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MSc IN SHELLFISH BIOLOGY, FISHERIES AND CULTURE Course Manual 2005/2006 School of Ocean Sciences University of Wales, Bangor Menai Bridge Anglesey, LL59 5AB Wales, United Kingdom Tel: (01248) 351151 Fax: (01248) 716367 UNIVERSITY OF WALES, BANGOR This handbook is a guide to the course and as such may be subject to change and modification during the year. The School reserves the right to make such changes.

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Page 1: MSc IN SHELLFISH BIOLOGY, FISHERIES AND …pages.bangor.ac.uk/~oss00a/shellfish/MSc Shellfish Course Manual... · wales, united kingdom tel: (01248) 351151 fax: (01248) 716367 university

MSc IN SHELLFISH BIOLOGY,

FISHERIES AND CULTURE

Course Manual

2005/2006

School of Ocean Sciences University of Wales, Bangor

Menai Bridge Anglesey, LL59 5AB

Wales, United Kingdom

Tel: (01248) 351151 Fax: (01248) 716367

UNIVERSITY OF WALES, BANGOR

This handbook is a guide to the course and as such may be subject to change and modification during the year. The School reserves the right

to make such changes.

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MSc IN SHELLFISH BIOLOGY, FISHERIESAND CULTURE COURSE MANUAL I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. COURSE STRUCTURE, MODULES & RESEARCH PROJECT 4

Shellfish Biology, Fisheries & Culture modules 5 Module Descriptions 6 Literature Review 10 External Examination 10 Research Project 11 Areas of possible research project supervision 14

Examples of past research projects 18 III COURSE TIMETABLE AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Timetable for 2002/2003 19 Examination Procedure 22

Assessment criteria 24 Unfair practice –Please read! 25 IV STAFF

Teaching and Research Staff 31 Facilities and Contacts 32

V MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION 33

SOS Computing Facilities Computing Laboratory and Courses Ocean Sciences Library and Courses Endeavour Society Other School Facilities Photocopying and Faxing Requisitions and Ordering Post and Telephones Vehicles

30 Shellfish reserve collection 36

VI SAFETY–Please read! 38 Preparing a risk assessment 38 Out of Hours Working 41

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Appendix 1: University guidance on postgraduate taught course administrative arrangements 39

Appendix 2: University regulations for postgraduate master’s degree schemes by modular taught course and dissertation 42

Appendix 3: University good practice guidelines for part ii (research project dissertation) of taught postgraduate courses 49

Appendix 4: University guidance on the presentation and submission of research dissertations 51

Appendix 5: School guidance to students and supervisors on beginning the research project 56

Appendix 6: Msc research project proposal form 60

Appendix 7: Advice for MSc students on producing a project risk assessment 63

Appendix 8: Permission for out of hours work 66

Appendix 9: School of Ocean Sciences risk assessment form 68

Appendix 10: Application form for a gold certificate 69

Appendix 11: Check list for draft thesis submission 70

Appendix 12: Application form for extension to thesis /dissertationsubmission deadline 73

Appendix 13 Facilities charge form 74

Appendix 14: Msc taught course student feedback 75

Appendix 15: A guide to writing essays, literature reviews, and project reports, preparing verbal presentations and taking lecture notes 79

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SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

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I. INTRODUCTION The course was initiated in 1989/9 and arose from the separation of the existing MSc Marine Biology (running since the late 1950's) into the more applied areas of marine environmental protection and management and cultivation of commercial marine species. As the effort to expand world food production expands there is increasing call for improved management of existing food species and production of new resources through cultivation. Recent advances in culture techniques for both marine and freshwater invertebrates such as shrimp and bivalves have led to the establishment of rapidly expanding industries. The School of Ocean Sciences has a long history of research expertise in marine larval culture and has pioneered culture techniques contributing to, and is actively involved in, this expansion of the mariculture industry. The School has excellent culture facilities which are routinely used to mature and spawn a variety of temperate and tropical marine species including bivalves and penaeid prawns. Current research is centred on the nutrition, genetics, and reproductive physiology of commercial marine bivalves, crustaceans and fish.

The course is demanding and allows participants to reflect their own interests as far as possible through the Literature Review and Research Project. This manual has been designed to enable you to manage your time more effectively. By reading it carefully you should find the information to assist you through the various stages of the course. If you cannot find the answer here, then you should consult the Postgraduate Administrator or the Course Director. AIMS OF THE COURSE The course takes advantage of expertise within the School, together with that of other relevant University departments, and visiting specialists from industry to train students with a degree in Natural Sciences in fish and shellfish biology, fisheries and culture. The course concentrates on commercial species which are subject to fisheries and/or culture in marine or brackish waters world wide. The course aims to:- (1) Review the current status of shellfisheries and culture practices for important crustacean

and molluscan species together with their economics.

(2) Provide training in fishery stock assessment methods, analysis and management principles.

(3) Consider the functional biology of selected commercial species, including feeding, nutrition, growth energetics, reproduction and larval biology.

(4) Provide training in important aspects of the culture of fish, bivalves and crustaceans including water quality management, control of reproduction, hatchery operation including larval food production, nursery and ongrow techniques.

(5) Consider the environmental impact of aquaculture and its role in Coastal Management Planning.

MSc TAUGHT COURSE PHILOSOPHY The course is a taught MSc that aims to elevate students from recent undergraduate courses and mature students with relevant experience, to the level of the independent marine scientist. The programme provides advanced training through lectures, seminars, practical courses, desk studies and research projects. Strong emphasis is given to training in practical techniques used in applied fields. The course begins with structured lectures and practicals, supported by essay and exercise assignments, but as the course progresses, students are increasingly charged with the responsibility for learning, through group work and independent study. The assignments culminate in a Literature Review which will be in the area of the Research Project dissertation, during the latter students conduct independent research and present findings to publication standards. Topics are covered in detail by individual SOS staff supervising the course for a period of one or two weeks at a time. Gradually, the staff role becomes less of a teacher and

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more of a facilitator and supervisor. The interdisciplinary nature of the course allows students from different natural science subject areas, and a wide range of UK and overseas backgrounds, to broaden their knowledge by amalgamating different topics within the framework of fisheries and cultivation.

COURSE DIRECTOR The Course Director is Dr. Lewis Le Vay who is responsible for managing admissions, the lecture programme, assessment, finances, and overseeing your welfare, during your enrolment on the Shellfish course. Dr Le Vay can be contacted in his office or by telephone on extension 8115, e-mail [email protected]. Dr Chris Richardson acts as deputy director, supporting Dr Le Vay in the management of the course, and will deputise in Dr Le Vay's absence. He can be contacted in his office or by telephone on extension 2855.

POSTGRADUATE COURSES ADMINISTRATOR The Postgraduate Course Administrator is Sandie Hague who can be found in Room 311 - top floor Craig Mair. Her telephone extension is 2897 (if you are telephoning from outside the University you should dial 01248 382897) and her email address [email protected]. Sandie’s office hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. You should hand in all coursework to the course administrator, who will issue you a receipt and distribute the coursework to the tutors. She is also responsible for timetabling of the courses, course feedback and helping you with funding for the course. You should submit your final research project to Sandie who will ensure it is sent to the markers and processed by the University of Wales.

POSTGRADUATE COURSES SECRETARY Ms Gillian Roberts is the Postgraduate Courses Secretary, with whom you will probably have had contact already, for she coordinates postgraduate admissions for SOS, and manages applications for Research Council grants. The postgraduate office is on the first floor of Westbury Mount, telephone extension 2846. TECHNICAL SUPPORT Technical assistance to the course is coordinated by Mr Berwyn Roberts who can be found in the preparation room (Room 316) on top floor of Craig Mair, near the entrance to the postgraduate area. Internal tel. extension for the prep room is 8606.

COURSE HOME-BASE The Shellfish course is located, along with the other Masters courses, on the third floor of the CM building. This area, consisting of laboratories, teaching rooms, common room area, seminar room and computer room is your "home base", and will be used for all of your taught sessions, unless the programme specifies otherwise. By giving the masters courses exclusive use of this area, we are able to run the courses independent of normal time-table restraints for undergraduate courses, thus allowing teaching sessions to be of variable length and providing you with ample space to mix with other masters students and to conduct your own work. The left hand laboratory will mainly be used by the Shellfish & Marine Biology courses. Lockers are provided within the practical laboratory for personal property, and you are advised to take care of valuables at all times. You will be issued with a locker key, laboratory access code, and a key card to the Craig Mair and Westbury Mount buildings (library staircase door), for access to the buildings out of normal working hours. If you open a door or window, then you are responsible for closing and locking that window. Do not leave the room and expect someone else to do it. Please note that for reasons of safety and equipment protection, eating, drinking and smoking are not allowed in the Laboratories, seminar room, or computer room. You may eat and drink in the postgraduate common room area, but not smoke. The kitchen and common room is to be left clean and tidy at all times. Abuse of these facilities will result in their closure. You may also use the Westbury Mount Common Room, where there is a drinks machine and a microwave oven, and tea, coffee and snacks served between 1030 and 1100hours, 1300 and 1400hours and 1530 and 1600 hours.

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ORIENTATION WEEK Orientation week is designed to help you find your way, and to get established before formal teaching begins. You are therefore encouraged to come to SOS for the week before term begins. You should have received a timetable of events for this week. Wednesday 28th September - All day MSc Postgraduate Registration, Academic Registry, Bangor. Thursday 29th September 09.00 Meet at SOS for all-day coach trip starting in Snowdonia area including walk to Cwm Idwal, Electric Mountain, lunch at Victoria Hotel, Menai Bridge, then visit to Anglesey Sea Zoo, beach walk to Aberffraw. Evening 20.00 - Buffet Supper with MSc's & staff at the Aukland Arms Pub, Menai Bridge Friday 30th September - morning only 09.45 Welcome by Dr Colin Jago, head of School, Safety Talk & video with John East, Computer information with IT Manager. Introduction with Course Directors for manuals, timetable and information, Tours of SOS, Library briefings and problem surgery with Sandie Hague and Gillian Roberts with ESF information briefing. REGISTRATION You will have received full details about Registration from the Academic Registrar. Postgraduate Administrative Registration will be on 28/09/05in the Pritchard Jones Hall, College Road, in Bangor. You should also register with the Students Union. Joining the latter is compulsory, for part of your College fees automatically pay your subscription. The Students Union is perhaps of greater importance to undergraduate rather than postgraduate students, but you will find that your NUS card gives you cheap travel, and the Students Union shop supplies a range of stationery goods. The various student clubs and societies advertise their activities and compete for your membership at "Serendipity in the Students Union.

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SECTION II

COURSE STRUCTURE,

MODULES &

RESEARCH PROJECT

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II. COURSE STRUCTURE INTRODUCTION The Shellfish course is a multi-disciplinary MSc programme, consisting of a taught course and literature review from October to May, and a supervised practical research project from May to September. MSc taught courses conform to term dates until the beginning of the research project phase. 2005/2006 term dates are:

AUTUMN TERM 03/10/05 to 17/12/05 SPRING TERM: 09/01/06 to 03/04/05 SUMMER TERM: 24/04/05 start MSc PROJECT PHASE: 30/09/05 to 30/09/2005

The Christmas and Easter vacations (both three weeks) are free from course work, but you should expect to use some of this time to complete assessed reports and in preparing your Literature Review. Teaching weeks throughout the year are referred to by number (weeks 1-11 in Autumn term; weeks 12 to 23 in Spring term; and weeks 24 to 27 in Summer term). TAUGHT COURSE STRUCTURE The taught course is modular, with most modules comprising lectures and associated practicals making up the units of teaching organisation and assessment. Most modules are organised and run by a member of staff over the period of 1 - 3 weeks. The theory provides the necessary background to understand the practical and applied aims of the course. The practical sessions provide demonstrations and tuition of relevant techniques. Teaching sessions do not always take the form of formal lectures and practicals of fixed duration, and lectures, seminars, practical sessions, supervised and unsupervised study often merge into one another. Many topics require working in small groups or larger teams, and interaction and discussion between course members and staff is encouraged. Because of the varying backgrounds and different first degree subjects, knowledge across the class on any one topic may range from none to well informed. Group work will often exploit the strengths of individuals, and provide opportunities to counteract any weaknesses. Suggested reading is provided for most modules, and the first lecture of a topic usually summarises the elementary aspects of the topic.

Table 1 Shellfish Biology Fisheries & Culture Modules

COURSE CODE MODULE CREDITS OXS4000 Commercial practice 0* OXM4001 Biological Variability 10 OXS4002 Shellfisheries 15 OXS4003 Biology of molluscs & crustacea 10 OXS4004 Energetics 10 OXS4005 Natural Chemical Cycles 10 OXS4006 Bacteria water quality / disease 10 OXS4007 Crustacean culture 10 OXS4008 Mollusc culture & genetics 15 OXS4009 Coastal Zone Management 10 OXX4010 Literature Review 20 OXX4011 Research Project - Dissertation 60

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COASTAL PHYSICAL PROCESSES All MSc students will take the introductory lectures on coastal physical processes in Week 1. For Shellfish students, these theory lectures will support a practical assessment in OXS4008 studying food supply to mussel beds in the Menai Strait (Week 25) .

*COMMERCIAL PRACTICE MODULE (OXS 4000) In 200/6 all the MSc course will also take a new module on Commercial Practice, that will run as a series of seminars throughout the Autumn and Spring terms. This is intended to provide an introduction to business and entrepreneurial skills, and specialist seminars by visiting speakers from industry. Details will be provided at the start of the Autumn Term. MSC SHELLFISH BIOLOGY FISHERIES & CULTURE MODULE DESCRIPTIONS

OXX1001: BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY Credits: 10 Aims to provide the tools & techniques to assess key aspects of biological variability by describing the use and abuse of statistical methods in science, centring heavily on the design of sampling, surveys and laboratory-based experiments through: (1) training in basic IT skills; (2) developing an understanding of biological variability; (3) understanding a wide range of parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques; (4) training in principles of design, analysis and reporting of biological experiments. The course includes an additional 2 day workshop on Environmental Survey and Analysis to Detect Disturbance by Prof Tony Underwood (University of Sydney). Teaching methods: 15 hrs Lectures, 6 hrs field survey, 9 hrs laboratory work, 16 hrs workshop, 54 hrs study Assessment: Scientific reports of experiments performed during the 2 field trips and 16 computer tests giving students immediate feedback on their performance Staff: Dr Andy Yule, Dr John Latchford, Prof Tony Underwood (Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities, University of Sydney) Facilities: MSc computer laboratory & network, MSc laboratories, MSc seminar room, local shores Suggested Reading: Barnard, C., Gilbert, F. and McGregor, P. (1993) Asking Questions in Biology, Design, Analysis and Presentation in Practical Work. Longman Scientific and Technical. 157p (£8.00 recommended buy). Hampton R.E. (1994) Introductory Biological Statistics. W Brown Ltd 232p (£14.99 recommended buy) Reference only: Snedecor, G.W. and Cochran, W.G. Statistical Methods. Iowa State University Press. Sokal, R.R. and Rholf, F.J. Biometry. Freeman Module shared: MSc MEP, MSc Marine Biology

XS 4002 : SHELLFISHERIES Credits: 15 Aims 1)To provide a theoretical and practical introduction to the study of mollusc and crustacean fisheries and population dynamics. 2) To provide knowledge of the history and current practice in shellfish fisheries world-wide. 3) To obtain practical experience in studying a local commercially exploited shellfish resource. 4) To provide understanding of the concepts of shell and tissue growth in shellfish and to understand the implications of parasite infestations in shellfish. 5) To develop skills in preparing and analyzing shell sections.. 6) Training in the application and practicality of marine survey using stern trawling fishing and ground location aboard the RV Prince Madog, .analysis of fish population structure and stock assessment. Teaching methods: 12 hrs Lectures, 12 hrs field survey, 26 hrs laboratory work, 100 hrs study Assessment: Essay (75%) Practical report (25%) Staff: Dr Chris Richardson, Dr. Lewis Le Vay, Dr. Andy Beaumont. Facilities: MSc computer laboratory & network, MSc laboratories, MSc seminar room, local shores, R.V. Prince Madog Suggested Reading: Marine fisheries ecology Jennings, Kaiser & Reynolds (2001) Blackwell Marine invertebrate fisheries; their assessment & management. Caddy J.F (ed) Scallop and Queen Fisheries in the British Isles. Mason, J. Penaeid Shrimps: Their Biology and Management [Eds.] Gulland, A.J. and Rothschild, B.J. The Edible Crab and its Fishery in British Waters. Edwards, C.. Biology and Management of Lobsters, Vol. 1 - 2. (1980) [Eds.] Cobbs and Phillips, B.F. Biology of Crustacea, Vol. 1 - 10. [Ed.] Bliss, D. Vol. 10 Economics, Fisheries and Culture. [Ed.] Provenzano, A.J. Module shared: None

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OXS 4003 : MOLLUSC & CRUSTACEAN BIOLOGY Credits: 10 Aims:To provide an introduction to the biology of molluscs & crustacaea. The mollusc lectures cover anatomy, physiology, life cycle, growth and ecology in commercially important mollusc crustacean species. In practical sessions, the anatomy of a range of species is studied through examination and dissection of specimens. Growth in a selected species is studied through examination of shell development, leading to preparation of a practical report. The crustacean lectures cover the life cycle, growth, moulting, hormonal control of moulting, reproduction (including gonadal maturation), hormonal control of reproduction, feeding biology and nutrition in commercially important crustacean species. In practical sessions, the anatomy of a range of species is studied through examination and dissection of specimens of adults and their larval stages. Growth and maturation in a selected species is studied through examination of a time-series of fishery samples. Teaching methods: 14 hrs Lectures, 16 hrs laboratory work, 70 hrs study Assessment: Essay (50%) Practical report (50%) Staff: Dr. C.A. Richardson, Dr S.G. Webster, Prof. R. Seed, Dr. L. Le Vay Facilities: MSc laboratories, MSc seminar room Suggested Reading: Gosling E. (2003) Bivalve molluscs : biology, ecology and culture. Blackwell Module shared: MSc Marine Biology

OXS 4004 : SHELLFISH ENERGETICS Credits: 10 Aims: To introduce the concepts of physiological energetics & methods for quantifying energy use in aquatic animals, leading to the design of experiments to investigate the environmental conditions which influence rates of transfer in relation to marine aquaculture. An overview of physiological energetics is given in two initial lectures considering a formal definition of Energy, the laws of thermodynamics and each element of a standard energy budget. Methods of energy flow measurement in marine organisms will be discussed and practical tests of hypotheses pertinent to the aquaculture potential of Cancer pagurus outlined. Training will then be given on methods for physiological measurement in live aquatic organisms. Students will then address the practical hypotheses posed, over 3 weeks of intensive laboratory work. At the end of each week progress will be evaluated and in the final week a 3-4 hr summary session will be used to build the practical energy budget derived from the student's experimental data. Teaching methods: 2 hrs Lectures, 60 hrs laboratory work, 40 hrs study Assessment: Practical report Staff: Dr. A. Yule, Dr. L. Le Vay Facilities: MSc laboratories Suggested Reading: Knut Schmidt-Nielsen 1997. Animal Physiology, Adaptation and Environment. CUP (5th Edition) Crisp D.J. 1984. Energy Flow Measurements In N.A.Holme & A.D.McIntyre (eds). Methods for the study of marine benthos 2nd Edition: 284-373. Oxford: Blackwell L.R.D'Abramo L.R., Concklin D.E. and Akiyama D.M. (eds). 1997. Crustacean Nutrition. Advances in World Aquaculture Vol 6. World Aquaculture Soc. Module shared: MSc Marine Biology

OXS 4005 : NATURAL CHEMICAL CYCLES Credits: 10 Provides an understanding of the natural and altered cycle of nutrients in aquatic ecosystems by studying: (1) Measurement of algal biomass and rates of primary production, dissolved organic matter, and microbial loops; (2) Biological assimilation of nutrients, organic matter production and tracers; bio-limiting, bio-intermediate and unlimited elements and seasonal nutrient cycles; (3) Introduction to the taxonomy, physiology and ecology of planktonic algae and cyanobacteria, Harmful Algal Blooms; sampling methods and survey strategies; (4) Analysis of case histories; (5) Laboratory measurements of nutrients and chlorophyll. Teaching methods: 22 hrs Lectures, 10 hrs Laboratory work, 13 hrs scientific presentations, 55 hrs study Assessment: Student presentations on the biogeochemistry of natural waters. Staff: Dr Hilary Kennedy, Dr Ian Lucas, Dr David Assinder, Dr Steve Mudge, Dr Alice Newton (University of the Algarve, Portugal). Facilities: Chemistry Laboratories (Nutrient analysis, fluorometry), MSc Seminar Room. Suggested Reading: Black, K.D. and Shimmield, G.B. 2003. Biogeochemistry of marine systems. Oxford Fenchal, T. and Blackburn, T.H. 1979. Bacteria and Mineral Cycling. Academic Press JGOFS Protocols Handbook (available from staff) Libes, S. Marine Biogeochemistry, Wiley publisher Parsons, T.R. Maita, Y. and Lalli, C.M. 1984. A Manual of Chemical and Biological Methods for Seawater Analysis. Pergamon Press. Tett, P. 1987. Plankton. Chapter 11, pp 280-341. In Baker, J.M. and Wolff, W.J. Biological Surveys of Estuaries and Coasts. Cambridge University Press.

