Module Information

Growing concerns about global warming, human population growth and food security has spawned a new green revolution where plant science has been tasked to identify solutions to help deliver a prosperous and sustainable future for humankind. This module places students at the frontier of the subject and front line research that respond to this challenge.
Students will be introduced to the team, module aims and assessments during week 1. They will then (weeks 2-5) be provided with an introduction into four key areas of research in Plant Science research at IBERS (e.g. Plants and BioEnergy, Healthy Oats, Sequestering Carbon, Grassland services, Phenomics, Breeding for Environmental traits etc). The students will engage with researchers who will deliver seminars, discussions and debates, laboratory / field tours to provide an overview of key challenges in their respective fields. Information will be given in advance of the sessions for preparation followed by questions and answers student literature review post sessions. These ‘workshops’ will provide the full background into why the research is important, who will use the findings, the history of the research area leading to the front line of research in the present day. Following on from these sessions, students will select two topics to be examined by interview to test their knowledge of the subject matter and research questions considered (week 7). A formative mock interview session will be held in week 6 to prepare them for this assessment.
They will next focus on one topic from the two areas initially selected and produce a scoping report in consultation with a research team. This may involve weekly laboratory immersion and engagement with research group members, aiding with practical work in the field or laboratory, interviewing relevant staff and becoming a part of the research environment. This scoping report and process will aim to deliver a document that will be valuable to the research group which in this case will be presented as the ‘client’ for this work (weeks 8-11).
This module has a strong focus on effective communication skills, discussion and research skills. Students will be expected to explore, synthesise and be able to communicate their ideas both orally and in writing. A scoping report assessment aims to develop strong project management skills and understanding of the subject area at a professional level. Their ability to understand and communicate Plant science orally at the highest level via a viva/interview style examination aims to heighten their competitiveness when applying for future employment. Relevance of module skills to potential careers will be emphasized throughout.