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IntroductionA variety of fourth year projects and programmes in Plant Biology are available to students who will have completed a three year Bachelor of Science degree either at this University or elsewhere and who have obtained at least 65% in their science major. Whether you undertake a project or a programme depends on the degree taken. The Fourth Year projects comprise Agriculture Research Project 400, Animal Science Research Project 400, Horticulture and Viticulture Research Project 400, Landscape Management Research Project 400 or Natural Resource Management Research Project 400 and make up 24 of the 48 points you need to pass in fourth year. The 400 Project is not an honours project as such, but the mark for the project will be taken into account when calculating honours. The 400 unit gives you a taste of independent, but supervised research. Assessment for the fourth year project is based on an informal 1st Seminar (not assessed), a 2nd Semester Seminar (10%) and the Research Report (90%) The Honours programme is normally for students proceeding immediately from the third year of their science degree course (e.g. with a major in botany or marine biology). It typically consists of a research thesis completed in approximately 9 months of full time study or over 18 months of part-time study. In the Honours course you will be working with a particular supervisor or supervisors and with other members of the School, in an area of research that you find personally interesting. We know, in qualifying for this programme, that you can absorb scientific information and reproduce it under examination conditions, but this year will be different. You have to demonstrate that you can gather, generate, distil and communicate scientific information to your peers. At the end of the year our staff must assess your performance in comparison with others who have passed through the School, and in relation to what we can expect from someone working in the particular programme you have adopted. Of course, the research problems addressed and the methods of approach will differ amongst students, as they will depend upon the area of expertise in which each student is being trained, for example, some programmes may be essentially descriptive, others experimental. Nevertheless, there are some general features and qualities to be sought in all research as will be outlined in the Honours booklet to be provided at the commencement of the course. The course consists of a formal proposal (12%) and an oral presentation of the proposal (6%), a critical literature review (6%) and a seminar based on the review (3%), the thesis (60%) and an oral presentation of it (8%), and participation in the School of Plant Biology Seminar Programme (5%). The Graduate Diploma course is designed for students who have already taken a Pass Degree and subsequently wish to extend their qualifications/expertise. The programme is substantially the same as for the Honours but may include course work in place of one or more sections of the normal Honours programme. Admission to either an Honours or the Graduate Diploma course is usually 1st February or 1st July of each year. Facilities and Research SupervisionThe School of Plant Biology is particularly well equipped for a wide range of projects in plant research. For chemical analysis the School has mass spectrometers, HPLC units, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, a number of portable infra-red gas analysers, portable chlorophyll fluorescence equipment, gas chromatographs and UV/VIS spectrophotometers. A stable isotope high precision mass spectrometry facility is available for (eco)physiological research, including respiration studies. The School is also well equipped for radio and stable isotope work and for plant molecular biology and plant pathology. Computing facilities include IBM compatible PCs, Apple Macintosh computers and connections to the Campus network and the Internet. The School has a close association with the Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis through a joint staff appointment and joint research and teaching programmes. The School maintains a reference herbarium of the flora of the southwest of the State. There is also a well-equipped photographic darkroom available. Field work is facilitated by a well maintained fleet of vehicles, including 4WD’s. Boats are also available for marine research. The School utilises a number of serviced glasshouses providing extensive bench space, and access to controlled growth cabinets and constant temperature rooms, including PC2 facilities. About one hectare of garden space is available on site and space is available at a field station at Shenton Park, some 6 km away. The School controls two relatively undisturbed areas of native vegetation within the metropolitan area and is in close proximity to Kings Park and Bold Park, which each contain about 300 hectares of relatively undisturbed native vegetation and 17 hectares of developed botanical gardens. While much of the south-western part of the state has been cleared for agriculture, large habitat areas comprising native flora, often approaching pristine conditions, have been preserved through a system of National Parks and Reserves. The proximity of this unique natural resource to the modern facilities available in the School makes botanical research at this University particularly attractive. Joint research interests are encouraged between the School and institutions having practical needs of the information generated. These institutions include DAWA, CALM, Department of Environmental Protection, WA Water & Rivers Commission, WA Water Corporation, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, and mining companies. Projects involving joint participation with other institutions and/or other Schools at this University, can involve the participation of outside supervisors. Selection of Topics for 4Th Year, Honours and Graduate Diploma StudentsProjects rated suitable for 4th year/honours/postgraduate diploma students are given in the following pages, broadly grouped into discipline areas and with the names of academic staff and post-doctoral research staff who would supervise the projects. Each student normally has at least two supervisors. The School encourages you to bring your own ideas for topics other than those listed. In this case you should approach an appropriate supervisor including staff in the School who may not have projects listed below. For further information on Fourth Year Projects see the relevant unit coordinator (listed in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Handbook), or for the Honours and Graduate Diploma Programmes contact the Honours Course Coordinator: Further Postgraduate Study - MSc and PhD OptionsThe research areas given in this handbook may be of interest to students enrolling for an MSc or PhD degree. Students intending to enrol at this higher level should contact the Head of School and Postgraduate Co-ordinator: |
