Nanoscience

Mcd2812

Hello all, I'm a secondary school student about to go into 6th year and am currently looking through the various college courses available in different colleges throughout the country. As someone who is very interested in science and maths, I was particularly intrigued by the Nanoscience, Physics & Chemistry of Advanced Materials course in Trinity College as it seems to combine both scientific learning as well as the application of this learning to improvement of future technology which I think is fantastic. However since picking a college course is such a big decision, I was hoping that maybe someone on here doing this degree could share their experience of the course so far, the kind of things you learn, etc. or that maybe anyone with any experience or knowledge of this course or area in general could provide some feedback Thanks very much for reading!

stealinhorses

Hey, I'm going into third year of NPCAM now, so I can tell you about the first two years I guess.

You do the same modules as science students but they are pre-chosen for you, i.e. you have to do physics, chemistry and maths.

In first year, the first few months until Christmas is basically just LC revision and then you start learning a few new things.

In physics, you do mechanics (very handy if you did applied maths), waves (light, sound, etc.), electromagnetism (charges, Ampere's law, emf, etc.), astronomy (solar system, how planets form, what are galaxies, methods of observing the Milky Way, etc.), modern physics (photoelectric effect and basics of quantum mechanics, basic concepts of particle physics and relativity, etc.) and another module to do with molecular structure (length variation due to temperature, mc(delta)(theta) type equations from LC, estimating number of atoms in a given volume, etc.). You also have biweekly small group tutorials with a random physics lecturer who will set you a few homework questions, or else you can just ask him to explain problems to you. You will get weekly online assignments as each lecture course progresses and weekly 3 hour long labs for which you have to write reports.

In chemistry, you start off with basics such as what is a mole, groups of the periodic table, trends, history of the atom, etc. Then modules on kinetic gas theory that lead into chemical kinetics (rate of reaction and what affects it, again calculating amount of atoms in a given thing, etc.). Stuff on transition elements, so a lot to do with colour and coordination compounds. Then very specific modules on given groups in the periodic table, e.g. whole lectures on sulfur, carbon and its allotropes, oxygen, halogens, etc. Then after Christmas the focus shifts to organic chemistry (nomenclature, stuff on hydrocarbons from LC, introduction to aromatic compounds, simple ways of synthesising organic compounds, their uses and going over certain rules like Markovnikov and Zaitsev addition, Sn1 and Sn2 reactions, etc.). There is also a big module on VSEPR theory (shapes that molecules take when combining, s, p and d electronic orbitals, ionisation energies, etc.). Again, 3 hour long labs every week with a report due the next week. No special homework tutorials or online assignments.

In maths, you concentrate on calculus and linear algebra. Before Christmas it was things like limits, finding and defining the derivative, rules of differentiation, drawing graphs of functions, learning properties of functions and things along those lines in calculus. In linear algebra it was Gaussian elimination, operations on matrices and basics of the binary system. After Christmas in calculus you begin defining integration, learning the rules of integration and little tricks, then applying both integration and differentiation to practical problems and sequences and series to finish off the year. In algebra you do things with matrices again, operations on vectors, some probability and some manipulations of the Cartesian plane.
(I know that Project Maths has changed things so these could be radically different, however I wouldn't expect anything more difficult or hugely different, calc will definitely be there).
Weekly tutorials for both math modules, during which you have to complete a set of problems (you do it while talking with friends and asking the tutor for help).

There are 6 exams at the end of the year, two for physics, two for chem and two for maths. One for before and second for after Christmas material.

As for the course itself, it is quite competitive. I had the 7th best LC result out of 16 people with 550/600 when I came into first year and the people in my course are top of the science course in general when it comes to grades. 50% of us got firsts in the second year exams in April this year, which is not comparable to something like just the physics/chem class in science where most people have repeats. The atmosphere however stimulates good learning habits while there is still also plenty of fun, as everyone is a nerd but not the creepy kind, just more the intelligent but socially acceptable type :P.

Second year in physics sees a big step up in lab commitments. Experiments take weeks and not just one hour like the year before. There are also computer labs and a poster project. No online assignments, but midterm homework which is checked and reviewed with you by a random physics lecturer again. The modules studied are quantum mechanics, special relativity, thermodynamics, optics, electrical circuits, oscillations, nuclear physics and materials science specifically for nanoscience.
The materials module is only taken by PCAM students and deals with molecular structure, diffusion, production of silicon wafers, phase diagrams, different types of steel and ways to make it, doping and stuff on semiconductors and the properties of materials such as stress, strain, ductility, hardness, elasticity, etc. A lot of graphs and new vocabulary.

Chemistry becomes way more difficult in 2nd year. While you could get by on LC knowledge in 1st year, second year is a lot of studying for chem if you want to do well. Topics covered include crystal field theory, ligand field theory, linear combinations of atomic orbitals, cancer treatment, radioactivity, poisonous effects of chemicals, Schrodinger equation and quantum effects. In organic you're dealing with stereochemistry, aromatic chemistry, retrosynthesis, new methods of making molecules and getting there by taking different manufacturing paths. Some surface chemistry and reaction rates again, thermodynamics and ways of modelling chemical reactions using computer methods such as Hartree-Fock and Density Field Theory. Labs are similar to first year, but the biggest thing about 2nd year chem is Broad Curriculum - i.e. a group project where for half a year you have to research, write a report and perform a presentation on a topic to do with chemistry that the group chooses. It's worth 5% of the grade and is a huge waste of time.

