THIRD YEAR COURSE INDG 6800 – Dissertation

Students are required to conduct original research and complete a Ph.D. dissertation that is judged to be a mature and original contribution to knowledge. A Ph.D. student must successfully defend her/his dissertation in an oral examination before a Dissertation Examining committee. The maximum time for completion of the Ph.D. degree is five years.

Thesis Supervision

Theses will be supervised by a Dissertation Supervisor selected from the Core Faculty and a Supervisory Committee.

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M.Sc. and Ph.D. Programs in Materials Science

Telephone: 705-748-1011, ext. 7467 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: 705-748-1625 Web: www.trentu.ca/materialscience This graduate program is offered jointly by Trent University and UOIT and leads to the degrees of Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Materials Science or Ph.D. in Materials Science. Materials Science is a broad multi-disciplinary area of science; its goal is the understanding and prediction of the properties of matter. This requires the development of experimental and theoretical predictive tools applicable to size scales ranging from the molecular to the macroscopic levels. The field lies at the intersection of physics and chemistry, and includes many sub-fields, including nanotechnology, electronic materials, surface science, biomaterials, and materials characterization. The program provides both a broad and integrated overview of materials science and the opportunity for in-depth study of a particular problem emphasizing either theory or experiment, under the guidance of a thesis advisor and a multi-disci-plinary team of faculty from Trent University and UOIT. The program will be comprised of coursework and a thesis.

Graduate Program Director To be named

Faculty and Research Areas Trent Faculty

Chemistry

J. M. Parnis, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto), investigation of metal atom and metal cluster reactions with small hydrocarbons primarily using low temperature matrix isolation and mass spectrometry and FTIR spectroscopy.

I. Svishchev, M.Sc. (Moscow State), Ph.D. (USSR Academy of Sciences), theoretical and experi-mental investigation of supercritical water and its many applications including SCW-oxidation technology.

A. J. Vreugdenhil, B.Sc. (Queen’s), Ph.D. (McGill), development and characterization of hybrid organic-inorganic materials for applications in sensors, coatings and interface modification.

Physics & Astronomy

W. A. Atkinson, M.Sc. (Alberta), Ph.D. (McMaster), computational and theoretical models of high temperature superconductors and strongly correlated electronic materials.

S. Narine, B.Sc (Trent), M.Sc. (Trent), Ph.D. (York), biomaterials precursor synthesis, formulation and materials characterization.

R. C. Shiell, B. A. (Oxford), Ph.D. (Newcastle upon Tyne), atomic, molecular and optical physics, the manipulation of quantum states using laser radiation.

A. J. Slavin, M.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Cambridge), metal surfaces: structure and chemical interactions.

R. Wortis, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Illinois), condensed matter theory: superconductivity and strongly corre-lated electrons.

UOIT Faculty Science

D. Bonetta, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto), biologically based materials derived from plant and bacte-rial sources.

B. Easton, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Memorial), structure–property relations of inorganic-organic hybrid mate-rials developed for fuel cells and electrochemical systems.

F. Naumkin, M.Sc. (Moscow State Physics & Engineering Institute, Russia), Ph.D. (General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences), computational Nanoscience; ab initio-based studies of nanometer-scale polyatomic systems,.

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P. Berg, Dipl.-Phys. (Muenster), Ph.D. (Bristol), computational physics and computational chemistry related to PEM fuel cell processes; charge and water transport in ionomers.

A. Chkrebtii, M.Sc. (Kiev State University), Ph.D., (Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Kiev).

quantum physics of the solid state and its surfaces.

F. Gaspari, B.Sc. (Bologna), M.SC., Ph.D., materials and devices research and development of amor-phous silicon and carbon, and nano-crystalline materials.

W. Smith, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Toronto), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Waterloo), computational science, involving molec-ular-level modelling and computer simulation of fluids for predicting thermodynamic properties.

Engineering

G. Rizvi, B.E. (Karachi), M.S. (San José), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto). reinforced wood composites with superior mechanical properties, development of extrusion processing, technology for manufacture of fine-celled plastic/wood.

