Postgraduate Course: Project Design and Field Skills (MSc) (PGGE11271)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Preparation for the dissertation project, including writing a project proposal in the style of an application for research funding. The course incorporates a field excursion to the world-renowned Scottish Highlands, to study analogues of rocks utilised by GeoEnergy technologies which will integrate the variety of topics taught on the MSc. |
| Course description |
This course will allow students to design a research project on the topic of their choice; reflecting on a subject area of their interest, including becoming familiar with the important and current literature on the subject. Students will present their research project proposals to each other as well as write a detailed project proposal that will form the basis of the MSc dissertation, which includes a literature review.
The geological field excursion will bring together many of the separate strands of the GeoEnergy MSc: hydrogeology (sedimentary aquifers); nuclear waste disposal in both hard and soft rocks; carbon capture and storage; unconventional and conventional hydrocarbon production; subsurface reservoir quality. Classic areas of Highland geology allow the study of world-class geological exposures, as analogues of rocks utilised by GeoEnergy technologies. The excursion is anticipated to run in late June or early July.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework: 100%
75% dissertation project proposal; learning outcomes 1-2
25% dissertation project presentation; learning outcomes 1-2
Project Proposal and Presentation:
The project proposal will describe the background to the student's dissertation project and how this work will be performed (scientific methodology). This is to comprise a maximum 6 x A4-sides of text (including references, figures and tables).
The presentation will provide students with an opportunity to critically assess each other's research topics, as well as gain some appreciation for the breadth of scientific research conducted in the Earth Sciences.
FORMATIVE
An assessment will be made of a draft of the introduction of the project proposal. The entire project proposal will not be reviewed, as this is a large part of the course assessment.
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| Feedback |
The project design component of the course is ran partly as discussion groups, and provides high levels of feedback.
The field component has continuous opportunities for feedback, both during the day with both staff and demonstrators, and in the evening discussion sessions.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Students will be able to design a research project with testable hypotheses and achievable goals.
- Students will be able to set their research in the broader context of work in their field of interest.
- Students will have an appreciation of the structure, geometry and properties of the rocks that are used by GeoEnergy technologies.
- Students will have improved geological field skills, which are highly transferable.
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Reading List
For the Project Design: Students are expected to read widely on their selected topic area. Additional generic instruction in how to conduct research or write proposals etc will be provided throughout semester 1. The reading list depends upon the project that the students choose for their project proposal.
For the field course, a purpose-written handbook will be produced (as with other GeoSciences field courses). Plus:
General field geology:
Geological field Techniques by Angela Coe. Great all-round fieldwork book.
Helmsdale area:
Palaeoecology and sedimentology across a Jurassic fault scarp, NE Scotland, 1993, Wignall, PB; Pickering, KT Journal of the Geological Society, Volume: 150 Pages: 323-340
The Upper Jurassic 'Boulder Beds' and related deposits: a fault-controlled submarine slope, NE Scotland, Pickering, KT Journal of the Geological Society, Volume: 141 Issue: MAR Pages: 357-374 Published: 1984
Edwards, H.E., Becker, A.D. & Howell, J.A., 1993, Compartmentalization of an aeolian sandstone by structural heterogeneities: Permo-Triassic Hopeman Sandstone, Moray Firth, Scotland. In: North, C.P. & Prosser, D.J. (eds), Characterisation of Fluvial and Aeolian Reservoirs, Geological Society, London, Special Publications; v. 73; p. 339-365
Small-scale syn-sedimentary faults in the Upper Jurassic 'Boulder Beds' Pickering, KT Scottish Journal of Geology Volume: 19 Pages: 169-181 Part: 2 Published: 1983
NW Highlands area:
Geological excursion guide to the North-west Highlands of Scotland, Goodenough, Kathryn M. and Krabbendam, Maartin (Editors) Edinburgh Geological Society in association with NMS Enterprises Limited, 2011. Available here: http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Geological_excursion_guide_to_the_North-west_Highlands_of_Scotland
Excursion guide to the Moine geology of the Northern Highlands of Scotland, Strachan, R., Friend, C., Alsop, I., Miller, S. (Editors) Edinburgh Geological Society, Glasgow Geological Society in association with NMS Enterprises, 2010 Available here: http://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Excursion_guide_to_the_Moine_geology_of_the_Northern_Highlands_of_Scotland
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Harvesting information from the scientific literature
Preparing a readable and concise summary of a longer document (abstract)
Proposal formulation and writing
Report writing
Field geology skills including record keeping and 4D thinking |
| Keywords | GeoEnergy,project design,literature review |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Wilkinson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5943
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Heather Penman
Tel: (0131 6)50
Email: |
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