2017-18

MSc Marine Renewable Energy

Course Manual

School of Ocean Sciences

College Natural Sciences
Bangor University
PROLOGUE
BANGOR UNIVERSITY POLICY OF MONITORING OF STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Course Director Preamble: Not attending teaching sessions, arriving late, and other signs of
disengagement rarely happens at MSc level in my experience. I suspect that this is because most
students register because they want to actively better themselves. However, the University has been
given direct responsibilities by the UK Government to monitor student attendance, and we take this
task very seriously.

Residency
It is expected that full time students studying at Bangor University will normally live in Bangor, Menai
Bridge, or in the immediate vicinity. All students must provide an up to date address and contact
telephone number whilst studying at the University.

Monitoring Your Attendance.

The University has a duty of care to its students; ensuring that each student makes the most of the
learning opportunities available to them. In line with the Student Charter, students will be expected to
attend ALL timetabled teaching sessions for their degree programme.

Your School will monitor:

 Your attendance at seminars, tutorials, laboratory sessions and on professional placements
(including placements for language students)
 Your attendance at exams
 Your submission of assignments
 Your attendance at Personal Tutor / Supervisor meetings (for MRE students, such meetings
are normally with your project supervisor)

Your School will also undertake a random sampling of attendance at lectures.

Any unauthorised absences will be recorded by your school. A points-based system will be used to
record unauthorised absences and your school will monitor your attendance record throughout the year.
Points awarded will depend upon the event/activity missed. Where your attendance record gives cause
for concern, your School will contact you to discuss the reasons for this and also to identify any
additional support that you may require.

If any absences occur due to special circumstances (e.g. illness or family bereavement) you must inform
your school as soon as possible so that your records can be updated. To support your absence, your
school may seek additional evidence e.g. a doctor’s note

If you require time away from University and from your studies, you must contact your school to inform
them of your plans in advance of your absence

If you feel that an unauthorised absence has been mistakenly recorded, you should contact you school
as soon as possible.

International Students:
As an International Student, if you miss a succession of timetabled teaching sessions, your school will
contact you to discuss further why you have been absent. If the reasons for your unauthorised absences
are not deemed satisfactory, the University is obliged by UK law to inform the UK Border Agency which
may have consequences for your student visa and on your ability to continue studying in the UK.

Therefore it is extremely important that you attend all of your timetabled teaching sessions and inform
the school if you have any planned absences.

If you plan to be absent from the University at any point during your studies as a registered student,
you must inform your school of your plans well in advance of your absence and ensure that your contact
iii
information is up to date.

Please remember that you must have a valid student visa for the whole duration of your university
course. If you need help with your visa application, please contact the International Student Support
Office.

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 M.Sc. MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY

I. Introduction

Aims of the course

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and aid sustainable development, there is an urgent need to
support our electricity generating capacity through the development of low carbon technologies,
particularly those generated from renewable sources. The ocean represents a vast and largely
untapped energy resource, that could be exploited as a form of low carbon electricity generation, and
there is much European and global commercial and R&D activity in this energy sector. The UK is the
world leader in the development of wave and tidal stream technologies, and if marine energy deploys
globally, the UK is uniquely positioned to capture a substantial market share, with the potential to
contribute as much as £4.3 bn to UK GDP up to 2050. The aim of this MSc programme is to equip
students with the skills necessary to identify and quantify the potential of specific locations for marine
renewable energy generation installations, with an emphasis on the resource (waves and tides), time
series analysis, numerical modelling, and the challenges faced when placing arrays of devices in the
marine environment.

Through the literature review (2nd semester) and project (May-September) students study in detail those
aspects of the subject for which they have particular interest. The projects are selected from a list which
becomes available around Christmas. Students can also talk directly to staff members about their own
project ideas. An important component of the Marine Renewable Energy projects is that the majority
will be in collaboration with the marine renewable energy industry.

MSc taught course philosophy

The course is a taught MSc, providing advanced training in marine renewable energy and physical
oceanography, through lectures, seminars, practical courses, desk studies and research projects. The
first part of the course (end of September – end of May) is devoted to intensive formal instruction which
includes ship and small boat based practical work as well as lectures and laboratory & computer based
practicals. During the second part of the course, you will be involved in an independent research project
which will culminate in a short research project thesis. By these means, the course attempts to elevate
those students from recent undergraduate courses, and those mature students with relevant
experience, to the level of the independent marine renewable energy practitioner. In past years, MSc
projects on the topic of marine renewable energy have often resulted in publication in peer-reviewed
scientific journals (see list in appendix 2).

Course Personnel
Course Director
The Course Director is Dr Simon Neill, reader in ocean modelling, who is responsible for managing
admissions, the lecture and practical programme, overseeing the initiation of literature reviews and
research projects, co-ordinating assessment, and overseeing your welfare during your enrolment on
the course. Dr Neill can be contacted in his office on the second floor of the Marine Centre Wales
(MCW) in Menai Bridge – see office directions over the page – by phone on extension 3938 (phone
01248 3839383 externally), or by e-mail (s.p.neill@bangor.ac.uk).

Deputy Course Director

Prof Tom Rippeth is the deputy course director, and will deputise in Dr Neill’s absence. Prof Rippeth
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can be contacted in his office (room 202) on the second floor of Craig Mair, by phone on extension
2293, or by e-mail (t.p.rippeth@bangor.ac.uk).

Figure. Directions to course director, Simon Neill’s,

office

Postgraduate Courses
Administrator
The Postgraduate Course Administrator, Christine
White, is responsible for the day to day running of
the M.Sc. courses. In practice, she will likely be
able to help you with many aspects of your course
and of administrative business. She can be found
in the Administration area in Westbury mount (ext.
2294, e-mail c.white@bangor.ac.uk).

External Examiner
The External Examiner is an independent
academic from another university or scientific
institute whose duties are to provide an
independent check on the suitability of the syllabus
and general level of the course, to ensure that
assessment is at an appropriate level and to ensure
that our marking is fair and reasonable. The External Examiner attends the Examiners' Meeting in May,
when results for the taught portion of the course are decided. He or she normally interviews all of the
students in confidence to benchmark the course and to possibly explore any previously documented
extenuating circumstances. The External writes a short 2-3 page report to the University each year on
the conduct of the course and makes any formal suggestions for remediation of shortcomings or
improving the content. The final duty is to be an independent judge of the acceptability of the students'
research theses for the degree of MSc. The External Examiner this year is Dr. Martin White of NUI,
Galway.

