"As you know, we're studying safe levels for arsenic in drinking
water. To base our decision on sound science, the scientists told us we
needed to test the water glasses of about three thousand people. Thank
you for participating."
- President Bush, at the 3/29/01 Radio and Television Correspondents' Association 57th Annual Dinner. Federal regulations reducing cancer-causing arsenic levels in drinking water had just been canceled.
- President Bush, at the 3/29/01 Radio and Television Correspondents' Association 57th Annual Dinner. Federal regulations reducing cancer-causing arsenic levels in drinking water had just been canceled.
RESEARCH PAPERS
Two research papers on environmental topics are required for this course - choose from two (2) of the following eight (8) topic areas:
Marine Ecology
Climate Change/Atmospheric Studies
Biodiversity
Alternative Fuels and Energy
Health, Population and Agriculture
Clean Air
Clean Water
Waste Management/Recycling
One of the most important aspects of science literacy is awareness of current research. Your textbook is outdated as soon as it is written. You can depend on it for the broad basics of the discipline, but more is learned everyday and the only way we can hear about this new knowledge is to read current publications. An invaluable competency in science is communication. You will be judged on your writing skills for the rest of your school and working lives.
To address both of these abilities, two times a year you are required to submit a “summary of research” paper. A list of due dates will be posted. The paper should be a minimum of 5 pages, with a minimum of 5 sources. No more than three of the five sources may be from the Internet. A title page including topic, name, date, class period will be the cover page, followed by a minimum five-page text (5 pages = C), and a separate page, with title, for your references. References should be alphabetized using APA Science Style. A paper without references will not be graded. All sources (except those used for basic knowledge) should have publication dates within the last eight years. Make sure to read the rules for writing and citing sources thoroughly before beginning.
A good research paper must focus on a specific area within a discipline. Broad, sweeping topics could not possibly be contained within a small paper; many topics have thousands of books devoted to them. For this reason, topics such as "Coral Reefs," "Recycling," or "Electric Cars" are not acceptable.
Any Internet source (only .edu, .gov, and .org allowed) must be evaluated, using a standard evaluation form (2-pages-in-one version here). Click on the following links for more information:
General Rules for Writing
Citing Sources
Submitting Documents via E-mail
Sample Grading Rubric for a Research Paper
Things to Remember When Writing a Research Paper
Marine Ecology
Climate Change/Atmospheric Studies
Biodiversity
Alternative Fuels and Energy
Health, Population and Agriculture
Clean Air
Clean Water
Waste Management/Recycling
One of the most important aspects of science literacy is awareness of current research. Your textbook is outdated as soon as it is written. You can depend on it for the broad basics of the discipline, but more is learned everyday and the only way we can hear about this new knowledge is to read current publications. An invaluable competency in science is communication. You will be judged on your writing skills for the rest of your school and working lives.
To address both of these abilities, two times a year you are required to submit a “summary of research” paper. A list of due dates will be posted. The paper should be a minimum of 5 pages, with a minimum of 5 sources. No more than three of the five sources may be from the Internet. A title page including topic, name, date, class period will be the cover page, followed by a minimum five-page text (5 pages = C), and a separate page, with title, for your references. References should be alphabetized using APA Science Style. A paper without references will not be graded. All sources (except those used for basic knowledge) should have publication dates within the last eight years. Make sure to read the rules for writing and citing sources thoroughly before beginning.
A good research paper must focus on a specific area within a discipline. Broad, sweeping topics could not possibly be contained within a small paper; many topics have thousands of books devoted to them. For this reason, topics such as "Coral Reefs," "Recycling," or "Electric Cars" are not acceptable.
Any Internet source (only .edu, .gov, and .org allowed) must be evaluated, using a standard evaluation form (2-pages-in-one version here). Click on the following links for more information:
General Rules for Writing
Citing Sources
Submitting Documents via E-mail
Sample Grading Rubric for a Research Paper
Things to Remember When Writing a Research Paper
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