Lightening never strikes the same place twice

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Lightening never strikes the same place twice

BIOL 102: Introductory Biology Science Literacy Assignment
Content: There are many misconceptions about scientific concepts that are widely accepted by the general public. Some topics include cracking your knuckles cause arthritis and it takes seven years to digest gum. Students are required to research a topic of their choosing and write a term paper on it following the guidelines below. For assistance in choosing a topic, please consult the internet or your professor.
Be sure to use credible sources when conducting your literature search. One of the sources MUST be a credible scientific source such as Science Daily, Science News or Scientific American. Websites ending in .gov, .edu or .org are also great resources. Make sure that all sources are properly cited within the text and on a References/Works Cited page.
Due Date and Submission: Students will complete this assignment and submit an electronic copy by 11:59 pm on 4/20/18. No paper or email submissions will be accepted; this assignment MUST be submitted via Blackboard. The assignment may be submitted early, but NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED. If a student needs clarification, please email the instructor as soon as possible. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL IT IS DUE TO ASK QUESTIONS!
Grading: This assignment will be graded out of 100 points. For a breakdown of points, refer to the second page.
Paper Format: Students are expected to turn in a minimum of 4-pages. Use double-space, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, and 1-inch margins on all sides of the pages. The first page is the title page. Be sure to include a creative title and use center alignment. The body of the paper will be a minimum of 2 pages (excluding graphics). The last page will be the References/Works Cited page.
Failure to comply with format guidelines will result in point deductions.
Drafts: The literacy assignments will be submitted through SafeAssign which is a database that checks for plagiarism. Students are able and encouraged to submit drafts before the final submission to check the percent similarity (plagiarized material). The percent similarity must be below 15%. The instructor will not view the drafts unless requested by the student. Guidelines: Be sure to write a paragraph describing each of the following:
1) Introductory paragraph a. Introduce the misconception and give an overview of the paper
2) Describe the misconceptions and why people believe it.
a. Explain the misconception, why people believe the misconception and why it is so widespread.
3) Explain the correct scientific explanation of the phenomenon. a. What is the real cause of the misconception? b. What is the actual science underlining the misconception?
4) What is your personal reaction to the topic?
a. Describe your thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the issue. b. Did you believe the misconception? c. Do you believe it now?
i. Support your stance with facts.
5) Concluding paragraph a. What is the take-home message of the entire paper?
Grading Breakdown:
Other helpful hints:
 Remember to paraphrase when possible and try to avoid direct quotations. o Be sure to provide in-text citations for information that is not common knowledge or information that
was obtained from a source even when paraphrased.
 Explain each of the above points in DETAIL! Write more not less.
 Feel free to insert diagrams and pictures that help to illustrate your point. However, please remember that they are not included in your page count. So if you insert a graphic, then the body of the paper should be longer than 2 pages.
 Reread your paper paying close attention to spelling and grammar.
 Seek assistance if you require it.
 Do not wait until the day before it is due to begin this assignment.
Max pts Category To earn the maximum points
6 pts Format
1-in margins Double-spaced 12 pt Times New Roman font Minimum of 4 pages: title page, reference page, min 2 page body
12 pts Introduction Briefly introduce the topic and controversy Give an overview of what the reader should expect
20 pts Misconception Explain the misconception, why people believe the misconception and why it is so widespread.
20 pts Correct Scientific Explanation Explain the correct scientific explanation underlining the misconception
15 pts Personal Reaction Your feelings and WHY
12 pts Conclusion Concluding remarks
7.5 pts References In-text citations Correctly formatted references (APA format) At least one credible source
7.5 pts Originality, Creativity, Effort Minimum direct quotes Minimum spelling errors Minimum grammatical errors
Grading Rubric:
Criteria Excellent Above Average Average Below Average
Format Followed all format
guidelines 6 pts
Missing 1 formatting guideline
4-5 pts
Missing 2 formatting guidelines
1-3 pts
Less than 4 pages 0 pts
Introduction
Thoroughly introduced the topic and gave a
complete overview of the paper
10-12 pts
Adequately introduced the topic and gave a
satisfactory overview of the paper
6-9 pts
Inadequately introduced the topic or gave an
incomplete overview of the paper
3-5 pts
Provided a poor overview or no
introductory paragraph
0-2 pts
Misconception
Thoroughly stated and explained the
misconception and why it is believable
16-20 pts
Adequately stated and defined the
misconception and why it is believable
11-15 pts
Inadequately stated and defined and/or
explained the how and why
5-10 pts
Stated and defined the NBP but did not explain the how and
why 0-4 pts
Correct Scientific
Explanation
Thoroughly explains the correct scientific
explanation 16-20 pts
Adequately explains the correct scientific
explanation 11-15 pts
Poorly explains the correct scientific
explanation 5-10 pts
Missing or incorrectly explains the correct
scientific explanation 0-4 pts
Personal Reaction
Thoroughly describes and explains your pre- and
post- opinions using facts 12-15 pts
Adequately describes and explains your pre- and
post- opinion with little facts
8-11 pts
Describes and partially explains your opinion
with little to no factual support 4-7 pts
Missing or poor description and/or explanation of your
opinions 0-3 pts
Conclusions
Thoroughly provides concluding remarks and delivers a strong take-
home message 10-12 pts
Adequately provides concluding remarks and a
take-home message 7-9 pts
Provides concluding remarks without a well-
defined take-home message 4-6 pts
Missing or poorly concludes the topic
0-3 pts
References
Provides proper number and format of in-text
citations, correctly formatted references
page and used at least 1 credible source
6-7.5 pts
Missing a couple in-text citations, correctly
formatted references page and used at least 1
credible source 4-5 pts
Missing most in-text citations and/or
references 2-3 pts
No references page and/or no in-text
citations and/or no credible source used
0-1 pts
Effort
Less than 5% similarity, minimum errors and
minimum to no direct quotes
6-7.5 pts
Less than 15% similarity, some errors and
minimum use of direct quotes 4-5 pts
Less than 15% similarity, excessive use of direct quotes and/or errors
reduce readability 2-3 pts
More than 15% similarity
0-1 pts