School of Ocean Sciences teaching and research staff

The following staff contribute to the MSc in Marine Renewable Energy

M Austin, BSc, PhD Coastal sedimentary processes

C McCarron, BSc, MSc
AJ Goward-Brown, BSc, PhD
J A M Green, MSc PhD
D Huws, BSc, MSc
C F Jago, BSc, DIC, PhD
S Jackson, BSc, MSc, PhD
YD Lenn, BSc, MSc, PhD
MJ Lewis, BSc, MSc, PhD
SP Neill BEng, PhD
TP Rippeth BSc, MSc, PhD
MH Saher, BSc, MSc, PhD
Marine geophysics, Quaternary science
Ocean modelling and marine renewable energy
Internal waves, tides, ocean and climate interactions
VHR geophys/geotech & environmental reconstruction
Estuarine and continental shelf sedimentation
Suspended sediments
High latitude/ polar ocean circulation and mixing
Simulating coastal processes
Ocean modelling and marine renewable energy
Fluxes across interfaces in the marine environment
Climate change

Combined Marine Renewable Energy / Physical Oceanography study

room - 323
The course study room is located in Craig Mair. This room is your "home base", and will be used for
many of your taught sessions. You are given exclusive use of this room, and may regard it as space
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to conduct your own work. You will be issued with a card to operate the door to the building for access
out of normal working hours. Please make sure that the door is locked and windows shut when
you leave. Please note that for reasons of safety, eating, drinking and smoking are not allowed in
the offices and laboratories. There are, however, kitchen facilities available to M.Sc. students in the
Postgraduate Suite. Note that this room is shared with the Physical Oceanography students, who you
will also share many lectures and practicals with. Next door (room 324) you will find the MSc Applied
Marine Geoscience students, who you will also often find yourself in shared lectures and practicals.

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 II. COURSE STRUCTURE

Welcome Week

WELCOME WEEK PROGRAMME 18-22 SEPTEMBER 2017

Day Time Activity Venue
Monday 3.30 – International students: Information session Lecture room 4, Main Arts
18 Sept 5.00 building
Tuesday 10.00 - Postgraduate Induction Fair Powis Hall, Main Arts
19 Sept 12.30 building, College Road

Wednesday 11.00 - Serendipity Main Arts site

20 Sept 4.00
11.00 Serendipity Main Arts Site

1.00 Meet at Ocean Sciences Car park in front of

Craig Mair building

Visit to Anglesey Sea Zoo Sea Zoo, Anglesey

Thursday
21 Sept Walk to Aberffraw beach and dunes (weather permitting) Aberffraw, Anglesey

5.30 Return to Menai Bridge

7.00 Evening get-together in the pub Liverpool Arms,

Menai Bridge

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 9.30 Welcome by Prof David Thomas, Head of School and Dennis Crisp Seminar Rm
introductory talk by Dr Ian McCarthy, Director of
Postgraduate Studies (Teaching) and Senior Postgraduate
Tutor (PGT), followed by talks:
Safety lecture
Library introduction
IT introduction
Student representatives

COFFEE BREAK

11.15 Welcome and introduction by Course Directors:

Friday Marine Environmental Protection: Prof Stuart Jenkins Lab
22 Sept Marine Biology: Dr Ian McCarthy DCSR
Applied Marine Geoscience: Dr Dei Huws AMG room
Physical Oceanography: Dr Mattias Green PO/MRE room
Marine Renewable Energy: Dr Simon Neill PO/MRE room

12.15 Tour of Ocean Sciences

1.00 Individual meetings with Course Directors

Geoscience, Oceanography and Marine Renewable Energy

groups only:
Field trip to Cwm Idwal with Dei Huws & Simon Neill

Orientation Days
The orientation days are designed to help you find your way, and to get yourself established here
before formal teaching begins. You are therefore encouraged to come to SOS in week 0, i.e. the
week before term begins. You should register with the University online. As far as activities in the
School are concerned, please meet-up in the car park in front of the Craig Mair Building at 1300
on Thursday, 21st of September. We will be embarking on a tour where you will get to know one
another while visiting some local spectacles in sunny North Wales (bring a waterproof jacket and
footwear suitable for a short walk along a sandy beach). All our MSc students go on this trip
(Applied Marine Geosciences, Physical Oceanography, Marine Renewables, Marine
Environmental Protection and Marine Biology). In the evening, there will be a buffet meal in the
Auckland Arms (Menai Bridge), providing you with an opportunity to meet some staff and past
students. On the following day, you will be formally welcomed by the Head of School at 09:30 and
will then attend talks about our Library facilities, IT facilities and safety regulations (compulsory
attendance). You will then convene as a class to hear a little more about the course from Dr
Neill. The afternoon of Friday 22nd September will be spent going on a short mini-bus trip around
the local area, with Dei Huws and Simon Neill, to familiarize yourselves with the local geography
and geology in preparation for the Prince Madog Survey later in the semester. Again, you are
advised to bring appropriate clothing (warm clothes, effective waterproof, adequate footwear for
walking on rough terrain, hat & gloves if temperatures dictate). Bear in mind that the temperature
can be lower and weather conditions generally very much less clement in Snowdonia than it is in
Menai Bridge. Most of the tour will be on mountain paths, with the return leg being on the main
path from the Cwm.

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Registration
(See also separate, Bangor University, pamphlet.)

You should have received full details about registration from the Academic Registrar. Note that joining the
Student’s Union is compulsory, since part of your College fees automatically pay your subscription. The
Students Union is perhaps of greater importance to undergraduate rather than postgraduate students, but
you will find that your NUS card gives you cheap travel, and the Students Union shop supplies a range of
stationery goods not sold elsewhere in Bangor.

Overall course structure

The course is a modular one, where 180 credits must be accumulated in order to attain an M.Sc.
qualification. Intermediate exit points for either a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma also
exist (see later). The taught section of the course comprises 120 credits, whilst the project section
contributes the final 60.

The initial, formally taught part of the Masters programme, running from late September to late May, is
composed of a series of modules which are all 20 credits in value.

The lecture series modules generally comprise some form of course work and sometimes an associated
exam. The exact details of assessments and deadlines are given later in this manual. For modules which
include an examination as part of the assessment, these occur in especially designated examination weeks.

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Research Project
Students reaching the required standard will be invited to stay on beyond the initial 8 month period to pursue
an independent research project. In designing the project, emphasis is placed on providing the student with
new skills in field and/or laboratory practice and interpretation procedures, and in the critical appraisal of
his/her own scientific data.

Nature of the project

The research project aims to provide research training in the experimental design, execution,
analysis and write up of a dissertation in the format of a research paper, under the supervision of a
member of staff. The project should contain original research, but emphasis is placed upon
competence in regard of the techniques used, presentation, and the scientific method at Masters
level, not necessarily the significance of your work in the context of your subject area. It is intended
as a short project of 3 months full time practical work and 1 month write-up.

A list of projects areas proposed by staff will be posted and presented towards the end of Semester
1. These suggestions are not intended to be exhaustive, and most likely reflect the current research
interests of the staff. You can also approach potential project supervisors with your own proposals,
but must appreciate that some limitations arise from the fact that each staff member is limited to a
set number of project students each year. The projects must, of course, be relevant to the syllabus
of Marine Renewable Energy, and should be approved by the proposed supervisor and Course
Director. Projects can be based here in the School of Ocean Sciences, in other educational
institutions throughout Europe (under the Erasmus Student Exchange scheme), or with industry.
You will be appointed a supervisor from the SOS Oceanography teaching staff, and also a co-
supervisor from the host institute if you choose to study under the Erasmus scheme. You should
complete the end-of-month interim reports throughout your project time.

Time off during the project phase

You are expected to be in the School THROUGHOUT the project phase, with the exception of
formal study times at other institutions (companies, universities etc) and any vacation time. The
latter should be agreed with your project supervisor, but is typically no more than three weeks, and
often less than that. You are very strongly advised not to plan any extended times away without
informing us; harsh experience tells us that this leads to poor or even failing theses.

Thesis Submission:
1. At least 10 days before the final deadline, complete the Thesis Submission (SD1) Form, and
return to the Teaching Administration Office – the address is given at the bottom of the form
2. Deadline for thesis submission is mid-September (exact date announced in Semester 2) in
Turnitin. If you have not received your bound copies back from the printers by this time, then you
must present Chris White with documentary evidence that the work has been submitted for
binding by the deadline time/date. This might typically be a paper or electronic receipt produced
by the printers.
3. Maximum word count 20,000 including captions and appendices but excluding reference list and
the required 300 word abstract.
4. Submit a PDF electronic copy to the module Turn-it-in Blackboard site. In some cases, diagrams
may have to be excluded from the version submitted for testing because of file size restriction
within Turnitin, but PDF is generally in more compressed in format than MS Word so may be the
preferable submission format.
5. TWO soft bound copies of the thesis to be submitted.
6. The bound volumes shall bear the surname and initials of the student, the full or abbreviated title
of the work, the name of the degree for which it was submitted and the date of submission. This
information shall be printed in such a way as to be readable when the volume is lying flat with the
front cover uppermost.
7. Theses must be presented on good quality A4 paper. Page margins must not be less than 2cm
and must be no greater than 3cm. Serif fonts (e.g. Times-Roman, Bookman) or Sans-serif fonts
(e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma) or their equivalents must be used. In the main body of
the text, Serif fonts should not be smaller than 12-point. For Sans-serif fonts, the font size should
not be smaller than 10-point. Characters in other texts (notes, footnotes etc) must be not less than
10-point for Serif fonts and 8-point for Sans-serif fonts. All printed pages must be of even quality
with clear black characters suitable for scanning/photocopying. A 1½ line spacing must be used in
the main text, but single spacing can be used in the summary and in any indented quotations and
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 footnotes. Double-sided printing must normally be used. Colour printing can be used for charts,
diagrams and photographs, but students must make sure that all material can be photocopied
without losing any of its detail or clarity.
8. All research projects shall include statements as listed below using templates that is available as
an attachment to this message.
a. a statement that it is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree
b. a statement detailing to what extent it is the result of independent work or investigation,
indicating any portions for which s/he is indebted to other sources. Explicit references
shall be given, and a full bibliography should be appended to the work, following relevant
guidelines provided to the student by the admitting school
c. certification that it has not already been accepted in substance for any degree and is not
being concurrently submitted in candidature for any other degree unless as agreed by the
University for approved dual awards
d. a signed statement indicating either:
i. that the research project, if successful, may be made available for inter-library
loan or photocopying (subject to the law of copyright), and that the title and
summary may be made available to outside organisations or
ii. that the research project, if successful may be made available after expiry of a bar
on restriction to access.

A more complete specification of all regulations relating to thesis submission and MSc course in
general may be found at https://www.bangor.ac.uk/regulations/index.php.en However, the above
statements should suffice in terms of ensuring that you do not transgress any of the regulations in
preparing and submitting your thesis.

One final point, regarding the use of text previously used for the literature review in Semester 2.
The opinion of the MRE staff is that students may resubmit text already presented in the form of
the literature review, without fear of being penalised for plagiarism. It is, technically, plagiarism,
but circumstances are rather artificial in this particular instance. (Academics rarely find, or put,
themselves in the situation of publishing a review and then an apparently independent practical
study, where a review is required.) However, it is quite likely that the text presented for your
original literature review may not be useful or may, at least, require substantial modification in the
context of the thesis. Typically, some information is no longer required and new information is
required to contextualise later findings presented in the thesis as a result of the practical research.

We aim to mark theses within four weeks of submission, at which point they are sent to the External
Examiner for ratification.

Recent Project Titles on the theme of marine renewable energy

 Characterising small-scale variability over a tidal energy site

 Wave-tide interaction at a tidal-stream energy demonstration zone
 The wave resource of Galway Bay - Ireland's national wave energy test site
 Numerical model study of the wave climate at the site of a proposed tidal stream array
 Simulating the wave resource & coastal impacts of a WEC array in Orkney
 Optimizing tidal turbine array configuration using a dynamically adaptive flow solver
 Environmental impacts of large scale exploitation of the offshore wind resource
 Environmental impacts of large-scale exploitation of wave energy
 Theoretical vs practical wave energy of the Pembrokeshire coast
 Tidal stream arrays
 Tidal power extraction in estuaries
 Sensitivity of an Irish Sea Tidal Model to a New High Resolution Model Bathymetry
 Intermittency of electricity generated by tidal-stream devices

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Course exit points
There are three potential exit points. Most of our candidates register for the full Masters course. If you fail
any of the academic hurdles listed as Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma (below), you can
‘fall back’ on these qualifications as exit points. If that is the case, and you have on extenuating
circumstances, you will only be eligible for a PASS as a degree class. However, if you registered at the
outset as a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma student, you may be eligible for a PASS,
MERIT or DISTINCTION award, depending on your scores (see next section).

To be eligible for any award, a student must have:

For Postgraduate Certificate

 Achieved an overall average of at least 50%
 Have no mark less than 40%
 Passed at least 50 credits at Level 7
And for Postgraduate Diploma
 Achieved an overall average of at least 50%
 Have no mark less than 40%
 Passed at least 100 credits at Level 7
And for Master’s Degree
 Achieved an overall average of at least 50%
 Have no mark less than 40%
 Passed at least 160 credits at Level 7

For the majority of students who are registered as MSc students from the outset, the taught part of the
programme (the first 120 taught credits) is called PART 1.

1. Students registered on the Masters programme who fail Part 1 may, at the discretion of the
Examining Board, be given supplementary assessment in order to redeem their overall mark. As
a local rule for this course, in cases where the average examination mark has also fallen below
35%, this supplementary assessment may take the form of module examinations. Any re-
assessment will be capped at a maximum of 50%.
2. The timing of the supplementary assessment will be according to the Bangor University
regulations, but no student can normally proceed to the thesis work until the taught section has
been passed.

Course classification of grades

The overall mark for a Master’s Degree shall be calculated as follows:
 Mean mark for taught modules = A
 Mean mark for research project module = B
 Overall mark = (A+B) / 2
In other words, it is not weighted according to credit weighting of the two sections, but on a 50-50 basis.

For Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Master’s Degrees, the following descriptors of
class are used at the following boundaries:

Overall Average Mark Degree Class

70% and over Distinction
60% – 69% Merit
50% – 59% Pass
0% – 49% Fail

Both taught and project components have to be passed at 50%, but otherwise the above classes are a
straight average only average e.g. in extremis, taught part score = 90%, project = 50%; average = 70%;
class = Distinction. If the average score falls only slightly short of the next class up, then you may be
considered under the Borderline Students criteria, which are specified below.

Review Class for Borderline Students

Boards of Examiners must use all available evidence to review the class for borderline students, including
extenuating circumstances. Boards of Examiners should not raise a student to a higher class if the student’s
average mark after rounding up is more than 2% below the lower boundary of a class. For example, 68%
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could be considered for a Distinction at the discretion of the Board of Examiners. However, 67% should not
be considered for a Distinction.

A higher class must be awarded if a student fulfils one of the following criteria (where marks refer to rounded
marks):

For a Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma

i. Marks for at least ⅔ of the credits are in the higher class.

