Page category: Public
License:       CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

CONTENTS

Background

This page describes the information about the writing of the project work in Autumn semester and master's thesis in Spring semester. The project work corresponds to 15 ECTS and the master's thesis work corresponds to 30 ECTS. The project work is around 20 weeks. Master thesis work is for complete one semester. The Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT) is administratively responsible for the project and master thesis students. Students from the following degree programme are generally selected.

• Energy and the Environment 5-year programme, all branches, MTENERG
• Energy and the Environment 2-year programme, MIENERG
• Electric Power Engineering (international master programme) MSELPOWER
• Mechanical Engineering 5-year programme, branch Sustainable and Energy Efficient systems, MTMASKIN
• Mechanical Engineering 2-year programme, branch Sustainable and Energy Efficient systems, MTMASKIN
• Sustainable Energy (MSSE)
• Hydropower Development (MSB1)

Students, who selected the project with Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug and Chirag Trivedi, generally work in the Waterpower laboratory.  The work can be either experimental or numerical or both depending on the allocated tasks. Students selected for the project work in the Waterpower laboratory are largely continue master's thesis work on the same topic in Spring semester. Following courses are recommended for the project and master's thesis work.

• Autumn semester project work
  • TEP4521: Bærekraftige energisystemer, fordypningsprosjekt
  • TEP4506: Bærekraftige energisystemer, fordypningsemne (select two modules)
  • TEP4166: Numerisk strømningsberegning (option for CFD related project)
• Spring semester master's thesis work
  • TEP4906: Bærekraftige energisystemer, masteroppgave

Work space and location

A dedicated place to work, a desk, a chair and a computer will be provided to the selected students. The allocation of the desk and computer is generally occur before the startup date and it will be communicated via email. We have 20 desks with permanently fitted computers in the laboratory, and the allocation is carried out depending on the tasks in the project work. The student use same place and computer everyday during the Autumn and Spring semesters. The allocation will be terminated soon after submission of the master's thesis. In addition, the students will also have access to the kitchen, refrigerator and coffee. The students also have access to the 3d printing machine, training equipment, dedicated space for lunch and study room (must be reserved prior to use). The students will also have access to the local library, which includes several books, master thesis and phd thesis.

Location: https://link.mazemap.com/99uUh32B

Startup

Tasks for the project work and the master's thesis are assigned by the main supervisor therefore it is important to contact the supervisor and request the tasks as soon as possible, preferably before the semester startup date. Tasks are generally allocated as an agreement with introductory information and expectations from the students as project work. The project work and the thesis submission date is either provided by the EPT administration or marked in the task agreement.

At the start of the Autumn semester, a common meeting (general assembly) is called with all students, researchers and staff in the Waterpower laboratory. All students are expected/recommended to join the first meeting. The important information related to the project work, work environment, health, safety, and expectations is conveyed. Everyone affiliated to the Waterpower laboratory join the meeting and introduce themselves. Representative from the Waterpower laboratory will send the meeting invitation and location at the start of the semester. The meeting is generally organized in the study room (https://link.mazemap.com/CXy3RbiH) of the laboratory. Broadly following topics are covered during the general assembly:

1. Introduction by the supervisors, Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug and Chirag Trivedi.
2. Introduction by the researchers and staff working in the laboratory.
3. Introduction by the students and oral presentation of the project topic.
4. Information on work environment, health, safety, and emergency evacuation.
5. information related to resources in the laboratory, weekly duties, mainly kitchen cleaning and maintaining workspace in the student area.
6. Handling of windows near desk during summer time.
7. Practicality on coffee machine.
8. Spring semester excursions (Tour to Nepal).
9. Weekly progress meeting with supervisors and presentations.
10. Guideline to usage of resources, such as 3d printing, library books, IT resources, etc.
11. AOB.

It is also important to make plan for the project work or master thesis at the start of the semester and discuss with the supervisor. Students are recommended to use the available template and update the corresponding tasks.

  Download project plan template.

Progress

During the semester, the students usually carry out the assigned tasks and complete the project / master's thesis work. Supervisors usually arrange a weekly progress meeting with the students, where the students make their presentation on the tasks carried out during the week and proposed future activities. Sometime, phd students also join the meeting, if the research topic is in the similar field, to address practical question related to the project tasks.

Project report and master thesis writing

The students usually spend substantial time to carry out the research work during the semester, and the students deliver the project or master thesis at the end of the corresponding semester. This section provides guideline and help for the academic writing of the project work and the master's thesis. Overall guideline is available from NTNU (Academic writing - For students - NTNU), however, this is very generic guideline and applicable to all student. We, in the Waterpower laboratory, have developed customized help to our students. The developed guideline and help does neither guarantee high grade nor high quality of work. Same time, it is important to remember, good quality writing with clarity helps reader (or examiner) and make good impression about the scientific work. Since we are using identical structure and template for the project and master's thesis, the guideline is valid for both and no distinction is made. This guideline is valid for both project report and the master's thesis (hereafter referred as thesis). The project report and master's thesis are delivered via Inspera assessment system in NTNU. Instructions on the submission on Inspera is communicated by the administration (not supervisors) from the EPT.

Experience suggests that a minimum of four weeks is required to write a high-quality thesis. Therefore, it's crucial to prepare well ahead of time to avoid a last-minute rush. Outstanding research is of little value if not well-articulated in writing. Examiners, unfamiliar with you or your daily work, will judge your thesis solely on its written text and the interpretation of results. It is advisable to allocate ample time to craft a thesis or project report.

• It is good idea to start planning of thesis writing as early possible, two month before the submission date. You can use the project plan template for thesis writing indicating the chapter wise plan and milestones.
• Define important milestones related to writing contents in the thesis. Think about the contents and their organization. Then, set milestones for different chapters of the thesis.
• You may also like to write some chapters (draft) along with your work, for example, Introduction and literature review chapters.
• Progressive writing is often a better strategy than attempting to write everything at once.
• While there's no strict page limit, aim to write concisely and avoid redundancy. This approach not only saves you time in writing but also makes for a more efficient read for the examiner.