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School module shared: MSc MEP, MSc Marine Biology , MSc Applied Physical Oceanography

OXS 4006 : BACTERIA WATER QUALITY / DISEASE Credits: 10 Aims: To acquire knowledge and understanding of diseases in cultured aquatic animals, 1) To train students in basic aseptic and microbial culture techniques 2) To develop an understanding of the factors contributing to disease in cultured animals. 3) To provide an understanding of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease in cultured fish and shellfish. The course includes an introduction to aseptic techniques and practical experience of bacterial culture. This course describes the various environmental, physiological and genetic factors which interact to influence the development of disease in aquaculture. The course also examines modern and traditional methods for diagnosis , prevention and treatment of diseases. Teaching methods: 10 hrs Lectures, 20 hrs Laboratory work, 70 hrs study Assessment: Essay Staff: Dr J. Latchford Facilities: MSc laboratory Suggested Reading: Copies of key reference material will be provided for the class during the module. Module shared: none

OXS 4007 : CRUSTACEAN CULTURE Credits: 10 Aims: The module sets out to provide students with an overview of the characteristics of crustacean species that determine their suitability for different approaches to culture. Aquaculture practices for a range of species will be reviewed, with emphasis on the penaeid shrimp species and Macrobrachium. The module also aims to provide hands-on practical experience of the spawning and larval culture of one of the major farmed crustacean groups, applied in the context of designing and implementing a comparative dietary experimental study. On completion of the module students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of principles and practices of culture of crustacea and the criteria for selection of species for aquaculture. Teaching methods: 10 hrs Lectures, 20 hrs Laboratory work, 70 hrs study Assessment: Essay or practical report Staff: Dr L. Le Vay, D. Lee Facilities: MSc Seminar Room, tropical culture laboratories. Suggested Reading: Lee & Wickins (2001) Crustacean Farming. Blackwell Fast and Lester (1992) Marine Shrimp Culture, Principles and Practices. Elsevier. Module shared: none

OXS 4008 : MOLLUSC CULTURE & GENETICS Credits: 15 Aims: To provide practical knowledge of molluscan shellfish aquaculture and a clear understanding of the relevance of biotechnology and genetics in fisheries and aquaculture 1. To provide understanding of the principles and practices of molluscan shellfish aquaculture from broodstock to market. 2. To develop practical skills in handling bivalve gametes, embryos and larvae and assessing their development and growth. 3. To develop understanding of food supply and nutrient dynamics in extensive mussel culture 4. To provide background understanding of the basic principles of population genetics, quantitative genetics, ploidy manipulation and genetic engineering in the context of fisheries and aquaculture. 5. To provide information on protein and DNA based genetic markers used in to study genetics in fisheries and aquaculture 6. To develop practical skills in allozyme genetic analysis. Teaching methods: 20 hrs Lectures, 50 hrs Laboratory work, 80 hrs study Assessment: Practical report on allozyme genetics, an abstracting exercise on a research paper in molluscan aquaculture and presentation of results of ship-board survey. Staff: Mr A. R. Beaumont, Prof J. H. Simpson, Dr Jo Gascoigne Facilities: MSc laboratory, MSc seminar room, R.V. Prince Madog Suggested Reading: Spencer, B. E. 2002. Molluscan Shellfish Farming, Blackwell Science Beaumont, A. R. & Hoare, K. 2003. Biotechnology and Genetics in Fisheries and Aquaculture, Blackwell Science. Vogel, S. 1994. Life in Moving Fluids: the physical biology of flow. Princeton University Press. Module shared: MSc Marine Biology

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OXS4009: Integrated Coastal Zone Management Credits: 10 Aims: to apply coastal zone aw to marine resource exploitation and protection by examining legislation as a problem for Coastal Zone Management and Coastal Zone Management as a problem for law; includes UNCLOS and analysis of EU Directives (2) Natural Resource Economics examines the nature and supply of natural resources; Demand, revenue, non-market benefits and costs, market equilibrium; Investment decision making, sustainability and cost benefit analysis. Topic reviews modern approaches to the management of the coast: (1) biodiversity, conservation & sustainability, (2) Marine Ecological Critical Areas, (3) Marine Protected Areas, (4) need for integrated management; (5) problems of institutional organisation, (6) problems of defining the area to be managed, (7) reasons why ICZM fails, (8) Conflicts between aquaculture and environmental protection (8) Role of relevant international organisations and agencies, (9) 2 day conference analysing case studies in ICZM from around the world . Teaching methods: 31 hrs , 16 hrs conference, 53hrs private study Assessment: a) Coastal Zone Law case study exercise b) Students select, review and present at 2 day conference a 15min case study concerning aquaculture or shellfisheries in ICZM from around the world, examining the background problem, solutions and lessons learned. Staff: Prof John Gibson (University of Cape Town, South Africa), Professor Colin Price (School of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Wales Bangor), Dr John Turner, Dr Lewis LeVay, Dr David Vousden (GEF – International Waters), D. Lee & visiting speakers Facilities: Video Conference Lecture Theatre, MSc Seminar Room. Suggested Reading: Coastal Zone Law Prof John Gibson’s web pages: http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/pbl/jgibson/ http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/pbl/jgibson/iczm/index.htm Churchill, R. and Lowe, A.B. (1988) The Law of the Sea. Manchester University Press Natural Resource Economics Hardin, G. 1968. The Tragedy of the Commons. Science 162. Pp 1243-1248 Pearce, D. and Turner, R. 1990. The Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment. Harvester Wheatsheaf Willis, R.G. and Corkindale, J.T 1995. Environmental Evaluation, CAB InternationalCarleton Ray, G. & McCormick Ray, J. 2003. Coastal Marine Conservation. Blackwell Clark, J. 1997 Coastal Zone Management Handbook. CRC Clark, J.R. 1998 Coastal Seas – The Conservation Challenge. Blackwell Hunter, M. 2001. Fundamentals of Conservation Biology. Blackwell Kelleher, G (ed) 1999 Guidelines for Marine Protected Areas. IUCN Kenchington, R. (199) Managing Marine Environments. Taylor & Francis McLuskey, D. & Elliott, M. 2004. The Estuarine Ecosystem: Ecology, Threats, Management. OUP. Milner-Gulland & Mace. 1998 Conservation of Biological Resources. Blackwell. (on line) Northcote, T.G. & Hartman, G.F. 2004. Fishes and Forestry. Blackwell. Pillay, T.V.R. 2004. Aquaculture & the Environment. Blackwell. Salm, R.V. & Clark, J.R. 1984 Marine and Coastal Protected Areas: A guide for planners and managers. IUCN Gland, Switzerland. Valiela, I. 2005. Global Coastal Change. Blackwell Module shared: MSc Marine Biology

OXS 4010 : LITERATURE REVIEW Credits: 20 Aims: To develop a critical understanding of the available information and prior research in the field selected for the research project. To prepare a literature review that will form the basis for the research project introduction & discussion. The study is initiated at the end of the first term when a student has selected his/her research project. The student is expected to critically review at least 40 papers (though this will require actually reading of a greater number in order to select relevant material) and produce a review of circa 5,000 -10,000 words. Information on the structure and writing of the review is provided by the staff concerned and information retrieval by the library. Teaching methods: Directed self-study (200hrs) Assessment: Literature review Staff: Project supervisor Facilities: IS resources Suggested Reading: The staff member responsible for the project will provide a literature review title and 1-2 key starting references in the project area Module shared: MSc Marine Biology

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LITERATURE REVIEW This is initiated at the end of the first term when a student has selected his research project. The staff member responsible for the project will provide a Literature Review title and key references in the project area. Extensive reading is expected (and required) in order to be able to critically assess which papers should be included. These reviews provide the background to the research project and should place the research topic in context with existing literature. Information on the structure and writing of the review is provided by the staff concerned and information retrieval by the library. The literature review is submitted immediately after the Easter vacation and is assessed by two members of staff, and is also seen by the external examiner before she interviews the course in May.

EXTERNAL EXAMINER The External Examiner is Dr Richard Hartnoll of Liverpool University. All students will be interviewed by the External Examiner for 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the taught part of the course. The Examiner will have read your Literature Review and may use this as the basis of her interview with you. You are advised to have restudied any topic assignments in which you may have obtained <49.5%, for it is possible that your knowledge of these topics may be tested. By the end of the week preceding the External=s visit you should present all your course work (with marks sheets attached) in a box file to the Postgraduate Administrator. The External Examiner is expected to view a cross section of course work and this should be presented in an organised and easily identifiable manner. An Examiners' Meeting held after the interviews will finalise marks, and on the basis of these a list will be displayed indicating your performance on the taught course.

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RESEARCH PROJECT NATURE OF THE PROJECT The research project aims to provide research training in the experimental design, execution, analysis and write up of a dissertation in the format of a research paper, under the supervision of a member of staff. The project should contain original research. It is intended as a short project of not less than 3 month's full time practical work and 1 month's write-up. A list of project titles will be circulated in November/December 2005. You are strongly advised to approach potential project supervisors by the end of the Autumn term.. These suggestions are not intended to be exhaustive, and most likely reflect staff current research interests. You are welcome to approach potential project supervisors with your own proposals. The projects must of course be relevant to the field of fisheries or culture, and should be approved by the proposed supervisor and Course Director. Staff research interests are listed at the end of this Manual. The projects must of course be relevant to the field of marine environmental protection, and should be approved by the proposed supervisor and Course Director. You will be required to present an outline proposal of your intended research to a staff audience in week 26 (week beginning 2nd May 2005) prior to your meeting with the External Examiner, and they will assess the feasibility, logistics and soundness of the proposal. Flawed project proposals may require substantial revision and no project may be guaranteed at this stage. We encourage students to formulate projects working in collaboration with agencies, industries and abroad. However, such proposals will only be approved if staff consider the student to possess the appropriate aptitude and skills for such work, since students working away from Bangor are ambassadors for the University, School and course. If you conduct your project outside of SOS and UWB, then: (i) You will have a nominated Supervisor from UWB. (ii) You will need to have an Advisor or Co-Supervisor at the Institution where you carry out the work, who is approved by the UWB Supervisor. (iii) Matters concerning Health and Safety must be agreed beforehand. Usually you will work to the host institution regulations, or to those of UWB if the latter are less restrictive than our own. Travel insurance must be arranged through UWB – please see Sandie Hague to authorise this. (iv) You are responsible to your UWB Supervisor for the satisfactory conclusion of your project work and the presentation of the thesis. Ultimately, all decisions on the project, any changes of plan, and any serious modifications must be agreed with and approved by your UWB supervisor. (v) It is your responsibility to maintain regular contact with your UWB Supervisor during the course of the project. TIMING OF THE PROJECT You should have read around the subject, prepared a literature review, and have a clear aim and objectives by the start of May. The External Examiner will almost certainly enquire over your project plans during your interview. Practical work should begin in early June, and all data collection should be finished by the end of August. Data analysis should be completed during September and a full first unbound draft should be delivered to your supervisor by the end of September. You are strongly advised to submit on schedule. Your supervisor will be very busy during term time, and will be teaching the next intake of MSc and undergraduates. The later you submit your thesis, the greater the risk that your supervisor will not have sufficient time to devote their full attention to reading drafts etc. Please note that extensions to the project submission date can only be granted under extenuating circumstances such as for serious medical or personal reasons, and a supporting case has to be made by the School to

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the University Academic Board before an extension is granted. Medical certification documents and detailed documentary evidence of personal problems or logistical problems will be required at the time of application for an extension and cannot be considered in retrospect.

REQUISITIONS AND EXPENSES FOR PROJECTS Purchases of consumables approved by your supervisor can be made, using the pink requisition form which must be signed by the Course Director. Expenses may be claimed for small purchases, subsistence and travel for fieldwork, using the expense claim form, to which receipts must be attached. Expenses must be approved by your supervisor in advance, and submitted to the Course Director. The total expenditure on a project should not normally exceed £100, unless special arrangements have been made with the Course Director, prior to the expenditure.

THESIS PRODUCTION COSTS The research dissertation is an important piece of work of which you will probably be proud, and use in interviews. However, thesis preparation can get expensive, and the expense is incurred at the end of the course when you are probably least rich! You should therefore expect to keep about £150 in reserve to cover thesis production costs. You are required to submit 2 hard bound copies (3 if you were awarded a Distinction on the taught part of the course), and you will need a copy for yourself, and you should give your supervisor a copy too. A typical thesis is about 100 pages in length and hence photocopying will cost at least £20, and more if colour is involved. Ink cartridges and paper for your top copy will probably cost something similar, and binding is between £10 and £20 per copy.

THESIS PREPARATION You should note that there is a word limit of 20,000 words for the main text, excluding bibliography and appendices. You must prepare an un-paragraphed Abstract of the thesis of no more than 300 words on a single sheet of A4, single spaced. The text must be typed in at least 11pt high quality black typeface, with double line spacing. All diagrams should be in black ink, and the paper must be of good quality and A4 size. Before you have your final copy bound your must collect “Forms and Procedures for the submission of Taught Course Masters Degree Dissertation”. The details include an example of the disclaimer, which has to be bound into your dissertation. It also includes Notice of Candidature forms and your certificate of financial guarantee. These forms are available from Mrs Ann Lawton, Secretary to Dr J Perkins, Academic Office, 2nd Floor, Main Arts Building. In order to obtain these forms you must have returned all outstanding library books, paid all outstanding library or other fines and have no outstanding financial commitments to the University. Without these forms and the sections listed below, your dissertation cannot be accepted for processing.

You must also include in the bound copies (1) an un-paragraphed Abstract of the thesis of under 300 words in single spaced type; (2) a statement signed by yourself stating that the work is your own, (3) a signed declaration to certify that the thesis has not already been accepted in substance for any other degree, and (4) the thesis must be signed and dated by the project supervisor or director of studies. The thesis must be hard bound, with your surname, initials, full or abbreviated title, degree and date of submission printed along the spine. The College bindery, Nantlle Building, George Site (telephone extension 388114 can bind theses in 10 working days). There is a one day bindery service in Manchester, requiring a few days notice by telephone: Heathcote Book Bindery, Unit 34, Cariocca Business Park, Ardwick, Manchester M12 4AH Tel. (0161) 272 7733.

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SUBMISSION OF THESIS

You are required to submit two bound copies of the thesis to Sandie Hague, Postgraduate Course Administrator, and to prepare a further copy, which may be soft bound, for your supervisor(s).

Before binding your thesis you need to obtain the document Forms and Procedures for Submission of Taught Masters Degree Dissertations. These are available from The Secretary to Dr J Perkins, Academic Office, Main College. Without a disclaimer, abstract and acknowledgements bound into your dissertation it cannot be accepted for submission. You also need to submit the Notice of Candidature forms and the Financial Obligations/Matriculation forms at the same time. You are advised to consult "Submission of a dissertation for a Masters degree by examination and dissertation: Some notes of Guidance for candidates". University of Wales, 1989. A copy of which is enclosed at the end of this Manual.

Theses can be submitted at any time during the year, but you must meet the submission dates detailed above. The External Examiner usually takes about a month to read a thesis, and may pass, fail or ask for a rewrite. Master of Science Degrees are graded as Pass or Pass with Distinction.

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AREAS OF POSSIBLE RESEARCH PROJECT SUPERVISION Dr David J Assinder Main project areas supported are the distribution and behaviour of environmental radioactivity from natural and artificial sources, including marine discharges from nuclear facilities, and the distribution and effects of marine litter on beaches. Andy R Beaumont Andy Beaumont’s main research interest lies in population genetics using allozymes and DNA-based markers such as mitochondrial DNA, microsatellites and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms AFLPs and the main group of animals studied are molluscs. Work on other invertebrate groups, marine plants or fish is also possible – genetics is basically the same whatever the organism! Population genetics techniques can be used to investigate, for example, stock structure in commercial aquaculture species, the effects of aquaculture on genetic diversity – both hatchery effects and wild/hatchery interactions, genetics of conservation, genetics and pollution, identification of cryptic species and species taxonomy, wider and deeper taxonomy (family, order, phylum level). Another genetic manipulation technique used is ploidy manipulation – for the production of triploids and tetraploids. These have significant value in commercial fish and mollusc aquaculture. Experience in molluscan hatchery methods and School has a small experimental invertebrate larval rearing facility. This enables testing for genetic effects following restricted matings and also to investigate heritabilities of larval performance parameters. Dr Jim Bennell With expertise in marine acoustics, geophysics and geotechnics, Jim Bennell can support MSc projects in the following areas: a) The remote assessment of seabed habitats using acoustic techniques. b) The investigation of marine hazards, including fresh water and gas seeps, slope instability and liquefaction. c) Assessment of water resources and water pollution. d) Seabed surveying using geophysical methods. e) Assessment of geotechnical properties of sediments using acoustic and geophysical techniques. f) Marine archaeology. g) Engineering and environmental applications of Geophysics. Dr Dave Bowers Areas of projects supported include: underwater light and its influence on life in the sea; remote sensing of water colour and its interpretation in terms of phytoplankton biomass, turbidity and dissolved organic material. Dr Leon Clarke Expertise and facilities available for marine pollution studies, specifically trace and heavy metal pollution; possible to analyse sediment, biological and water samples. Professor Paul Dando The effects of fluid seepage from the seabed (freshwater, methane or hydrothermal) on the environment (biodiversity and geochemistry); biodiversity changes due to offshore structures (especially drill cuttings piles and pipelines) and their effects on the ecosystem.

