Seminar in Particle Physics and Astrophysical Sciences

5 ECTS credit course autumn 2025 - spring 2026 (course code: PAP301)

General information

Wednesday 14 - 16 in Exactum CK107
Seminar responsible: Prof. Kenneth Österberg
Physicum, third floor, room C327
Email: kenneth.osterberg (at) helsinki.fi

Autumn 2025 - spring 2026 course page updated 15.8.2025

• PARAS-programme: form for MSc thesis supervision agreement (Word file)
• TCM-programme: form for MSc thesis supervision agreement (Word file)

Course goals:
• Develop your oral and writing skills in scientific contexts of your own specialisation (presentation skills) in English
• Develop your peer-reviewing skills (feedback)
• Develop your ability to promote your expertise and market yourself (career development)
• Help you to find MSc thesis and start planning MSc thesis work (if not already on-going)

Course requirements:
• Make MSc thesis plan (if not yet done, autumn)
• Complete thesis disposition exercise and review others (autumn)
• Make career development related tasks (spring)
• One page abstract of seminar topic (spring)
• Giving of a 25 minute seminar (spring)
• Act as opponent to seminar at least twice (spring)
• Minimum 80 % attendance of seminars & career related lectures (spring)

Course assesment (based on seminar presentation, grading 0-5, same assesment criteria as FYS4006):
• 25 % timing (providing abstract 1 week in advance & slides 4 h before presentation and keeping the 25 min presentation time)
• 25 % abstract (title, clarity & readability, language and correspondence to presentation)
• 25 % presentation material (general impression, amount of slides, text & bullets and figures, formulas & tables)
• 25 % presentation itself (look & talk towards audience, audiable voice, suitable pace and answer to questions)

Program of the course

INTRODUCTORY LECTURES (preliminary dates):


• Wed 3.9. 14.15 in Exactum CK107: Introduction and MSc thesis planning
• Wed 15.10. 14.15 in Exactum CK107: MSc thesis structure and thesis disposition
• Wed 19.11. 14.15 in Exactum CK107: MSc thesis disposition discussion, introduction to seminar presentations and getting your message through
• Wed 10.12. 14.15 in Exactum CK107: First seminar presentations(?) & seminar planning (for spring)


SEMINAR SCHEDULE (all in Exactum CK107):