Research-led Teaching

Our students engage in research throughout their programmes but for many, their final year projects are the 'jewel in the crown'.

Marius Wenzel

Marius's Honours project, Patterns of dispersal and genetic structure of European populations of the Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), was conducted with Stuart Piertney.

Marius's project focussed on developing and utilising a suite of DNA-markers to assess levels of genetic divergence among European populations of chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax). Many populations of chough are in decline, and there is a need to understand better whether populations are isolated and as such require individual management and conservation plans to ensure their long term viability.

His project combined fieldwork to sample the isolated populations on islands off the west coast of Scotland with in-depth laboratory-based genetic screening and analysis. The work is an excellent example of conservation genetics in action, combining state-of-the-art molecular techniques to inform ecology and conservation. The findings of the project have been incorporated into larger-scale studies aimed at conserving choughs and managing their environment.

Siti Awg Taib

Siti Awg Taib sampled the tree flora of lowland tropical rain forest in Brunei Darussalam to detect species of Al hyper-accumulators.

This trait is rarely found in plants growing in temperate environments, but it is common among trees in tropical forests growing on acid, nutrient-poor soils. Working alongside our research partners at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Siti employed tree climbers to access leaves from the top of 40 m-tall tropical trees and then processed the samples in a laboratory at UBD for chemical analysis in Aberdeen.

Her data will be added to our global data-set on leaf Al concentrations to provide additional information on the phylogenetic distribution of the Al hyper-accumulator trait, which will be deployed to shed light on the processes underlying its evolution and ecological function.

Isaac Black

Isaac worked on the effects of vitamin E and L-theanine on longevity and fecundity in Yellow Fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).

Longer-lived mosquitoes are more likely to carry disease, therefore shortening the lifespan of mosquitoes in the wild is desirable. Conversely, captive bred, sterile mosquitoes, which can be released to outcompete disease-carrying wild mosquitoes often die more quickly than well-adapted wild mosquitoes and so extending their lifespan is desirable. Zac found that vitamin E had a dose-dependent effect on the survivorship of Yellow Fever mosquitoes, extending the mosquito lifespan in most cases.

The laboratory techniques Zac developed during his honours project helped him gain a PhD scholarship, carrying out research into controlling Yellow Fever mosquitoes at Oxitec, a company based within Oxford University that uses cutting-edge technology to defeat disease vectors.

Our students are taught by world-class researchers starting in year one, and this contact with researchers and research issues continues throughout their programmes.

Tutorials

Our first year students in groups of 5 or 6, meet regularly with an academic for tutorials.

Here Adam Price is discussing a data analysis exercise with Conservation Biology students. The tutorials are great because they help students meet other students, help students become part of the school, help students develop a relationship with staff; they also are good for learning about science.

Guest Lectures

In our Organismal Biology course (BI1005), once a week students have a guest research lecture. These lectures are hugely popular because they provide insight into how science is done and the speaker's passion for their own research is infectious.

One example from this year was Ewan Campbell explaining his work with Alan Bowman on molecular approaches to addressing the infestation of honey bee hives by deadly mites.

Expert Teaching

During the fourth year, a range of courses are offered that capitalize on our expertise.

For example, in Sustainable Aquaculture (ZO4811), students work with Sam Martin, a fish diet specialist, Chris Secombes, a fish immunologist, and Alan Bowman, an expert on sea lice.

Find out more about our innovative teaching methods and how our students engage with research

Our teaching methods are diverse, innovative and based on research on how students learn.

Problem-based learning

A problem-based learning approach is used in Sustainable Management of Marine Resources (ZO4540), where students work in groups to explore a current problem.

The approach enhances motivation and promotes self-directed and deep learning.

Transferable skills

Students put a high value on learning experiences that help them to acquire skills that can be used throughout their degree programme and beyond.

Some examples of these learning methods used in our courses, include: presenting posters in public meetings, writing and editing wikis, writing grant proposals, science writing for publication, and the creation of portfolios using multi-media.

For example, here two students are providing each other with feedback on discussion essays as part of Ecology, Conservation and Society (EK5510).

Opportunities to interact

Students respond well to opportunities to interact as part of their learning. We do this through open communication with Course Coordinators, Course Feedback Forms, and Staff and Student Liaison Committees.

Our graduates tell us they really benefit from this approach:

I have just secured a great position with Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN), who have to provide both scientific papers and government reports on the shark tagging programme in Scotland for both funding and to gain government support for sustainable management and protection of sharks in Scottish waters.

I took along my report from this course as well as my thesis to interview. They were really impressed as it shows how versatile my writing can be and that I can work in a group as well as on my own. Not all students have solid proof of that ability fresh out of uni!

Marine Biology Graduate

I am working in Sea fisheries with Marine Scotland (Edinburgh). I'm in the EU negotiations team. It is a really interesting job and without a doubt I use what I learned in your problem based learning course EVERY DAY!... Thank you ... for challenging us in a way that lets the information stick.

Marine Biology Graduate