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Dr Colin F Jago Turbidity is an important property of coastal waters since it impacts profoundly on many important biological processes. Colin Jago currently investigates the effect of mussel beds on the physics and biology of the Menai Strait. It is important to understand the role played by such key components of the benthic ecosystem and the research programme addresses some questions asked both by the mussel industry and those that oppose it (on conservation grounds): what is the carrying capacity of the Menai Strait for mussel culture and how do the mussel beds interact with the diverse filter feeding communities of the central Menai Strait? Specific MSc projects would be concerned with in situ measurements of turbidity (in terms of suspended sediment concentrations and grain size) in relation to mussel bed morphology, mussel activity, and tidal characteristics. The projects would be run in collaboration with Dr Jo Gascoigne who is coordinating the mussel bed programme. Dr Michel Kaiser Sustainable use of marine resources: Essential fish habitats, modeling of the impacts of fishing on benthic production processes, indicators of perturbed communities, responses of benthic biota to different regimes of fishing disturbance, sustainable mussel cultivation, mussel seed ecology, the effect of windfarm developments on populations of sea ducks. Dr Hilary A Kennedy Projects will be available in the general area of seagrass ecology, which could include topics such as ‘the impact of nutrient enrichment or siltation on seagrass meadows’; ‘factors affecting the recolonisation of seagrass meadows’; genetic diversity of seagrass meadows. Other areas of interest lie in sediment metabolism and organic matter sources to coastal sediments. There may also be a possibility of collaborative projects with the Natal Shark Board associated with their protective gill netting of bathing beaches in KwaZulu-Natal. Dr John W Latchford Diseases in aquaculture; reducing environmental impacts of aquaculture; improving culture conditions for farmed aquatic organisms; also willing to act as supervisor for any projects that require a high degree of experimental design and analysis. Dr Lewis LeVay Past projects topics have included nutritional physiology of crustacean larvae, larval culture techniques for shrimp, lobsters and crabs, fish larval nutrition, nutrition and diet development, environmental effects of aquaculture, application of halophytes to treatment of aquaculture waste water, mangrove ecology and fisheries.. Dr Ian A N Lucas Expertise in the phytoplankton enables support for projects involving identification, cultivation and estimation of numbers of algal unicells. These may be studied directly or indirectly when used as food sources for filter feeding invertebrates. Support can also be given to projects requiring microscopic studies, including light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Projects can also be supported which look at the biology and ecology of the macroalgae, meiofauna and microzooplankton. Dr Ian D. McCarthy Behavioural / physiological ecology and population dynamics of marine and freshwater fishes. Effect of contaminants on the behaviour, physiology and population dynamics of fishes. Fisheries biology and ecology. Individual variations in performance, its behavioural

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and physiological causes and its implications for life history strategies. Relating physiological and life history variation to genetic variation (e.g. heterozygosity). Freshwater and marine aquaculture: feeding behaviour, diet studies, physiology of protein metabolism and deposition, new species, selection studies for fast growth and efficient feed utilization, growth performance in recirculation systems. Dr Gay Mitchelson-Jacob Marine remote sensing from satellite or aircraft – especially visible radiometry of ocean colour, infrared radiometry for sea surface temperature, SAR roughness to study slicks and waves. These topics including field study validations and habitat classification. Linked to ocean colour remote sensing are aspects of optical oceanography – light in the sea. Physical and biological variability in shelf seas, e.g. around fronts. Long term variability in physical and nutrient signals around the UK as indicators of environmental change or climate change. Marine climate change impacts and monitoring for climate change. Coastal water quality, e.g. suspended sediments, algal blooms. Dr Steve Mudge The areas of potential projects include: organic contamination of the environment (PAHs, PCBs, lipid biomarkers etc.), the tracking of sources of contamination through chemical signatures, the effects of contamination on the biological community structure through multivariate statistical methods. Also, a series of ongoing projects in the Rio Formosa, Portugal and SOCRATES funding may be available for students to visit. Other bilateral agreements also exist for EU collaboration. Dr Chris A Richardson Chris Richardson’s main research interests are in the schlerochronology of bivalve mollusc shells, gastropod and cephalopod statoliths and fish otoliths. He has a wide range of interests in marine ecology particularly starfish predator-prey interactions, biodiversity of mussel communities and oyster reefs and polychaete tube worm patches. Currently projects involve the analysis of growth records in the long-lived (>150yrs) clam using the annually deposited growth increments in sectioned, polished and etched shells. Analysis of heavy metals and the elemental composition of clam, mussel and scallop shells. Reconstruction of the past history of growth from annually and tidally deposited growth patterns in the shells of a range of temperate and tropical mollusc species. Population studies of bivalve and gastropod molluscs and the development of methodologies for estimating the age structure of populations. The use of statoliths in gastropods and cephalopods for the reconstruction of past environmental conditions. Experimental observations of growth and feeding in several mollusc species. Tributyl tin (TBT) induced imposex studies in neogastropods. Cuttlefish rearing and experimental observations. Professor Ray Seed Professor Ray Seed will offer projects in the general field of coastal ecology and / or marine invertebrate zoology. Current areas of research include marine biodiversity (particular amongst the macro-invertebrate communities associated with intertidal mussel patches and turf-forming coralline algae), the use of stress indicators in marine mussels for assessing “ecosystems health”, benthic community organization, and foraging behaviour of predatory crabs and their hard-shelled molluscan prey.

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Dr David Thomas The main focus of projects will be inorganic nutrients and dissolved organic matter in estuarine and coastal waters (in the main, coloured DOM). There are opportunities to link these with microalgal and bacterial numbers and the distribution of these groups. In particular theses studies would be designed to look at the transfer of inorganic and organic matter from freshwater systems into coastal waters. A likely research area would be the Conwy estuary. There is also the possibility to look at macroalgal species and various aspects of the production of dissolved organic matter. Dr John Turner Biological survey, ecology and physiology of shallow tropical marine environments such as coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangroves. Habitat, community and biotope mapping using remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems. Subtidal community ecology and survey of rocky shores, reefs and submarine cliffs. Monitoring and surveillance, impact assessment, Marine Protected Areas and coastal zone management. Algal invertebrate symbiosis and bleaching. Marine invertebrate biology, ecology and taxonomy. Sea anemones, corals, jellyfish and nudibranchs! Dr Andy B Yule Andy Yule is willing to supervise projects in virtually any area involving Animal Ecology, physiology or behaviour. His work spans the realms of antifouling research (bacteria to barnacles), Zooplankton ecology and physiology and a wide range of topics in animal behaviour from invertebrate larval behaviour to seabird foraging behaviour. In the past, he has tackled problems as diverse as the impact of bait digging on sand flats to the metabolic coasts of anthropogenic contamination on distribution in relation to marine invertebrates. A major new area, with plenty of scope, concerns the accurate spatial modeling of organism distribution in relation to man made impact on the spatial structure of animal populations.

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EXAMPLES OF PAST RESEARCH PROJECTS These are 20,000 word bound dissertations, examined by External Examiner

• Allozyme genetics of the introduced New Zealand oyster, Tiostrea chilensis, in the Menai Strait, Wales

• An investigation of the ecological effects of harvesting cockles (Cerastoderma edule L.) by hand raking on the intertidal benthic communities of the River Dee estuary, North Wales.

• Larval development of the mud crab Scylla paramamosain (Estampador 1949) cultured in Central Java, Indonesia

• Autotomy in the common shore crab, Carcinus maenas (L) • Benthic Diatoms And Their Application In Penaeid Postlarval Nutrition • Chemoattractants And The Feeding Behaviour Of The Tiger Prawn Penaeus monodon

(Fabricius 1798) • Comparative study of two strains of Skeletonema costatum (Cleve) as food for Mytilus

edulis (L.) larvae • Crab predation on the commercial oyster farms of Tal-y-Foel, North Wales and Deep Bay,

Hong Kong • The development of a new postlarval feed for Penaeus indicus • Development Of An Increased Accuracy Method For Prawn Nutrition Analysis • The Effect Of Algal Diets On The Growth And Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Composition

Of Mytilus edulis • The effect of dissolved glucose on the growth and development of Mytilus edulis larvae • The effect of feeding and starvation on the oxygen consumption and nitrogen excretion of

the Lepadomorph barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes (Leach) • The effect of irradiance levels on the biochemical composition of three microalgal species

used in aquaculture • Effects of culturing Tetraselmis suecica (Kylin) Butch. in a nitrate enriched medium on

the relative growth and growth efficiency of 3 species of oyster spat • Examination of spawning and larval rearing techniques for the queen scallop, Aequipecten

opercularis (L.) • Feeding Attractants In Juvenile Crayfish, Pacifastacus lenisculus • A field study on Pollicipes pollicipes settlement • Food And Feeding Of Juvenile Dover Sole (Solea solea L.) Held In Captivity • The functional morphology of the Radula of three molluscs : Patella vulgata, Littorina

littorea and Acanthochitonia crinitus • The genetic regulation of bacterial virulence genes • The Genetics And Morphology Of Homarus gammarus • Growth, Digestibility And Excretion In Sparus aurata Fed Two Commercial Diets • Growth Patterns In The Shell Of Amiantis umbonella: Records Of The 1991 Arabian Gulf

Oil Spill • Hatchability Of Bangladesh-Produced Cysts Of Artemia • Larval Gut Development In The Fire Shrimp, Lysmata debelius Bruce : A Cleaner Shrimp • Predator-Prey Relationships Between The Shore Crab, Carcinus maenas And The Cockle,

Cerastoderma edule Shell Damage And Behaviour In The Cockle Cerastoderma edule L. Under Simulated Harvesting Experiment

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SECTION III

COURSE TIMETABLE & ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

MSC SHELLFISH COURSE TIMETABLE

2005/2006

PLEASE NOTE: THIS TIMETABLE IS INTENDED AS A GUIDE. CHANGES MAY BE MADE TO THE TIMETABLE DURING THE YEAR.

Date

Week

Lectures

Practicals

Term 1 – Autumn 26-30 September 2005

0

Registration (28//09/05) Orientation tour of area (29/09/05) Introduction & tour facilities (30/09/05)

Field visit

3-7 October

1 Introduction to coastal processes (G.MJ/CJ)

10-28 October 2-4 Biological Variability (AY/JL)

Field and lab data collection and processing

31-4 November 5 Fisheries assessment (IM) Trawling survey & lab (IM,MK)

7-18 November

6-7

Shellfisheries (CR/ARB/LL)

Shellfish Survey (CR)

21 November – 2 December

8-9

Biology molluscs & crustacea (RS,CR)

Mollusc Biology (CR) Crustacean anatomy and growth (LL)

5 – 16 December

10-11

Crustacean culture (LL/IL)

Crustacean culture (LL)

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Term 2 – Spring 9-20 January 2006

12-13 Natural chemical cycles (HK) Seawater chemistry (HK)

23-27 January

14

Shellfish Disease (JL)

Bacteriology (JL)

30 January - 3 February

15

Mollusc culture & genetic Part I: Genetics (AR)

Genetics (AB)

6-10 February 16 Private study 13 February – 3 March 17-19 Energetics (AY)

Energetics (AY)

6-10 March

20 Coastal Zone Law (JG) Natural Resource Economics (CP)

13-24 March

21-22

Integrated Coastal Zone Management ( JT, LL, DV)

27- 31 March 23 Private study

Summer term 24 – 28 April

24 Mollusc culture & genetic Part II: Mollusc culture (ARB)

Mollusc culture (ARB)

1-5 May 25 Mollusc culture & genetic Part III Straits Mussel Survey (JS) (to be confirmed)

Boat work (JS)

8-12 May 26 Research Project Review(LL,CAR + Staff) 10/11 May

15 minute project proposals

15-19 May 27 Interviews with External Examiner Examination Board (19 May All Staff)

20 minute vivas

22 May - 30 September 2006

28-48 Research projects under supervision of individual Staff (All Staff)

Practical Research.

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Assessment Programme 2005/2006

Module

No

Assessment Title

Assessor

Set by

Submission Date

OXM4001

a Biol Var Tests 1-6 b Assessment 1, Tests 7-9 c Assessment 2, Tests 10-16

Yule/Latchford + all staff

10 Oct 17 Oct 24 Oct

14 Oct 12 Oct 4 Nov

OXS4002

a. Essay b. Fisheries practical

Le Vay McCarthy

7 Nov 4 Nov

28 Nov 21 Nov

OXS4003 a.Mollusc report b.Crustacean essay

Richardson Webster

11 Nov 2 Dec

28 Nov 9 Jan

OXS4004 Practical report Yule 3 Mar

31 March

OXS4005 Lab assessments Kennedy/Lucas/

Mudge 20 Jan 20 Jan

OXS4006 Essay Latchford 27 Jan 20 Feb

OXS4007

Essay or practical report

Le Vay 17 Dec 23 Jan

OXS4008

a Genetics report b Culture report c Coastal processes data analysis

Beaumont Beaumont Simpson

3 Feb 28 Apr 5 May

27 Feb 5 May 08 May

OXS4009 a Coastal Zone Law Exer b ICZM Analysis

Gibson Turner/LeVay

10 Mar 24 March

27 Mar 24 March

OXX4010

Literature review Supervisor

30 Jan 24 Apr

OXX4011

a Research Project (talk) b Research Dissertation

All staff All staff

- -

12 May 30 Sept

NB The submission dates are at the discretion of the tutors and may be subject to change. Assignments must be personally submitted to the Postgraduate Course Administrator within the time period allotted. There will be times when you may have two or more assignments which overlap, so take care to organise your work. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances, because it is rarely possible to catch up, and the "knock on" effect causes the late submission of further assignments. Failure to submit an assignment by 1700 hours on the day of submission will result in you receiving 0% in your continual assessment record. In cases of illness or unavoidable absence, you may be granted a dispensation and your average continual assessment mark will be unaffected. A letter should normally be sent to the Course Administrator explaining reason for absence prior to leave, or a Doctor's Note should be provided on your return following illness.

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Table 3 Examination procedure for: MSc IN SHELLFISH BIOLOGY, FISHERIES AND CULTURE 1 The overall assessment for the award of the MSc will conform to the formula (a) Taught course modules (continual assessment) 100 credits

(see Table I) (b) Literature Review 20 credits (c) Project 60 credits

Total 180 credits 2 Candidates are required to satisfy the Examiners with respect to each of: (a) Competence with respect to the material of all of the taught course modules AND

the literature review (ie must achieve 120 credits, at a pass mark of 40% or above for each module)

(b) the Project (ie pass with a mark of 40% or above) 3 The decision as to whether the candidate be allowed to proceed to the project will

be made at the Examination Board meeting at the end of May on the evidence of results in 1(a) and 1(b).

4 In order to continue to the research project you must attain 120 credits in the

taught course. This means that you MUST pass ALL modules and the literature review. In the event of a candidate not achieving competence in all modules then, at the discretion of the Examining Board, the candidate may be invited to complete additional exercises in those modules in which he/she has underperformed in order to achieve a satisfactory level of performance.

6 Outstanding candidates who have passed all modules and the Literature Review

component can, at the discretion of the Examining Board, be recommended for distinction. A Pass with Distinction for the MSc Degree can only be confirmed if you attain an overall average of 70% or over in both the taught course work and research project phase, and not less than 65% in the taught course work, and not less than 70% in the research project.

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THE EXTERNAL EXAMINER All students will be interviewed by the External Examiner for 10 to 15 minutes at an appointed time during week 27, (9th-16th May - Please keep clear!). The External Examiner will wish to see examples of student’s coursework and this should be presented in a neat and organised fashion. It is recommended that you keep a box file of all your coursework, complete with marks sheets and assessors’ comments, and submit this to the Postgraduate Course Administrator in the week before your interview with the External Examiner. This will be returned to you. The Examiner will have read your literature review and may use this as the basis of the interview with you. You are advised to have restudied any topic assignments in which you may have obtained <50%, for it is possible that your knowledge of these topics may be tested, and you may be asked to submit new work in this area, especially if you mark is less than 40%. An Examiners' Meeting held after the interviews will finalise marks, and on the basis of these, a list will be displayed indicating your performance on the taught course as follows: >70% Pass with Distinction 40-69% Pass 0-39% Fail Those students awarded a pass will be invited to pursue a practical research project leading to the MSc Degree, provided that they have demonstrated an aptitude for research. A Pass with Distinction for the MSc Degree can only be confirmed if you attain an average mark of not less than 70% overall, having achieved not less than 65% in Part 1 and not less than 70% in Part 2. Students successfully completing the taught course, but not going on to the MSc project in Part 2, will be awarded the Diploma.

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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA INTRODUCTION The following schedules illustrate the recommended assessment criteria used when assessing the following types of assignment: (1) experimental work, such as laboratory/field reports and research project drafts (2) Literature Review (3) seminars and oral presentations (4) essays and literature reviews (5) peer assessment of contribution to group reports Knowledge of the assessment criteria should help you to plan your assignment reports to fulfil these requirements, thus improving the quality of your work and making most effective use of your time. You are advised to read the guide 'The style and presentation of written work', by Dr Colin Price for more detailed descriptions of how to prepare your work. There is also a Guide To Writing Essays, Literature Reviews, And Project Reports, Preparing Verbal Presentations And Taking Lecture Notes which can be found at the end of this handbook or on the SOS web pages. There will be a number of occasions when assignments will be conducted in small groups or larger team, because at MSc level such interactive work is profitable and desirable, making maximum use of the wide range of backgrounds of the course members. However, group work presents complex problems for making fair assessment of both individual and collective effort. Individual weaknesses may be masked by others' strengths, and an overall mark may unfairly reflects in the differential effort put in by each of a group's members. This is overcome by staff awarding a total group mark, and the group is charged with the task of dividing the mark amongst its members, with the requirement that this is done in a way that fairly reflects the relative contributions to the work. Staff usually gain a fair perception of the specific contribution of each member of the group, as well as the working of the group as a whole. The peer assessment marks are therefore combined with a staff assessment to form the final mark. A schedule for peer assessment of contribution to a group report is given below. Marked work will be returned displaying a grade and comments. Although staff will in addition return a percentage mark to the Course Director, this mark will not be disclosed to you until after the visit of the External Examiner. The grades are awarded to reflect the following percentage ranges: Grade A * Excellent in all respects >79.5% Grade A Outstanding in most respects 69.5% to 79.5% Grade B Some very good features 60 to 69.5% Grade C Satisfactory overall 50 to 59.5% Grade D Bare pass; some serious inadequacies 40 to 49.5% Grade F Inadequate in most respects <39.5%

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READ THIS!!

UNFAIR PRACTICE & ACADEMIC DISHONESTY The University of Wales takes very seriously any acts of 'unfair practice' by students in their coursework or in examinations. In the context of a taught MSc course, 'Unfair practice' means: 1. Engaging in plagiarism by using other people's work and submitting it for assessment as

though it were one's own work. 2. Copying or using in any other way unauthorised materials or the work of any other

candidate. 3. Claiming to have carried out experiments, observations, interviews or any form of

research which one has not in fact carried out, or claiming to have obtained results which have not in fact been obtained.

Plagiarism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as the taking and use of the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc of another person as one’own. It is using someone else’s words or ideas without acknowledging that they belong to someone else. Failure to acknowledge a source of information, be it deliberate or inadvertent, can result in severe penalties. Unfair practice also includes aiding and abetting dishonest practice, bribery (paying another student for a copy of their work), collusion (where two or more students collaborate to produce a piece of work and the work is presented as the work of one student alone. However, students are sometimes instructed to work together on an assignment and such group activity is regarded as approved collaboration), commissioning another person to complete work and submitting it as your own, computer fraud, duplication, false declarations and falsification of data. If any allegations of unfair practice by students are substantiated, the consequences are extremely serious. If you are in doubt about any of the above please contact the Course Administrator. You should also read the University of Wales Bangor rules on unfair practice, which can be found on the University Intranet at http://www.bangor.ac.uk/ar/main/rules/unfair/. You will be required to sign a declaration on all pieces of submitted work, a copy of which can be seen on the following page.

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UNIVERSITY OF WALES BANGOR

School of Ocean Sciences

MSc COURSEWORK DECLARATION 2004/5 Tick APPLIED & PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY MARINE BIOLOGY MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MARINE GEOTECHNICS SHELLFISH BIOLGOY FISHERIES & CULTURE “This assignment is the result of my own work except where it is a group assignment for which approved collaboration had been granted. Except for group assessment work, which has been prepared in collaboration with my group, all sources of information, including work of other students, scientific literature, books and the internet have been acknowledged and quotations and paraphrasing suitably indicated. I have read and understood the definition of unfair practice in the Course Handbook and in the University of Wales Bangor Rules (see http://www.bangor.ac.uk/ar/main/rules/unfair/).” Title…………………………………………… Signed…………………….. Marker………………………………………. Date……………………….