For Master’s degree:

i. The mark for the Research Project is in the higher class.
ii. Marks for at least ⅔ of the credits across the taught modules are in the higher class.

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 III. TIMETABLE & MODULE INFORMATION
Course Structure and Timetable
The course comprises “Part I”, the taught element of 120 credits (60 ECTS credits), and “Part II”, the
research project, of 60 credits (30 ECTS credits). Part I occupies the two semesters to June and Part II is
carried out over the summer. The final deadline for submitting the research thesis is mid-September. We
have tried to balance the taught part of the course (semester 1 and semester 2), and you will find that you
generally have more contact hours yet less assessments in semester 1 (before Christmas) and less contact
hours yet more assessments during semester 2 (after Christmas). This is partly designed to evolve you into
a more independent marine renewable energy practitioner and researcher, but has the additional advantage
that, provided you manage your workload appropriately, you will find that you have more time to concentrate
on designing & conducting a high quality research project after Christmas.

Week Date Module title and Topic

0 18/09/2017 WELCOME WEEK ACTIVITIES
Week 1 25/09/2017 OSX4010 OSX4012 OSX4020
Week 2 02/10/2017
Week 3 09/10/2017
Week 4 16/10/2017
Week 5 23/10/2017
Week 6 30/10/2017
Week 7 OSX4014
06/11/2017
Week 8 13/11/2017
Week 9 20/11/2017
Week 10 27/11/2017
Week 11 04/12/2017
Week 12 11/12/2017
Christmas
break 18/12/2017 Christmas Vacation – 3 weeks
Week 13 08/01/2018 Reading week
Week 14 15/01/2018 Examinations (OSX4014 & OSX4020)
Week 15 22/01/2018
Week 16 29/01/2018
Week 17 05/02/2018
Week 18 12/02/2018
Week 19 19/02/2018 OSX4016 & OSX4023
Week 20 26/02/2018
Week 21 05/03/2018
Week 22 12/03/2018
Week 23 19/03/2018
Easter Break 26/03/2018 Easter Break – 3 weeks
Week 24 16/04/2018
Week 25 23/04/2018 OSX4016 & OSX4023
Week 26 30/04/2018
Week 27 07/05/2018 Reading week
Week 28 14/05/2018 Examination (OSX4023)
Weeks 29- 21/05/2018 Research project

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Continuous Assessment timetable
The course is assessed through a mixture of continuous assessment and examinations. A list of the
assessments and weighting for each module are provided below. To ensure that the assessments are
evenly distributed through the period of the course, a list of assessments is displayed in the
Marine Renewable Energy course room on which a note of set dates and due dates for assignment
is made. In this way we can all ensure that the work load remains balanced throughout the course.
Semester 1 exams will take place early January 2018, and semester 2 exams will take place during May
2018.

Code Module Assessment Weight Due on

OSX4010 Key concepts & Techniques Oceanography problem sheet 10% 11 Oct 2017
OSX4012 Practical Oceanography GIS exercise ArcGIS 20% 30 Oct 2017
OSX4010 Key concepts & Techniques Mathematical problem sheet 20% 1 Nov 2017
OSX4012 Practical Oceanography ADCP practical report 10% 6 Nov 2017
OSX4020 Geophysical Surveying Resisitivity problem sheet 20% 8 Nov 2017
OSX4010 Key concepts & Techniques MATLAB computer programming 35% 8 Nov 2017
OSX4020 Geophysical Surveying Seismic & Electrical Survey Field Report 40% 11 Nov 2017
OSX4012 Practical Oceanography Numerical modelling 1 – pendulum 20% 13 Nov 2017
OSX4010 Key Concepts & Techniques Oceanographic data analysis 15% 1 Dec 2017
OSX4010 Key Concepts & Techniques In class presentation 20% 1 Dec 2017
OSX4012 Practical Oceanography Prince Madog cruise report 20% 15 Dec 2017
OSX4014 Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Dynamics and waves – problem sheet 25% 18 Dec 2017
Christmas
OSX4020 Geophysical Surveying Module exam 40% 10 Jan 2018
OSX4014 Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Module exam 50% 19 Jan 2018
OSX4012 Practical Oceanography Numerical modelling 2 – Menai Strait 30% 15 Jan 2018
OSX4014 Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Wave tank experiments 15% 26 Jan 2018
OSX4014 Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Boundary Layers computer practical 10% 5 Feb 2018
OSX4023 Marine Renewable Energy Wave impact computer practical 20% TBC
OSX4023 Marine Renewable Energy Wave/tide resource computer practical 20% TBC
OSX4023 Marine Renewable Energy Turbine laboratory report 20% TBC
OSX4023 Marine Renewable Energy Module exam 40% TBC
OSX4016 Literature Review – Project Oral presentation 20% TBC
Plan
OSX4016 Literature Review – Project Literature review 65% TBC
Plan
OSX4016 Literature Review – Project Project proposal 15% TBC
Plan
OSX4009 Project Thesis 100% TBC

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Module Synopses
OSX4010 Key Concepts and Techniques
OSX4014 Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
OSX4012 Practical Oceanography
OSX4020 Geophysical Surveying
OSX4023 Marine Renewable Energy
OSX4016 Research Design & Planning
OSX4009 Research Project / Dissertation

Key Concepts and Techniques

This module provides students with some of the key skills they will need for their Masters course
and their project work. These skills include:
o literature searching, referencing software
o mathematics for marine scientists,
o MATLAB programming,
o an introduction to oceanography
o an introduction to sediment processes.
o Remote sensing.
The course will consist of a small number (about 20 hours) of lectures which will provide guidance
regarding exercises to be completed by the class. These are quite wide-ranging, from short
written exercises involving literature search and referencing, problem sheets, computer
programming tasks, to data analysis, discussion group work and an essay which will use TurnItIn
UK to monitor plagiarism.

Module Team: Dr Margot Saher, Dr Mattias Green, Dr Suzie Jackson

Practical Oceanography
This module will give students a practical experience of acquiring oceanographic and
geophysical data from both the RV Prince Madog. Students will be expected to process,
interpret and report on the data acquired. For the case of the Marine Renewable Energy
students, the material to be analysed will include:

o CTD Profiles and water bottle samples.

o Ship board and deployed ADCPs.
o RTK DGPS and tide-gauge positional data
o Grab sample and core samples (including acoustic core scanning)
o High resolution seismic reflection data
o Side-scan-sonar data
o Single-beam echo-sounder data
o Multi-beam echo-sounder data

Complementing the ship and boat work will be lectures concerning:

o Geodesy and position fixing
o Numerical modelling
o Marine geoacoustics

Part of this module concerns numerical modelling of ocean hydrodynamics. Students will learn
a few numerical methods and will write basic numerical programs to simulate 1-D ocean
processes: advection, dispersion, and tidal currents. A practical workshop is included to
familiarise students with MATLAB programming. Further, some theoretical aspects of
numerical programming such as stability, and various time integration methods
(explicit/implicit) will be discussed in this part of the module.

Module Team: Mr Connor McCarron, Prof. Tom Rippeth , Dr Dei Huws, Dr Matthew Lewis, Dr
Yueng-Djern Lenn

13
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
The module introduces the governing principles and the application of Newton’s Laws of motion
to geophysical fluids. It covers classical Hydrodynamics and Waves the equations of motion and
continuity, rotation, streamfunctions, vorticity, rotational and irrotational flow. Various simplified
forms of the equations will be considered including linear surface gravity waves in ‘deep’ and
‘shallow’ water, Geostrophic balance, and Ekman theory.

