Description
Detailed study and original work on an approved topic in Natural Resources Engineering.
The third professional year project is very different to all other final year courses. It is not based on formal lectures, laboratories and tutorials, but instead allows the student to explore a problem that interests them under the close supervision of an academic staff member. The vast majority of students who undertake a project find it a very rewarding experience.
Students who are wishing to pursue future postgraduate study should see the project as an excellent opportunity to sample the postgraduate research environment, and to explore possible avenues for their future research.
In 2013, when the new undergraduate curriculum based on 15 point courses will be fully implemented the third pro project will become a compulsory course for all civil and natural resources engineering students. It will be a full year course that makes up 25% of the final year of study. In the past the third pro project for natural resources engineers has almost fit this model while the project for civil engineering students has been voluntary and could be taken as a one semester (first or second semester) or full year project. In 2011 we took the first steps towards bringing all projects into a common framework and in 2012 we aim to take this integration one step further in preparation for 2013. While we will still allow civil engineering students to undertake one semester projects we will be strongly encouraging all project students to commit to a full year project, as this will be expectation of industry post 2013. You will find that many of the projects offered by staff are designated as full year projects to encourage you to commit to a full year of project work.
A second change to the civil engineering projects that will be introduced in 2013 is the requirement that all projects will be undertaken in pairs. The natural resources engineering projects are already structured in this way. This approach has a number of important advantages. Firstly group projects enable more ambitious projects to be tackled, and secondly, the skill of working as part of a team is seen as very important by future employers. All civil engineering students are expected to work in pairs in 2012.
Learning Outcomes
The third professional project is designed to provide you with an opportunity to:
• undertake a substantial and challenging engineering project,
• experience working in a research environment,
• develop independent research and problem solving skills,
• derive an appropriate methodology for the chosen problem,
• plan and undertake a project as part of a team,
• manage a project with time and budget constraints,
• analyse and interpret data from the literature, modelling, or experiments, and
• sharpen your communication skills through writing and presenting a conference paper.
Timetable
Date Description Action
21 February Project briefing Attendance is compulsory
24 February Registration deadline Submit registration form to Louise
1 June Extended abstract submission Submit extended abstract to Louise (2
hard copies) and upload electronic copy to
Learn.
5 October Abstract for oral presentation Submit one page abstract for oral
presentation to Louise
8 – 12 October CNRE Research Conference 2012 Oral presentation in allocated conference
session
12 October Conference paper submission Submit conference paper to Louise (2 hard
copies) and upload electronic copy to Learn
Course Coordinator
Roger Nokes
Course Administrator
Louise Barton
Project and Supervisor Allocation
The project provides a flexible framework within which you can choose to work on almost any engineering-related problem. It is essential that you choose a project topic that interests and excites you. Project topics can come from the following sources.
• Academic staff within the department will nominate topics that are related to their interests and which they feel will provide a suitable vehicle for a third professional project. In some cases industry partners will be involved in project supervision. A list of project topics will be available from the course coordinator at the start of the academic year. If any of these topics interests you, talk to the appropriate academic staff member. As we expect two students per project you should also inquire of your fellow students if there are others who are interested in the project.
• Alternatively students might have their own area of interest and would prefer to design a project based around their own ideas. In this case the student should approach a suitable staff member, who has expertise in the area concerned, to discuss how a suitable project might be defined. Again, find a fellow student who would be keen to participate.
Supervision
All projects will have an academic supervisor from the department. Some projects may have additional industry supervisors or supervisors from other departments to support their project.
Supervisors will:
- help students focus their projects
- help with resources needed for the project
- provide ongoing feedback on project progress (through meetings and comments on draft written documents)
However, supervisors are not there to do the project for you or to motivate you. The success of the project is ultimately your responsibility. Supervisors may give you some comments on written draft documents before submittal, if you give them enough time, but they are not expected to do professional editing of your grammar, spelling, etc.
Meeting times and frequency should be agreed upon with your supervisor. It is your responsibility to use this time as wisely and efficiently as possible.
Assessment
|
Oral Presentation
|
|
5%
|
Technical Content
|
|
Oral presentation
|
|
5%
|
Communication skills
|
|
Poster
|
|
5%
|
Content
|
|
Project management skills
|
|
5%
|
|
|
Project Skills
|
|
2.5%
|
Ability to work with supervisor
|
|
Project skills
|
|
2.5%
|
Enthusiasm and commitment
|
|
Written Proposal
|
15 Mar 2010
|
5%
|
|
|
Oral Proposal
|
17 Mar 2010
|
5%
|
|
|
Extended Abstract
|
02 Jun 2010
|
20%
|
technical content
|
|
Conference full paper
|
06 Oct 2010
|
40%
|
Technical content and achievement level
|
|
Poster
|
11 Oct 2010
|
5%
|
Poster Layout
|
The assessment for the project comprises five components, outcomes, individual skill level, the extended abstract, the conference paper, and the oral presentation. Your performances in these areas will be judged by your supervisor, an independent reviewer, and a panel of judges who will attend your conference presentation.
Some components of the project assessment will be individual (student skills and oral presentation), so that each member of the project team gains a separate mark. Others are joint (level of achievement, extended abstract and conference paper) and both students are allocated the same mark.
Textbooks
Recommended Reading
Anne Winckel and Bonnie Hart;
Report writing style guide for engineering students;
3rd ed;
University of South Australia,.
Silyn-Roberts, Heather;
Writing for science : a practical handbook for science, engineering and technology students;
2nd ed;
Prentice Hall, 2002.
Notes
Project is compulsory
For further information see
Civil and Natural Resources Engineering.
All ENNR429 Occurrences
-
ENNR429-12W (C)
Whole Year 2012
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