UCL DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL PHYSICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
MPHY3000 and MPHYM000: Medical Physics Undergraduate Project
Project Coordinator:
Prof. Jem Hebden
1. Aim and Context of the Course
The Medical Physics project modules are designed to complement the department’s programme of lecture
modules in medical physics and biomedical engineering, while equipping the student with valuable practical
and project skills. The ability to conduct an independent research project is fundamental to future career
paths in scientific research and development, as well in many other areas. The two-term research projects,
MPHY3000 (for IBSc and final-year BSc students) and MPHYM000 (for final-year MSci students) provide
students with the skills needed to plan, execute, and present an open-ended scientific investigation.
2. Objectives
At the end of the course the student should have:
 developed the skills and confidence needed to plan and work independently.
 improved their ability to conduct a complex and open-ended scientific investigation, in an active research
environment.
 increased their ability to seek out information as required, from a variety of sources.
 become accustomed to developing ideas through discussion.
 acquired the technical skills required to complete their project.
 have developed reporting skills through the use of a notebook record and writing of a final report.
 have enhanced their presentation skills by making an oral presentation to an audience of academic staff
and other students.
3. General Information and Choice of Projects
The third year project module MPHY3000 corresponds to 1.0 course units (i.e. worth the same as two halfunit lecture modules), while the fourth year module MPHY4000 corresponds to 1.5 course units. Throughout
the first and second terms, MPHY3000 students should expect to spend an average of 10-15 hours per
week on project work, while MPHYM000 students should spend around 20 hours per week on their project.
Projects are designed by staff in the Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering Department, and are
typically related to an area of research being investigated by that staff member. Projects available to
students are displayed on a website, and start appearing in July before the start of term (the list usually
grows in length throughout the summer). Students can select a project at any time, and are invited to contact
the supervisor by email or phone to request more details about a project he/she is interested in. The student
should also arrange to meet with the project supervisor as soon as possible after the start of term. Note that
projects cannot be “held in reserve” for a student. All projects remain open to everyone until a student makes
a firm decision to take the project, when they must inform the Supervisor and the Project Coordinator. The
student’s name will then appear against the project on the website. Students need to have a project
allocated by the end of the first week of term, and must inform their tutor if they have been unable to find one
that is suitable by that time. In the past it has also been possible to accommodate some students who have
had a specific request for a project in a research area not on the list of projects. If they have a specific
project idea, students should contact the Project Coordinator.
Each project will be overseen by a named first supervisor, with whom the aims, objectives, and proposed
methods must be agreed. The supervisor will be responsible for monitoring the progress and safety of the
project, and will provide advice and assistance as necessary. The supervisor should be available for regular
(~weekly) meetings with the student. A second supervisor must also be appointed for each project. He or
she will independently assess your project work, but will not necessarily take a proactive part in its direction.
Malet Place Engineering Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0200 Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 0255
www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys
If a student has any questions or problems concerning his or her project, but which cannot be dealt with by
their supervisors, then he/she should contact the Project Coordinator as soon as possible.
Projects are normally of three broad types. The vast majority are “experimental”, which means making
measurements with pre-existing scientific apparatus, or designing/constructing a new item of equipment
which will then be used to perform some kind of experimental measurement. Meanwhile, “theoretical”
projects involve investigating a new idea, and developing the basic theory behind it. Such projects often
require an initial literature review, and may involve testing the new theory using pre-existing data. The third
broad category of projects are “computer based”. These might involve using existing software tools to
process existing experimental data or simulate a new theory, or might even require the student to write some
computer code. In most cases, students are not expected to have specific skills related to their project, but
obviously must have the interest and enthusiasm to develop new skills in the required area.
4. Assessment
The project will be monitored and assessed continuously via the following components:
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Project outline (5%).
Progress report (10%).
Project talk (15%).
Final report (70%).
The figures in brackets represent the percentage of the final mark allocated to each component. All work will
be assessed independently by the supervisors and second supervisor, and a final mark arbitrated by a small
committee of independent assessors chaired by the Project Coordinator. Note that marks may be deducted
for reports submitted after the given deadlines. Assessment of the Final Report is based on the following
criteria:
 Scientific contribution by student and understanding of the context (30%).
 Quality and amount of work (25%).
 Standard of presentation, including references (15%).
5. Safety
Please note the safety requirements as provided in the Undergraduate and Staff Handbooks.
6. Project Timetable
The normal order of events is given below:
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July-September - a list of projects is made available on the Medical Physics project website.
Students can choose a project anytime, consulting with supervisors by email, by phone, or in person.
Having chosen your project, please inform the Project Coordinator by email (Prof. Jem Hebden,
j.hebden@ucl.ac.uk). Students are required to have found a project by the end of the second week
of the first term.
Third week of the first term - submission of project outline (see section 8).
First week of Second Term - submission of progress report (see section 9), mainly to provide
feedback for students (see section 8).
Penultimate week of the 2nd Term - Project Talk (see section 10).
Not later than the last week of the 2nd Term - submission of Project Report (see section 11).