These equations will then be applied when investigating shoaling and internal waves, the
response of the upper ocean to winds including large scale ocean circulation, and the
development of a series of models to explain the tides. Finally we will also consider the role of
energy lost through friction in mixing the water column through generating turbulence.

Module Team: Dr Mattias Green

Geophysical Surveying
This module concerns itself with the principles of geophysical surveying within the context
of applied marine geoscience; specifically for its use in engineering and environmental
geophysics. As such, the practical elements of the module relate to relatively shallow sub-
surface coverage (typically <100m) and high resolution (sub-metric) – though the theory
taught is generally scale-independent. This module forms an important part of the
programme specification in Marine Renewable Energy and Applied Marine Geosciences
since it deals with understanding the different techniques with which the earth’s sub-surface
can be mapped as well as the theory underpinning these techniques (and therefore the
limitations as well as power of the methods). Like in all aspects of the programme, there is
a strong practical element to this module and students are given the opportunity to use
industry-standard software and hardware as part of the exercises involved. The aim of the
module is to enable the student to have a broad overall understanding of geophysical
surveying for engineering and environmental applications; but this coupled with the
theoretical and practical understanding that enables them to critically analyse the acquired
datasets. In list form, the syllabus can be summarised thus:
o Seismic surveying: Propagation of seismic waves in the subsurface; field hardware;
seismic refraction surveying ; seismic reflection surveying; seismic data processing
and interpretation
o Electrical and electro-magnetic surveying: underlying theory; data acquisition
techniques; interpretation techniques; application to terrestrial and marine studies
o Magnetic surveying: this is taught in relation to a specific practical problem at a local
site.

Associated practical work involves field work relating to seismic refraction, electrical
resistivity, electro-magnetics and magnetic survey.

Module Team: Dr Dei Huws, Connor McCarron

14
Marine Renewable Energy
This module introduces students to the international and national marine renewable energy
landscape, covering leading and alternative device designs and the current status of the industry,
particularly through interaction with invited speakers from industry. Students will understand key
concepts in energy, including kinetic and potential energy, power, intermittency, and how these
concepts relate to ocean energy. Students will learn about quantifying wave and tidal energy
resources over a variety of timescales from sub-second (turbulent) to decadal, and wave-tide
interactions. The module also covers a variety of environmental impacts of arrays of marine
renewable energy devices, focussing on feedbacks between energy extraction and the
hydrodynamic resource, and associated physical system affected by energy extraction such as
beaches and offshore sand banks.

Module Team: Dr Simon Neill, Dr Martin Austin, Dr Alice Goward-Brown

Project Planning
This module serves as preparation for the project work to be complete in the summer of your
course. The prime element is the literature review, the purpose of which is to ensure that you
are aware of background literature in the general area of your research project
topic. Undertaking a literature review will ensure that you are well briefed before embarking
on research, and should focus your attention on very specific areas of knowledge or lack of it
and areas of contradiction. The literature review will enable you to place your study in the
context of what is known, and thereby stimulate you to develop hypotheses which can be
tested by specific questions. It is an essential step in project design.

Following introductory lectures you will spend your time in self-study and literature searching.
Project supervisors will meet with you on a non-formal basis throughout the semester and
provide guidance and feedback about progress in the completion of the literature review.

At the conclusion of the literature review you will be able to complete a project proposal form
outlining the specific hypotheses to be tested and the overall plan for the project. This will be
presented as a 10 minute talk with 5 minutes of questions and will help to confirm sound
plans, spot problems and suggest better approaches, such that you have a much clearer idea
of how to proceed. Staff and fellow students will review the proposals, in particular to rein in
overambitious plans, to identify problems in experimental design, raise awareness of likely
logistical problems, and to draw attention to unconsidered safety issues.

Module Team: Dr Mattias Green, Dr Yueng-Djern Lenn, Prof Colin Jago, Dr Margot Saher,
Dr Jaco Baas, Dr Dei Huws, Prof Tom Rippeth, Dr Simon Neill

15
IV. GENERAL ISSUES
Shipwork aboard RV Prince Madog
As part of the course, you perform ship-board fieldwork in week 5 of Semester 1. You may also participate
in research cruises at other times of the year e.g. as part of your project. In each case, you must board the
ship at Menai Bridge pier at least 20 minutes before the appointed sailing time. Due to tides and time,
the ship will not wait for you if you are late. If you are likely to suffer from motion sickness, you are advised
to take a sea sickness pill 30 minutes before boarding. Bring warm and waterproof clothing, strong shoes
or boots, and personal equipment, such as notebooks, pencils, camera etc. You should bring a packed
lunch on day trips, but warm drinks are regularly available. On board, sign the crew list with details of name,
birth date, address, next of kin, and name of last research vessel you sailed on, if appropriate. You must
read the safety literature, and know the signals for abandon ship and fire, locations of fire extinguishers of
each type, the location of life jackets and how to wear them. You must stay on the upper raft deck or within
the laboratories during casting off, since winches and their ropes and sampling gear are closely packed on
deck and are potentially dangerous. You should only go onto the after working deck if advised to do so.
Working at sea is fraught with danger: vigilance, a clear head, and responsible behaviour are
essential at all times.

Field Excursions
You should be prepared and equipped to stay out all day in the field, often in poor weather and in
exposed areas e.g. the inter-tidal zone. Bring packed lunches and hot drinks, warm and waterproof
clothing, and rubber boots, together with notepads with waterproof covers. You will find that an HB pencil
is the best instrument to write with in the field. Cameras are useful to record activity that you can present in
your reports. Shores are dangerous places, and you should always remain vigilant of changing tides, deep
water, slippery algae and sharp rocks, though on the MSc MRE we don’t generally visit such rocky shores.
Refer to the College document on Safety in fieldwork. There may be times during your research project
study, or for personal interest, when you may visit shores unsupervised. You must complete a risk
assessment for each excursion as well as a fieldwork notification form where you inform the college Safety
Officer (John Latchford) where you are going, who is going, contact telephone numbers, and at what time
you expect to return. Lone field-working is not permitted.

Course Feedback Meetings

Feedback meetings are held towards the end of each term, with all members of the course, Simon Neill and
Chris White. The aim of these meetings is to provide a forum for course participants to raise any points
relating to the term’s teaching, and to request any further information about the course to date. Sandie
records the Minutes of the meeting, and these are circulated to staff teaching topics within that module, and
to the Head of the School, and posted in the laboratory. The specific objectives of the feedback meetings
are:
(1) To provide feedback to ensure that each component of the course is provided at the correct
level for the class, and that quality and quantity are maintained.
(2) To ensure that any problems arising from the continuous assessment assignments can be
detected promptly and addressed before problems build up.
(3) To check that facilities are adequate and maintained.
(4) To discuss any other business, and for students and Course Director to exchange any
relevant notices.

