Course

Note that it is mandatory to attend the first lecture in order to be admitted to the course. Please send an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions about this policy.

Purpose of the course

The main purpose of the course is to prepare for life as a scientist, both in academia and industry. The goal is to give training in working effectively both independently and in a group. An important part is to give training in assessing information and extracting key information in papers and other scientific publications. Another important goal is to give training in working in an interdisciplinary manner, combining fields of research that are normally not connected.

Course requirements:

Stage 1 Presence and active participation in the discussion sessions. Passing grade on exam.
Stage 2 Presence and active participation in laboratory exercises. Passing grade on exam.
Stage 3 Oral presentation and passing grade on written report.
Grades: Final grades depends on the details of the registration: Fail-Pass (U, G); Fail-Pass-Pass with distinction (U, G, VG) or Fail-3-4-5 (U, 3, 4, 5) are possible grading systems.

Stage 1 Lectures and Discussion (JAN – FEB)

For schedule and more details, click here.
Purpose: assess information, extract important issues in scientific papers, gain knowledge about important fields.
Organization: Most of the meetings come in pairs: one lecture and one seminar. The first is more or less a conventional lecture and at the second meeting you are expected to take active part in the discussion. Still, even during the lecture, feel free to interrupt the lecturer at any time! Your task is to answer homework questions, posted on the web, and hand in the answers 24hrs before the next meeting (the second meeting, the seminar), during which we will have a discussion based on the questions and your answers. The lecturer will also present additional details in the subject where appropriate during the seminar.
The lectures and seminars are typically two hours each. The exact schedule will be determined together with the students.
The lecture series ends with a written exam. See lecture page for final date and location.

Stage 2 Laborative exercises ( ~ MARCH)

For schedule and more details, click here.
Purpose: learn how to use important tools; due to COVID the labs might take place online.
Organization: The lab groups will be around 4 people and the schedule will be determined on a case-by-case basis (Doodle) with the lab teachers during March. Each lab is approximately four hours.
Examination: When all lab exercises have been done, an oral exam is used to control the knowledge gained during the lab course.

Stage 3 Project (MARCH – MAY)

For more details, click here!
The project is the most important part of the course. Knowledge gained during the lectures and the lab exercises in the beginning are used here in independent projects. The projects can be carried out in small groups or individually.
The result of the project is a written report that is presented in a minisymposium.

After the course

The purpose of the course is to prepare for a life as a researcher. A good way to get started with research is doing your masters thesis in our lab. Click here for more information about diploma projects (Exjobb).