#research degrees

[lottiestudying]

Honours in Australia? How does one?

So it occurred to me recently that Honours is something quite specific to Australia. Obviously the term exists in academic contexts elsewhere, but we don’t use the term in the same as say, the US.

Essentially, Honours is the Australian equivalent of a British Undergraduate thesis, or maybe a research capstone project in the States. It’s completed after you have met the graduation requirements of your Bachelors, and most will just leave university to enter the workforce at that point. But for those of us with specific research interests, or needing it to qualify for better paying entry level post grad jobs, or wanting to stay in academia, it’s quite important. It generally requires an average of 70% across undergrad (around a B, although higher for more competitive degrees, like psych).

It’s essentially a PhD compressed into the space of a year (often called a mini PhD). In the end, we produce a 20,000 word thesis, as opposed to 100,000 for a PhD (or around that). We take classes in semester one—compulsory research methods, & some relevant electives (I’ll share mine later), and then thesis writing era begins in semester 2 (although we do a lot of prep writing, like lit reviews & survey design) in the methods course).

We also have a supervisor as you would in a PhD. Some departments provide you with a supervisor, others you have to find as you would a standard PhD. I went with a Professor I had in my last year of undergrad, whose general research interests matched with mine.

Grading is based on the British system (First/Second/Third etc, with breakdowns in between (High 2:1 verse low, for example), although our grade boundaries are different (80% for equivalent of an A. Above 90s are rare in undergrad).

In the end, we re-graduate with our main degree (for me, Bachelor of Political Science), but with Honours this time (I deferred my actual ceremony because having two doesn’t make sense when I already have a second degree to finish).

Anyways, so that’s what I’ll be doing this year. Lots of reading, researching, assignments, and lots of other stuff happening in my life too. Hopefully this can explain what the little Honours brackets in my bio means.

Feel free to drop any questions :))) Wishing you all a (belated) happy new year.

[edulloyd]

Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Education: Complete Details

Explore the comprehensive details of a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Education program. Learn about its significance, eligibility criteri

Discover the Master of Philosophy degree and its significance in academia and beyond. Learn about the program's structure, eligibility criteria, and the various specializations available. Uncover the potential career paths, from advanced research roles to teaching positions, and understand how an M.Phil can elevate your expertise and professional opportunities. This blog provides insights to help you decide if pursuing an M.Phil is the right step for your academic and career aspirations.

[oztrekk]

Monash science researchers discover marker that should prevent cancer from spreading

Eight Australians are diagnosed with a form of leukemia every day. While there are treatments, many of these don’t work on all people or produce such serious side effects that the patient has to be withdrawn from treatment.

Researchers at the Monash School of Biomedical Sciences have discovered a marker on leukemic stem cells that should prevent the cancer from spreading. Because the marker is specific for the cancer cells, the treatment does not impact healthy cells—meaning that side effects may be limited.

Study science at Monash

The tumour marker is EphA3, and KB004, an antibody drug that binds to this marker, is undergoing clinical trials at several hospitals in Australia (including the Alfred Hospital) and in the US.

One of the diseases being treated is AML (acute myeloid leukemia), one of the deadliest and hardest to treat of the leukemias. To date, the outcome of the Phase I trial has been encouraging: as the drug has been well tolerated, even at high doses and has shown encouraging clinical activity. Phase 2 trials are set to begin by the end of this year.

Associate Professor Martin Lackmann from Monash University’s School of Biomedical Sciences has led the team researching the cancer target.

Associate Professor Lackmann and his team have been working on EphA3 for more than 15 years and have found it is present on a wide range of leukemia and lymphoma cells as well as on solid tumours such as brain, lung, colon and prostate cancers. Importantly the marker is almost non-existent on non-tumour cells making it an ideal target for cancer therapy.

Dr Andrew Wei led a clinical team at the Alfred Hospital that has treated some of the 30 patients receiving the anti-cancer agent, which is now called KB004. The trial at the Alfred Hospital is part of a multi-centre open-label Phase 1/2 trial organized and sponsored by KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, a US-based public Biotechnology Company. In the US the clinical trial is being conducted at a number of sites, including the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas and the Moffitt Cancer Centre in Florida as well as other equally prominent cancer centres.

Realizing its potential as a target for anti-cancer therapy, the Lackmann laboratory, together with a team of Australian collaborators including Professors Andrew Boyd from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, who discovered EphA3, and Andrew Scott from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, developed an early research version of the anti-EphA3 antibody as a potential anti-cancer agent.

“We are very excited to see progression of KB004 into the clinic, and in particular to be part of the multi-centre trial that allows us to treat leukemia patients at the Alfred Hospital with the new investigational therapy,” Monash AP Lackmann said when the trial opened in Melbourne earlier this month.