The Feedback Meetings were introduced to help the Course Director to provide and maintain a high quality
course tailored to the current year group, and to make improvements where necessary for the following
year. Comments made at the meetings are therefore expected to be constructive. The meetings have
proved to be extremely successful to date, and staff have generally been very prompt to respond and adjust
to student requirements, and to make improvements to their contributions on the course. A Course
Representative will be elected during the first Feedback Meeting, to attend the Postgraduate Programme
Board.

Endeavour Society
Endeavour Society is a student society that runs various social events and talks during the year, with a
broad theme of the sea. The talks, often given by outside speakers, are of general interest, and are usually
held on Thursday evenings at 19h30 in the Dennis Crips Seminar Room, followed by free sandwiches and
not-free beer in the Auckland Arms. You are strongly encouraged to take part in their activities.

16
SOS Computing Facilities
Initial support requests for reporting any problem should be directed to the University helpdesk on Extension
8111 (helpdesk@bangor.ac.uk).

The Schools Microsoft Windows based PCs have access to peripherals such as scanners and various
printers. A large range of programmes is available via Programs tab of the normal ‘Start’ menu. The School
is trying to expand on its incipient wireless area coverage (the network goes under the name of Eduroam).
The breakout area in the Masters Suite in the Craig Mair Building is ‘wireless’ at present. You may find
reception of the signal in the MSc MRE work room. Please note that under no circumstances should
you install your own software onto the hard discs of any SOS machines (they shouldn’t allow this
option in any case). If you change the configuration of a terminal or PC, it is important that you return it to
the original configuration on ending that session's use. There’s nothing more annoying than having to reset
machines from, for example, situations where someone has set-up a machine to operate on two screens,
taking the screen of an adjacent machine to do so! The University has strict rules relating to use of
computers and software (see Policies and Agreements) and you are warned that any abuse of
computing facilities will result in your access to these facilities being withdrawn. This really does
happen.

The Postgraduate Computer Suite located in Craig Mair is a suite of machines dedicated to the use of Ocean
Science Masters and Postgraduate students. Generally the room is available 24 hours a day (subject to out-
of-hours approval being granted to the individual) apart from when the room is used for teaching (which is
generally kept to a minimum). All machines have access to all supported University software. Any help or
computer assistance required when using these machines should be sought in the first instance from the
University helpdesk on Ext 8111 or via e-mail at helpdesk@bangor.ac.uk. YOU HAVE TO REPORT
FAULTS IN MACHINES – we don’t have someone go around checking them as you might imagine
happens.

In order that the room benefits the largest number of people possible it is a requirement that students do
not leave themselves logged in when not at the computer and that the room is only booked whilst teaching
is actually taking place. Students found to be blocking access by leaving machines logged-in but unattended
may find their accounts suspended (really).

Printing is charged per page and credit needs to be bought in advance. This may be done at the University's
Deiniol Library. Currently black and white printing costs 5 pence per sheet and colour 25 pence per sheet.

Library Services
Masters students can request stock (not short loan, theses or reference material) from the main campus
Deiniol (Science) Library for collection in the Westbury Mount building foyer, SOS. Requests can be made
by emailing deiniol.library@bangor.ac.uk or phoning the Deiniol Library Issue Desk on extension 2984.

Library staff will continue to visit the School regularly to help users with requests for Bangor books and
provide advice and information on all other aspects of library use, including online resources and databases.
During term time, Library staff will be on site every weekday – Monday to Friday, 11am to1pm.

Please note that Library staff on site will not be able to collect library fines or sell printer credits. Fines can
be paid in the Deiniol Library in person, or by phone to 2984 (using credit/debit card, minimum purchase
£5). Library Services have asked IT Services to provide a self-service machine for print credit top-up, and
hope it will be installed soon but in the meantime credits can be purchased using the same methods as fines
i.e. Deiniol Library in person, or phone call to 2984.

Requisition and Ordering

There will be occasions in the course of your studies when you may have to reclaim expenses, or order
materials, especially during the practical project. Each project has a limit of approximately £100 expenditure
on consumables and travel. Expenditure must be approved in advance by your project supervisor.
Requisitions should be made on pink requisition forms supplied by your supervisor, which must be signed
by Dr Simon Neill and handed to the Accounts Clerk who will send off the orders on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Travel expenses are best reclaimed on white forms, for approval by the Course Director, and handed to the
Accounts Clerk. Expenses will be reimbursed by cheque for collection from the Westbury Mount Porter's
Office on Fridays.

17
Post and Telephones
Incoming mail will be placed in the MSc student pigeon hole at the entrance to Craig Mair. Internal outgoing
mail (within the School and College) must be marked "internal" and will be collected from the box outside
the Porter's Office. External outgoing mail cannot be sent by students, unless it is relevant to your work, in
which case it should be approved and signed by your project supervisor. Internal telephone calls can be
made from the extensions around the buildings. External calls relevant to your work may be made from
project supervisor's rooms but only with their approval.

Vehicles
It may prove necessary for you to use an SOS vehicle during the course of your studies. The School has
two diesel estate cars, a diesel pick-up, and a diesel van. You must have a clean UK drivers licence to use
any vehicle, and you are required to sign for insurance cover. You will require prior approval from your
project supervisor, and you must first consult the Head Technician, Mr Len Roberts, in order to check
whether or not the University’s Insurance Policy can cover you. Log sheets are provided within the vehicles,
and a mileage rate is charged to the course/your project account (write B28210 in the box provided),
excluding any diesel or oil that you may have added.

SAFETY
Work in laboratories, on boats or on the shore can be dangerous, and you must be aware of all
relevant safety procedures. Remember that the Health and Safety at Work Act imposes upon each
individual legal responsibilities for health and safety at work, not only for yourself, but also for other
persons who might be affected by your actions or failure to act. The College Safety Officer is Dr John
Latchford, and he will give a general safety talk at the beginning of the year, and will issue you with clear
guidance and procedures, and documents on safety in the School of Ocean Sciences, and on fieldwork. He
may also present a talk on conducting risk assessments at a later date in the First Semester. John may be
approached on any matter of safety. Students working out of hours must have written permission to do so.
You will be required to conduct a risk assessment for all project work with the assistance from your
supervisor. A form covering Safe Working Practice and Risk Assessment is included at the back of the
manual for photocopying.

Detailed safety information and all forms are available at the School’s Safety web
pages - http://www.sos.bangor.ac.uk/safety/index.php.en

PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY & CLIMATE SEMINAR SERIES

Throughout the term, we run a thriving research seminar series – running 12h00-13h00 every other Friday
in the Dennis Crisp Seminar Room. These seminars are generally very relevant to the Physical
Oceanography, Applied Marine Geoscience and Marine Renewables curricula, and are likely to take your
interest even you aren’t very familiar with the topic before-hand. You are therefore strongly encouraged to
attend.

The seminars are presented by MSc and PhD students, staff members and visiting scientists and are
generally about their current research. The seminar organizer is Dr Matt Lewis.

Semester 1 seminars will start mid-October. More information will follow as it becomes available.

18
V. ASSESSMENT
Introduction
Marking schemes for your work should be made clear when the tasks are set. For many problem sheets,
the scheme is quite prescribed (e.g. right/wrong with element for evidence correct working out). Some
exercises are broken into smaller tasks, each with a mark associated with it. Other tasks might be of a more
discursive nature and the marking scheme will likely reflect that e.g. by apportioning marks to critical
analysis. As lecturing staff, it is important to appreciate that we tread a thin line between being overly
prescriptive (might be considered to be ‘clear’ by some students, but ultimately do them a disservice by not
promoting creative thought and problem solving) and too poorly defined (and therefore being unfair to
students). If you come across cases where you think the latter is true, approach the staff member setting
the task first, either directly or through the Course Representative; if you get no joy there, please don’t
hesitate to contact the Course Director – and if he’s the guilty party, contact Dr John Turner, he’s the overall
Postgraduate Representative for the School.
It’s important that you are reasonably clear about marking criteria. Please take action if you’re not clear
about them at any stage.

Unfair practice and academic dishonesty

Bangor University takes very seriously any acts of 'unfair practice' by students in their coursework or in
examinations. The staff who teach you on this MSc course likewise take an extremely dim view of any
perceived malpractice. Given the small class sizes, transgressors are likely to be caught.

In the context of a taught MSc course, 'Unfair practice' means:

1. Engaging in plagiarism by usng other people's work and submitting it for assessment as
though it were one's own work.
2. Copying or using in any other way unauthorised materials or the work of any other candidate.
3. Claiming to have carried out experiments, observations, interviews or any form of research which one
has not in fact carried out, or claiming to have obtained results which have not in fact been obtained.

Plagiarism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as the taking and use of the thoughts, writings,
inventions, etc of another person as one's own. It is using someone else's words or ideas without
acknowledging that they belong to someone else. Failure to acknowledge a source of information, be it
deliberate or inadvertent, can result in severe penalties. Unfair practice also includes aiding and abetting
dishonest practice, commissioning another person to complete work and submitting it as your own, computer
fraud, duplication or collusion (where two or more students collaborate to produce a piece of work and the
work is presented as the work of one student alone), false declarations and falsification of data. Students
are sometimes instructed to work together on an assignment and such group activity is regarded as
approved collaboration. If any allegations of unfair practice by students are substantiated, the
consequences are extremely serious, ranging from no marks for that assignment to removal from the degree
programme. If you are in doubt about any of the above please contact the Course Director.

You should also read the Bangor University rules on unfair practice, which can be found at
https://www.bangor.ac.uk/ar/main/regulations/BUProc05-v201201.pdf
You will be required to sign a declaration on all pieces of submitted work.

Return of marked work

Marked work will be returned displaying a mark and comments. The University has a policy of returning
marked work within four weeks of the hand-in date (term-time weeks). If work is not returned within this
time, please let Chris White and the Course Director know about it. Do not feel reticent to do this. As a
matter of policy, we advertise the return date of assessed work on the module Blackboard site, and they
are included in the table of assessments listed earlier in this document. Please keep your assessed work
because we will be asking for you to return it all in time for the External Examiner’s visit in late May. He
scrutinizes the work, primarily to get an indication of the quality of the cohort and to assess the way it’s
been marked and feedback given.

19
Assessment of laboratory, field reports and research projects
Laboratory/field reports and research projects provide you with the opportunity to conduct experimental
work and to communicate the results. Assessment is based on the following criteria:

(1) appreciation and understanding of the experimental aims

(2) formulation of question and design of the experiment
(2) organisation of the research
(3) initiative
(4) technical expertise
(5) interpretation and presentation of data
(7) Validity of concluding remarks

RESEARCH CRITERIA MARKS AVAILABLE %

EXPERIMENTATION
Mastery of appropriate experimental techniques,
e.g. analytical, sampling, computational, histological 15

RESULTS:
The acquisition of relevant data in sufficient form & quality 15

EFFORT:
Assessment of time spent, conscientiousness, application 10
INITIATIVE:
A measure of the original and relevant contribution made 20
to the research techniques

PRESENTATION CRITERIA

FORMAT & STYLE:

An assessment of the clarity of expression and thought,
neatness and layout of text and illustrations 10

DISCUSSION OF OWN RESULTS:

A measure of the ability to draw reasonable conclusions from the data,
and of originality of interpretation 20

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS IN THE LITERATURE:

Credit for the amount of relevant reading and the extent to which
it is integrated into the project 10

20
Assessment of the Project Planning module
Written Work (moderated by External Examiner)

Content – 40% (sufficiency of relevant information, accuracy of content, critical appraisal displayed in
assessing previous work and formulating appropriate conclusions)

Synthesis – 25% (display the ability to combine information and evidence, formulate new findings)

Presentation and Language – 10% (format & style, clarity, conciseness, neatness of diagrams, grammar,
punctuation)

Abstract – 5% (content, precision, style)

Conclusions – 5% (validity, clarity, brevity)

References – 10% (scope, accuracy, linkage to text)

Illustrations – 5% (relevance, legibility, clarity)

Oral Presentation (double marked)

Technical quality of visual aids 15%

Content 40%

Depth and breadth of knowledge (including reaction to questions) 20%

Delivery style 15%

Time keeping (target time 15 minutes) 10%

14-16 minutes = 10
>14 or >16, 6 marks
>12 or >18, 3 marks
>10 or >20, 0 marks

21
 VI. APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Advice on writing and presenting a literature review and

presentations

Written Review

Structure
While the essence of a well written review hinges on its content, the structure of the review is also a key
factor. Before committing anything to paper, you should therefore draw-up a structured contents list starting
with abstract, introduction … …. And ending with discussion and conclusions. This should immediately be
followed by your reference list.

References
At the outset, you should decide on your style of presentation of references, both in the main text and in the
reference list. The best approach is to adopt the style of one of the major scientific journals (e.g. Renewable
Energy, Continental Shelf Research etc.) and read its instructions to authors web page. These instructions
will tell you how to list references (and provide other useful information about scientific writing).

The golden rule for referencing is that all citations in the main text should appear in the reference list and
vice-versa. This will be checked by all markers.

General Points
Remember that this is a critical review and not just a listing of who said what. However, you as the author
of the review are not intended to impose your opinion other than summarizing in terms of state of the art as
apparent from the literature (i.e. you are expected to comment on conflicting views within the literature whilst
attempting to put forward the current stage of the research area under discussion). You are expected to
highlight apparent ‘holes’ in the literature and suggest where further research appears needed.

Your review will be assessed as outlined in a later Appendix.

CARDINAL SINS
You should be aware that it is unacceptable to copy sections of published papers directly into your review.
The review must be written in your own words. If you feel it is necessary to quote directly from a paper,
then the quotation must be suitably punctuated. You will be asked to submit the work electronically so that
it can be checked for direct plagiarism either from previously published work or from previous student
submissions. Diagrams taken from published papers should not be reproduced within your review without
appropriate reference to the source material.

Seminar Presentation

It is regarded as bad practice to stand up and read your paper verbatim. As you only have 15 minutes for
many of your presentations, the presentation will inevitably be a précis of the written review. The examiners
are aware of this. The seminar should also be regarded as an opportunity to ‘fine tune’ the content of the
written review, i.e. allowing you to act on questions, advice etc. arising from the talk.

Make use of visual aids as much as possible. Inevitably, you will be showing diagrams etc. from published
papers as well as you own summary diagrams. Make sure you acknowledge the source of the information
on your diagrams. It is good practice to introduce your talk by outlining the aims and objectives, indicating
your intended approach (i.e. content list for the talk), and always make sure that you finish with a summary
and conclusions. Your final statement should be clearly so; the audience will at least know when to start
applauding. It is a common error to ‘peter out’ at the end, finishing with the classic, “Errrr … … that’s it …”!
Practice your talk beforehand. Time will pass much quicker than you might think and you can easily over-
run if you have not practiced.

