Please note: there may be some adjustments to the teaching arrangements published in the course catalogue for 2020-21. Given current circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic it is anticipated that some usual arrangements for teaching on campus will be modified to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff on campus; further adjustments may also be necessary, or beneficial, during the course of the academic year as national requirements relating to management of the pandemic are revised.

Chemical Research Skills CHEM5080

  • Academic Session: 2022-23
  • School: School of Chemistry
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Available to Erasmus Students: No

Short Description

This course is designed to provide a grounding in the practical research skills needed to support the chemical aspects of modern chemical biology research. The course is primarily lab-based and will run for five weeks in semester 1

Timetable

This course will run for approximately five weeks in semester 1, and will include electronic pre- and post-lab activities, experimental work, and laboratory write-up sessions.

Requirements of Entry

Available to students enrolled in the MSc in Chemical Biology

Excluded Courses

None

Assessment

One experimental plan and risk assessment, accounting for 25% of the final mark. One experiment write-up counting for 75% of the final mark.

Main Assessment In: December

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ Give a broad grounding in the practical chemical skills needed for chemical biology research

■ Instill safe laboratory practises and good note-keeping behaviours

■ Give an undertanding of experiment design and the communication of experimental findings

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students should be able to:

■ Retrieve and critically evaluate methods from the scientific literature

■ Plan an experimental procedure, including a critical assessment of the risks and environmental impacts of the work

■ Work independently and safely in the laboratory

■ Critically apply modern methods of purification and structure analysis

■ Communicate scientific findings in a clear manner in keeping with the scientific literature

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.