Lab immersion in industry

Summary

The student will engage in a laboratory-based project in the field of life sciences engineering. Student projects will emphasize acquisition of practical skills in experimentation and data analysis.

Content

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Manage an individual research project
• Develop expertise in a specific area of research
• Implement appropriate technologies to address the scientific or engineering problem being studied
• Conduct experiments appropriate to the specific problem being studied
• Assess / Evaluate data obtained in wet-lab and computational experiments
• Interpret data obtained in wet-lab and computational experiments
• Optimize experimental protocols and data presentation
• Plan experimes to test hypotheses based on obtained results

Transversal skills

• Assess progress against the plan, and adapt the plan as appropriate.
• Plan and carry out activities in a way which makes optimal use of available time and other resources.
• Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.
• Continue to work through difficulties or initial failure to find optimal solutions.
• Keep appropriate documentation for group meetings.
• Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
• Demonstrate a capacity for creativity.
• Write a scientific or technical report.

Expected student activities

Students will focus on hands-on experimentation, which may be wet-lab-based or computer-based, depending on the project. Students will read and discuss assigned papers from the original scientific literature.

Expected workload: one semester full time

Assessment methods

Continuous control

Students must produce two written reports (http://sv.epfl.ch/masters_en; see Directives /Cover sheet - master lab immersion industry) during the lab immersion outside EPFL to obtain 22 credits. The two reports should each be maximally 10-15 A4 pages in length, including illustrations, figures, and bibliography. These reports must be signed by the student and countersigned by the head of the host laboratory. The student is responsible for sending her/his written reports (in PDF format with a scan of the signature page) directly to the supervising EPFL professor, who will evaluate them on a pass-fail basis. The supervising professor must transmit the outcomes of these evaluations to the SSV (master-stv@epfl.ch) within one week of the indicated dates below. If validated by the supervising professor and the head of the host laboratory, the two reports are the basis for granting 22 credits “equivalence”.

Additionally, the head of the host laboratory must complete a confidential evaluation form (http://sv.epfl.ch/masters_en; see Directives) and send it directly to the SSV (master-stv@epfl.ch) within two weeks after the student submits the second written report.

Dates for submission of the written reports:

1st report: mid-term (week 7)             

2nd report: end of semester (week 14)     

The second report describes the progress made towards the goals outlined in the first report, including: (1) a brief recapitulation of the scientific problem; (2) results obtained and what conclusions can be drawn; (3) whether the original research plan is being followed and what adaptations have been made, with justification; (4) timeline of research for the rest of the semester; (5) a brief paragraph of self-evaluation on the student’s integration into the laboratory and progress in mastering the relevant techniques and technologies.

The deadline for submission of the written reports must be respected. Failure to submit a report, or late submission, may result in a “non-acquis” (NA), i.e., non-award of the credits corresponding to the period covered by the report.

Supervision

Resources

Bibliography

Appropriate reading materials will be assigned by the student's mentor, depending on the nature of the research project. The assigned reading material will usually comprise original research papers, review articles, and secondary sources (e.g., books).