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1. ASSESSMENT OF LABORATORY/FIELD REPORTS AND RESEARCH PROJECTS Laboratory/field reports and research projects provide you with the opportunity to conduct experimental work and to communicate the results. Assessment is based on the following criteria: (1) formulation of question and design of the experiment (2) organisation of the research (3) initiative (4) technical expertise (5) interpretation and presentation of data RESEARCH CRITERIA MARKS AVAILABLE % Mastery of appropriate experimental techniques, eg. analytical, sampling, computational, histological 15 RESULTS: The acquisition of relevant data in sufficient form & quality 15 EFFORT: Assessment of time spent, conscientiousness, application 10 (20) INITIATIVE: A measure of the original and relevant contribution made to the research techniques 20 (10) PRESENTATION CRITERIA FORMAT & STYLE: An assessment of the clarity of expression and thought, neatness and layout of text and illustrations 10 DISCUSSION OF OWN RESULTS: A measure of the ability to draw reasonable conclusions from the data, and of originality of interpretation 20 (15) DISCUSSION OF RESULTS IN THE LITERATURE: Credit for the amount of relevant reading and the extent to which it is integrated into the project 10 (15) NOTE: Experimental work with high technical content or considerable volume of sampling may have left little room or time for initiative, and hence an alternative mark schedule may be used. Similarly, reports where a very large literature must be consulted may be more appropriately marked using an alternative schedule.

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2. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR SEMINARS AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS Seminars and oral presentations provide you with an opportunity to communicate your findings directly to an audience, and to respond to their questioning, and stimulate discussion. Assessed oral presentations often form part of an overall topic assessment. Criteria most commonly assessed are shown in the schedule below. CRITERIA MARKS AVAILABLE

(total = 100) CONTENT: argument, understanding, overview, conclusions 20 SOURCES: breadth, relevance, acknowledgement, references 20 PRESENTATION: voice, pace, variety, use of audiovisual aids 20 GROUP (SEMINAR) SKILLS: structuring, engaging, questioning answering 20 Overall performance 20 TOTAL 100

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3. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR ESSAYS AND LITERATURE REVIEW Essays and literature reviews vary widely in their composition depending on the nature of the subject material or question. It is therefore misleading to schedule marks for specific sections of the work, and many staff use methods of assessment based on experienced judgement, rather than a strict schedule. The following general criteria are the essential elements of such assignments. Grades A* to D and F are awarded for these criteria, and then a final percentage equivalent is awarded on the range of these, as follows: Grade A* >79.5% Excellent in all respects

Grade A 69.5% to 79.5% Outstanding in most respects Grade B 60 to 69.5% Some very good features Grade C 50 to 59.5% Satisfactory overall Grade D 40 to 49.5% Bare pass; some serious inadequacies Grade F <39.5% Inadequate in most respects CRITERIA USUALLY ASSESSED: STRUCTURE: Understanding and scoping of title, introduction and underlying rationale, discussion, conclusions, references CONTENT: Relevance, depth, explanation, elaboration, exemplification, quantification ARGUMENT: accuracy of evidence, interpretation, logical development, continuity ORIGINALITY: creative but with opinion based on fact STYLE: fluency, succinctness, clarity SOURCES: adequate acknowledgement, correct citation of references in text and list PRESENTATION: legible, neat layout, appropriate length MECHANICS: Grammar, spelling, use of tables, figures, graphics, units

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4. CRITERIA FOR PEER ASSESSMENT OF CONTRIBUTION TO A GROUP REPORT XX Well below average X Below average = Average � Above average �� Well above average Name: .................................................................... Contribution to: XX X = � ��

__________________________ Ideas for the project -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Collecting data -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Analysing data -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Reading and writing -2 -1 0 +1 +2 theoretical section Writing the report -2 -1 0 +1 +2

_________________________ Total score (-10% - +10%) .................... Group mark .................... Individual mark ....................

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STAFF

SCHOOL OF OCEAN SCIENCES TEACHING/RESEARCH STAFF D J Assinder, BSc, PhD Radionuclides in marine biota and sediments * A R Beaumont, BSc Shellfish culture and population genetics

J Bennell, BSc, PhD Acoustic properties of marine sediments D G Bowers, BSc, MSc, PhD Shelf sea structure and dynamics

L Clarke, BSc Climate and ocean conditions over time P R Dando, BSc, PhD, Prof. Deep Sea Vents and hydrothermal seeps A M Davis, BSc, MSc, PhD Geophysical/geotechnical properties of sediment A J Elliott, BSc, PhD Applied physical oceanography and modelling

D Huws, BSc, MSc Geological in situ seabed measurements * C F Jago, BSc, DIC, PhD Estuarine and continental shelf sediment

S E Jones, MA, PhD Marine acoustics and benthic boundary layer processes M Kaiser, BSc, PhD Benthos/Fisheries interaction * H A Kennedy, BSc, MSc, PhD Stable isotope distributions in the marine environment * J W Latchford, BSc, PhD Environmental molecular biology * L. Le Vay BSc, MSc. PhD Crustacean biology, aquaculture & fisheries, tropical

ecology * I A N Lucas, BSc, PhD Ultrastructure and ecology of marine algae and protista * I. McCarthy BSc, PhD Fish physiology & ecology. * G. Mitchelson-Jacob Physical oceanography, remote sensing

G Reid, BSc, PhD Continental shelf and slope sedimentary processes * C A Richardson, BSc, PhD Biology growth and behaviour of molluscs

J Scourse, MA, PhD Quaternary environments and stratigraphy * R Seed, BSc, PhD Ecology of the coastal zone * J H Simpson,BA,PhD, DSc, Prof Physical oceanography of shelf seas * D Thomas, BSc, PhD Marine macro and micro algae * J Turner, BSc, DPhil Sublittoral ecology and algal-invertebrate symbiosis * A B Yule, BSc, PhD Larval biology and bioadhesion mechanisms key * indicate staff teaching on Shellfish course

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SOS FACILITIES AND PERSONS TO CONTACT 30 m research fishing vessel RV Prince Madog for offshore survey Dr M Kaiser Variety of small boats, (Sandpebbler and Robin) and doreys Mr G Parry Jones Land Rover and other vehicles Mr L Roberts Seabed sampling gear: grabs, corers, dredges Dr M Kaiser Seabed sledge with remote-operating still & TV camera Dr M Kaiser Acoustic systems for seabed description Dr J Bennell Side scan sonar and sub bottom profiling for marine surveying Dr J Bennell GPS Global positioning system Dr J Turner Resonant column apparatus for sediment analysis Dr C Jago SCUBA apparatus & breathing air compressor Dr Turner Underwater still photographic system for SCUBA Dr Turner Underwater video system for SCUBA Dr Turner Underwater diver-diver-surface-video communications Dr Turner Video editing equipment Dr Turner Sublittoral & littoral survey gear Mr L Roberts/Dr Turner Remote Sensing image processor Dr J Turner Geographical Information System (GIS) Dr J Turner Experimental rafts in Menai Strait Mr L Roberts Sea water supply (20k gal) Mr L Roberts Sea water benches for marine invertebrate work Mr L Roberts Bivalve mollusc spawning facilities Mr A Beaumont Quarantine facilities Mr A Beaumont Cold water raceway and recirculation tanks for fw & sw fish Dr I. McCarthy Hatchery facilities for fish Dr I. McCarthy Tropical raceway and recirculation tanks for prawns Dr L. Le Vay Hatchery facilities for tropical crustacea Dr L. Le Vay Larval culture facilities for batch culture Mr G. Hughes Algal rearing facilities for larval feeding Mr G. Hughes Algal culture room for phycology Dr I Lucas Fluorometry Dr Thomas Biochemistry facilities Dr S Mudge Aquaculture diet preparation Dr L . Le Vay Hydrographic Laboratory with 16m flume & wave tanks Mr D Boon Radioactive tracer lab for alpha & gamma spectrometry Dr Assinder Liquid scintillation counter Dr Assinder Electrophoresis and chromatography laboratory Mr A Beaumont Analytical chemistry (AA, HPLC, GC) Dr S Mudge Mass spectrophotometer Dr S Mudge Diode array spectrophotometer Ms V. Price-Ellis CHN analyser Dr H Kennedy Safety issues Mr. J. East Stable isotope vacuum line Dr H Kennedy Stable isotope mass spectrophotometer Dr H Kennedy Microbiological culture & anaerobic facilities Dr J Latchford/ Mr J Rowlands Scanning electron microscopy and histology Dr I Lucas Photographic facilities Mr D Roberts Computer network Mr G. Worley Electronics Laboratory Mr R.. Wilton/ Ms A. Hammerstein Workshop Mr E. Jones

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MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION SOS COMPUTING FACILITIES The School has extensive computing facilities including a variety of peripherals of which you may wish to make use as the course progresses. The mainframe computer terminals and School network are managed by The Network Manager, Mr Graham Worley ([email protected]) within the School. Terminal rooms are located in both the Westbury Mount and Craig Mair buildings, and IBM compatible PCs and peripherals such as scanners, Desktop Publishing facilities are also available. Printing credits can be purchased through Mrs Margaret Jones, Accounts Clerk. Please note that you should not use any PC unless you have been granted permission, and under no circumstances should you install your own software onto the hard discs of these machines. If you change the configuration of a terminal or PC, it is important that you return it to the original configuration on ending that session's use. The College has strict rules relating to use of computers and software and you are warned that any abuse of computing facilities will result in your access to these facilities being withdrawn. OTHER SCHOOL FACILITIES You will probably require access to a variety of facilities when you embark on your research project. A list covering just some of these facilities is given at the end of the Manual. Many of these facilities require training before you can use them effectively, and it is important that you contact the named person before you start work. PHOTOCOPYING AND FAXING Photocopy machines capable of enlarging, reducing and multiple copying are situated on the second floor (next to the main stairs) of the Craig Mair building, and on the first floor of Westbury Mount building (small room, base of the common room staircase). These are card operated, and cards of varying copy numbers can be obtained between 9.00 am and 10.00 am, and 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm, from Ms Marylin Lorrison, Accounts Clerk. The libraries all operate a different type of photocopier which uses a different card, obtainable from the library reception desks. You may find it both cheaper and more convenient to have theses and EIAs photocopied by the College Print Unit, based in the Nantlle Building, George Site, telephone extension 388114. However, they do require five days notice. A fax machine is located in the Porters office in Westbury Mount. REQUISITIONS AND ORDERING There will be occasions in the course of your studies when you may have to reclaim expenses, or order materials, especially during the practical project. Each project has a limit of approximately £100 expenditure on consumables and travel. Expenditure must be approved in advance by your project supervisor. Requisitions should be made on pink requisition forms supplied by your supervisor, which must be signed by a course director and handed to the SOS accounts office, who will send off the orders on Tuesdays and Fridays. Local requisitions and travel expenses are best reclaimed on white forms, which are available for the SOS accounts office and must be signed by the Course Director. POST & TELEPHONES Incoming mail will be placed in the Shellfish MSc pigeon hole in the entrance to Westbury Mount. Internal outgoing mail (within the School and College) must be marked "internal" and will be collected from the box outside the Porter's Office. External outgoing mail cannot

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be sent by students, unless it is relevant to your work, in which case it should be approved and signed by your project supervisor. Internal telephone calls can be made from the extensions around the buildings. External calls relevant to your work may be made from project supervisor's rooms, but only with their approval. VEHICLES It may prove necessary for you to use an SOS vehicle during the course of your studies. The School has a diesel estate car, a diesel Land Rover, and a diesel van. You must have a clean UK drivers licence to use any vehicle, and you are required to sign for insurance cover. You will require prior approval from your project supervisor, and you must first consult the Head Technician. Log sheets are provided within the vehicles, and a mileage rate is charged to the course/your project account (write B28210 in the box provided), excluding any diesel or oil that you may have added. Unfortunately, due to limited staff parking space, postgraduate students are not allowed to park their own cars in the Craig Mair, Glyn Dwr or Westbury Mount car parks. There are two large public car parks close by.

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SHELLFISH RESERVE COLLECTION The following titles are held in the Shellfish Reserve collection, which is kept behind the counter in the Wolfson Marine Science Library. The titles are also listed in the Library Catalogue. You can sign them out for two hours to read IN the library. These books CANNOT be taken out of the library. Author Title Ref. Aquatic animal Health Research Institute, Bankok

Health management in shrimp ponds W3

Austin B Methods for microbial examinations of fish Bahrain Centre for studies and research

Proc. Symp. On mariculture technology and investment opportunities.

W2

Baker J.M. Biological surveys of estuaries & Coasts W4 Beaumont A. Genetics & evolution in aquatic organisms W5 Caddy J.F. Marine invertebrate fisheries W7 Canadian Tech. Rep. Fish. & aquatic science

Proc. 9th Pectinid workshop. W6

CEFAS Hatchery rearing of king scallop W8 Chaston I. Managerial effectiveness in fisheries & aquaculture M10 Chaston I Marketing in fisheries & aquaculture W9 Chaston I Business management in fisheries and aquaculture W11 Chen TP Aquaculture practices in Taiwan W12 Claus C Nursery culture of bivalves W13 Connel J.J. Control of fish quality (2 copies) W14,

W15 D’Abramo et al Crustacean Nutrition W76 Dall W. The biology of the penaeidae (Adv. Mar. Biol. 27 1990) W1 Davidson A. Seafood of Southeast Asia W17 Dore I An illustrated guide to shrimp of the world. W18 Dore I Fresh seafood, the commercial buyers guide. W20 Dore I The new frozen seafood handbook W19 Edwards E The edible crab & its fishery in British waters W22 ESAV Tapes phippinarum W23 Europ. Aquacult. Soc.

International trade directory W21

FAO Freezing and irradiation of fish W24 FAO Coastal aquaculture in the Indo-Pacific region W27 FAO Planning aquaculture development W26 FAO Guidelines for promotion of environmental management of

coastal aquaculture development W25

FAO Bulletin of fishery statistics 35 W79 Fast & Lester Marine shrimp culture: Principles & practice W28 Flegel TW & MacRae IH

Disease in Asian Aquaculture W80

Hall DNF Observations on the taxonomy and biology of some Indo-West Pacific penaeidae.

W29

Hardy D Scallop farming (2 copies) W30

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W31 Proc. Australian Scallop Workshop W32 Holdich D Freshwater crayfish. Biology management and exploitation W33 Howarth W` Law of aquaculture W34 Huguenin JE Design and operation guide for aquaculture seawater systems W35 Lee & Wickins Crustacean farming W36 MAFF A guide to importing fish Oct 1995 W41 MAFF A guide to shellfish health controls. Feb 1996 W42 Manzi JJ Clam mariculture in North America W37 Mason J Scallop & queen fisheries in the Biritish Isles. W38 McClane AJ The encyclopaedia of fish cookery W39 Menzel W. Estuarine and marine bivalve mollusc culture W40 Michael VK Carp farming W82 Milne PH Fish and shellfish farming in coastal waters W43 Nettleson JA Seafood nutrition W44 New & Valentini Freswater prawn culture ? Paquette GN Fish quality improvement – a manual for plant operators W45 Pillay TVR Aquaculture & environment W46 Rosenthall H Research on aquaculture W47 Richmond MD A guide to the seashore of eastern Africa W77 Seafish Industry Authority

Seafish Report 335M. Part 1 Production and marketing potential

W48

Shaw SA Marketing – a practical guide to fish farmers W49 Shrimp news international

Annual Report 1995 World shrimp farming W51

Shumway SE Scallops: Biology, ecology and aquaculture W52 Shumway SE Scallop biology and culture W50 Sinderman CJ Disease diagnosis & control in North American marine

aquaculture W53

Spence A Crab & lobster fishing W55 Suzuki T Fish & Krill protein W54 Timmons MB Aquaculture water re-use systems W78 Wenner AM Crustacean issues 2 – larval growth W57 Wenner AM Crustacean issues 3 – factors in adults growth. W58 Williams & Dore Lobsters of the world W59 Windsor & Barlow Introduction to fishery by-products (2 copies) W60 &

61 Yufera Acuicultura Intermureal W62 12th Int. Pectinid Workshop W80

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SAFETY Work in laboratories, on boats or on the shore can be dangerous, and you must be aware of all relevant safety procedures. Remember that the Health and Safety at Work Act imposes upon each individual legal responsibilities for health and safety at work, not only for yourself, but also for other persons who might be affected by your actions or failure to act. The School Safety Officer is Mr. John East and he will give a general safety talk at the beginning of the year, and will issue you with clear guidance and procedures, and documents on safety in the School of Ocean Sciences, and on fieldwork. Students working out of hours must have written permission to do so. You will be required to conduct a risk assessment for all project work with the assistance from your supervisor (see Appendices for guidance on how to do this). See: UWB General Health and Safety Handbook School of Ocean Sciences Safety Policy A User Guide to the School of Ocean Sciences for Postgraduate Students. OUT OF HOURS WORKING 1. Out of hours working. Outside the hours of 8.30am to 6.00 pm Mondays to Fridays, at weekends and during holidays the following regulations must be observed. 2. The responsible academic staff member must give written permission for postgraduate students, research staff or, in the case of technicians, a senior member of the technical staff, to work out of hours in individual and/or common areas or in the field, on conditions set out below. A dated copy of this written permission must be sent to the School of Ocean Sciences Safety Advisor. 3. Written permission for out of hours working should be issued only after an assessment of the risk involved and should include a statement of appropriate safe working practice, drawing attention to the School Safety Policy booklet which also contains important information on what to do in an emergency. 4. Where a risk has been identified, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to set up procedures to minimise the risks. Where a significant risk is involved, no member of staff (including research staff), technicians or students may carry out laboratory work out of hours unaccompanied, that is out of sight or earshot of a second person. No wet chemistry is allowed out of hours. 5. Undergraduates may not undertake experimental work out of hours unsupervised by a member of academic or technical staff except with written permission of their supervisor (copied to the School Safety Adviser) and must then be accompanied by a person familiar with the appropriate safety procedures who is approved by the supervisor and who himself/herself has authorisation for out of hours working. Entry to the library will be made by request to the librarian through the intercom on the external side of the main entry door. 6. Entry to Craig Mair and Westbury Mount will be by use of a swipe card which will be issued by the Safety Adviser. The issue of such cards will require a signature and, for students and temporary staff, a returnable deposit of ,10. Signature for receipt of the card will also be an acknowledgement of this policy on out of hours working. 7. Entry to ancillary facilities will be by authorised key holders only.

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8. Swipe cards, or keys to ancillary facilities, must not be lent to another person. 9. Persons issued with swipe cards must gain entry through the librarian. 10. On entry to a building the out of hours book must be filled in with details of name, time of entry, area of work (lab, office etc). Wherever on the site an individual is working, they must sign the nearest out of hours book. 11. On leaving, the time must be entered in the out of hours book which was signed on entry. 12. This policy on out of hours working will be active. The swipe card automatically logs the user number. Regular out of hours checks will be made. Persons not complying wit the out of hours policy will have their entry cards cancelled.

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VII. APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE ON POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT COURSE ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

1. Registration for Master’s courses

Most Master’s courses at Bangor start at the beginning of a session; registration takes place during the fourth week of September in the New Arts Building in College Road, at which time those students who are privately funded will pay the appropriate tuition fee. Payment by four instalments is possible by Direct Debit from a bank account. The level of tuition fee payable in any year may be obtained from the Admissions Office; the fee payable is always stated in the official offer of admission. For certain courses there may be additional costs (to cover, for example field trips, study visits); these will be specified in the official offer of admission.

2. Student representation

Master’s course students are represented on the University’s Senate Postgraduate Committee by the Research Student Forum. This body comprises student representatives from all departments, and it provides a voice for postgraduate interests and operates at the academic/social interface. The names of the officers of the Postgraduate Forum may be obtained from Dr. John Perkins in the Academic Registry (01248 382025; email : [email protected]).

3. Unfair practice

The University takes very seriously any acts of ‘unfair practice’ by students. In terms of Master’s degree programmes, ‘unfair practice’ means:

• Engaging in plagiarism by using other people’s work and submitting it for examination or assessment as though it was one’s own work.

• Claiming to have conducted experiments, observations, interviews or any form of research which one has not, in fact, carried out, or claiming to have obtained results which have not, in fact, been obtained.

• Gaining an unfair advantage by importing coursework material into formal examinations.

If any allegations of unfair practice by postgraduate students are substantiated, the consequences are extremely serious. It can result in the student’s exclusion from the University and disqualification from any future examination procedure. Furthermore, there is every likelihood that fees and living

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allowances paid by a public-funding body or sponsor will have to be repaid by the student.

