ENGR 100W Dr. Anagnos
Group Report and Oral Presentation
Draft of Report Due: November 5, 2008
Written Report Due: November 12
Practice for Oral Presentations: November 12
Oral Presentations: November 19
Objectives of Assignment:
· Apply a scientific approach to answer questions about earth and the environment.
· Locate, analyze, and evaluate supporting materials during research.
· Synthesize ideas encountered in multiple readings and presentations.
· Design a professional looking document to convey technical content.
· Demonstrate effective use of graphics in a document.
· Deliver an effective oral presentation.
· Demonstrate teamwork skills.
Assignment: Form groups of 3 or 4 students. As a group, select a topic from the list on the next page. Write a collaborative report that addresses your topic. Each person should write a section of the report. It is up to you to organize it, but each person is responsible for citing the sources of his or her information in the document using APA format. You must use at least two non-Internet sources (professional journal, either in hard copy form or from the library’s databases, a book, a newspaper article etc.). The paper should be a minimum of 2 pages per person (single spaced in 12 point font), plus all of the front matter, references, and appendices.
The group leader (you need to decide who this is) should attach a transmittal letter that includes evaluation of each person’s contribution to the group and the paper.
Guidelines for Report:
1. Complete the report with 12 point font, single space, a blank line between paragraphs, 1” margins, and numbered pages.
2. Include a letter of transmittal (see ENGR 100w web site if you don’t know how to do this)
3. Include a title page
4. Include a table of contents.
5. Include at least one table or figure.
6. Include a page with all of cited references, listed using APA format.
7. Turn the report ONCE into Turnitin.com under the name of person submitting the transmittal letter.
Guidelines for Oral Presentation:
1. Prepare an oral presentation of NO MORE THAN 2 minutes per person.
2. Use PowerPoint to support your presentation. Remember a good rule for PowerPoint is about one slide per minute.
3. Be concise and informative, and think carefully about the introduction, organization, and transitions.
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ENGR 100W Group Report Topics for Fall 2008 Dr. Anagnos
(Please form no more than 7 groups)
Topic / Team Names1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels? Discuss the current implementation and the future of biofuels. Include a national as well as international perspective.
2. Discuss some of the issues related to keeping our food supply safe. Describe some of the technology, processes, policies, or practices that can be used to resolve food safety issues.
3. Discuss waste in the ocean (don’t just limit yourself to trash, there are lots of types of waste). How does it get there? What are the issues associated with this waste? How can the ocean be made cleaner or protected from additional waste?
4. Discuss what is being done in the U.S. and around the world to recycle materials. What are some of the issues around recycling? What are some new techniques to make recycling more effective? Where and what are the most effective programs and what makes them effective?
5. Discuss wind energy, how and where is it used effectively. What are some of the challenges with this technology and what future directions is the wind industry taking?
6. Discuss several alternatives to conventional gas powered cars (examples: hybrid, electric, bio-fuel, diesel, fuel cell, plugged-in hybrid, natural gas). What are the advantages and disadvantages of these types of technologies? Where is the technology going in the near future?
7. What is hazardous waste and what are its effects? What are its sources? What is being done in the U.S. and around the world to eliminate sources of hazardous waste, store it, or process it so that it is no longer hazardous?
8. What is the future of nuclear power? Who is using it effectively? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this energy source?
9. What is green building design and how is it being implemented? Describe some specific applications, some examples of successes, some challenges to implementation.
10. Describe sources of air pollution and ways to minimize those sources and control pollution. Discuss impacts of air pollution on humans and the environment. How is air quality monitored? How is air pollution regulated?
11. Describe systems that under development or being used to monitor environmental hazards (atmosphere or ocean temp, hurricanes, ozone, volcanoes etc.) How are these being used to provide information for decision makers or early warning for business, government, and individuals?
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