REGULATIONS

The general regulations and requirements of Trent University for the graduate degrees apply to the M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Materials Science. Students are normally admitted into the program once a year for studies beginning in the following September. The normal requirement for admission is an average of at least B+ (77%, GPA 3.3). The Graduate Programs Selection Committee will begin the selection process in the weeks following the application submission date of February 1. Applications received after this date will be accepted and considered for funding until all available positions/

spaces are filled. Entrance to the program in January or May of any calendar year is considered on a case by case basis.

The formal requirements for the M.Sc. degree in Materials Science are the following:

a) Each student must complete the core courses MTSC 6010H and MTSC 6020H.

b) Each student must attend and successfully complete the non-credit courses MTSC 6000H and 6100H in the first and second years of the program respectively.

d) At least two additional one-term courses acceptable for graduate credit must be completed with at least a 70% final grade in each course. Normally, courses taken for credit are those designated as Graduate Courses within the program. One of the four courses may be a fourth-year undergraduate course, approved by the student’s supervisor and the graduate program director.

e) The student must meet with his/her supervisory committee within the first six months of regis-tration, and subsequently at least once every twelve months. The committee consists of the student’s supervisor and at least two other faculty members in the program; each supervisory committee must include at least one faculty member from each institution.

f) An acceptable thesis on a research topic must be submitted. Detailed specifications of the format of the thesis are available from the Graduate Studies Office. Acceptance of the thesis requires the approval of an Examining Committee following an oral defence of the thesis.

The Examining Committee normally consists of three faculty members: the supervisor, one other member of the supervisory committee, and one member who is not on the supervisory committee and is appointed by the Director to chair the Committee.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program will normally have an M.Sc. degree in an applicable discipline. The suitability of the applicant’s background will be assessed on a case by case basis. The formal require-ments for the Ph.D degree in Materials Science are the following:

a) Each student must complete at least two one-term courses at the graduate level with at least a 70% final grade in each course.

b) The student must meet with his/her supervisory committee within the first six months of regis-tration and subsequently at least once every twelve months. The committee consists of the student’s supervisor and at least two other faculty members in the program; each supervisory committee must include at least one faculty member from each institution.

c) Each student must successfully complete an oral qualifying examination, normally at the beginning of their second year of study. This exam includes a written research proposal of

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approximately 10 pages describing the research to be undertaken, related previous literature and the primary techniques used in the research. The student will present their proposal to their supervising committee.

d) An acceptable thesis on a research topic must be submitted. Detailed specifications of the format of the thesis are available from the Graduate Studies Office. Acceptance of the thesis requires the approval of an Examining Committee following an oral defence of the thesis. The Examining Committee normally consists of four faculty members: the supervisor, one other member of the supervisory committee, one member who is not on the supervisory committee and an examiner external to the university.

Transfer from the M.Sc. Program to the Ph.D. Program

Materials Science M.Sc. students may transfer directly to the Ph.D. program after completing one academic year and their first progress report in the M.Sc. program if the following conditions are met:

1) completion of at least three courses in the master’s program with at least an A- average 2) strong evidence of research ability as identified by the supervisory committee

For students who transfer, the minimum number of courses taken during their graduate work in the two programs must be six one-term courses. Details on the transfer process are available from the program office.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Funding will be made up of Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Research Fellowships and Research Assistantships. Students will be eligible for support for two consecutive academic years provided they are making acceptable progress on their research for the M.Sc. and three consecutive years for Ph.D. students.

In addition to bursaries and scholarships available from Trent University, students contemplating application to the program are urged to apply for an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and/or a NSERC Scholarship as well as to additional external (non-university) funding agencies. Application materials for the OGS and NSERC are available online and from the School of Graduate Studies at Trent University.

For further information on financial support for graduate students, please refer to the graduate studies website: www.trentu.ca/graduatestudies/financialsupport.php.

COURSES AVAILABLE TO GRADUATE STUDENTS