4. Student Grievance Procedure

If any student believes s/he has a complaint with regard to his/her course, teaching and learning facilities or support services, the matter should be discussed in the first instance either with a specific lecturer (where appropriate) or with the Course Organiser. If the student wishes to take the matter further, s/he may bring it to the attention of the Head of School / Department. The following procedure should be embarked upon only when these formal or informal channels within the School / Department have been exhausted. (i) A formal complaint may be made in writing to the Dean of the relevant

Faculty, giving full details. (ii) The Dean shall, in consultation with appropriate staff, determine whether a

prima facie case for an enquiry has been established.

(iii) If a prima facie case has not been established, the Dean shall explain the decision in writing to the complainant and shall, where possible, provide such advice and information with regard to the complaint as s/he considers appropriate.

(iv) If a student wishes to appeal against the decision of a Dean, s/he may write

to the Vice-Chancellor, explaining in full the reasons for the appeal. The Vice-Chancellor may make such enquiries as he considers appropriate, and his decision shall be final.

(v) If a prima facie case has been established, a panel of enquiry shall be

convened comprising: A Pro Vice-Chancellor 2 members of Senate - (1 ex officio and 1 academic staff representative from subject areas other than that appertaining to the complaint) 1 independent, external person appointed by the Vice-Chancellor

The Panel may make such enquiries as it considers necessary and report thereon to the Vice-Chancellor, who may take appropriate action. The student should then be informed in writing of the outcome.

(vi) In any meeting in connection with the complaint with the Head of

Department, Dean, Panel of Enquiry or the Vice-Chancellor, the student may be accompanied by a friend. If the friend is a legal representative, the student is required to inform the University prior to the meeting.

Note:

(a) This procedure should not be invoked to deal with appeals against the decisions of Examining Boards, Faculty Boards or the Senate in

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respect of students’ academic performance. A separate appeals procedure for such matters is publicised with examination instructions. (See also Section 5).

(b) This procedure should not be invoked to deal with a complaint about the

conduct of another student. Such a complaint may lead to disciplinary action, and should be directed in the first instance to the student’s Head of Department.

(c) When making a complaint, a student may at any stage consult any

person he or she thinks appropriate, including the Students’ Union, which will provide confidential advice and / or representation if the individual so desires.

(d) A student who remains dissatisfied after all internal procedures have been

exhausted may appeal to the Office of the Adjudicator. Details of this procedure are available from the Academic Registrar.

5. Appeals Procedure Any student who wishes to appeal against the result of an assessment in either Part I

or Part II of a Diploma / Master’s taught course should contact Dr. Patsy Thomas, Examinations Officer, requesting the University of Wales Appeals Procedure booklet. The notice of intention to appeal must be made within 14 days of the announcement of the result of the assessment.

6. Facilities charge Following the end of the official period of registration, a student’s entitlement to use

the facilities provided by the Information Services (the computing services and the library) lapses. However, with the written support of the Master’s course director, a student who is continuing to write the dissertation may pay the Facilities Charge, and thus be granted access to these facilities. The Facilities Charge is currently (2005/06) £23 per month, but this is liable to increase in subsequent sessions.

The Facilities Charge may be paid at the Academic Registry General Office (1st floor, New Arts Building).

7. Withdrawal from course

Any postgraduate student who wishes to withdraw from their course should produce written notification of the intention to do so. This should be addressed to the Department concerned, and copied to the Student Records Section in the Academic Registry. Failure to follow this procedure will render the student ineligible for a refund of tuition fee.

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APPENDIX 2: UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS FOR POSTGRADUATE MASTER’S DEGREE SCHEMES BY MODULAR TAUGHT COURSE

AND DISSERTATION These regulations govern the award of the following degrees: MA, MSc, MBA, MTh, MEd, MMus & MMin. The Rules and Procedures and Code of Practice for the Assessment of Students for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses shall also apply.

Eligibility, admission and registration 1 Candidates may register for modules and a dissertation leading to the award of a

Master’s degree under these regulations on either a full-time or a part-time basis. The academic content of a part-time scheme shall be equivalent to that of a full-time scheme (that is, 180 credits, each entailing 10 notional learning hours). Registration for a full-time course is normally of 12 months duration and that for a part-time course may be of between 24 and 60 months duration – but the precise period will be clearly stated in the validated programme specification.

2 Candidates admitted to a modular taught Master’s degree scheme qualify for

intermediate awards as shown in paragraph 9. 3 All candidates must register as students for the duration of each module and the

dissertation. The appropriate tuition fees and other costs, such as study visit fees and laboratory charges (if appropriate) shall be applied to all registered students.

4 The candidate must, unless able to satisfy the conditions in Regulation 5 below, hold

one of the following qualifications prior to commencement:

(i) a degree of an approved University or other degree awarding body (see University of Wales Standing Order 19);

(ii) a non-graduate qualification which has been deemed to be of a satisfactory

standard for the purpose of postgraduate admission (see University of Wales Standing Order 19).

5 A non-graduate whose relative lack of formal qualifications is compensated for by

relevant work experience may also be admitted provided that:

(i) s/he is aged 25 or over on or before the day of registration and

(ii) has held, for a minimum of 2 years, a responsible position which is relevant to

the course.

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6 A prospective candidate who has already been awarded a higher degree shall show that the Master’s degree scheme to be pursued is in a different field of study from that which the higher degree was awarded.

7 Irrespective of a candidate’s entry qualification, the course director must be satisfied

that a candidate is of the required academic standard to complete the course.

Structure 8(i) Each Master’s course consists of two parts which together total not less than 180

credits:

Part I - Taught course element comprising multiple, single or half modules to a total of 120 credits. Exit points at Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits) and Diploma (120 credits). Professional training may also be included in Part I.

Part II - Dissertation (maximum 20,000 words or equivalent) (60 credits).

(ii) Normally no Master’s course will contain any assessed coursework at Level 3 or

below. If undergraduate and postgraduate students are taught together on any course, assessment criteria and learning outcomes should be demonstrably at M-level. Any exceptions must be detailed in validated programme specifications. In any event, no course programme shall contain more than 30 credits below M-level.

9 A candidate who is admitted to a modular Master’s scheme may, depending upon the

number of credits attained at the time of exit, qualify for, and be awarded, one of the following: Credits Exit point

not fewer than 60 Postgraduate Certificate not fewer than 120 Postgraduate Diploma

Re-entry to the course to proceed to either the Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s degree is permitted (subject to the agreement of the Examining Board) within a timescale agreed for each course. A candidate who progresses to completion may, upon successful attainment of not fewer than 180 credits at the appropriate level(s) (not less than 60 of which shall be for the dissertation element of the scheme), be eligible for the award of a Master’s degree.

10 Modules shall be examined individually, as prescribed by the relevant department.

The examination of a module may take the form of an unseen written examination paper or set projects or other coursework assignments. For any course validated by a professional body, a candidate may also be required to satisfactorily complete a period of professional training or practical experience.

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11 The taught elements of the course must normally be examined and passed before the dissertation is examined.

12 The examining board may require a candidate to undergo an oral examination as part

of the assessment of the dissertation. 13 Candidates must pass Part I of the scheme of study successfully before being

permitted to proceed to Part II. The dissertation, or approved alternative, shall embody the methods and results of a research project. Its length shall not exceed 20,000 words.

Both Part I and Part II must be completed successfully before the candidate may qualify for the award of a degree. The examiners may require candidates to undergo an oral examination at any stage of the scheme of study.

The modular pass-mark shall be 40% (or equivalent grade-point average). In respect of Parts I and II, Examining Boards may award overall marks according to the following scales established by the University: Part I (the taught element) 70% and over : Distinction level

40 – 69% : Eligible to proceed to Part II 0 – 39% : Fail Part II (the Master’s dissertation) 70% and over : Distinction Level 40 – 69% : Pass 0 – 39% : Fail

A candidate may not re-sit any module or unit of assessment for which a pass mark (40%) has been attained previously. Notwithstanding, a candidate may, with the agreement of the Examining Board, re-sit a full year of study. The constitution of examining boards is set out in the University of Wales Standing Order 21.

14 In order to gain a Master’s degree with Distinction, a candidate should achieve an

average mark of not less than 70%, having achieved not less than 65% in Part I and not less than 70% in Part II. The overall mark for the Master’s degree is calculated as the simple mean of the Part I and Part II. Candidates who have passed Part I of the examination at the second attempt shall not be eligible subsequently for the award of Distinction.

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Credit Transfer 15 Subject to the agreement of the Programme Board the maximum number of credits

which may be transferred from other institutions into UWB courses, in units of not fewer than five, shall not exceed 120, of which no more than 30 may be below M-level (but see also section 8(ii)).

16 Within the limits stipulated in paragraph 15 for credit accumulation and transfer, the

Programme Board may deem the performance of a student in any relevant study previously pursued and/or any relevant prior experience to count towards the requirements for the award of a modular Master’s Degree. Such study must have taken place at another University or Institution whose schemes have been recognised by UWB. Alternatively, prior experience must conform with academic or professional norms.

Dissertation submission deadlines 17 All dissertations should be completed and submitted for examination up to three

months after the end of a period of registration on a full-time course and up to six months after the end of a period of registration on a part-time course. Programme Boards must specify the maximum writing-up period for each course.

Examination and assessment 18 A candidate who is absent from the whole or part of a written examination (or who

fails to submit set projects or coursework by the required date(s)) will be deemed to have failed the module(s) in question. In the case of illness or other exceptional circumstances the Examining Board may grant an extension to submission dates or permit a supplementary examination to be held.

19 A candidate who obtains less than 40% (or equivalent grade) in any module may, with

the permission of the Examining Board, be re-assessed in that module on one subsequent occasion within the time-limit prescribed for the degree scheme. However, no more than the bare pass mark (40%) will be reported to the Examining Board, irrespective of the actual mark achieved.

20 At the discretion of the Examining Board, a candidate who has failed a module may:

(i) repeat the module as a registered fee-paying student and be re-assessed in the module as a whole; or

(ii) be re-assessed in the module as a whole; or

(iii) be re-assessed in those parts of the module which have been failed, which may

include the revision of parts of a set project; or

(iv) complete a different module in place of the one which has been failed. One or more modules may be substituted in this fashion up to a maximum credit value of 30.

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Examination of the dissertation 21 Except as provided below in Regulation 37, a candidate may not amend, add to, or

delete from the dissertation until the examination process has been completed. 22 For every Examining Board there shall be a Convenor (normally the Head of

Department) who is responsible for ensuring that the correct administrative procedures for the submission and examination of the dissertation are carried out. The Head of Department may delegate this function to a senior member of the academic staff of the department.

23 No designated Supervisor, nor equivalent member of staff who has been involved in

the preparation of the dissertation, shall act subsequently as the internal examiner. 24 Two copies of the dissertation in the approved format shall be submitted by the

candidate to the Convenor of the Examining Board. The dissertation shall contain a statement that it is being submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. The Convenor shall send one copy to the external examiner, together with a report and result form and a fee/expenses claim form. The second copy shall be passed to the internal examiners∗. Simultaneously, the Convenor shall send to the University of Wales Registry a notice of candidature (in duplicate), a certificate of despatch and a certificate produced by the Academic Registry to confirm that all financial obligations have been fulfilled. Dissertations may be presented in an electronic format. A tape, CD, DVD or other format approved in advance by the Programme Board shall be enclosed in a container suitable for storage on a library shelf. The container shall carry the same information as that required on the spine of a dissertation, and shall be readable in its stored position. Where a dissertation is submitted in an electronic medium, the information required in Regulations 25 and 30 shall be submitted in printed format.

25 Every candidate in submitting a dissertation shall state to what extent it is the result of

independent work or investigation, and shall indicate any portions for which s/he is indebted to other sources. Explicit references shall be given, and a full bibliography should be appended to the work. Also, every candidate in submitting a dissertation shall certify that it has not already been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any other degree. Therefore each copy of the dissertation shall include:

(i) a summary not exceeding 300 words; (ii) the required statement signed by the candidate; (iii) the required declaration signed by the candidate.

26 Every student is invited to append to the dissertation an evaluation of the quality of

supervision received and a note of any grievances or special circumstances. This will be available for consideration by the Examining Board.

∗ Σεε Νοτε Α δουβλε μαρκινγ (βελοω)

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27 Subject to current University regulations relating to intellectual property rights, a

candidate is at liberty to publish the whole or part of the work produced during the period of registration prior to its submission as a whole or part of the dissertation, provided that in the published work it is nowhere stated that it is in consideration for a higher degree. Such published work may later be incorporated in the dissertation.

28 A dissertation shall normally be openly available and subject to no security

classification or restriction of access. However, the University may, on the special recommendation of the department concerned, place a restriction on access to a dissertation for a specified period of up to five years. It shall be the responsibility of the candidate’s project supervisor to make an application to the Academic Registry as soon as is reasonably practicable. The Academic Registry will inform the federal University of Wales of bars to access.

29 The title and summary of the dissertation shall be freely available. 30 On submission of the dissertation, a candidate shall be required to incorporate a

signed statement in to the work to indicate either: (i) that the dissertation, if successful, may be made available for inter-library

loan or photocopying (subject to the law of copyright), and that the title and summary may be made available to outside organisations;

or

(ii) that the dissertation, if successful may be made so available after expiry of a bar on restriction to access.

31 A dissertation which is not submitted within the deadline (see Regulation 17) will be

regarded as having failed by non-submission and the candidate will be permitted to submit a dissertation (in the prescribed form and manner) on one occasion only, not more than twelve months from the original deadline. A fee shall be payable to the University for the examination of such a dissertation. A candidate who has failed by non-submission shall be eligible for the award of a bare pass-mark only and may not be considered eligible for the award of Distinction overall.

32 The time limit may be extended in exceptional cases only and in accordance with

criteria specified. A reasoned application, supported by appropriate independent evidence, must be submitted on the appropriate pro-forma by the candidate’s department to the Academic Registry.

33 If a dissertation is failed by the Examining Board it may be re-presented once only,

not more than twelve months from the date of the official communication to the candidate of the result by the University of Wales Registry. A fee shall be payable for the examination of such a re-presented dissertation. Candidates re-presenting shall be eligible for the award of the bare pass-mark only and may not be considered eligible for the award of Distinction overall.

34 Both copies of each dissertation become the property of the University of Wales,

Bangor.

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35 If a dissertation is deemed by the examiners to be of particular value, one copy shall

be deposited in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. A dissertation shall be deemed to be of particular value in the following cases:

(i) where it has been judged by the Examining Board to be of Distinction

standard (whether or not the candidate has qualified for the degree with Distinction by virtue of having also achieved the necessary level of performance in Part I of the scheme);

(ii) where it is of particular relevance to Wales or is in one of the following

academic disciplines: Welsh, Celtic Studies, Welsh History.

36 A copy of the dissertation must be kept in an accessible form in the Library for a period of not less than ten years.

37 Notwithstanding Regulation 21, an Examining Board may require a candidate to make

typographical or minor corrections to a dissertation which has been passed. 38 Each department offering Master’s courses is required to put in place a code of

practice to govern the provision of the courses and to include procedures for feedback to and from students.

Note A: Dissertations are double marked internally: the External Examiner is therefore, in effect, the moderator. Note B: Special provisions have been approved in respect of the Degree of MMin. For this scheme of study, Part II shall take the form of three 20 credit modules, each incorporating an assignment of 5,000 words. The assignments shall be methodically distinct but linked thematically so as to fulfil, when taken together, the requirements of a traditional Master’s dissertation.

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APPENDIX 3: UNIVERSITY GOOD PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR PART II (RESEARCH PROJECT DISSERTATION) OF TAUGHT

POSTGRADUATE COURSES (to be read in conjunction with School guidelines)

1. Supervision

(i) Each Master’s course student will be allocated a supervisor (or

supervisors) who will have broad expertise in the topic selected and in appropriate research methods. The supervisor(s) will provide guidance on the feasibility and scope of the project within the timescale allowed and the availability of resources.

(ii) The supervisor is expected to provide stimulation and guidance, and will

monitor the planning, data collection and writing of the dissertation. Also, because by their nature Master’s projects are time-critical, the supervisor is expected to read the students’ written work and to provide feedback in accordance with an agreed timetable.

(iii) Each student should have regular scheduled meetings with the supervisor

at mutually agreed intervals. (iv) Supervision will normally continue during the summer vacation and

supervisors will expect appropriate contact and communication with their students during this period. Supervisors are expected to read draft chapters and provide feedback and then comment on the final version of the dissertation in its entirety no later than three weeks before the date of submission. At this stage, it is not normally expected that supervisors will provide detailed language corrections: any systemic problems should have been identified in early drafts.

(v) Many supervisors will be away from Bangor for periods during the

summer. A timetable of meetings/contacts should be explicitly scheduled early in the year to carry through the entire dissertation period. While supervisors are away from Bangor, particularly over the summer period, appropriate arrangements will be made by the department concerned.

(vi) Each department will confirm the deadline for the submission of the

dissertation at the outset, and should re-iterate the importance given by the University to timeliness in executing a research project and preparing a dissertation.

(vii) All departments are expected to have a policy for monitoring and

recording progress in the dissertation stage.

(viii) Departments are expected to have a policy regarding the continued supervision of students whose dissertations are referred.

2. The student’s responsibility

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(i) The research project is the student’s own work; the supervisor provides

guidance.

(ii) To take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem.

(iii) The student should be open and explicit about needs and difficulties, and

should be considerate in demand of the supervisor’s time.

(iv) Each student is expected to make her/himself available at agreed times for supervisory meetings.

(v) It is the student’s responsibility, where needed, to maintain contact with

the supervisor after the expiry of the period of registration.

(vi) In the event of inadequate progress or a breakdown in relationship with the supervisor, or the necessity of changing topic which requires a change of supervision, it is the responsibility of the student to alert the course organiser to the problem at an early stage and before the situation becomes irretrievable.

3. The responsibility of the University

(i) The Graduate Committee of the University will approve departmental written guidelines on supervision, and will disseminate good practice.

(ii) The implementation of such guidelines will be regularly monitored

through departmental audits.

(iii) The University, through the Graduate Committee, will monitor and ensure the availability of appropriate generic skills training.

(iv) Departments are expected to ensure that the number of students allocated

to each supervisor will allow her/him to fulfill the responsibilities noted in Section 1.

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APPENDIX 4: UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE ON THE PRESENTATION AND SUBMISSION OF RESEARCH

DISSERTATIONS (to be read in conjunction with School guidelines)

1. Presentation of dissertations

(i) Candidates submitting higher degree dissertations for examinations must submit two copies either in a condition suitable for eventual deposit and use in libraries (see below) or in temporary binding, (see section 4). Candidates choosing to submit their work for examination in temporary binding are advised:

(a) to consult their department at an early stage to determine whether such

a submission is in accordance with the department’s policy on the submission of dissertations;

(b) to ensure that temporary binding – if used – is nonetheless sufficiently

secure to withstand transit to and from the examiners;

(c) that any dissertation submitted for examination in temporary binding must bear, in a form which cannot easily be erased or detached, the candidate’s name, institution attended and the degree for which s/he is a candidate, (see also section 4)

(ii) Irrespective of the type of binding used for examination purposes,

dissertations which are to be deposited in the National Library or in the UWB Library, prior to the release of successful candidates’ results, must be bound permanently, or in paperback binding with plastic overlay. Successful taught Master’s degree dissertations which are not to be deposited in the National Library or in the UWB Library need not be bound permanently either before or after release of results.

(iii) In the case of all works which are to be deposited in the Library, permanently

bound volumes must bear on the spine the surname and initials of the candidate, the full or abbreviated title of the work, the name of the degree for which it was submitted and the date of submission. This information should be printed along the spine in such a way as to be readable when the volume is lying flat with the front cover uppermost. If the work consists of more than one volume the number of each volume will also be on the spine.

(iv) Candidates may submit non-book materials such as CDs, audio or video tapes

and computer disks with their dissertation, if such material forms a useful addition to, or explanation of, work contained in the written submission and if such material constitutes the most appropriate method of presenting the information concerned. Any material of this type must be enclosed in a container which is suitable for storage on a library shelf and which bears the same information as that required on the spine of the dissertation, so placed as to be readily legible when the container is in its stored position. Candidates

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considering the submission of CDs, audio or video tapes or computer disks as adjuncts to their dissertation should consult their Course Tutor and the Library for advice at an early stage of their project.

(v) Candidates for Master’s degrees should retain a copy of their dissertation in electronic format. (vi) The candidate's name should be in the form as registered with the University.

Candidates are advised to check this with the Academic Registry. 2. Availability of dissertations

Following the successful examination of a dissertation for a higher degree of the University of Wales, it is normally made freely and publicly available. For this reason, dissertations must be designed to be read, stored and copied and it is in the authors’ own interests to ensure that those who read and handle their dissertations can do so with ease. Notwithstanding the provisions in the regulations relating to the availability of dissertations, a bar may be placed on photocopying and/or access to a candidate's work for reasons of subject sensitivity for a period of up to five years. It is the responsibility of the candidate's Course Organiser to make an application to the Academic Registry as soon as is reasonably practicable. Normally the Academic Registry will forward a recommendation to the University of Wales at the time of registration.

The summary and title of a work are always freely available.

3. Submission of dissertations

Before a dissertation may be submitted for examination, the University is required to certify that the candidate has abided by the University of Wales regulations for the degree concerned and has paid all statutory fees and discharged all debts to the University.

Ten days before a dissertation is submitted for examination, the candidate should request the necessary certificate from the Postgraduate Admissions Office (01248 382026). With the certificate the candidate will be given notes of guidance relating to the examination procedure, including the notice of candidature and summary forms.

A candidate is at liberty to publish the whole or part of his/her work prior to its submission as a dissertation, provided that in the published work it is nowhere stated that it is in consideration for a higher degree. Such published work may later be incorporated in the dissertation.

Except as provided below, a candidate may not amend, add to or delete from the dissertation after s/he has submitted it for examination.

Each copy of the dissertation must include:

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- a summary of the dissertation not exceeding 300 words; - the required statement signed by the candidate (see paragraph below).

Every candidate, in submitting a dissertation, must state to what extent it is the result of his/her independent work or investigation, and indicate any portions for which s/he is indebted to other sources. Explicit references should be given, and a full bibliography should be appended to the work. Every candidate in submitting a dissertation must certify that it has not already been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any other degree. Earliest dates for submission of dissertations are: One year full time candidates Course begins in: Earliest submission date: January 1 December April 1 March October 1 September Two year full time candidates Course begins in: Earliest submission date: January 15 July of the second year April 15 Oct of the second year October 15 Apr of the second year If a dissertation is submitted but fails to satisfy the examiners, the candidate may re-present it once only, not more than twelve months from the date of the official communication to the candidate of the result by the University Registry. A fee for re-presentation is payable (£123 in 2005/2006; liable to modest increase in subsequent sessions). A candidate whose dissertation has not been accepted by the examiners will not subsequently be eligible for the award of the mark of Distinction, irrespective of the level of performance achieved in any dissertation re-presented under the provisions of this regulation. Alternatively, the Examining Board may choose to recommend that the candidate be awarded the University Postgraduate Diploma. Where the Diploma is awarded the candidate may not re-submit the dissertation for the award of Master’s degree. (See Appendix I for the full University of Wales, Bangor generic regulations). Dissertation submission deadlines Following the end of the period of registration (usually 12 months for full-time and 24 months for part-time courses), students normally have a further 3 months in which

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to complete the preparation of the dissertation for examination (see Note below). An extension to the deadline may be granted in exceptional circumstances. A form on which to apply for an extension of submission deadline is available from the Postgraduate Office (ext. 2026) or may be downloaded from the University website. Consideration will be given to granting extensions where the following apply: * certified medical or health condition; * extenuating personal circumstances; * academic circumstances beyond the control of the student.

Securing employment with demanding responsibilities is an expectation, and is not considered grounds for granting an extension to the dissertation submission deadline.

4. Submission of higher degree dissertations in temporary binding

(a) Candidates may submit their dissertation for examination either in permanent

hardback binding or (under certain conditions) in temporary secure binding. The arrangements facilitating the submission of dissertations for examination in temporary binding are not compulsory: Departments with reservations about the temporary binding of dissertation for examination purposes are entirely at liberty to require them to be submitted for examination in permanent binding. A student cannot insist upon submitting in temporary binding against the Department’s wishes.

(b) For the purpose of the examination, one copy of the submitted dissertation

should be sent by the Department (not by the candidate) to the University of Wales, Registry, together with the required supporting documentation.

(c) Types of Temporary Binding

1 Temporary binding should not be confused with no binding. Loose sheets place in a wallet file are not acceptable.

2 The following types of temporary binding are recommended:

Perfect binding Spring-back binding (provided that the binders are not over-

filled) Slide-in plastic binders (of the type used to hang posters on

walls).

3 The following types of temporary binding are not suitable, since conversion to permanent binding will be more time-consuming (and therefore more expensive) and either the holes in the pages will be visible in the permanent version or the pages will be considerably less than full A4 width:

Spiral binding ring folder or lever-arch folder.

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4 Candidates (and those advising them) are asked to bear in mind that

temporarily-bound dissertations must be able to withstand handling, transit to and from examiners and the examining process itself. Care must be taken to ensure that the form of any temporary binding used is sufficiently secure not to burst or fall apart.

(d) Submission in temporary binding has no effect on the regulations which state

that – except in order that minor/typographical errors in a successful dissertation may be carried out prior to its deposit in the libraries - a candidate may not amend, add to or delete from it after it has been submitted for examination. Submitted dissertations may not, therefore, be returned to candidates for improvement prior to the completion of the examining board's deliberations and formal recommendation. A dissertation which cannot be passed as submitted, should be failed and subsequently re-submitted in modified form for re-examination.

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APPENDIX 5: SCHOOL GUIDANCE TO STUDENTS AND SUPERVISORS ON BEGINNING THE RESEARCH PROJECT

1. The onus is on students to maintain contact with supervisors 2. Students (with supervisors) should immediately develop areas found to be weak or

lacking following the questions and reviews of project proposals

3. Remember that the project proposal is only a plan, and plans must remain flexible. Expect projects to develop. Objectives, experimental design and sampling strategy will almost certainly change. It is better to achieve some objectives rigorously rather than many poorly. Be prepared to concentrate on the most productive and achievable areas of project plans, especially if current plans are ambitious. Initial observations and measurements will give some idea of variability and the level of sampling required. Beware of under sampling such that results are limited, or over sampling which wastes effort.

4. It is important that considerations for animal welfare are identified on project

proposals for both field and laboratory work. Students working on vertebrates in particular must ensure that their studies meet Home Office requirements. Check the information below on ‘working with animals’ and if in doubt, see Dr I McCarthy

5. Students should prepare and submit the project outline form, signed by internal

supervisors. Submit by 1700hrs on 5th May to Sandie Hague

6. Students should contact supervisors and make project arrangements (eg time to meet to start project) in week beginning 22nd May, rather than disappear for several weeks! Students and supervisors should know when each other are away for significant periods of time before 30th September

7. All students working away from Bangor must confirm plans and communication

arrangements with supervisors prior to their departure 8. UWB supervisors are responsible for direction of the MSc project and any changes

must be agreed with this supervisor. External supervisors may provide daily supervision, but they may be unaware of the requirements for an MSc degree, and may have their own desired outcomes for project work

9. Every student must complete a risk assessment (RA) prior to embarking on any

practical work. This risk assessment must be agreed with the internal supervisor, who should sign the RA before it is sent to John East, Safety Officer, for signing off. Students working away from Bangor must obtain relevant Health and Safety information from the laboratories/vessels in which they intend to work and attach this. Students working overseas must attach FCO web information indicating that the country is safe to visit, and must indicate how risks will be controlled even when not at work. (Students intending to dive must first seek approval from Dr J Turner (Diving Safety Advisor) and complete the Personnel Information Form and develop the Diving Project Plan and Daily Operations Risk Assessment besides normal risk assessments). Please note that changes in projects may require new risk assessments

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as work progresses.

10. Any student working abroad must be insured to do so through the University Insurance scheme. Sandie Hague will guide students through the appropriate Finance Office web page. Supervisors please make sure students are insured. Students please remember to cover yourself for delays and all phases of your journey. Major items of university equipment (value >£2K) will need to be separately insured - see Len Roberts (Head Laboratory Technician)

11. Requests for existing laboratory equipment should be made via supervisors and/or

direct to Mr John Rowlands in the first place. All equipment must be returned in good order before submission of thesis will be allowed

12. Besides supervisor’s research space, space is available for projects in MSc project

laboratories (see Viv Ellis / Ian Prichard) or in the Beagle Lab (see John Rowlands). All areas must be left in a clean, tidy and safe state at all times and on completion of the project. Failure to do so will cause delay in submission

13. Requests for consumables and purchased items must be approved by supervisors and

made on pink requisition forms signed by Course Directors. Low cost items up to £29 value may be purchased with Petty Cash (see Accounts Clerks: Margaret/Marliyn)

14. Expenses (eg accommodation, travel) must be first approved by supervisors and, if a

major expense, Course Directors, and must be claimed on the Expense Claim Forms. Note you must submit actual receipts (not copies). NERC supported students who have been granted additional funds must claim direct to NERC with receipts

15. School vehicles may only be used on submission and acceptance of driving licence

details to Len Roberts. Vehicle use must be approved in advance by supervisor and if a major expense, Course Director. You must enter the course name and your name when booking and reporting mileage. Use hired vehicles for long distances/greater than day trips. NERC students note that NERC pays only 50% of vehicle use and hire costs

16. University facilities are only available to students until 30th September, after which

access to laboratories, library, computers, supervisor’s time and other facilities are not automatically available, and special arrangements have to be made. Registration for computer user numbers, library and computer access will cost £22 per month from October (payable by student), if access is granted

17. Students should arrange with supervisors when to deliver a draft. Students should

not expect the supervisor to be able to comment on the draft overnight! Leave sufficient time for corrections and binding before submission of final thesis (3 weeks)

18. Students should expect to submit bound dissertation by 30th September, and must

submit by November 30th. Students who gain a Distinction in Part I must submit 3 bound copies of their thesis and others 2 bound copies. Student swill not get these back (one goes to library, one to supervisor, one to National Library if Distinction or relevant to Wales), so students might like to make an additional copy for self. No

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funds are available from the School for the production and binding of the thesis – this is a personal expense

19. Should a student require an extension beyond 30th September, then consult with

supervisor. If an extension is required beyond 30th November, then student must consult with the Course Director with supervisor’s support. Formal approval must be sought from the University of Wales Bangor Faculty of Science and Engineering should circumstances cause a student to fail to submit the thesis by 30th December. Extension beyond this time will only be granted under exceptional and extenuating circumstances such as illness, serious personal reasons or major logistical problems. Such extenuating circumstances must be clearly documented and evidence provided (eg doctors letters). Please note that loss of data through computer failures or need to work or taking up a demanding post, do not constitute acceptable extenuating circumstances from the point of the University

20. Do not let problems build up. Regular communication between supervisor and

student is essential. If communication breaks down, then report the problem to the Course Director or Deputy Director as soon as possible. Periods of illness or absence must be reported at the time

21. Remember, there are many staff in the School, and many can help over aspects of

projects.

22. Key events should be recorded in a hard backed notebook and keep these secure. Use the M drive to store all electronic data and processed written work because this is backed up. If students work away, back up all data on home PCs and laptop PCs onto other media, because hard discs fail and laptops can be stolen. Of course, back up all work regularly

23. Very successful projects may lead to publications, and supervisors should encourage

publication of results where appropriate. Internal supervisors as well as external supervisors should be included in the authorship of papers

(c) GUIDANCE FOR WORK WITH ANIMALS At some point during the M.Sc. programme, either during the taught modules or during the research project, you will be working with live animals. For example, OXM4003 (Coastal Survey) involves studying live animals in their natural habitat while OXS4005 (Crustacean Energetics), OXS4007 (Crustacean Culture) and OXS4008 (Mollusc Culture & Genetics) all involve rearing and recording measurements on live invertebrates in the laboratory. Also, many students conduct Research Projects that involve working with live animals. Some students will conduct projects that involve rearing and handling live animals, making physiological measurements or recording behavioural observations in the laboratory. Other students will conduct field-based projects observing or handling animals in the field. Consideration of animal welfare is vital to obtaining good quality data that reflects the normal behaviour and physiology of a healthy animal. In the laboratory during a practical or project it is your responsibility to ensure that animals are reared in a suitable environment, that they are fed regularly and that they are handled carefully. During field work it is important that animals, and the environment in which they live, are disturbed as little as possible. If animals

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are to be caught, handled and then returned to the wild, it is essential that this is conducted with the minimum amount of stress to the animal. The quality of your science depends on the care with which you conduct your science. Any students that are intending to conduct research involving animals must address any potential welfare issues on their Research Project Proposal form. For example, the following areas may need to be addressed;

• If you plan to observe animals in the wild, what are you going to do to minimise any impact that your presence might have on your study species or the environment in which it is found?

• If you plan to collect samples from the field, how are you going to minimise disturbance to your study site?

• If you plan to handle animals in the field to record information and then release them back to the field, how will you ensure that you minimise handling stress?

• If you plan to rear animals in the laboratory, have you given adequate thought as to how you will rear them?

• If you plan to rear animals in the laboratory, how do you plan to monitor their welfare?

• How will you recognise any signs of stress in your experimental animals? • If you are handling animals in the laboratory, how will you ensure that you minimise

handling stress? If you are hoping to conduct experimental research on fish or Octopus vulgaris, then you must speak to Dr Ian McCarthy (the Named Animal care and Welfare Officer for SOS) during the planning stages of the project to determine whether it is possible to conduct the work. Most, but not all, experimental work involving fish or Octopus vulgaris, comes under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and must be conducted under licence by the Home Office. This may limit the type and range of live animal research that projects students can undertake.

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APPENDIX 6: MSc RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM Please complete this form with assistance and agreement from your Project Supervisor. You are advised to read the appropriate sections of the Course Manual. Pay particular attention to the sections on Specific Objectives, Methodology and Experimental Design/Results Analysis, below. This form will be seen by the External Examiner in May. Retain the original, and forward a copy to your Project Supervisor, and one to the Course Director, at your earliest opportunity. NAME........................................................................................................................................................ PROJECT SUPERVISOR(S)................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... COLLABORATION WITH OUTSIDE BODY (If relevant, describe nature of collaboration, e.g. funding, physical resources, working at institute and specify Co-Supervisor. NB. you must have a main Supervisor in SOS) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... TITLE/RESEARCH TOPIC AREA (be as specific as you can) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... AIM OF RESEARCH (broadly state where you intend your research work to lead) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... UNDERLYING RATIONALE (to include background and hypothesis under test) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... HYPOTHESIS:............................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................................................. .... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES (Give up to 4 objectives, stating in one sentence for each, what you intend to do and how you intend to do it, noting when and where, if relevant. These objectives should be the basis of your main experiments, and hence should be reflected in your methodology, results and discussion sections). Make these objectives SMART ie Specific, Measurable, Area bound, Realistic, Time bound: ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................................................

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......................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................

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......................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................................... METHODOLOGY (specify the main techniques, sites, organisms, and apparatus which are necessary to achieve your objectives) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESULTS ANALYSIS (For each objective, where relevant, propose your experimental design, giving thought to treatments, trials, and replicates, numbers and sizes of sites, stations, samples. Describe the format of your data tables and graphical presentation, and specify method of statistical analyses) ..................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... EXPECTED CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS OR RESTRICTIONS (Note any serious obstacles, e.g. periods when you know that supervisor is going to be away, or apparatus is unavailable, ship movements, requirements for permits (radioisotopes, diving, access), times of travel, seasonal distributions in organisms, restrictions of collaboration with external organisations, Health and Safety restrictions, COSH restrictions on specific tasks) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................................................

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PROGRAMME OF RESEARCH (Time-plan of your project: literature search, experimental work, results analysis, write-up and submission first draft and final copy, binding, specifying key dates. Attach GANTT Chart) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ACQUISITION OF RESOURCES (Specify and justify any large items of expected expenditure >£100) ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... APPROVAL OF SUPERVISOR(S) (Please ask your Project Supervisor to approve your research project proposal, below) COMMENTS............................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................... SIGNED................................................................................DATE............................................................

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APPENDIX 7: ADVICE FOR MSc STUDENTS ON PRODUCING A PROJECT RISK ASSESSMENT

1) Your work must be risk assessed before you start. This is not only a legal requirement, but part of your training, and should be useful in your future career; risk assessments are how safety is managed. Read the advice in chapter 5 of the SOS Health & Safety Policy. Your risk assessment should be done in collaboration with your supervisor(s), who may already have some of the documents. It is preferable to do your risk assessment using a computer; it is then easier to amend. You can download a form from the forms web page at http://www.sos.bangor.ac.uk/safety/index.htm Note that some risk assessments are already done and you can search by keyword. You can use these if appropriate. 2) Send form to John East with the risk assessment as an email attachment, or bring it on a floppy. He does not want to be submerged in paperwork. His office is in F104, Westbury Mt (under the library). Think of a suitable file name, because he does not want hundreds of files called ‘risk assessment’! You will need a hard copy for your supervisor to sign, and to obtain travel insurance. 3) Risk assessments have to be ‘suitable and sufficient’. Although there are some guidelines in the School Health & Safety Policy (taken from the HSE), there are no exact guidelines as to what to put in and what is irrelevant detail to leave out. Since nobody wants the courts to decide (after an accident), it is better to err on the side of completeness. 4) If you are working with or at an external organisation (another University or commercial organisation) then you need to obtain copies of their relevant risk assessments. 5) There are some useful Occupational Health Support Unit (OHSU) documents that you could usefully read, e.g. OHSU P11 (1998) Diving at Work; Executive Policy: Overseas Travel (May 2003) on the OHSU website: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/ohs/safety_pages/ft_pages/policies/travel.pdf OHSU G22 (1998) Code of Practice for Safety in Fieldwork (see N:\Public Documents\SafetyDocuments\Other Documents 6) It is considered good practice to use the passive tense, e.g. ‘disposable gloves worn’ rather than ‘wear gloves’, or ‘gloves will be worn’. 7) You can quote from existing documents, such as the School Health & Safety Policy, or University Guidance or Policy notes. A reference to the relevant section will usually suffice. You are, however, expected to have read that document! Please be precise, do not just say it is in the SOS Health & Safety Policy (somewhere). 8) Under existing controls you can list things like diving qualification, or existing safe working practice, or ‘follow advice from Foreign and Commonwealth Office about xxxxx country’. Medical insurance is a control. If you have been to a place before, or live there, then ‘local knowledge’ is an existing control.

