Students

MOLS8902 – Molecular Sciences Research Experience

2022 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Paul Haynes
paul.haynes@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to MBiotech) and (40cp at 8000 level or above) and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides students the opportunity to undertake a research project/internship supervised by leaders in the area of molecular sciences within the context of Natural Sciences. Students will acquire research skills, including literature searching, project planning, experimental design, data analysis and scientific communication. Interested students should contact potential supervisors in their preferred research areas to discuss available projects.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO2: Use laboratory skills common in molecular sciences or radiopharmaceutical science and conduct laboratory work in a safe and responsible manner.
  • ULO1: Conduct research to solve problems in areas relevant to molecular sciences or radiopharmaceutical science.
  • ULO3: Collect, record and critically interpret their research findings.
  • ULO4: Critically analyse and interpret published literature of relevance to their research.
  • ULO5: Communicate in written and oral format their research findings to scientific audiences.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

 

From 1 July 2022, Students enrolled in Session based units with written assessments will have the following university standard late penalty applied. Please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments for more information.

 Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of '0' will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.  In this unit, late submissions will be accepted for the major report, which is a written task with a specified due date.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research Report 90% No week 14
Seminar 10% No by the end of week 13

Research Report

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 75 hours
Due: week 14
Weighting: 90%

 

Students will complete a minimum of 3 assessment tasks, with a maximum of 60% weighting for any one task. Tasks can vary and may include a major report, initial literature review, project plan, oral presentation, essay or exam, as appropriate for a 10cp unit. The major report will be examined by two examiners. The report will be formatted for submission to a scientific journal, and must conform to published guidelines, which include a strict page limit and allowance for a data appendix. Assessment tasks and weightings will follow a learning plan agreed upon with the unit convenor and supervisor, which is appropriate for a project-based unit, or will be as listed in the unit guide.

 

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Use laboratory skills common in molecular sciences or radiopharmaceutical science and conduct laboratory work in a safe and responsible manner.
  • Conduct research to solve problems in areas relevant to molecular sciences or radiopharmaceutical science.
  • Collect, record and critically interpret their research findings.
  • Critically analyse and interpret published literature of relevance to their research.
  • Communicate in written and oral format their research findings to scientific audiences.

Seminar

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: by the end of week 13
Weighting: 10%

 

A 10-15 min seminar presentation at a laboratory group meeting will be scheduled in the last week of semester to give the student an opportunity to present research aims and outcomes.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Communicate in written and oral format their research findings to scientific audiences.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

 

MOLS8902 is an independent study unit of research experience. Students need to find a supervisor who is available and willing to provide them with a project in an area they are interested in. Once  enrolled, they should be able to see on the iLearn site that there is a copy of the Molecular Sciences Research Booklet, which is a good place to start looking. They can also consult departmental and school websites for more information. They  can also consult the school of Natural Sciences website for more information. They need to contact potential supervisors via email and discuss it with them, preferably well in advance.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook