GEO105 Wk16 Scientific Approach to A Problem of Earth & Environment Discussion Scenario:The Don Reed Trust for Ocean Science provides a total of $10 millio

GEO105 Wk16 Scientific Approach to A Problem of Earth & Environment Discussion Scenario:The Don Reed Trust for Ocean Science provides a total of $10 million in awards to support scientific research of the ocean and coastlines for a period of three years. The emphasis of this year’s program is the ocean and climate change. The average level of funding per award is usually between $150,000 and $1,500,000, spread over three years. All investigators, that means you, must be the lead scientists on the project and be fully responsible for supervising the effort.Division of assignments:Students will begin working on the final exam by participating in the required discussions in the expeditions leading up to the final exam. These discussions will help students focus on potential ideas to develop in more detail on final exam. General Oceanography – Geology 105
Final Exam Instructions
See Greensheet for Date and Time of Final Exam
As defined by Undergraduate Studies at SJSU Area R courses: “An educated person will be
able to apply concepts and foundations learned in one area to other areas as part of a
lifelong learning process ……. and to develop abilities to address complex issues and problems
using disciplined analytic skills and creative techniques.”
Ocean science is a disciplined approach to address creative questions, the results of which
contribute to the body of knowledge about the ocean.
Throughout the class, you have participated in several critical steps in the scientific method
through a number of virtual scientific expeditions. The purpose of the final exam is to
engage students in the process of the scientific thinking as practiced by contemporary
ocean scientists, in other words the student are the scientists in this assignment.
In particular, this exam is designed to meet the goals stated above by addressing the three
required learning outcomes in the SJSU Studies Earth & Environment (Area R) category.
Students should be able to (1) demonstrate an understanding the methods and limits of
scientific investigation; (2) distinguish between science and pseudoscience and (3) apply a
scientific approach to answer questions about the earth and environment.
I. Final Exam Scenario – Read Closely
The Don Reed Trust for Ocean Science provides a total of $10
million in awards to support scientific research of the ocean and
coastlines for a period of three years. The emphasis of this
year’s program is the ocean and climate change. The average level
of funding per award is usually between $150,000 and $1,500,000,
spread over three years. All investigators, that means you, must
be the lead scientists on the project and be fully responsible for
supervising the effort.
Always remember — you are the scientist leading this project. Also your plan
must be realistic.
Students will apply a scientific approach by designing and describing a research
study that will acquire knowledge on a topic of their own selection within the broad
field of the ocean and climate change.
General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 1 of 5
1
Students will be asked to combine: (1) the scientific knowledge gained from this
class, (2) their personal imagination, critical thinking skills, and insight about the
methods of ocean science, (3) ability to communicate in a well-organized discussion
(clarity of thought), (4) a respect for accurate scientific data, and (5) a sharp
focus on developing a means of answering a very specific scientific question or
hypothesis pertaining to a research project of their own design.
II. Final Exam Format
Students will describe their research study in a 750-900 word-long essay, which is
fairly brief – 2 to 2.5 pages, double-spaced. Proposals over 950 words will be
subject to a penalty ranging between 5 and 30 points.
Each section needs a heading (Summary, Introduction, Background Information,
Project Description, Data Analysis and Significance of Proposed Work)
The proposal should be organized into the following sections:
Title page with one paragraph summary of not more than 100 words (not
included in 900 word limit)
I. Introduction – establishes the context, framework and importance for the
research and ends with a clear and well-focused statement of the question or
hypothesis to be addressed and the two-three sentence summary of the
methodology to be used. (1/2- 3/4 pages)
II. Background – provides just enough background information on the subject to be
able to identify what is presently known and where additional knowledge needs to
acquired (1/2 page)
III. Project Description – describes the proposed project design in as much detail
as possible to answer the Who, What, Where and How? (and how long?)
Describe the scientific experiment, test, computer model, computer analysis or field
study that you propose to complete to obtain knowledge that may be used address
the question or test of the hypothesis. (1 page)
IV. Data Analysis Plan – describe the plan to analyze the acquired data in order to
make a potential conclusion once the study is completed (1/4 page)
V. Significance of Proposed Work – offer your thoughts on the potential
importance and implications of your study (1/4 page)
VI. Reference List (not included in 900 word limit).
Grading of exam will be based on writing quality (30 points), critical and creative
thinking, and scientific knowledge of the topics covered in this class (114 points).
Proposal should contain at least two graphics, each with a descriptive caption.
General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 2 of 5
2
In preparing for exam, students should review the topics in the class that they believe are
the most interesting about the ocean and climate change and about which many questions
remain to be addressed by oceanographers. Students should also focus on topics that they
understand the best.
III. A Plan for a Scientific Study of the Ocean
After formulating a hypothesis or research question, students need to develop a detailed
plan of action or research plan, which often includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
who will be involved in study?
when will the study take place (maximum 3 years)?
where will the data be collected (specific locations – stations)?
what type of data will be collected and why?
how will the data be collected (very important)?
how often data will be collected?
how will the data be analyzed?
how do the different types of acquired data relate to one another and to
the question under investigation>
what is the significance of the proposed research
IV. Devising a Study Plan – Some of the questions you need to answer
1. What is needed to conduct your study?
“What do we need to know?”
a. What type of data will be necessary to address the question or hypothesis?
b. What resources are required to acquire these data? (Don’t worry about
specifics)
c. Where will you conduct study?
d. How will you organize your experiment or study?
e. Will you require a control group?
f. How long will it take to collect and analyze data?
All scientific studies build upon the work of previous studies, so you may need to present
the ideas of other scientists, however, you do not need to cite references in this paper as
there is simply not enough time or space. Let me repeat my advice on previous writing
assignments (and I apologize for the repetition), students cannot copy material directly
from other sources and paste text into exam without substantially rewriting it in your own
words – your answer should reflect your words, not those of the others.
V. Recap and Summary
You will be a professional oceanographer in this assignment proposing to lead a scientific
study that will contribute to our understanding about this question or hypothesis.
General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 3 of 5
3
Therefore, you will need to address the “What, Who, How, When, and Why” of your
hypothesis/question and the scientific approach you will present to address your
hypothesis/question.
The proposed project should have the potential to provide information on its clearly stated
scientific objectives, and be logical, well conceived, and justifiable.
The final exam is only a small part (14%) of the 1000 points in the class, so it has only a
small effect on your overall grade, unless you are on a borderline between letter grades or
put in either a truly stellar or very poor performance. Relax, it is much easier than you
think, mainly due to the word limit.
Grading Criteria
This assignment will assess your ability to (1) apply a scientific approach by identifying a
question about the ocean that can be addressed by science, (2) maintain a sharp focus on
this question and how it can be addressed to generate new knowledge based on a proposed
scientific investigation, (3) go into depth on the key elements of your proposed investigation
but within the word limit of the assignment, think logically and communicate your ideas
clearly.
30 points – Ability to communicate ideas and project design in writing, including
organization, grammar and composition, sentence structure, punctuation, clarity and
vocabulary
110 points – Ability to apply a scientific approach to a problem of the Earth and
environment; in this case, the ocean and climate change.
General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 4 of 5
4
See assignment area for detailed scoring rubric
If you have any questions, please keep in touch.
General Oceanography, GEOL 105, Page 5 of 5
5

Purchase answer to see full
attachment