Research Project: Micro Engineering

Participating students are expected to show scientific interest, as well as the impulse and the ability to work independently and to pose questions. Students are therefore selected on the basis of an application letter and an interview.

A prerequisite for the assignment of this course is the willingness to continue the started project at the following semester in the 6 ECTS-comprehensive course "Computer Science 2 Research Project". If the study is not successful enough, the continuation of the context study in the sequestered semester is carried out outside the module "Microtechnology 2".

A continuation of the research project within the scope of a master thesis is strived for.

Due to the required prerequisites, there is no entitlement for students to enroll in the module.

Application of fundamental scientific research methods, understanding and handling of state- of-the-art analysis and industrial facilities, acquaintance with scientific models in the field of microtechnology.

Examples for projects are "fabrication of micro structures with ultrashort pulsed lasers", "assembly of supersensitive biosensors for medical diagnosis", "design of integrated optical components for data processing or medical diagnosis“ or "numerical simulation of surface acoustic waves and its application in microfluidic".

Students develop a scientific work in which they independently work on and answer a research question defined in the current research environment of the FH Vorarlberg. Through these projects they acquire:

• an overview of research questions and current activities and fields of application in the area of microtechnology and optics
• deepened methodological knowledge, which is not standard in core curricula
• knowledge for later scientific activities (e.g. dissertation).

Additional learning outcomes. The students...

• get to know the state of the art within the selected research area.
• become acquainted with technological methods in microtechnology including appropriate analytics.
• learn to reason consistently, to check out the range of validity and the limits of their presuppositions and arguments, to represent and illustrate their findings in an approriate scientific manner.
• gain self-awareness and professional experiences in working on a real scientific project and in the teamwork and interaction with research fellows.

Mobilization: Students are given leeways to pick up own questions and approaches.

Actionability: Joint planning of an appropriate approach, outline of methods and readings needed. Specification of standards and requirements concerning the work result.

Performance: Specification of general requirements of the collaboration and the mode of behaviour which are necessary for an effective performance.

Achievement of objectives specified at the beginning of the project in relationship to the students previous knowledge. Documentation of learning outcomes and project results.

Public presentation, together with the other students in research projects.

This course constitutes the first cycle of the module "Research Project: Micro Engineering“ which will be continued under the same title in the subsequent winter term.

The topics at a glance:

Mikrotechnik: Sabine Globisch (Herausgeberin): „Lehrbuch Mikrotechnologie“ für Ausbildung, Studium und Weiterbildung 2011 Hanser Verlag

Lasermaterial-Bearbeitung: Jens Bliedtner, Hartmut Müller, Andrea Barz „Lasermaterialbearbeitung“, Grundlagen - Verfahren-Anwendungen – Beispiele, 2013 Hanser Verlag

Optik: Eugene Hecht: „Optik“, 2009 Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag

Project related reading material will be provided.

In research projects, the students deepen themselves to current research questions, which are pursued at FH Vorarlberg in the context of demanding research projects or within the framework of a documented internal competence building. Experiences and insights from the research process are recorded in a logbook.

As learners, they have the time to construct, reconstruct, or deconstruct knowledge (to uncover the limitations of ones own discipline). In the actual research process, they pursue a scientific approach ("craftsmanship quality") in research and observation / survey as well as a constructive approach to active and passive criticism in the discussion.

Supervision by researchers at the University of Applied Sciences FH Vorarlberg is provided by coaching, instruction, participation in discussions and seminars, as well as by accompanying self-study.