22
Appendix 2: Recent MSc Projects on the topic of marine renewable energy
Leading to Publications

Research projects by MSc students often lead to peer-reviewed scientific publications. Below is a list of
examples of recent papers which include work undertaken as part of MSc projects on marine renewable
energy. The student’s name is in bold:

Neill, S.P., Lewis, M.J., Hashemi, N.J., Slater, E., Lawrence, J. and Spall, S.A. (2014) Inter-annual and inter-
seasonal variability of the Orkney wave power resource. Applied Energy 132, 339-348.
Neill, S.P., Jordan, J.R. and Couch, S.J. (2012) Impact of tidal energy converter (TEC) arrays on the
dynamics of headland sand banks. Renewable Energy 37, 387-397. [RENEWABLE ENERGY BEST
PAPER AWARD]
Ward, S.L., Green, J.A.M. and Pelling, H.E. (2012) Tides, sea-level rise and tidal power extraction on the
European shelf. Ocean Dynamics 62, 1153-1167.
Neill, S.P., Litt, E.J., Couch, S.J. and Davies, A.G. (2009) The impact of tidal stream turbines on large-scale
sediment dynamics. Renewable Energy 34, 2803-2812.

23
Appendix 3: School guidance to students and supervisors on beginning the
research project

The University publish a good set of guides for postgraduate students. The general guide can be found
on http://www.bangor.ac.uk/ar/main/publications/handbooks.php.en clicking on the Student Guide to
Postgraduate Diplomas/Masters Courses link:

1. The onus is on students to maintain contact with supervisors

2. Students (with supervisors) should immediately develop areas found to be weak or lacking following
the questions and reviews of project proposals

3. Remember that the project proposal is only a plan, and plans must remain flexible. Expect projects
to develop. Objectives, experimental design and sampling strategy will almost certainly change. It
is better to achieve some objectives rigorously rather than many poorly. Be prepared to concentrate
on the most productive and achievable areas of project plans, especially if current plans are
ambitious. Initial observations and measurements will give some idea of variability and the level of
sampling required. Beware of under sampling such that results are limited, or over sampling which
wastes effort.

4. Students should prepare and submit interim project reports at the end of each month throughout
the summer (i.e. end of June, July and August). A seminar is also to be presented by the student
in early September.

5. Students should contact supervisors and make project arrangements (eg time to meet to start
project) as soon as possible after the May Examiner’s meeting, rather than disappear for several
weeks! Students and supervisors should know when each other are away for significant periods of
time before 23rd September

6. All students working away from Bangor must confirm plans and communication arrangements with
supervisors prior to their departure

7. UWB supervisors are responsible for direction of the MSc project and any changes must be agreed
with this supervisor. External supervisors may provide daily supervision, and although they may
have worked with us for many years as Partner Institutions, they may be unaware of the
requirements for a UK MSc degree.

24
8. Every student must complete a risk assessment (RA) prior to embarking on any practical
work. This risk assessment must be agreed with the internal supervisor, who should sign the RA
before it is sent to John East, Safety Officer, for signing off. Students working away from Bangor
must obtain relevant Health and Safety information from the laboratories/vessels in which they
intend to work and attach this. Students working overseas must attach FCO web information
indicating that the country is safe to visit, and must indicate how risks will be controlled even when
not at work. (Students intending to dive must first seek approval from Dr J Turner (Diving Safety
Advisor) and complete the Personnel Information Form and develop the Diving Project Plan and
Daily Operations Risk Assessment besides normal risk assessments). Please note that changes
in projects may require new risk assessments as work progresses.

9. Any student working abroad must be insured to do so through the University Insurance scheme.
Sandie Hague will guide students through the appropriate Finance Office web page. Supervisors
please make sure students are insured. Students please remember to cover yourself for delays and
all phases of your journey. Major items of university equipment (value >£2K) will need to be
separately insured - see Len Roberts (Head Laboratory Technician)

10. Requests for existing laboratory equipment should be made via supervisors and/or direct to Mr Ian
Pritchard in the first place. All equipment must be returned in good order before submission of
thesis will be allowed

11. All laboratory areas used as part of the project must be left in a clean, tidy and safe state at all times
and on completion of the project. Failure to do so will cause delay in submission. This is also true
for field equipment. It is your responsibility, not the technical staff’s, to ensure that field equipment
is washed or cleaned after each use.

12. Requests for consumables and purchased items must be approved by supervisors and made on
pink requisition forms signed by Course Directors. Low cost items up to £29 value may be
purchased with Petty Cash (see Accounts Clerks: Lorna)

13. Expenses (e.g. accommodation, travel) must be first approved by supervisors and, if a major
expense, Course Directors, and must be claimed on the Expense Claim Forms. Note you must
submit actual receipts (not copies).

14. School vehicles may only be used on submission and acceptance of driving licence details to Len
Roberts. Vehicle use must be approved in advance by supervisor and if a major expense, Course
Director. You must enter the course name and your name when booking and reporting mileage.
Use hired vehicles for long distances/greater than day trips.

15. University facilities are only available to students until 30th September, after which access to
laboratories, library, computers, supervisor’s time and other facilities are not automatically available,
and special arrangements have to be made. Registration for computer user numbers, library and
computer access will cost £22 per month from October (payable by student), if access is granted

16. Students should arrange with supervisors when to deliver a draft. Students should not expect the
supervisor to be able to comment on the draft overnight! Leave sufficient time for corrections and
binding before submission of final thesis (3 weeks)

17. Students should expect to submit bound dissertation by 17th September. You are required to submit
1 hard bound copy and one soft bound copy. For those people studying elsewhere, you will also
be expected to produce an additional copy (at your own expense) for submission to your host
supervisor. No funds are available from the School for the production and binding of the thesis –
this is a personal expense

18. Should a student have just cause for an extension beyond 17 September, then consult with the
Course Director. Extension beyond this time will only be granted under exceptional and extenuating
circumstances such as illness, serious personal reasons or major logistical problems. Such
extenuating circumstances must be clearly documented and evidence provided (eg doctors letters).
Please note that loss of data through computer failures or need to work or taking up a demanding
post, do not constitute acceptable extenuating circumstances from the point of the University.
Formal approval must be sought from the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, should
circumstances cause a student to fail to submit the thesis by 30th December.
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 19. Do not let problems build up. Regular communication between supervisor and student is essential.
If communication breaks down, then report the problem to the Course Director or Deputy Director
as soon as possible. Periods of illness or absence must be reported at the time. In reality, you will
only be able to afford a short summer vacation during your MSc project time.

20. Key events should be recorded in a hard backed notebook and keep these secure. Use the M drive
to store all electronic data and processed written work because this is backed-up every night. If
students work away, back up all data on home PCs and laptop PCs onto other media, because hard
discs DO fail and laptops can be stolen.

21. Very successful projects may lead to publications, and supervisors should encourage publication of
results where appropriate. Internal supervisors as well as external supervisors should be included
in the authorship of papers

Cover image: DeltaStream device, courtesy of Tidal Energy Limited

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