The course is held in English and the examination is an individual report prepared on a membrane materials & processes research topic of choice that applies the course content and a related oral presentation.

Effort: 6 LP which requires typically an effort of 150 hours, of which 56 h (4 SWS) are contact time during lectures and tutorial time, 54 h self study and 40 h preparation of report and presentation.

Assessment: Research report of 10 pages and an oral presentation of 10 minutes (individual work). The grade will be a composite of the report (submission in week 13 before class) and oral presentation (all day workshop with researcher participation). The work will be applied to a specific research data set and contain a self-reflective element on the course content.

Course Contents: The course assumes basic knowledge of membrane materials and processes applied to water treatment as well as the course on proposal writing. Those missing the relevant background are expected to read a textbook from the course recommended reading list or consult relevant materials on the proposal writing course. The content teaches required knowledge to carry out research in the field,  including formulation of a research problem and research questions, experimental design, data alidation and storage, as well as presentation of research in spread sheets, graphs, schematics and communication in publications, oral & poster presentations.

Learning Goals: The student will learn basic skills in research at the example of membrane materials and processes applied to water treatment. The skills will assist in conducting research at master, PhD, or postdoctoral levels, in particular when background or training differ. Technical skills include the design of experiments to answer specific research questions, performance parameters through to data collection, storage, manipulation, validation, error estimation and interpretation, while the soft skills encompass health and safety aspects of experimental research, research communication (publication) and research integrity.

Course Organization and Student Information: The course will be held at IAMT at Campus North and be integrated with ongoing research in an international environment. To carry out experimental work exam registration is required. Attendance is required for the completion of the module, in particular for the full day workshop. Learning will be most successful with an interactive participation of participants. Tutors are available during the course time (only) to assist and answer questions.