effect of rapid population growth in the suburbs on local environments

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Ecological Footprint Assignment

Our ecological footprint is a way to measure the impact humans have on the natural environment. Every day, millions of Canadians drive their vehicles to work, school, or entertainment venues, which creates greenhouse gases and consumes non-renewable resources. These behaviours, and many other consumption habits, all contribute to our ecological footprint. Many experts believe that we are consuming more resources each year than the Earth can produce.
The topic of the paper is about the effect of rapid population growth in the suburbs on local environments. Your task is to explore the relationships that exist between population growth, personal consumption, technological development, and our ecological footprint and write an opinion paper based on your findings.
Below are a couple of links to sites that may help you in organizing your opinion paper. If you have any questions, please contact me. The paper should be about 3-4 pages excluding the title page and references page. All citations should be embedded and in APA format.
All information and relevant data are to be included in a logically sequenced manner.  In your writing, it is important to use appropriate writing style, tone, and scientific terminology.  Conduct your research using reliable, peer-reviewed and industry sources and ensure that sources listed in your reference list are directly related to information presented in your paper.  Use the appropriate referencing style for science to cite your sources.

modern food systems

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The purpose of this assignment is to better your research skills and your knowledge of modern food systems. You will select a food commodity and research the origin of the food and how it enters a world market and reaches your or someone else’s dinner plate. 
In this assignment you will learn to make better use of the searches you can conduct using Google and other searchers. You will gather the “best of” what you find and assemble these in a short report. The report will take the form of a bibliography. Your best findings will appear in alphabetical order of the author’s last name. You should have ten or more sources in your bibliography. We will conduct an advanced search in class. All your sources should be online PDF files! 
First you have to pick a food commodity. Here are some suggestions: pineapples, coffee, wheat, bananas, soy beans, corn, sorghum, rice, mangos, kiwi fruit, salmon, grass-fed beef, potatoes, tuna, olives, tea, chocolate, vanilla, sugarcane. It should be relatively easy to research, and have to do with agriculture and food markets.
Second you want to organize your preferences. For example you can conduct a search of government documents relating to Monsanto soybeans like this: Go to Advanced Search in Google. It’s a well-kept secret: http://www.google.com/advanced_search. This is the top of the Advanced Search page.

Biology And Technology In The Real World

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Essay: Biology And Technology In The Real World

Written Assignment 2: Biology and Technology in the Real World
Addresses course outcomes 1, 3, 4:
-recognize and explain how the scientific method is used to solve problems
– weigh evidence and make decisions based on strengths and limitations of scientific knowledge and the scientific method
– use knowledge of biological principles and the scientific method to ask relevant questions, develop hypotheses, design and conduct experiments, interpret results, and draw conclusions
This assignment will give you the opportunity to participate in ongoing scientific research.  For the past several years, I have been involved in ecological research in old-growth forests in Wisconsin.  A major problem in many woods is that the forest floor is dominated by a grasslike species, Pennsylvania sedge (likely due to the effects of high deer populations).  Another problem in many areas is that dominant trees, such as white pine and sugar maple, do not show successful reproduction to replace old pines and maples that die.
With support from a UMUC Faculty Research Grant to create this assignment, I collected data this summer to address the question, “Does Pennsylvania sedge inhibit regeneration of trees?”  Your assignment will be to follow the steps of the scientific method to analyze the field data to test the hypothesis that sedge inhibits tree reproduction.  We will also examine a second hypothesis that the sedge cover lowers biodiversity.  You will also be asked to generate new hypotheses from the data. (You also will be use the technology of Google Earth to examine the study site.)
You will be given the background and specifics of the assignment in detail during Week 4. The written report on the assignment will be due Monday 2 April at the end of Week 6 and worth 15% of your grade.