Undergraduate Projects

Undergraduate projects 2009-10

Final-year MATH projects are core or compulsory for students on some degree programmes, namely MMath, Industrial Applied Mathematics, and Mathematics with Astronomy. For MMath this is a whole-year project coded as MATH6091/2, and in the other cases it is a Semester 2 project only, coded as MATH3031. Students doing Mathematics with Geography/Biology also have a compulsory GEOG/BIOL project. In all other cases the project MATH3031 is optional. The core course MATH3032 Communicating and Researching Mathematics contains substantial elements of individual and group project work, and in some cases it is possible for project work undertaken for MATH3032 to be developed further within MATH3031, in consultation with the student's Programme Coordinator.

The benefits of a project

Students who take a project generally find it very interesting and valuable. It is an opportunity to organize your own study materials and work schedule, and to get to grips with a topic in greater depth than a normal taught course might allow: indeed, the subject itself may be outside the usual curriculum. It gives excellent training in independent learning and investigation that will stand you in good stead for further academic work at postgraduate level or for employment elsewhere.

Types of project

Projects vary considerably in style, and can usually be tailored to the particular interests of the student. Some may be largely reading programmes, while others turn out to be minor research projects. They may involve a large amount of computing or none at all. It is expected that the project will be finally submitted in computer type-set form (using Word or LaTeX, for example).

Choosing a project

Consult your Programme Coordinator about finding a supervisor and a topic for your project. You are well advised to start on this during the semester before the project begins, not only because there may be competition for supervisors and topics, but also because you can be given some preliminary reading that will give you a taste of the topic before you begin serious work. Moreover, you will need to enter the details on your choice-of-options form at the end of the preceding year or semester. You are also invited to consult any of the following members of staff, depending on the general area of mathematics in which you are interested:

By clicking on the Applied, OR & Statistics or Pure links on the left hand side of this page you will find a list of projects and supervisors in various areas of mathematics. If you are interested in one of these, consult the supervisor directly. Do not worry about the stated level or duration, as topics are usually rather flexible. However, do not forget that these are only suggestions, and that you may write a project on any topic over which you and a supervisor can agree.

Project supervision

You will normally see your supervisor once a week or so to discuss progress and to keep you on track. Your supervisor will give you advice about writing up the project. It is advisable to write up in draft form parts of your work as you proceed (and to keep a safe copy): one thing you will certainly learn from doing a project is that that 'final' writing up takes longer than you think! The School keeps a library of past projects in the Senior Reading Room on Level 4, and you are welcome to look at these to get an idea of what is required.

Submitting the project, assessment and deadlines

We do not expect great new discoveries, but you may well produce some original work in the form of new examples or new angles on familiar material: we are looking for indications that you have personally engaged with the topic, and are not just reproducing standard texts. You will be expected to give an oral presentation (of about 20 minutes for MATH3031, or 30 minutes for MATH6091/2) summarising the contents of your project, near the deadline for submission. Your supervisor will give you advice on this. The project will be read by two members of academic staff (supervisor + another) who will be the audience for your presentation and will agree on a final mark. If a project represents a further development of project work begun within MATH3032, then a copy of the earlier project should be included as an appendix; credit will be given only for work which goes beyond the scope of the work undertaken for MATH3032. Technical details regarding thingsd such as format and suggested page length can be found by following the "Guidelines" link on the left hand side of this document. The criteria for assessing projects, with their normal weightings, are:

  • Exposition (mathematical accuracy, clarity, literary presentation, coverage of the topic) 30%;
  • Literature (understanding, relating different sources and finding new sources) 20%;
  • Originality (examples cited or constructed, new treatments and proofs of standard results, simple generalisations, original researches) 10%;
  • Scope of topic (conceptual and technical difficulty, relationship with previous studies, relevance of material included) 20%;
  • Oral presentation (clarity, organisation, relevance, use of resources, response to questions) 20%.

The whole-year project MATH6091/2 for MMath students will require a deeper level of understanding and maturity than the MATH3031 project. For example, the background reading might include some original research papers, and some awareness of current research issues and evidence of literature searches will be expected: of course your supervisor will guide you on these matters. We would also expect you to acquire some proficiency in LaTeX, which is the standard mathematical typesetting package in use in the academic profession. The project MATH6091/2 is assessed in two parts. The MATH6091 assessment at the end of semester 1 (25% of total), and the MATH6092 assessment at the end of semester 2 (75% of total). The two parts are assessed according to the criteria and proportional weightings given above.

  • MATH3031/6092 Dissertation deadline:: 15:00 on Thursday 20th May 2010, to be handed in via the School Office
  • MATH3031/6092 Oral Presentations: Deadline TBA. Your Supervisor and second marker ("Advisor", nominated by your Supervisor) will listen to your presentation; the Supervisor should arrange the time and location.
  • Deadline for Supervisors giving completed Supervisors and Advisors marksheets to Chris Holder in School Office: Deadline TBA
  • Submission details (suggested length, number of copies, etc...): follow "Guidelines" link on left of this page

Plagiarism

It is acceptable to include relevant quotations from books, papers, internet sources and so on in your project, and indeed you will gain credit for intelligent and creative use of such material. However, it is important that all sources should be acknowledged and that quotations should be clearly distinguished from your own work. Your attention is directed to the School's plagiarism guidelines in the Undergraduate Student Information Handbook (Section II - Examinations).

Further details of the aims and expectations of projects can be found in the book of Course Profiles.

For queries about MMath projects contact Gareth Jones (MMath Programme Coordinator) in room 8013 or tel x23654 (G.A.Jones@maths.soton.ac.uk). For queries about Computer Science projects contact Jim Renshaw (Mathematics with Computer Science Programme Coordinator) in room 8005 or tel x23673 (J.H.Renshaw@maths.soton.ac.uk).

For general queries about projects contact Ian Jones (Projects Coordinator) in Room 2009 or tel x24829, or (Semester 2, 2009) David Chillingworth in Room 7011 or tel x23677.

April 2008