How to liven up life in the laboratory

Engineering and science students often find practical projects undertaken in their third year of university are much more stimulating and a good source of learning than the two previous years of practical work. Some universities have tried to tackle the problem by giving their students more interesting project work earlier in their courses. Lancaster and Liverpool universities, England, have both devised new types of projects for their second year students where they work independently in teams but with the support of their tutors.