Advanced Certificate in Powder Diffraction on the Web Course Information 1999/2000 School of Crystallography, Birkbeck College, University of London

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Aims

Both industry and academia are producing materials with novel properties, e.g. zeolites for gas filtration and catalysis, ceramics, ferroelectrics, high-temperature superconductors, fullerenes, etc., the majority of which are not produced, at least initially, in single-crystal form. The advent of ultra high-resolution and high-intensity synchrotron diffractometers, high-resolution laboratory X-ray powder diffractometers, plus the combination of modern computer hardware and software has led to tremendous advances in the analysis of novel materials by powder crystallography.

From an industrial viewpoint, the trend has been away from simple phase identification and more towards quantitative analysis using similar software to that used by the solid-state crystallographer. Furthermore, the modern solid-state materials chemist/physicist has to be a multi-technique-oriented scientist with hands-on skills.

This new Advanced Certificate course proposes to offer training in one of the major techniques used for solid-state materials research, namely powder diffraction. It will concentrate on providing the necessary crystallographic and computational skills required for an understanding and usage of the technique.

Course Organisation and Objectives

The Advanced Certificate in Powder Diffraction on the WEB, is a tutor-assisted, university-level, accredited course, offered by the School of Crystallography, Birkbeck College, University of London. Successful students who complete the whole course and pass the final examination receive the award of an Advanced Certificate. Exceptionally, a student may opt not to take the unseen final examination, in which case a Certificate of Attendance may be given on the basis of course work only.

The course consists of 3 units taught annually. All teaching material will be delivered via the Internet.

Unit 1:

The general objectives of this unit are to provide the experimental and background information required for a student to use powder diffraction as an experimental technique. In addition, it aims to provide the relevant crystallographic theory for an understanding of the technique and for data interpretation.

Unit 2:

The general objectives of this unit are to teach the different methods of analysing powder diffraction data according to different research objectives. The unit aims to give students practical skills in computational analysis of the diffraction data and to demonstrate current developments in the technique.

Unit 3: Project

The general objective is for students to apply and demonstrate the skills and tools learnt in Units 1 & 2 via a computer-based project involving the analysis of powder diffraction data. The project will be written up and submitted as Web-based documents (in HTML) to show the students skills in Web publishing.

Specific objectives are:

• To provide an understanding of the instrumentation used both in the laboratory and at central research facilities,
• To teach the underlying crystallographic principles required for an understanding of the powder diffraction technique,
• To explain and discuss the different methods of data analysis,
• To provide basic practical skills in the interpretation of powder data,
• To give the students practice in the use of Web-based publishing of scientific reports, and
• To deliver all of the above in a Web-based environment.

Further details of the course content are given in the syllabus.

Academic Requirements

Birkbeck College requires as minimum eligibility requirements BSc (Bachelor of Science degree) or equivalent (for EU or non-EU overseas students) a subject allied to one of the following: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, or Computer Science. Click here for further details.

Technical Requirements

Students will be expected to have a standard windows-based PC and access to the Internet. Click here for further details.

Workload and Course Participation

• Participation requirements: 1 year part-time; October-September; equivalent to 2 evenings per week during "term time".
• Total time requirements: an average of 6 hours per week during "term time". Click here for further details.

Language

The language of the course is English combined with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for the delivery and receipt of course material, assignments, and projects.

Fees

For 1999/2000 the college has set the fee rates for Web-based Advanced Certificates as follows:

• Full rate (industrial and institutional sponsors) GBP £1008 pounds sterling
• Concessionary rate for self-financing students from European Union countries and students from "countries in transition" and certain "developing countries" GBP £324 pounds sterling
• Concessionary rate for self-financing students from other countries GBP £648 pounds sterling

Assessment

The course leads to the award of an Advanced Certificate from Birkbeck College, University of London. Each student is assessed by a combination of the work assignments submitted in terms 1 and 2, the project submitted in term 3 (possibly with a short oral examination) and an unseen final written examination after term 3. Click here for further details.

Course Organiser and Admissions Tutor

Dr Jeremy Karl Cockcroft

Course Moderator

Prof Robert J. Cernik   (at SRS, Daresbury, UK)

Course Tutors

Dr Martin Attfield
Prof Paul Barnes
Dr Jeremy Karl Cockcroft

Course Administrator

Ms Annie Chandler

Technical Consultants

Dr David Houldershaw
Dr Stephen Tarling
Mr Martin Vickers

Enrolment

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