Written work should be handed in to the Medical Physics teaching administrator, who will date stamp it and
pass it on to your supervisor. Adherence to the above timetable is essential. Work submitted late may be
penalised. Please contact the Projects Coordinator and your supervisors immediately if there are mitigating
circumstances that delay the project.
7. Methodology
The project can be regarded as a genuine piece of original research. Indeed, in many cases the suggested
investigation derives from the supervisor's own research. It is expected that students will work largely under
their own guidance, so far as day to day progress is concerned. The supervisor's duty will be to ensure that
time is not wasted on following unprofitable lines of investigation and to advise on suggested ideas and
methods. Naturally, many of the broader ideas will come from the supervisor who will be looking for mature
criticism, amplification and, eventually competent implementation of these ideas. Students should be aware
that it is their responsibility to see their supervisor regularly (weekly) during the progress of the work. The
Malet Place Engineering Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0200 Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 0255
www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys
qualities to be demonstrated and assessed are: originality, initiative, efficient organization of thought and
deed, and the ability to report concisely and effectively. In addition, supervisors will attach a great deal of
weight to the standard of technical achievement demonstrated.
8. Project Outline
The first week or two of the project will, no doubt, be taken up with understanding the background to the
project and the supervisor's ideas for the work to be done. Having got this clear, it will be necessary to make
a detailed project outline from which the actual project work can commence. The outline should be as
quantitative as possible. The objectives of a project outline may be summarised as follows:
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to confirm the final title of the project and the names of the first and second supervisors;
to demonstrate a clear understanding of the problem to be solved;
to outline briefly an initial approach to the problem, backed by calculations, sketches, and
(sometimes) preliminary data.
As a very rough guide, the outline should be about two sides of A4 paper, and may be accompanied by
diagrams if appropriate.
9. Progress Report
This is intended to be a rather short submission (3 to 4 sides). It should address three questions:
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how closely has the initial design study been followed with explanations for any deviation?
how much progress has been made at the half way stage towards achieving the ultimate aim of the
project?
what are the plans for future work on the project?
As a result of this summary of progress, the supervisor could well modify the objectives or, in extreme cases,
suggest a different project altogether. Students should submit TWO copies of the progress report so that a
copy can go directly to each supervisor.
10. Physics Project Talks
All students taking the MPHY3000 and MPHYM000 units will be required to give a talk about their project at
the end of the second term. Their audience will consist of any final year students and academic staff that
wish to attend. In their future careers most students will be required to give presentations on their work in
front of a large audience, and these projects talks will provide valuable experience. Students will be allowed
15 minutes for their talk, followed by 5 minutes of questions. The following points should be borne in mind
when preparing a talk:
a) The talk should be structured as follows:
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introduction, giving the background to the project;
description of the work carried out;
results;
discussion of results and conclusion.
b) Do not make the talk too detailed, nor too trivial. The members of the audience will not be specialists in
the subject of the project, but you may assume that they are familiar with most core undergraduate
material.
c) A laptop PC and computer projector will be provided in the lecture room. With such a short time for each
talk, it is of course essential to prepare all presentational material in advance. Make sure that all material
is legible and not overcrowded with too much information. Do not attempt to use too many slides.
d) Practice your talk in front of a critical colleague to ensure that the content and length are acceptable.
e) During the talk, face the audience and speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard at the back of the
lecture room.
f) The talk must be taken seriously, because it will help the supervisor to assess your overall performance
in the project. Note that it will contribute 15% towards the final assessment of the project.
g) Students are invited to attend other student talks during the day, and are expected to attend those
immediately before and after the student’s own talk.
Malet Place Engineering Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0200 Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 0255
www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys
11. Project Report
The report should be written at a level to be understood by someone with a good knowledge of physics, who
is not a specialist in the field of the project. Avoid, at one extreme, explaining very elementary things and, at
the other, not explaining very abstruse things. The report should normally include:
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background material setting the project in perspective;
details for the work actually done;
results of the work;
discussion of the significance of the results.
All are important. The relevant balance will depend on the subject of the project, but the Examiners are
particularly interested in knowing about the student's own work. The length of the report should not exceed
10,000 words. It must be presented clearly, neatly and in a well-ordered fashion. The general appearance,
quality of production and use of English will be taken into account in the assessment. Careful discrimination
should be exercised when deciding what to include in the report. Minute technical detail is not usually
required but, if it is of significance, it might be more appropriately recorded in an appendix rather than in
main text. There is no set format (e.g. font and font size, line spacing, etc.), although students are strongly
advised to consult with their supervisors to ensure that their chosen format is appropriate.
References to published works that were consulted during the course of the project should be clearly
indicated at the points in the text of the report and a list given at the end. References should be specific - the
mere title of a book is of little value as a reference. The report must be prefaced by an abstract (a single
page), setting out the purpose of the project, the work carried out, and the main conclusions. Considerable
guidance on many of the points mentioned above can be obtained by the careful study of a few original
research papers. Students must adhere to the College regulations on Plagiarism.
Students must submit two copies of their final report (one for each supervisor) by the deadline (usually the
last day of the second term). These copies should be handed to the Medical Physics senior teaching
administrator, who will date stamp them and pass them on to your supervisors.
Malet Place Engineering Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0200 Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 0255
www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys