KJE-3001 Interdisciplinary molecular sciences: From quantum mechanics to medicine - 20 stp

The course aims to prepare students for advanced training and work in the interdisciplinary fields of modern molecular sciences, both within and outside of academia. The course will provide students with tools and techniques for acquiring, reviewing and presenting scientific data and introduce them to scientific standards and traditions for referencing and publishing. The knowledge acquired through the course will be demonstrated in a portfolio of reports, summarizing the scientific observations performed and addressing the broader relevance of the scientific problems investigated for society. 

The course has a central role in the master program, because it will provide a bird’s-eye view of the ongoing research activities at the Department, it will provide the necessary common background for all master student, and it will serve as a training in preparation for the Master project and future professional career. 

The course will consist of three parts: 

• Information resources and communication tools (4 ECTS) 
• Core technologies of molecular sciences (12 ETCS) 
• Report writing (4 ECTS) 

1. Information resources and communication tools

Via seminars and lectures, students will become familiar with scientific databases, authorship and publication ethics, presentation techniques, and concepts related to scientific publishing and result dissemination:

Tools:  

• Referencing tools 
• Literature searches  
• Presentation tools 

Techniques:  

• Oral presentation techniques 
• Scientific reports and articles: types, structuring, referencing 

Ethics and guidelines:  

• Citation styles and standards in molecular sciences 
• Scientific publications: components, authorship, publication stages 
• Copyright and open access models 

2. Core technologies of molecular sciences 

Four technology modules reflecting topics which are most relevant for future interdisciplinary work on applied projects are available to the students. A common textbook for the course, supplemented by additional materials where necessary, will describe interdisciplinary projects from different technological points of view.  The core technology areas are: 

• Chemical structure, bonding, and reactivity 
• Computational chemistry and molecular modelling 
• Macromolecular chemistry 
• Bioinformatics  

The student must participate in at least 75% of the lectures and attend laboratory activities and field work connected to the course. 

3. Report writing and oral presentation  

Each student will author a set of reports and present a short lecture, based on one of the reports, to demonstrate mastery of the course material, and the ability to present scientific work both orally and in written form. The reports are based on the laboratory activities and field work performed during the course, and will cover the thematic areas of the Master program in Molecular Sciences (Chemistry of the Cell, Drug Discovery and Design, Scientific Computing in Chemistry and Biology, Functional Materials, Catalysis) and will be defined to involve collaboration with other students of the course. The portfolio of reports will be used for the final assessment of the student performance. 

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester.

Exchange students and Fulbright students: 15 April for the autumn semester.

A bachelor’s degree in one of the natural sciences, or equivalent, including core chemistry courses, general physics, and calculus, with a grade C or better in the Norwegian grading system.  

Local admission, application code 9371 - singular courses at Master's Level.

After the course, the student will have acquired a solid and broad theoretical basis to various aspects of molecular sciences. This means that the student 

Knowledge 

• has in-depth knowledge of techniques used in oral and written scientific communication 
• understands how to search scientific databases efficiently 
• understands how to structure various types of scientific reports 
• understands the legal framework of scientific publication 

Skills 

• can conduct literature and data searches  
• can write clear and concise professional scientific reports and oral presentations 
• can make appropriate choices regarding publication styles and copyright conditions 
• can explain a scientific observation, innovation or problem using an interdisciplinary approach, combining knowledge and methods from several sub-topics 

Competence

• can communicate scientific results both in writing and orally, with appropriate standards and structures 
• can evaluate and edit his/her and others scientific reports 
• understands the relationship between knowledge and presenting knowledge 
• can combine knowledge from several topics and obtained from different sources to put molecular sciences in a scientific and societal context 

Approved electronic portfolio of reports, which counts as 100% of the final grade. Pass/Fail.

Required coursework :

Attendance of 75% of the lectures, participation in all laboratory activities and field work, oral presentation of one of the final reports.

Re-schedule/Re-sit examination: 

Upon failure to submit satisfactory reports the student will have the opportunity to receive additional feedback and submit a revised version of the reports. 

The date for the exam can be changed. The final date will be announced at your faculty early in May and early in November.