’, but should use the online environment and associated technologies (such as audio & video) appropriately to engage the target group in an interactive learning experience. You do not need to be familiar with the technologies that are used; full training and support is provided in a dedicated series of seminars and workshops.

Education projects (EDU)

Education and public engagement projects involve the creation and evaluation of resources or activities for schools/colleges or undergraduates, events at the museum or in the wider community (general public).

Examples include activities for Open Days or Museum visits (e.g. Coupled Oscillators in Biology- NF-κB Rhythms of Life Exhibit), games to enhance problem-solving in a particular topic (for tutorials, medical or dental students, e.g. teaching Pharmacology students about nicotinic receptors), interactive lessons (e.g. The development and evaluation of physiology teaching resources for infants).

Education projects are not simply concerned with teaching a class. There must be a clearly identifiable product, the utility of which you have demonstrated with rigorous data. The most essential thing to bear in mind is that the examiners will not be able to observe delivery/use of the product - you have to convince them of its utility using data and well-supported arguments. These often appeal to students who want to do a PGCE, but should also be considered by anyone interested in public engagement and how to communicate bioscience. Again, seminars provide essential skills.

Science media projects (SMP)

Science Media Projects aim to communicate a particular biological topic to a range of target groups, and involve production of a portfolio of communication materials.

This will contain an article for A Level Review plus reviewer’s comments, an article for New Scientist or similar publication, an oral presentation to a scientific audience, and  free-choice  creative piece such as a video, podcast or poster , for example, that must be evaluated by the intended target group.

The final portfolio should contain each of these pieces, plus an introduction to science communication, evaluation of the creative piece and a reflective log.