While the current trial is recruiting leukemia and other hematologic patients, the target protein EphA3 is also present in solid tumours.

About the School of Biomedical Sciences

The School of Biomedical Sciences is the largest School in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University.

Biochemistry and molecular biology are closely-related disciplines which study the chemical components of living cells, including the genetic material, in order to understand biological processes and how these are altered in disease.

Research and teaching in the department encompasses six broad themes: cell biology, signal transduction, host/pathogen interaction, structural biology, immunology and developmental biology. Monash University’s research is highly relevant to major human diseases and pathological processes, including infection, inflammation, diabetes and obesity, developmental and degenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

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Find out more about studying science at Monash University. 

[oztrekk]

Monash University medical research

A cure for congenital sight impairment caused by lens damage is closer following research by scientists at Monash University.

Associate Professor Tiziano Barberi and Dr Isabella Mengarelli from the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University are closer to growing parts of the human eye in the lab. They have, for the first time, derived and purified lens epithelium—the embryonic tissue from which the lens of the eye develops. The purity of the cells paves the way for future applications in regenerative medicine.

Further, the researchers caused these precursor cells to differentiate further into lens cells, providing a platform to test new drugs on human tissue in the lab.

Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to become any cell in the human body including, skin, blood and brain matter. Once the stem cells have begun to differentiate, the challenge for researchers is to control the process and produce only the desired, specific cells.

Using a technology known as fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), Associate Professor Barberi and his team were able to identify the precise combination of protein markers expressed in the lens epithelium that enabled them to isolate those cells from the rest of the cultures. Most markers are common to more than one type of cell, making it challenging to determine the exact mix of markers unique to the desired cells.

Monash University Associate Professor Barberi said this breakthrough would eventually help cure visual impairment caused by congenital cataracts or severe damage to the lens from injury, through lens transplants.

“The lens has to some extent, the ability to heal well following surgical intervention; however, with congenital cataracts, the fault is wired into the DNA, so the lens will re-grow with the original impairment. This problem is particularly prevalent in developing countries,” he said.

Combined with advances in producing pluripotent stem cells from fully differentiated adult cells, the research will also progress treatments for eye diseases.

“In the future, we will be able to take adult skin cells, for example, and turn back the clock to produce stem cells. From there, using processes like we have developed for lens epithelium, we will be able to produce diseased cells—an invaluable asset for medical research,” Associate Professor Barberi said.

The researchers will now focus on creating a lens more closely resembling a human eye in the lab.

“The lens cells that we created in the Petri dish are organized differently to those in a human eye. The next challenge is mimicking nature more perfectly,” Associate Professor Barberi said.

About the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute

The Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute is a $153-million  centre that officially opened in April 2009. It is based at the Monash University Clayton campus.

Established through a joint venture between Monash University and the Victorian Government, ARMI builds on the university’s existing strengths in biomedical research and supports the critical infrastructure required to deliver the next generation of discoveries in regenerative medicine.

At full capacity ARMI will be one of the world’s largest regenerative medicine and stem cell research centres. Its scientists focus on unraveling the basic mechanisms of the regenerative process, aiming to eventually enable doctors to prevent, halt and reverse damage to vital organs due to disease, injury or genetic conditions.

This work will form the basis of treatments for conditions such as neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, arthritis, musculo-skeletal and cardiovascular diseases.

Monash University Medical Science and Research Programs

Researchers bring real and positive change to people all over the world. Monash University encourages students to become a part of that global change.

Monash University offers a large range of research degrees, giving you the opportunity to research whatever you are most passionate about. These include degrees that allow you to mix coursework and professional practice and conduct research across disciplines.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Professional doctorates

Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

Masters by research

The Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University offers a master’s qualifying course and a range of research degrees (doctorates and master’s courses) that may be undertaken in any of the faculty’s schools. The faculty’s research programs are world renowned, especially in the areas of reproductive biology, embryonic stem cells and IVF as well as other research areas which one day promise to significantly contribute to the defence against degenerative conditions. Other research areas include investigations at the molecular and cellular levels, clinical research, public health interventions and the evaluation of health services. The Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences schools include

Biomedical Sciences

Central Clinical School

Eastern Health Clinical School

School for Indigenous Health

Medical Schools

Nursing and Midwifery

Primary Health Care

School of Psychology and Psychiatry

School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine

Rural Health

Southern Clinical School

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OzTREKK is the Canadian Application and Information Centre for Canadian students applying to or inquiring about study abroad, undergraduate and graduate/professional and research programs in Australia. Contact OzTREKK for more information about postgraduate medical science degrees and research degrees in Australia.