20578 Research Project in Physics 1

Credits: 4 advanced credits in Physics

Prerequisites: At least 72 credits in the Sciences, with an average grade of at least 80. Students must also fulfill all English requirements and take bibliographic instruction in the Library. Specific prerequisites may be required depending on the topic of the project. For details, consult the course coordinator or a Physics advisor. Students may enroll in this course only after consulting with a member of the Open University Physics faculty and with the approval of the course coordinator.

The course enables students to experience research work, and usually to combine an individual project with the work of a research group in the laboratory of one of Israel’s universities and research institutes. The project may be practical (a lab or field study) or theoretical-computational.

As part of the work on the project, the student participates in determining the research question which is usually relevant to the work being carried out in the laboratory the student has selected. After defining the research question, the student will investigate the scientific background through the professional literature related to the topic, determine objectives (together with the project supervisor), study the research method, and prepare an outline detailing the stages of the research, methodology and timetable. The project can be carried out over one or two semesters, with an investment of about one day per week. At the end of the project, the student will analyze the data and report on the results in the format of a research report. In addition, the student will prepare a presentation on the project to be posted on the course website. The grade includes the student’s preparatory work, the work on the project itself, the final report and the presentation.


1Students may not write a seminar paper in this course.

There is some overlap in the content of this and other courses. For details, see Overlapping Courses.