Prospectus

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Interdisciplinary Project Groups

Course
2019-2020

Interdisciplinary Project Groups start in September (for students that have started Industrial Ecology in September) and in February (for students that have started Industrial Ecology in February).

Admission requirements

This course is obligatory for students of the master’s programme Industrial Ecology.
Students can only participate in the Interdisciplinary Project Groups if they have finished at least 48 EC of the Core Modules of the first year.

This course is only open for students that are enrolled in the Master’s Programme Industrial Ecology.

Description

In this course, the students do a group project on a real-industrial ecology problem. By problem-oriented education, the students are trained to cooperate with various disciplines and come up with industrial/practical solutions. Groups are formed out of the IE students during the 1st year, based on their preferences for one of the available project topics. Topics are prepared in deliberation with staff members of the involved universities and commissioners from external parties.

Course objectives

The course starts with a problem assignment provided by an external party (company, government, NGO) together with one of the examiners of the Master's Programme on Industrial Ecology. The first task of the students is to translate this problem assignment in a project's proposal that shows the integrations of various kinds of knowledge into solutions to the given problem. The project group also integrates a detailed time plan in this proposal. After greenlight for the project work, the team carries out their work as planned including several progress meetings and stage reports. Finally the work shoulc contain:

  • the analysis of the solution regarding environmental impacts,

  • the implications of the solution regarding sustainable design and innovation,

  • the implementation of the solution in a societal or organisational context.
    The report and presentation of the work can have different formats as discussed with the supervisor and commissioner. It is possible to write an academic paper at the end, or to present a conceptual design, or an extensive research report.

Timetable

This course is given twice a year. Students that have started the master’s programme Industrial Ecology in September, are expected to start this course in September of their second year. Students that have started the master’s programme Industrial Ecology in February, are expected to start this course in February of their second year.
See Brightspace TU Delft.

Location of other meetings by appointment with the supervisor and students of the project group.

Mode of instruction

Problem-oriented teamwork in groups of 4-6 students.

Assessment method

The group delivers a product and gives a final presentation of their work to the commissioner of the external party and the supervisor. The product and presentation of the work can have different formats as discussed with the supervisor and commissioner. It is possible to write an academic paper at the end, or to present a conceptual design, or an extensive research report.

Brightspace

The lecturer communicates via Brightspace TU Delft.

Reading list

Literature to be provided by the supervisor and commissioner, or to be found by the students relevant for the topic.

Registration

All students have to enroll for course and exam at the start of the course via uSis, Leiden University.

This course is only open for students that are enrolled in the Master’s Programme Industrial Ecology.

Contact information

Mr. dr. ing. R. Kleijn

Remarks

More information and the description of the course is published in the e-studyguide of TU Delft.