Please note: the information in the course manual is binding.
The course has the following four aims:
- Gain knowledge about current research themes and methods in mineralogy, mineral physics and material science.
- Learn how to apply quantitative models to answer mineralogical and material science questions.
- Gain awareness of analytical techniques available to study mineralogical research questions.
- Acquire the ability to understand and critically examine scientific literature in this field.
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This course will cover the following topics:
- Crystallography, including point and space groups for crystal symmetry, reciprocal lattice.
- Solid-state physics, including bonding and electronic structure of solids, surface to bulk properties of materials.
- Advanced analytical tools, including spectroscopic and synchrotron methods as well as atomic force microscopy.
- Modelling mineral systems, including thermodynamic and molecular dynamics simulations.
- Mineral-fluid interaction.
- Amorphous materials.
- Hot topics at the overlap between mineralogical and material science (e.g., zeolites, carbon-phases, perovskite).
- Hot topics in biomineralization.
These topics will be linked to case studies that cover both fundamental and applied mineralogy as well as material science. Case study examples include: interfacial processes during mineral weathering, biomineralization, mineral physics in geothermal energy and CO2 sequestration as well as nuclear waste disposal. By the end of this course, the student will be able to apply and critically evaluate physical concepts coupled with state-of-the-art analytics and modelling to address research questions in mineral science.
Development of transferable skills
- Written communications skills: The coursework of this course includes a written component, both as practical reports and a scientific abstract writing exercise in which phrasing, grammar etc. is also part of the grading scheme. Students are expected to hand in a first draft on which they receive feedback on the science and writing style from the lecturers before handing in the final version.
- Verbal communication skills: During this course, we hold a mini-conference linked to the abstract writing exercise. The students are given a recent scientific article covering one of the areas discussed during the course and must produce a short presentation to teach the rest of the group about the subject. Feedback is given on presentation skills by both the lecturers and the student’s peers.
- Problem-solving skills: throughout the lectures and practical sessions students are given tasks that require mathematical, kinesthetic and/or reasoning methods to approach the problems and find the solution. This includes examining/processing data.
- Technical skills: the students are introduced to the following analytical techniques during the course: infra-red and Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and interferometry. In addition, the students will work with the following simulation packages: PHREEQC (solution speciation modelling).
- Analytical/quantitative skills: Students are given data from TEM, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy investigations to analyse during the practical assignments. The student’s use various analytical programs to analyse the data (Fityk: Raman data, Nanoscope Analysis: AFM) as well as working on paper.
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