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9) If you are British and intending to travel outside Britain, consult the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website ttp://www.fco.gov.uk. Other nationals should consult their own countries (website or embassy) for advice. Note that your research project is not considered essential travel; if advice is not to travel to a certain country, it is very unlikely that you will be allowed to travel. 10) You should list diseases you may encounter individually. If you are already immunised, this goes in the Existing Controls column. If you require immunisation, or need to start medication just before you go or when you get there, put it in the Further Action Required column. If you do not know, then we will need the University Doctor to give advice, and a risk assessment will have to be submitted to him. NOTE THAT THE UNIVERSITY DOCTOR IS ONLY AVAILABLE ONE DAY A MONTH, so we need to think about this in advance. Note that ‘Health Advice for Travellers’ from the Department of Health is likely to assume you will be going to a sandy beach, not playing with mud pies on sewage contaminated mud flats! 11) Tetanus is usually available free under the NHS, at least to British nationals. Other vaccines and medicines may have to be paid for. 12) COSHH. Substances hazardous to health (mainly chemicals) need their own separate risk assessment, done on a COSHH form. Your main risk assessment should mention the chemicals and say ‘see COSHH form’. Information necessary to complete a COSHH assessment is found on the MSDS (material safety data sheet), obtainable from the manufacturers. There is also a good selection at: http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/ although not all the indexes are in strict alphabetical order. Do not just attach the MSDS to a sketchily completed COSHH form; the COSHH form must be filled in adequately. 13) If you are working overseas then your leisure time also has to be risk assessed. Controls may include following Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice or following local advice. 14) You must consider any PPE you may require whilst working outside the UK. If working in the third world then you should assume you will have to take it all with you, including disposable gloves; this must be included on your risk assessment. 15) You should not need to risk assess air travel, (unless it is local travel in remoter areas). The carrier will have done their own risk assessments and you follow their advice or instructions. You will need to consider land travel in Third World areas which can sometimes be rather below the standards of Britain. If hiring a vehicle, you will be responsible for driver checks and following their ‘highway code’. 16) You must have adequate insurance if working overseas and are strongly advised to use University insurance (available at: http://finweb.bangor.ac.uk/e/is/is020.htm) since this will also cover your university fees, although you may wish to take out additional insurance. If you are using your own travel insurance, check carefully that the policy gives you adequate cover. Insurance is a control measure and should be included on your risk assessment. 17) If you are using your own vehicle, then check that the insurance covers work related driving.

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18) You will need your ‘out of hours’ permission extending if you want to work ‘out of hours’ in SOS in areas other than those designated on your present form. Note, however, that activities such as wet chemistry are not normally allowed out of hours and you should design your project accordingly. 19) Do not forget to include computers. Control is ‘advice read’, downloadable from the HSE website. 19) If you are planning any diving activities, you must submit a diving risk assessment to the SOS Diving Safety Adviser, Dr John Turner. 20) Remember that you do what your risk assessment says you are doing. A risk assessment is a legal document. 21) Please do not forget your name on the form (!) John East, School Safety Cooordinator

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APPENDIX 8: SCHOOL OF OCEAN SCIENCES PERMISSION FOR OUT OF HOURS WORK

Name of Person: Ext. E mail: Academic responsible: DR J R TURNER Ext. 2881 E mail: Day to Day Supervisor: Ext. E mail: Activity: MEP MSc Taught Course (to exclude research project) Details of Experimental Procedure: (You must attach a copy of the relevant Risk Assessment) Risk Assessments will be prepared for each individual module unit where relevant. Place where activities will be carried out: Postgraduate laboratory, common room and computer room or elsewhere when notified in each module RA Substances used requiring COSHH assessment: n/a (You must attach a copy of the relevant COSHH assessment) Note any restrictions on activities to be performed ‘Out of Hours’.

MSc students may only work out of hours with double insulated computing equipment (personal computers & printers) and microscopes. Before using any item of electrical equipment, cables, plugs and sockets must be visually inspected for damage. Visual inspections of this type must be carried out whether working in or out of hours.

Contacts for advice during ‘Out of Hours’. Refer to relevant person on emergency telephone list or contact names above.

NB Swipe Cards are Non Transferable Signature of Supervisor (students only) Signature of DSC Date Valid until Swipe card no.

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Emergency procedures: Fire: Note where fire extinguishers are located and the instructions for use. Follow School Fire Drill. If time permits all windows should be closed, electrical equipment turned off and doors closed. First Aid: Note where first aid boxes, eyewash stations and emergency showers are located. Note where first aiders are located. First Aid for contact with the hazardous substance(s); Eyes: Mouth: Swallowing: Lungs: Skin: Spillage/uncontrolled release: Other comment: All personnel should familiarise themselves with the University General Health and Safety handbook, the School Health and Safety Policy and if applicable, the Cod of Practice for Undergraduate Project Students. If necessary you should note the location of the nearest Spill Control Kit. On completion of your laboratory work you area should be cleaned and made safe. When using any chemical always read the safety information supplied by either the manufacturer/supplier or on the network before use. Name of Assessor: Status: Signature of Assessor Date: Person Responsible for Training/Supervision of Experiment: Name: Status: Signed: Approved by Departmental Safety Coordinator: Name: Signed: Date:

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APPENDIX 9: SCHOOL OF OCEAN SCIENCES RISK ASSESSMENT FORM

Location:

Risk assessment of:

Date of assessment:

Assessed by:

Signature:

N.B. THIS FORM DOES NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR OUT OF HOURS WORK

HAZARDS

IDENTIFIED

PERSONS

AFFECTED

EXISTING

CONTROLS

FURTHER ACTION

REQUIRED

PRIORITY

H/M/L

A copy of this assessment must be passed to the School Safety Co-ordinator and a copy made available in the workplace.

Date of review

/ /

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APPENDIX 10: APPLICATION FORM FOR A GOLD CERTIFICATE

(to accompany submission of dissertation/thesis documents). The Gold Certificate confirms that you have abided by the University of Wales Regulations and have met your financial obligations

1) This form should be completed and sent to the Postgraduate Office for processing at least 10 working days before the submission deadline. 2) Acknowledgement of receipt of this form will be sent by e-mail only. If you have not received an acknowledgement within 5 working days of sending, please contact the Postgraduate Office (see contact details below). 3) Upon receipt of this form, the Gold Certificate will be produced, subject to verification, and sent to your Department.

Last Name:

Forename(s):

Student ID Number:

E-Mail:

Department/School: Course/Programme Title: Submission Deadline: Is this your original date for submission or have you been granted an extension or are you resubmitting? Original Date for Submission Resubmission Resubmission Subject to Minor Corrections Granted an Extension Number of months granted........... Were your tuition fees waived under the UWB Staff/Research Assistant regulations? YES / NO Before you return this form to the Postgraduate Office, please confirm that you have done ALL of the following: i) Returned all library books and paid any library fines (if applicable) ii) Provided the Postgraduate Office with certification of your entry qualifications and therefore satisfied the University of Wales, Matriculation Requirements. *(if in doubt, please check with the Postgraduate Office)* iii) Paid all monies owing to the University of Wales, Bangor (tuition fees, accommodation etc). iv) If you are a Member of Staff/Research Assistant OR you are a Student/Staff/Research Assistant and are re-submitting your dissertation/thesis, please ensure that you attach the relevant resubmission fee with this form. The Submission Fees for the current academic session 2002/2003 are available from the Postgraduate Office I confirm that I have fulfilled the requirements stated above (NB - failure to comply with the above may result in a delay in the production of the Gold Certificate) Signature: ............................................................. Date: ............................................................... Postgraduate Office, Main Arts Building, College Road, Bangor LL57 2DG Tel: 01248 382026, Fax: 01248 370451, E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] For Postgraduate Office use only: Date Received: ............................... Date Sent: ............................ Signature: ..............................................

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APPENDIX 11: CHECK LIST FOR DRAFT SUBMISSION

Please complete before leaving a draft thesis to be read by your Supervisor. If you answer NO to any section, then make amendments in thesis before submission. Supervisors will not

edit a thesis unless this check list has been completed and placed in the manuscript Is the TITLE highly specific? Does it mention process/treatment, organism, place, time? YES/NO Does you ABSTRACT page appear with title and your name/address on one A4 sheet? YES/NO (May be single-spaced, but must not exceed 300 words). Does your ABSTRACT include aim, rationale, hypothesis, objectives, methodology key results (quantified + basic statistics), key discussion points, key conclusions. YES/NO Have you included table of contents & lists of tables, figures, appendices, abbreviations? YES/NO Have you ACKNOWLEDGED all persons and bodies assisting you, including permits granted, and stated any work that is not your own? (Failure to do latter could lead to Unfair Practice). YES/NO Is the main text at least 11 point font size (i.e. no smaller than this text: 11 POINT font size), less than 20,000 words and one and a half or double line spaced? YES/NO Does your INTRODUCTION begin with an overall AIM or goal, cover the RATIONALE logically, and end with a HYPOTHESIS and SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES? (do not use these as headings, though) YES/NO Are all REFERENCES in sentences in text cited correctly ( i.e. appear in chronological order in sentence, no initials, correct punctuation, and are of form: Smith et al.,(1999) states that... or ....as stated (Smith and Jones, 1999). Do they all occur in your Reference List? YES/NO Are your sentences grammatical? Is construction within a sentence following order of: Time, Manner, Place? YES/NO Does each paragraph make a major point? If not combine. YES/NO Are all abbreviations defined? YES/NO Have you AVOIDED 'etc.', contractions (egg ‘don’t), unscientific writings (egg 'on the other hand..'), and first person ‘I’ and present tense? YES/NO Have you checked SPELLING throughout text, tables, figures and legends? YES/NO Are your SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES SMART: Specific- the why; Measurable - the how; Area bound - the where; Realistic; and Time bound - the when? YES/NO Are your METHODS sufficiently explained to be repeatable by an independent observer? YES/NO Do you have an identifiable METHOD to address each objective? YES/NO Do site descriptions based on descriptions of others appear in the introduction and not the method sections? YES/NO

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Are the LAT/LONG positions of all sites given & are they shown on a map? YES/NO Is all major scientific equipment specified (model/manufacturer)? YES/NO Are maps / figures sourced if not your own? YES/NO Do you have a RESULT to address every Objective and Method? YES/NO Are ONLY YOUR RESULTS in the results section? YES/NO Are your RESULTS fully described in the text? YES /NO Have you made sure that no DISCUSSION appears in the RESULTS section? YES/NO Are all results in text QUANTIFIED, including provision of units, basic statistics, probability levels, and statistical tests? (Remember, results are only SIGNIFICANT if statistical tests show them to be so, and avoid use of subjective terms egg larger, smaller fast rate, sharp increase…) YES/NO Do all figures, diagrams, tables have fully explained legends (including scale) so that they can be interpreted independent of text? YES/NO Are figures, diagrams, tables in relevant place in text close to where introduced? YES/NO Does your DISCUSSION describe how far each OBJECTIVE was met? YES/NO Does your DISCUSSION compare your results with the work of others, rather than the work of others with yours? YES/NO Have you CRITICALLY APPRAISED the work of others, rather than prepared factual lists i.e. have you expanded all references to explain what was done, on what species, precisely where, and by what means, and thus described, compared and contrasted key results? YES/NO Are your own OPINIONS based on fact? YES/NO Have you discussed limitations to your work, and possible future work on the topic? YES/NO Have you CONCLUDED how far your results have met the original aim/goal? YES/NO Are ALL REFERENCES cited in text also in alphabetical order in reference list? YES/NO (Format: Author(s), initials. (Date). Title of work (italic if just a book). Title of Journal (in full, and italic). Volume (in bold). Publisher (only if book). Pages (if whole book, total number of pages). Do all appendices identified in text appear in APPENDICES? YES/NO Does each APPENDIX have a fully explained legend such that it can be interpreted independent of text? YES/NO

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Are all pages numbered? YES/NO Have you included your name, telephone and e mail contact for me to get back to you? YES/NO If final copy, does thesis spine display your name, thesis title (or abbreviated title),degree, and year? YES/NO Have you included a declaration sheet (re own work, degree, availability) YES/NO Have you signed the thesis? YES/NO Have you included copies of the relevant submission forms from Academic Office YES/NO Have you submitted 2 typed and bound copies and 3 if you obtained a Distinction in Part 1? YES/NO

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APPENDIX 12: APPLICATION FORM FOR EXTENSION TO THESIS /DISSERTATIONSUBMISSION DEADLINE

This form should be completed by the Course Organiser and passed on to Dr John Perkins, Academic Registry, for approval.

Student name: Department/School: Course/Programme title: Current deadline for submission of dissertation/thesis: (if you are unsure, please check with the Postgraduate Office) Has there been a previous application for an extension? Yes / No If Yes, please give details: Number of months extension required:

Revised deadline for submission of dissertation/thesis:

Reason(s) for requesting extension (please tick as appropriate): i) Medical (certified) ii) Extenuating personal circumstances iii) Inordinate professional commitments iv) Supervisory issues v) Departmental issues vi) Severe financial hardship Any additional information in support of extension request: IMPORTANT Please attach supporting documentation (i.e., GP letter, medical certificates, letter from employer) I confirm that I have considered and that I support the above named student’s request for an extension to the deadline for submission of dissertation/thesis. I am satisfied with the reasons given. Name: .................................................................. Position: ........................................................... Signature: ............................................................. Date: ............................................................... For Academic Registry use only: Request for extension to submission deadline approved: Signature:.............................................................................. Date: ................................... For Postgraduate Office use only: Date Received: ............................... Date Recorded: .......................... Signature: ......................................

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APPENDIX 13: FACILITIES CHARGE FORM

TO BE COMPLETED BY STUDENT & COURSE DIRECTOR Name: .............................................................................. Course: …………………………………….......................... Department: ……………………………….......................... Bangor Student Identification Number: 500 _ _ _ _ _ _ The above named, whose official period of registration has now ended/will end shortly, has requested that he/she be allowed to use University facilities (departmental/computing/library) in order to complete his/her dissertation/thesis. Would you please confirm that you approve of this continued use of facilities by completing the section below. The form should be returned to the Student Records Office (1st floor, Main Arts Building).

___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ I confirm that the above named will require access to the facilities noted above.

Date access should end: ...................................................

Signature: ..........................................................................

Name: ................................................................................ *If the school/department is paying the charge on behalf of the student, please provide the cost code to be debited together with the amount. The charge is now £22.00 per month as determined by the Planning and Resources Committee in 2004.

Cost code: ..................................................

Amount to be debited: ................................ Nb the School will not normally pay this charge unless the extension is due to a reason for which the School has responsibility (eg. Student had delayed access to a particular piece of equipment because of an approved priority use).

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APPENDIX 14: MSc TAUGHT COURSE STUDENT FEEDBACK

End of Course Questionnaire

YEAR

MSc Applied & Physical Oceanography

MSc Marine Biology

MSc Marine Environmental Protection

MSc Marine Geotechnics

MSc Shellfish Biology, Fisheries & Culture

Anonymity and confidentiality are assured. Please circle your agreement or disagreement.

(Please elaborate on scores 4 & 5 with more specific comments on final page)

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Definitely agree

Agree

Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree

Definitely disagree

COURSE ADMINISTRATION 1. The admissions procedure was satisfactory

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2. Availability of funding was made clear

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3. Programme and timetable arrangements have been clear and reliable.

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PROGRAMME OF STUDY 5. The MSc Course has lived up to expectations

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6. I have enjoyed my studies this year

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8. I have been able to develop skills which will be useful in my chosen career.

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5 9. Lectures were well prepared and presented.

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10. Course programme is of sufficient breadth and depth

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11. Mix of lectures, practicals, presentations and independent study is about right

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5 12. The assessed work is of a suitable standard and is appropriately marked.

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13. Assessed work was directly relevant

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14. The methods of assessment this year allowed me to show what I can do.

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STAFF CONTACT 15. Staff were approachable

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16. I feel I have had reasonable access to staff outside timetabled sessions this year

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22. Student feedback meetings were arranged and constructive comments were acted upon.

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RESOURCES 23. Course Manuals were valuable.

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24. Module handouts were satisfactory.

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26. Library facilities were satisfactory.

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27. Accommodation used for lectures has been satisfactory.

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28. Accommodation used for practicals has been satisfactory.

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29. I gained valuable experience from sea-going activities on the Prince Madog.

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30. Venues used for Presentations were satisfactory

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RESEARCH PROJECT 31. The list of potential research projects offered was satisfactory

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36. Supervisor was available for guidance when needed.

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SUMMARY Please complete the following, referring to any aspect of the course:

The best features of the course are

i) ii) iii)

The worse features of the course are

i) ii)

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iii)

Emphasis What is not being done now that should be started

Start

What is being done now, that should be stopped

Stop

What is being done now that should continue

Continue

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APPENDIX 15: A GUIDE TO WRITING ESSAYS, LITERATURE REVIEWS, AND PROJECT REPORTS, PREPARING VERBAL PRESENTATIONS AND TAKING LECTURE NOTES INTRODUCTION This is a brief guide to writing essays, literature reviews, practical reports and project dissertations for course work. Also included is guidance on preparing verbal presentations and taking lecture notes. The aim of your essays, reports and presentations is to communicate your findings, understanding and ideas to a reader or audience, and you will often be marked for your ability to achieve this effectively. Expect to be criticised on your use of grammar, word usage, punctuation, arrangement of text, tables and figures. The incorrect use of the English language can lead to ambiguity, and poor presentation creates an unfavourable impression. The following guidelines will help you prepare your work to the preferred style. PRESENTATION Present your work on good quality white A4 paper. Submit your work in a binder so that pages do not fall out and get lost. Essays and practical reports may be handwritten, although literature reviews and project dissertations should normally be typed. Write legibly on alternate lines, leaving generous margins for the reader's comments, and number your pages. If you cannot write legibly then use a computer to word process your work, using a clear black font (e.g. Times New Roman, Courier, Universe) of easily legible size (11 or 12pt). Leave generous margins (3.5cm) and one and a half or double space lines of text. Beware of using too many font styles and sizes, italics, bold, underlining and UPPER CASE text. These features should be used sparingly to make your work easier to read. All written work, including essays, can benefit from subheadings. Ensure that subheadings are consistent e.g. (i) (ii).... but avoid over numbering them (eg A. (1) a) 1.1 (i).) ILLUSTRATIONS Relevant illustrations in essays, reports and dissertations can communicate a large amount of information. You do not have to be an artist to produce good illustrations for course work. Illustrations should be neat, large, and appear close to where they are reported in the text. In reports, full page illustrations are usually required, while in essays a half page diagram may suffice. Each should have a title and a number to which they are referred in the text. Illustrations in practical reports and essays may be drawn with a sharp pencil or fine black ink pen. Practical drawings must be accurate; take care to ensure that lines join precisely. Keep your illustrations simple and uncluttered. Essay and practical report diagrams should be labelled in neat upper case lettering, with lines to the feature depicted. A higher standard of illustration is required in dissertations, when either computer generated or ink should be used and labels prepared using adhesive lettering. Diagrams often look better when drawn large and photo-reduced. Scale should be indicated using a bar of depicted length. Only use colour if it has a purpose, for it is expensive and inconvenient to reproduce. Never include photocopies of illustrations from other sources. It is sometimes necessary to include copies of maps provided that they are simple, of good

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reproduction quality, and their source is identified. It is preferable to redraw them in a simplified form. PHOTOGRAPHS AND PLATES Relevant photographs can be useful to illustrate field sites, equipment and experimental organisms. Site photographs which are being compared should have consistent features (e.g. sea/shore) on the same sides. Photographs must be of good quality and should be used sparingly. They may be scanned and colour printed onto the page or it is often necessary to mount them on light card rather than paper, using Cow Gum which does not yellow as the work ages. Photographs should be annotated with titles, labelling and scale bar. You may consider consulting the School Photographer to make up a plate should you have a number of photographs or composite photographs, (e.g. in electron microscopy studies). Black and white photocopies of photographs are rarely of sufficient quality for course work, but colour photocopies or scans may be acceptable for practical reports and second copies of project dissertations. FIGURES/GRAPHS AND TABLES Figures and tables are useful for showing a large amount of information which is commented upon in the text. Graphs are best used to show an immediate impression of trends for a continuous variable (e.g. line graph), although bar charts can be used to compare discontinuous variables effectively, and pie charts are good for showing proportion. Tables are used to reveal small differences precisely, especially for discontinuous variables. Computer software (e.g. Quattro Pro, Harvard Graphics) can help you produce graphics easily, but beware of attempting to show too much information, or using features which confuse the data presentation (e.g. unnecessary three dimensional graphics, colours, annotations). Shading can look good on the computer screen, but often fails to distinguish data sets once printed. Do not include raw computer output, such as MINITAB text, in your reports. Tables should be prepared so that they can be read and interpreted easily, and they should have the same layout if they are to be compared. Separate lines and columns with suitable spacing so that lines across the body of the table are not required. It is easier for the eye to run down a column than across a row, so present data sets to be compared in columns, and total fields down columns rather than across rows. Align numbers on the decimal point, and give an explanatory title to include units to prevent cluttering the table. Do not use footnotes. ESSAYS The aim of an essay is to develop a logical argument in response to a particular question. Essays are not simply a catalogue of facts. Essay writing is especially important because it is the main means of assessment during examinations. Essays should progress logically from an introduction through a discussion to a conclusion. The introductory paragraph should expand the question, breaking it down into elements or outlining how you intend to answer the question. Each paragraph of the discussion should be a step in developing the argument, and so should be a logical consequence of what was demonstrated or proposed in the preceding paragraph. (More advanced essay writers may develop a number of arguments simultaneously in a hierarchical format.) Limit each paragraph to a single point. Sub-headings may be used to subdivide an essay. The conclusion should sum up the main steps in the sequence of logic, and show how the question is answered. Relevant illustrations

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should be included, and should appear in the appropriate place in the text. A critical approach should be adopted. It is important that you report the work of others accurately. Your own opinions must be justified by the facts presented. Remember that the opinion of someone else is not a fact. Aim your essay at an intelligent but uninformed reader. The essays of Stephen Jay Gould in collections such as 'The Pandas Thumb' or 'The Flamingo's Smile' are good examples. Avoid complex scientific terms whenever possible, and explain them if you do have to introduce such terms. Beware of clichés, analogies and jargon because they look ridiculous in scientific writing and can be misleading. Beware of the following: Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

The species was conspicuous by its absence. Avoid alliteration. Always. Avoid clichés like the plague (they are old hat).

