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LINKING-TO-LIFE TERM PROJECT PART D
Final Project Report
worth 35 pts
GRADING RUBRIC
OVERVIEW
2 Bonus Pts:
for early submittal before
Thanksgiving Day (before
Wed Nov 21
@ 11:59 pm)
1 Bonus Pt:
for early submittal after
the Thanksgiving Break (before Wed
Nov 28 @ 11:59 pm)
FINAL DUE DATE:
Monday Dec 3
before 11:59 pm
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OVERVIEW:
The goal of your Linking-to-Life project is to
investigate and/or creatively explore a question that connects some
aspect of Global Change science (as addressed in our GC 170A1 class) to YOUR everyday life (e.g., personal interests,
curiosity, academic major, present or future consumer choices,
future profession, social /environmental concerns, etc.)
To accomplish this goal the
project objectives are to: pose
a
question, investigate
it by collecting data/information,
analyze the information, draw a
conclusion, and
prepare a short report |
In PART A, you learned about the
Ecological Footprint and how different types of consumer and
lifestyle choices can affect it.
In PART B you selected one of the
following
Project Categories that
interested you and thought about ways that category relates to one or
more GLOBAL CHANGE class topics. You then
Posed a Research Question you wished
to investigate to learn more about how our class topics link to
your own life, your interests, your major, your concerns, etc.
In
PART C you then
Viewed Some Films
for inspiration and to give you some more ideas.
Now, in
your PART D
Final Project Report:
you will
Refine your Question,
Investigate it,
Present Your Results--and
draw a Conclusion.
TWO IMPORTANT GUIDELINES TO HELP
YOU IN YOUR FINAL PROJECT REPORT:
#1. The most
critical element of your Project Report is how accurately and
effectively you link your project topic and question to our
GC 170A1 course material!
There are many questions you could pursue in your
project, but do not get sidetracked on an issue that
doesn't link directly to one of our
class topics. In your report you
should explicitly state which of the course topics your project
links to (i.e. specifically state one or more topic #'s
such as: #6 The Radiation Laws, #8 Thermodynamics and
Energy Transformations, #15 Global Warming & Anthropogenic Forcing,
etc.).
For example, if you are interested
in the FOOD topic, do not get diverted into exploring issues
of food quality or nutritian, health issues, harmful ingredients,
toxics, etc. --While these issues are important, there are not
related directly to our course topics.
Important food topics that ARE related to our course might be the
reasons why vegetarians have a much lower carbon footprint than meat
eaters, the amount of energy or greenhouse gas emissions involved in
the production of different food products, the amount of energy
needed to transport food products to our grocery stores from their
place of origin, etc.
#2. One thing that may help you focus on
topics related to the course that are also linked
to your life, is to go back and review the
Ecological Footprint Calculator:
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS FOR PART D:
The assignment involves the following steps:
-
STEP 1: Refine
Question --
refine your previous question (from Part
B) -- if necessary--and/or pose a revised or different question
--based on things you've learned in the
course since then (and Dr H's Part B feedback).
-
STEP 2: Investigate --
collect the
data or supporting information you need, organize it in a way
that allows you to analyze and interpret it, and draw your conclusion based on
the supporting information.
-
STEP 3: Write up
a Project Report that:
(a)
summarizes your question, (b) presents the information and/or
data you collected and investigated to explore your
question, and (c) states what you found, concluded, decided, or
discovered through this process.
(Report should be 3-5 pages in
length, double spaced,
not including figures, tables or references)
[The total length of
the write-up is flexible if needed. Use the length you need to get your information across. Just don't go to either
extreme: i.e., a "bare bones" report with minimal
content or an over-the-top report with too much info or lots of
verbage without saying much!]
-
STEP 4: Dropbox
submission - Deposit your Report (Step 3) in the D2L Dropbox.
PROJECT CATEGORIES
See category choices below or devise your
own.
|
PROJECT CATEGORY |
Earth's
Global Environment
 |
Energy
Conservation
 |
Transportation
Options
 |
Water
Sustainability
 |
Food & the
Environment
 |
Artistic
Expression /
Advocacy
 |
GC-Savvy
Consumerism,
Sustainability & Business
 |
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
You are encouraged to come up with your OWN
question to investigate!
But if you like, you may use one of these suggestions. |
How
do human's impact the environment in different parts of the
world?
Are there global examples of sustainable practices?
What is my response to the "Home" film: "Listen . .
.to this extraordinary story and decide what you want to do
with it." |
Where does my energy come from?
How can I lower my carbon footprint -- why should I?
Is solar energy viable for me?
Will energy policies work?
Does our local utility have a "green power"
program? |
Can I find a "dream car" that balances performance, fuel
economy, cost, and "crashworthiness"?
What's the most sustainable form of transportation for my
needs?
What's the most promising type of alternative fuel vehicle?
What are
+ and - of travel by plane vs., train, vs. auto?
|
Where does
my water come from?
What are Tucson & Phoenix water managers doing to address sustainability?
How is climate change exacerbating the future of water in the
arid West -- and the world?
What's the connection between energy & water supplies?
|
How does food production impact global change?
How far does my food travel to get to me?
Why does meat add so much CO2?
How are food production and deforestation linked?
Which Tucson supermarkets provide the most food choices? |
Can
science and art be linked?
How
can my art, writing, or poetry express my views on the environment?
What does the SGC textbook cover "say" to me about Global
Change?
Is there an advocacy group that resonates with me?
|
How
can I make "global change savvy" consumer choices?
Can a business be run sustainably?
Can Energy Star labels help me find "green" electronics
and appliances?
How can I detect and avoid "greenwashing"? |
SUGGESTED FILMS & VIDEOS
highlighting =
full length movie
bold = key
short video
|
HOME
Acid Test: Ocean Acidification
sea level rise:
Tuvalu: the Sinking Feeling
&
Tracking Greenland's Glaciers
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Kilowatt Ours:
a Plan to Re-energize
America
The Story of
Cap & Trade
|
Who Killed
the Electric Car?
Understanding Car Crashes,
It's Basic Physics
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An American
Nile
&
Last Oasis
(Cadillac Desert
Episodes)
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FRESH - the Movie
The Story of Bottled Water
Cheeseburger
Footprint
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Photographic Artist
Chris Jordan
Earth: Art of a Changing World
Midway. Message from the Gyre |
The Story of Stuff
The Story of Electronics
The Interface Road
to Sustainability
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NOTE: OTHER CATEGORIES
OR ACTIVITIES ARE POSSIBLE!
Devise a category or activity of your own
along the lines of the examples posted above!
Then
email
Dr H to see if it will
be acceptable for this assignment.
STEP 1 - REFINE QUESTION
Decide on your final research question. Either refine
your previous Question (from Part B) , or pose a revised or
different Question
based on things you've learned in the
course since then (and Dr H's Part B feedback).
Then develop or refine an investigation plan
that connects one or more GC
170A concepts to your project
by
collecting supporting information that
allows you to answer or draw a valid conclusion
about your question (i.e., make a choice or
decision, make a "personal statement," or discover something new
and interesting) that links global change science to your life.
STEP 2 - INVESTIGATE
Click on the category links below
to find additional suggestions and ideas that may
help you investigate the question you have posed about one of the
categories.
(Note: if you find some links that are broken
on these pages, please let Dr H know!)
STEP 3 - REPORT
-- Report should be
3-5 pages in length
, double spaced,
not including figures, tables or references. (Font,
Times Roman 10-12 pt or similar) It should contain the following parts to organize it. (Please
include the underlined headings in your
report) :
-
Introduction
Start your report with a QUOTE that evoles the theme of
your project. (It can be the same quote you used
to introduce Part B, or a new one.) Then state
the PROJECT CATEGORY (listed
above) that you explored and
WHY it interested you. Then state the
QUESTION you posed for your
investigation of this category (either the original
quote from your PART B or a new question that you've
found to be better). In this paragarph
you should also include comments about the films/videos you watched
in Part C to learn more about your category.
-
Connection to Global
Change. Here is where you will
explain how your Project Cateogry and Question relate to
one or more of the topics of our course.
This is a key section of
the whole report so spend some time on it and be as
thoughtful, as
specific and as thorough as possible.
Be sure you mention the
general course topic(s) by name and number, e.g.
Topic #8 Thermodynamics, Topic #14 Global Warming
and Anthropogenic
Forcing, and then also include
more details about what in that course
topic specifically connects to your question and investigation
and explicitly how it does so, e.g., the 2nd law of
thermodynamics, the Keeling Curve, etc. etc..
-
Data & Methods Here explain
what you did, what data or information you
collected, where you got it, and how you organized
and analyzed
it (made a graph, put together a table of
information, did a comparison, etc.). Where possible, include the data (or a
summary table or listing of it).
-
Findings & Discussion
In this section express what
you found out through the analysis of your data /
information. Explain what you discovered and
learned, plus how your findings relate to the
original question you posed.
-
"The Bottom Line"
(a short
summary and concluding
section). In a section with the heading
"The Bottom Line"
begin by stating your conclusion
about the question you posed. Then
provide a reasoned explanation of how the
information or data you collected in your
investigation supports this conclusion.
-
[ NOTE:
Your investigation might have opened up new
questions, or -- after your investigation -- you
might find that there is no "easy"
answer to the question you posed originally.
That in itself is a "finding" or conclusion.
If this is the case for your project, state what you
found out and then also state what new
questions your research generated and/or what
more would have to be done to answer your the
question.]
-
References - Include a list of sources for your information
(e.g., include all
articles, and webpage URL's from which, you obtained
information).
Your citations should by
inserted in the text to connect the statement with
the source of the information for the statement. --
the way to do this as "In-Text" citations for a
scientific paper can be found
HERE. For a good handbook
on documentation of the sources of your research
CLICK
HERE
and refer to "Documenting Sources" to see examples of how to reference different types of sources,
including websites.
[The total length of
the write-up is flexible if needed. Use the length you need to get your information across. Just don't go to either
extreme: i.e., a "bare bones" report with minimal
content or an over-the-top report with too much info or lots of
verbage without saying much!]
STEP 4 --
DROPBOX -- Place your REPORT (Step 3)
in the appropriate D2L Dropbox by the due date:
Final Deadline = Wed Nov 28th by 11:59 pm
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