Seminars in Anatomy and Neuroscience

This subject is not offered in 2014.

120 hours

Students must be enrolled in the Bachelor of Biomedicine (Honours), Bachelor of Science (Honours) or Postgradaute Diploma in Science to complete this subject.

Biological / Biomedical 300 level knowledge

None

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Equitable Adjustment Procedure (SEAP), academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry. It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability will impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject uses Research Seminars as a vehicle to teach students the experimental approach to contemporary research questions. The seminars will be presented by a mixture of departmental faculty, invited speakers from outside the department, and postgraduate students. The seminars will be chosen to cover each of the three main research areas of the department; Neuroscience, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Human Structure and Function. Students will engage with a diverse range of research questions and the experimental strategies used to address them. Students will learn to critique seminars and to focus on the scientific essentials, i.e. what question is being addressed? What led up to this question? What strategies are being used to answer the question, and how well have they succeeded? Three seminars will receive particular attention. Questions and recommended reading will be distributed several days in advance, to assist the student to start thinking along helpful lines before each of these three seminars. After attending each of these seminars, students will participate in workshops in which directed questions and structured discussion will be used to engage students further with the scientific issues arising from the seminars.

To develop student awareness and knowledge of how contemporary research questions are addressed in a broad range of biological disciplines; To cultivate an appreciation and understanding of the major disciplines of departmental research; To increase students’ knowledge of the experimental approaches and strategies used in different areas of research, and to think of ways that these could be applied to their own research projects; To teach students to think critically about the limitations and weaknesses that are associated with virtually all experimental strategies; To encourage students to conceptualize their own experimental strategies and approaches to research questions.

• Two 1500-2000 word assignments submitted during semester (each worth 40%)
• Oral critique of a scientific paper to be presented during semester (20%)
• Hurdle requirement – attendance at 80% of research seminars is required

None

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Analysing complex scientific issues
• Identifying critical and essential factors from a large body of information
• Making a constructive critique of a scientific presentation
• Performing written and oral communication skills at a high standard
• Contributing to intellectual discussion
• Generating new ideas for scientific experiments