Employ the vernacular. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive. To boldly go.... Contractions aren't necessary Foreign words and phrases are not apropos. One should never generalise.

Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: 'I hate quotations. Tell me what you know'

Comparisons are as bad as clichés. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than is absolutely necessary; it is highly superfluous.

Profanity sucks. Be more or less specific. Understatement is always best. Exaggeration is a million times worse. One word sentences? Eliminate.

Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. The passive voice is to be eliminated. Go round the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

Who needs rhetorical questions? You are advised to use the referencing system described below or to list works consulted at the end of your essay. Footnotes should not be used. Before writing an essay, prepare a plan on a separate page. Identify the main stages in development of the essay, and group or number these. List the important facts and arguments, and number or arrow these to where they fit into the stages of development. Submit this in an examination situation if you fail to complete your essay in the time. A coursework essay should be about 2500 words in length. LITERATURE REVIEWS The purpose of a literature review is to present a critical synthesis of published work on the topic defined by the title. The work and opinions of the major workers in the field should be reported. You may express your own ideas and opinions, but they must be justified by the facts which should also be presented. You will be judged on the depth and breadth of your review, on the accuracy of your reporting, and on the

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fairness of your criticisms. You should always consult the original articles and not rely on the analyses of others. Begin by finding articles which have been published on your topic. The best way to do this is to consult abstracting journals; the main ones relevant being: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts, Microbiological Abstracts, Oceanic Abstracts, Analytical Abstracts (all in Wolfson Library) and Biological Abstracts (in Deiniol Road Library). More specialist publications cover specific fields, such as Marine Science Contents Tables and Freshwater and Aquaculture Contents Tables. The major abstracting journals provide you with an abstract which you can scan to determine whether you wish to read the article in full. Further information sources are available on line over computer networks, e.g. BIDS (Bath ISI Data Service). Of course not all journals identified will be held in the College library, and you may need to request journals through an Inter Library Loan. Full details of all of these services are available in guides issued by Information Services from the library. You are advised to read the articles in the library, rather than to photocopy them! A useful way of keeping track of articles found is to use reference cards on which you write the author, date, title, and data relating to the publication. A summary of the article can be included on the back of the card. When you come to write the review, you may find it helpful to order the cards according to the citing of the references in the structure of your report. The literature review title should be specific and concise. The first paragraph should indicate the scope of the review, and list any previous reviews. It is advisable to divide up the body of the review into numbered subsections, and chronologically review the literature within each area. A 200 word summary, reporting the major points identified by the review is advisable. References must be accurate and should conform to the guidelines below. Good examples of reviews can be found in Advances in Marine Biology; Oceanography and Marine Biology An Annual Review; and Biological Reviews. A literature review for coursework should contain about 20-40 references and be about 5,000 - 7,000 words in length. Present your work typewritten, with wide margins and double space text, in a binder with the title, your name and degree on the cover. PRACTICAL REPORTS AND PROJECT DISSERTATIONS The aim of practical reports and project dissertations is to present, analyse and describe your results, comparing them with the work of other people, and to draw conclusions from your findings. While a practical report usually only describes the results of one experiment, a project dissertation often reports a series of experiments, and is supported by an extensive literature review. However, the structure of the reports is the same. All reports should be written in the third person, past tense, and should consist of the following sections: TITLE: The title should be specific and short, accurately defining the nature of the experiment or project. ABSTRACT: Use about 300 words to outline the aim, rationale, objectives and broad methodology, results and conclusions of the work. Key results may be quantified. It is the Abstract that readers will scan to determine whether the work is of relevance to them, and the section may often be photocopied. Therefore, restrict the Abstract to one page, headed with the title, your name, and contact address.

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INTRODUCTION: Begin your introduction stating the aim of your work, broadly noting where you intend your research work to lead. This section should present the background knowledge relevant to the field of investigation, and describe the rationale for your study. Beware of including irrelevant information. Review the relevant literature logically and chronologically, using subheadings to subdivide the section as appropriate. End the introduction by developing, and clearly stating the hypothesis that you intend to test. Give a series of specific objectives in which you specify, concisely in one sentence for each, what you intend to do, how and where. These specific objectives should be the basis of your main experiments, and should be reflected by appropriate subheadings in your Methodology, Results and Discussion sections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Describe the location, techniques, apparatus and organisms used in sufficient detail that an independent scientist could repeat your methodology. Comparability and reproducibility are essential to scientific method, and hence methodology must be standardised. Describe how you collected and identified animals and plants. Scientific (Latin) names should be used for genus and species because common names are not known internationally (e.g. Caryophyllia smithii Stokes & Broderip rather than Devonshire cup-coral). Scientific names should be shown in italics or be underlined and the genus should have an upper case first letter, while the species should have a lower case first letter. If the name is repeated within a page of first occurrence and no other genus is mentioned, then the generic name may be abbreviated e.g. C. smithii. The authority for the scientific name (i.e. the person who first classified and named the organism) should be given when the species is first mentioned (Stokes & Broderip in the above example). Linnaeus, the originator of scientific names is abbreviated to L. If an organism is reclassified, then the original authority is placed in brackets before the new authority. Accurate map references should be provided, and diagrams are helpful so that study sites can be relocated. State precisely what is being measured and by what means. The model and manufacturer of major items of equipment should be quoted if apparatus may be a source of variation. Only give references if you employ techniques described in earlier publications. Use subheadings to subdivide this section when a number of methods are being described. Be consistent in your use of terms such as Site (the location where the work was carried out), Station (the division of the site into survey or sampling units), Sample (the unit of investigation at a station). RESULTS: Present your results only, and not the work of others. Present your results as Tables, Graphs, Figures and Plates, and always describe these in text. Take care that Tables and Figures are numbered and cross referenced in the text. Relegate extensive raw data sets to appendices, and present mean data sets only in the Results section. Do not display the same datasets as a Table and a Figure. Statistical analyses should be appendixed, although key ANOVAR tables and probabilities may appear in Results. There should be no discussion in the Results section. Subheadings reflecting the specific objectives and methods sections may be useful. Beware of describing your results as significant unless you have performed a statistical test upon them.

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DISCUSSION: Interpret your results and relate them to the work of others. Do this in the context of your specific objectives, and in the context of the background knowledge described in the Introduction. You may wish to include some interpretative illustrations. State whether your results agree or disagree with the work of others, using references to substantiate your points. The limitations and inaccuracies of your own work should be critically appraised. Develop the conclusions to your work by explaining the reasons for accepting or rejecting your hypothesis. Suggest possible future work. SUMMARY: Outline your major results and conclusions as concisely as possible. 200 words should be sufficient. A summary is not necessary under a separate heading if you have an abstract. REFERENCES: You must cite all references quoted in your work. Do not include any uncited references. Present references as outlined below. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Acknowledge those bodies and people who have made a significant contribution to your project (institutions and agencies who may have supplied general information, technical support, supervisor, anyone who assisted you in the field). Acknowledge the provision of grants and permits or access to study sites and special items of apparatus. APPENDICES: Extensive raw data and statistical analyses may be placed here, with cross referencing to the main text.

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PROJECTS - SOME GENERAL HINTS Before embarking on practical work, read extensively on your topic, and prepare a literature review which you should submit to your project supervisor for comment. This review will later form the basis of your introduction, when it will be reduced to cover only relevant material to your specific study. On completing the literature review, you should be able to develop the rationale for your research, and define the hypothesis that you intend to test and specific objectives of your work. You can then design your experiments, by deciding on the sizes and numbers of samples, statistical analysis and format of your results. You will almost certainly modify your ideas on these designs as your practical work progresses, but you can be assured that you now have direction. Record everything you do in a hardback notebook, for sheets of paper get lost. Take care to record details of apparatus and quantities of materials used. Analyse your results as you obtain them so that you are aware of any findings, or any missing data sets. Write the Hypothesis and Specific Objectives sections first, followed by Methods. Prepare Tables, Figures and Plates before writing Results text, and then write the Discussion. Now go back to your literature review, and write a concise Introduction, beginning with the broad Aim of the study, and including only relevant citations. Decide on a concise and specific Title, and finally prepare a brief Abstract to outline the whole of your study. Acknowledgements and References should be edited last. Bind your work with the title, your name and degree on the cover. The length of a project report depends on the subject covered, but at BSc level a 4,000 to 6,000 word report is recommended, and at MSc 20,000 words for the main text. PRACTICAL REPORTS - SOME GENERAL HINTS Practical reports are essentially short projects. You are advised to keep a hard back notebook for use in practicals into which you can glue practical schedules and record methods and data, and to write up your reports from this book. Do not include schedules in your final report. Practicals do not have to be typewritten, but must be legible with neatly prepared figures. Write up your practicals on the day in which you do them while the work is still fresh in your mind. You may have two or three practicals each week and it is important that you do not fall behind with practical report writing, because you will find it very difficult to catch up again. Practical report submissions often form the majority of continuously assessed work, and hence it is essential that you always submit your assignments before the deadline. REFERENCES Whenever you use a piece of information from a publication of another worker, you must acknowledge its source in the text immediately before or after the citation. All such sources must be listed under the headings References or Literature Cited at the end of the text. There is no universally accepted system, and so it is recommended that you adopt the one described below and use it consistently. You should include the name of the author and the date of publication in brackets at the end of the sentence: Porpoises are smaller than whales (Jonah, 1994). If the author's name is part of the sentence, then only the date appears in brackets: Jonah (1994) found that porpoises are smaller than whales. Cite two authors as (Jonah and Isaacs, 1994), and if more than two authors as (Jonah et al. 1994). If the author is not known, use (Anon., 1994). State 'undated' if no date is given, 'unpubl.,' if unpublished, and 'in press' if accepted for publication, and 'pers.

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comm.' if the source is a personal communication from another worker. If you quote several publications by one author from the same year, then distinguish them by letters: 'Whales have proved unsuitable for milking by man (Jonah, 1994a, 1994b).' When a number of authors are reported for the same observation, place them in the text in chronological order: 'It is generally believed that whales only occasionally eat man (Jonah, 1946; Gregory 1953; Wyfold, 1976; Isaacs, 1994; Jonah 1994)'. The order in which publications are listed at the end of your report is dependent on the name of the author(s) and on the date of publication. The hierarchy of priority is: alphabetical listing of the surname of the first author, alphabetical listing of the initials of the first author, alphabetical listing of the names and initials of second and subsequent authors, chronological list of the dates of publication. Thus: Haddock, M.D. (1994) Hake, J. (1994) Hake, J.B. (1992) Hake, J.B. (1993) Hake, J.B. (1993a) Hake, J.B. (in press) Hake, J.B., Congor, C. and Tope, F (1994) Hake, J.B. and Haddock, M. D. (1988) Hake, J.B. and Tope, F. (1992) Plaice, P.J. (1991) Check that everything cited appears in the references. Take particular care to remove any reference from your list which has been edited out of the text in a later draft. The full reference must correspond with the text. The following shows layouts for respectively: a contribution to an edited volume, contribution to a journal, a book, a popular press article, and an unpublished report: Muscatine, L . (1973). Nutrition of Corals. In Jones, O.A. and Endean, R. (eds), Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs. Vol II, pp.77-115. Academic Press, NewYork. Muscatine, L., Falkowski, P., Porter, J. and Dubinsky, Z. (1984). Fate of photosynthetically fixed carbon in light and shade-adapted colonies of the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, 222, 181-202. Smith, D.C. and Douglas, A.E. (1987). The Biology of Symbiosis. Contemporary Biology Series. Edward Arnold. 302p. Towler, S. (1993). Sharks and Fisheries. Marine Conservation. Winter 1993/4. 12-15. Turner, J. R. (unpubl.). Scientific Diving Safety Rules. School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor. 17p. NOTE: Italics or underlining are used for title of book or journal. Use full title rather than abbreviations for journals. Volume number appears in bold type or is underlined. 'pp 117-8' is used for pages contributed to volumes, and number of pages

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is given for books as '89p'. Reference to words 'pages' and 'volume' is not necessary in journal references e.g. 12. 227-304. Increasingly, internet sources are being used in course and dissertation work. The following guidance is taken from Dussart, G. 1998. Biologist 45 (4): 177-180 in which students are advised to: (1) Seriously and critically evaluate all material, being aware that it is most often not refereed, and particular views may be presented by an author. (2) The URL should be quoted in situ. so that context is clear, and should be presented in a reference list at the end of the work. This URL list should be separate from the main journal / book reference list. (3) Web URL addresses should be quoted in full, and attributed to the author's name where possible. Guidance is available at http://www.apastyle.org/elecmedia.html. giving the convention most widely accepted for electronic source referencing. (4) The use of a particular website should be intellectually justified. For example, it might be relatively easy to justify using the site of an important agency eg National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), but less so a web page from a fellow student. (5) Verbatim material should normally be avoided, but if really necessary, must be presented in quotation marks. Care should be taken not to copy/paste or download excessive amounts of such material and any verbatim material should be of no more than 20 lines length. (6) All images must be attributed to the source URL and author's name. If possible, permission for use should have been obtained from the author. (7) Websites should have been visited several times to show that they are stable. In the list of references to web addresses, the student should give some measure of stability of the quoted websites (eg dates successfully visited). Example: URL - 1 Gordon, C., Simmons, P., and Wynn, G. (1997) http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/bpg/plagiarism.htm Plagiarism - What it is and how to avoid it. A Third Year Biology Program Guide, prepared by senior staff in the Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia. Visited 17/1/98, 17/2/98 VERBAL PRESENTATIONS You may be required to make a verbal presentation of an essay, project results, or a topic that you have been asked to research, during your coursework. You will be expected to communicate your findings to an audience, and to respond to their questioning and to stimulate discussion. Simply reading out written work is unlikely to captivate an audience, and hence careful preparation is required. When making a verbal presentation, you need to talk directly to the audience, rather than to look at your notes, and you may require some audiovisual aids. You will need to be organised and familiar with your written report of the work, which will form the basis of the presentation. Talks have to be structured, concise, and lucid. The structure of the work need not change, however you will have to emphasise section headings by clearly stating them in your talk. Similarly, you must state sources of reference

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material. You are advised to write the key points on file index cards, using one card for each major point. Number these cards to avoid muddling them up, and use them as prompts when you speak. Look up at the audience, and address the middle to back region of the room. Speak clearly and loudly (so that you can be heard at the back of the room), and vary the pace of your delivery, taking care not to speak too fast or too slowly. Audio-visual aids such as blackboard drawings, slides, overhead projections, Microsoft Powerpoint computer graphics and video, provide you with useful prompts and interest the audience. Use such aids as you would figures, tables, graphs and illustrations in an essay or practical project report. Integrate them within the talk, and do not leave them all until the end of the presentation. Too many visual aids will confuse the audience or cause them to lose interest. Each visual aid must be relevant, of high quality, and different, and not simply a backdrop while you talk. It is important that you take the audience through the figure, using a pointer to point out features of interest as you come onto them. Face the audience, pointing from the side of the screen. When using an overhead projector (OHP), do not indicate features on the original film by standing over the machine, but rather point at the screen, to avoid any nervous hand shakes being magnified. Visual aids must be large and clear enough to be seen by all of the audience. Never apologise for a poor overhead or slide. If it is not of sufficient quality, then do not use it. Overheads are best prepared by photocopying word processed text, or by writing on the film using OHP pens. Do not photocopy figures and tables from your original report, because they will not be suitable. Text, tables and figures must be bold and simple, but fully labelled such that the audience can understand them. Use large, simple and clear fonts and avoid cluttering the OHP. Text should be 1cm high or larger on an A4 original. A good guide (pre-projection) is to place the A4 original about two body lengths away from you - you should still be able to read all of the text. If handwriting the text, use neat upper case letters and one or two dark colours. Too many colours (especially light ones) and font sizes cause confusion. When using a blackboard/whiteboard, take care not to stand in front of your work, and draw large, clear and level. When using computer video presentations, such as Microsoft’s Powerpoint, avoid using so many options to the extent that your presentation is gimmicky. Standardise your computer graphics. It is helpful to note on your file index cards where audio-visual aids are due to appear in the structure of your talk. Visit the room prior to your talk and test your OHPs, slides, or video making sure that they can be seen from the back of the room. Ensure that the room will darken to an adequate level, and that you are familiar with light switches, OHP machines, slide projector and video/computer projection. Verbal presentations are often made within a tight programme and it is essential that you keep to your allotted time. You must never run into another person’s time slot, and unfamiliarity with audio-visual equipment is not an acceptable excuse for over running your time. Rehearse your talk, including using audio-visual aids, and note on your index cards the time required for each section. You will usually be asked questions at the end of your talk. Answer these directly and concisely, and be honest if you do not know the answer. Be confident that you probably know more about the topic on which you are presenting than most in the audience, but be aware that there will always be someone who will know more about a particular section of that topic than you do. LECTURE NOTE TAKING The aim of a lecture is to stimulate your interest in a subject. It is not to give you the definitive information package on a topic. You are therefore advised to take notes

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during a lecture, and to follow these up with relevant reading from which you should make additional notes. Your lecture notes are important, because they will form the basis of revision for future examinations. Write on A4 lined paper and file each course in a ring binder. Lecturers’ styles vary, and you will have to modify your note taking approach. Most lecturers speak from their notes and audio-visual aids, emphasising and summing up major points. Some will give out handouts which you can usefully annotate. Do not expect a lecturer to dictate, and do not attempt to write every word a lecturer says. Listen and understand the point, and then write it down. Record diagrams, names and terms accurately. Diagrams often summarise a large amount of information and are generally easy to recall in an examination situation. Few lecturers like being disturbed by questions during the lecture, but most are approachable immediately after, when you can ask for further explanation or clarification of a point. It is important that you go back through your lecture notes on the day of the lecture when it is still fresh in your mind and you can add missed points. Take special care to read through handouts which you will probably not have fully absorbed during the lecture. Diagrams are best understood and remembered if you redraw them yourself, even if you have a handout copy. Read around the subject of that lecture the same day to reinforce your understanding, and append additional notes to your lecture notes. It is virtually impossible to do this after one week of lectures because the task will be too great, and once behind you will not catch up. First and second year students are advised to read recommended texts as the lecture course progresses, and 2nd, 3rd and MSc level students should consult key references in periodicals immediately. Do not fall into the trap of photocopying references in the hope that you might read them at a later date. You will not! This practice is simply a waste of money, since you cannot photocopy all of the recommended references, and often only a part of the reference is relevant. Visit the library daily, and select a few references, read them and make notes. Some lecturers provide lecture notes, either as hard copy in the library, on disc or on line via the computer. This does not provide you with an opportunity to miss these lectures! You should not rely on these notes for revision, but rather prepare your own. You will find your revision relatively easy if you follow the above guidelines throughout your lecture courses.