In maths you do multivariable calculus, which is double and triple integration, vector calculus which is applying these methods of integration to real life phenomena, Fourier analysis and differential equations, which is dealing with functions a lot and loads of integration tricks again and mechanics from a more mathematical point of view rather than just tricks like in the first year physics course. Weekly tutorials of course.

There are 8 exams at the end of the year and in fairness, they are pretty difficult. They are math-heavy and you will find yourself lost for the first few weeks into nearly all physics and some chem courses. This is however normal and eventually you get the hang of it (or else you dont at all with thermodynamics and circuits :P).

At the end of second year we got a tour of CRANN and saw some awesome labs. Oh yeah, for the first 2 years you get biweekly topical tutorials in nanoscience, where your course coordinator invites guests from CRANN to describe their research and generally talk about advances in nanotechnology (this is often very basic and there is no homework or anything like that, but you get to ask questions etc).

In 3rd year, the chem and physics modules are more geared towards nanoscience and there is no more maths. There are weekly labs for all of Friday which seem similar to second year physics labs, I dont know, I'll write about it once I do them :P.

Overall, it's pretty good, I dont know why I wrote so much but I hope it answers a lot of questions :P. If you want some other questions answered, shoot.

Mcd2812

Wow, thanks so much for giving such a detailed reply, I wasn't expecting to get any replies so soon so I really appreciate you taking the time to help me! Thanks again! The course really seems fascinating and looks to be structured really well too! Second year seems very interesting in particular. If you don't mind, I actually do have one or two more questions! Due to timetable clashes, I am not doing Chemistry or Physics in LC It probably seems strange that I would be considering this course if I have not taken either of these subjects in school, but I am really fascinated by science and would love to do a science degree that involves research, problem-solving, and application of scientific knowledge in the real world. I do Higher Level Maths but I definitely regret not taking Chemistry or Physics. I'm a pretty quick learner so do you think I would be able for this course if I put a lot of work into the Chemistry and Physics modules in First Year? Also, do you think job prospects for a Nanoscience graduate are good? Do you know the kind of places where graduates of this degree have managed to get a job? Thanks so much!

stealinhorses

I'll tell you what, it's probably doable but you would need to really hit the books hard the first few months. I know there is a separate introductory course to chemistry that you can do in the first months when you're in science and haven't done chem for the LC, so I would make sure I get on that if I were you. If you're doing applied maths, you should at least have the mathematical aspects and algebraic manipulations needed for physics covered, which will save a lot of time. From the way you structure your sentences I can tell you're probably intelligent and might be a quick learner, so there's nothing to say you can't at least try :P.

I'm just wondering how you're planning on getting in then, with higher maths and biology, yes? There is a girl in my course who did that, I'm pretty sure, and she's not doing too well, but I also don't think she studies much at all. She did get into 2nd year though, so that tells you something.

It would also certainly help if you're doing engineering for the LC, but the most important thing IMO would be higher maths. I myself did ordinary level and caught up in the summer before college to not fall behind immediately, only to find out that we were pretty much starting from scratch anyway in first year with the maths. Knowing both chem and phys from LC certainly helped to ease some of the workload in the first few months though, so I'd imagine you would just have to knuckle down and get familiar with the library on a day to day basis :P. Also, you're only going into 6th year now, so you have plenty of time. Khan Academy and resources of that nature should get you to passable level in physics and then doing that beginners course at the start of 1st year will get you up to speed in chemo.

Nice thing about phys and chem is that they overlap a lot. You will find that you can easily skip multiple lectures in chemistry because you've already covered this sh*t in physics and you can supplement by studying at home by yourself. You will be given a free copy of University Physics at the start of the year, which is an absolute goldmine when it comes to practice questions and you will get very far just off that one book along with internet sources and the help of new friends. A lot of the marks for first year go for labs/google-able homework, etc. so passing should not be a problem, but if you want to be a real scientist and a human being whose understanding of nature goes beyond a quick trick in order to solve a question, then I assume you will need to study a lot in first year to get to that level. But that's why you're choosing Trinity, right? :P

We are constantly being fed nano-propaganda in our course, about how easy it is to get a job, how the course opens up a lot of doors and opportunities for research and work in areas from aeronautical engineering, materials, pharmaceutical industry, forensic science, lab work, teaching, etc. Supposedly everyone who graduated last year, which was like 10 people, got a job offer immediately. I don't know how many of these stories are true, but CRANN is a world class facility, rated something like 7th in the world and there are certainly opportunities abroad and in Ireland if you are smart and have a good work ethic. I would say it's certainly a better prospect than astrophysics or something general like just physics or chemistry. It also depends what you're into, if you decide at the end of it that labs are not for you, you can always branch out into finance, computing, or whatever area combines your interests with the skills you obtained when doing NPCAM.

Mcd2812

Thanks so much for all your advice! Yeah that's right, I'm doing Maths and Biology On the Trinity website, it says "Although not a specific requirement, it is highly advisable to enter NPCAM with at least a HC3 Leaving Certificate qualification in one or other of Physics or Chemistry. Entering NPCAM without Physics or Chemistry is currently permitted but inadvisable". I would worry a little that this rule may change in the next year, especially due to the fact that they chose to say "currently permitted", but hopefully not I would definitely be willing to put in as much work required to catch up and wouldn't mind doing a bit of work throughout the next year at all and as for the job opportunities, I agree with you, but as you say, there does seem to be a lot of people being employed in this area especially because of the increasing importance of technology in the world.

Listen thanks so much again for all your help, it's really great to get the chance to talk to someone doing the course at the moment and I really feel I have a far better idea of what exactly this course entails now! I appreciate it very much!

stealinhorses

Yeah, no problem. Good luck

Mcd2812

Thank you!