Central to addressing any of the fundamental issues in medical science is the ability to effectively and safely design and carry out research experiments in the laboratory. This unit brings together expertise from multiple areas within the Charles Perkins centre to provide students with the fundamental knowledge and hands on experience required prior to commencing a research project in the areas of infectious diseases, immunology and pathology. You will learn the necessary work health and safety, and regulatory requirements for working in a physical containment 2 (PC2) laboratory, as well as what makes a well-planned experiment, and how to analyse, record and effectively present data. These face-to-face workshops and hands-on laboratory tasks, coupled with online learning material will equip you with the necessary skills to embark on a research project addressing some of the many issues related to human health and disease.

You cannot perform scientific research in a vacuum. A scientist must be able to critique the existing body of literature and identify any potential weaknesses as well as gaps in knowledge and then place their own research within the context of this prior information. This unit of study will teach you how to comprehend and assess scientific literature from the areas of Immunology, Infectious diseases and Pathology and then frame and integrate your own research in this context. You will also learn the best methods to effectively communicate your research to a wide audience using a variety of tools. By attending seminars given by experts in the field and attending and participating in journal clubs you will learn how to critically evaluate research. You will also present your own research data in a poster format at a research symposium as well as give oral presentations to members of the Infectious diseases and Immunology and Pathology disciplines. This unit will enable you to critically evaluate scientific data and effectively present research work, which are essential skills for any scientist.

Living organisms are impacted by processes that occur across a very wide range of scales. These range from rapid processes at the molecular and cellular scale to multi-year processes at environmental and evolutionary scales. One of the great challenges for modern systems biology is integrating measurements across these scales to understand gene x environment interactions. This unit will develop your skills in this area through critical analysis of a series of recent research papers on a themed topic in small group discussions. For each paper we will explore principles behind the key methods and the methods' practicality. We will look at how those methods were incorporated into an experimental design to address a biological question. We will critically assess the support for conclusions in their paper and their scientific significance. By doing this unit you will develop skills in reading and interpreting primary scientific literature and an advanced understanding of modern topic in systems biology. You will gain a high level of understanding of the theory of key biochemical and statistical methods for analysis of genes, proteins, and cells in biological systems. You will gain the confidence to apply these insights to planning, conducting and reporting your own research findings.

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough". This quote is widely attributed to Albert Einstein, but regardless of its provenance, it suggests that one measure of an expert's knowledge can be found in their ability to translate complex ideas so that they are accessible to anyone. The communication of science to the public is essential for science and society. In order to increase public understanding and appreciation of science, researchers must be able to explain their results, and the wider context of their research, to non-experts. This unit will explore some theoretical foundations of science communications, identify outstanding practitioners and empower students to produce effective science communication in different media. In this unit you will learn the necessary skills and techniques to tell engaging and informative science stories in order to bring complex ideas to life, for non-expert audiences. By undertaking this unit you will develop a greater understanding of the wider context of your honours unit, advance your communication skills and be able to explain your honours research to non-expert audiences such as friends, family or future employers. These transferable skills will equip you for future research - where emphasis is increasingly placed on public communication and/or outreach - or professional pathways - where effective communication of complex ideas is highly valued.

An indispensable attribute of an effective scientific researcher is the ability to collect, analyse and interpret data. Central to this process is the ability to create hypotheses and test these by using rigorous experimental designs. This modular unit of study will introduce the key concepts of experimental design and data analysis. Specifically, you will learn to formulate experimental aims to test a specific hypothesis. You will develop the skills and understanding required to design a rigorous scientific experiment, including an understanding of concepts such as controls, replicates, sample size, dependent and independent variables and good research practice (e. g. blinding, randomisation). By completing this unit you will develop the knowledge and skills required to appropriately analyse and interpret data in order to draw conclusions in the context of an advanced research project. From this unit of study, you will emerge with a comprehensive understanding of how to optimise the design and analysis of an experiment to most effectively answer scientific questions.

In the contemporary world, a wide variety of ethical concerns impinge upon the practice of scientific research. In this unit you will learn how to identify potential ethical issues within science, acquire the tools necessary to analyse them, and develop the ability to articulate ethically sound insights about how to resolve them. In the first portion of the unit, you will be familiarised with how significant developments in post-World War II science motivated sustained ethical debate among scientists and in society. In the second portion of the unit, you will select from either a Human Ethics module or an Animal Ethics module and learn the requirements of how to ensure your research complies with appropriate national legislation and codes of conduct. By undertaking this unit you will develop the ability to conduct scientific research in an ethically justifiable way, place scientific developments and their application in a broader social context, and analyse the social implications and ethical issues that may potentially arise in the course of developing scientific knowledge.

Undertaking an Honours project is your first step toward becoming an independent research scientist. For the duration of the honours year you will be immersed in a research environment and work towards solving an important issue related to human health and disease. The Honours program in Infectious Diseases provides the opportunity for full-time research on a proposed project supervised by a staff member expert in that field. You will design and carry out experiments to test your hypotheses. You will communicate a research plan and findings through a written task culminating in an Honours thesis. Doing an Honours research project will prepare you for undertaking further research in a PhD or a variety of exciting careers in medical research.

Undertaking an Honours project is your first step toward becoming an independent research scientist. For the duration of the honours year you will be immersed in a research environment and work towards solving an important issue related to human health and disease. The Honours program in Infectious Diseases provides the opportunity for full-time research on a proposed project supervised by a staff member expert in that field. You will design and carry out experiments to test your hypotheses. You will communicate a research plan and findings through a written task culminating in an Honours thesis. Doing an Honours research project will prepare you for undertaking further research in a PhD or a variety of exciting careers in medical research.

Undertaking an Honours project is your first step toward becoming an independent research scientist. For the duration of the honours year you will be immersed in a research environment and work towards solving an important issue related to human health and disease. The Honours program in Infectious Diseases provides the opportunity for full-time research on a proposed project supervised by a staff member expert in that field. You will design and carry out experiments to test your hypotheses. You will communicate a research plan and findings through a written task culminating in an Honours thesis. Doing an Honours research project will prepare you for undertaking further research in a PhD or a variety of exciting careers in medical research.

Undertaking an Honours project is your first step toward becoming an independent research scientist. For the duration of the honours year you will be immersed in a research environment and work towards solving an important issue related to human health and disease. The Honours program in Infectious Diseases provides the opportunity for full-time research on a proposed project supervised by a staff member expert in that field. You will design and carry out experiments to test your hypotheses. You will communicate a research plan and findings through a written task culminating in an Honours thesis. Doing an Honours research project will prepare you for undertaking further research in a PhD or a variety of exciting careers in medical research.

Undertaking an Honours project is your first step toward becoming an independent research scientist. For the duration of the honours year you will be immersed in a research environment and work towards solving an important issue related to human health and disease. The Honours program in Infectious Diseases provides the opportunity for full-time research on a proposed project supervised by a staff member expert in that field. You will design and carry out experiments to test your hypotheses. You will communicate a research plan and findings through a written task culminating in an Honours thesis. Doing an Honours research project will prepare you for undertaking further research in a PhD or a variety of exciting careers in medical research.

Undertaking an Honours project is your first step toward becoming an independent research scientist. For the duration of the honours year you will be immersed in a research environment and work towards solving an important issue related to human health and disease. The Honours program in Infectious Diseases provides the opportunity for full-time research on a proposed project supervised by a staff member expert in that field. You will design and carry out experiments to test your hypotheses. You will communicate a research plan and findings through a written task culminating in an Honours thesis. Doing an Honours research project will prepare you for undertaking further research in a PhD or a variety of exciting careers in medical research.