CE 321 Section: 001, 002 and 003Spring 2009

CE 321 Section: 001, 002 and 003Spring 2009

INFORMATION PACKET

SECTION 001:Tuesday, 12.40 – 2.30 P.M, 1530 EB

SECTION 002:Tuesday, 3.00 – 4:50 P.M, 1530 EB

SECTION 003:Thursday, 3.00– 4:50P.M, 1530 EB

INSTRUCTORS:Pramod Thupaki, Graduate Assistant

Dipa Dey, Graduate Assistant

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

OFFICE HOURS:Pramod: Tuesday –10.30 -11.30 AM in 1530 EB

Dipa : Thursday-2.00-3.00 PM in 1530 EB

OFFICE PHONE:

EMAIL:

deydipa @msu.edu

Include “CE321” in the subject line

CE321 Website: http://www.egr.msu.edu/classes/ce321/wallace

ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES

ATTENDANCE:You must attend all lab sessions for which your group is scheduled. If you know in advance that you will not be able to attend, you must inform your lab partner and myself at least one day in advance. Accommodations will then be made to make-up the missed lab session. If an emergency arises and attendance is not possible, please contact me at the earliest possible convenience.

One will not receive a grade for a lab report if he/she failed to attend the scheduled lab session and failed to make it up.

Lab partners of absent individuals will be given full consideration to perform any laboratory experiments and subsequent write-ups on their own or with another group.

Obviously, these policies do not cover every possible scenario. If you plan to be absent or you are just generally concerned about these policies, please consult with me.

GRADING:The lab is worth 30% of the total course grade. Your lab performance will be based upon the following:

3 reports @ 20% each

2 memos @ 10% each

1 final exam @ 20%

The overall grading process of any writing assignment is quite subjective and may not coincide entirely with the more quantitative grading procedure suggested by the grading sheet.

Your lab ‘grade’ will be reported to Dr. Wallace as a percentage. This percentage will then be used to calculate how much the lab portion of the class will contribute to your final grade.

ASSIGNMENTS: Each laboratory experiment will have associated with it a laboratory report, a memo, or a set of questions to answer. Two of the labs will require a memo or letter write-up and the other three will require standard lab reports (you will be notified well in advance as to which type of assignment will be required for a specific lab exercise).

Laboratory exercises 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 all have pre-lab questions that are due on the day of the lab, before the laboratory session begins. These questions will be distributed in the lab session prior to their being due. The answers must be typewritten or computer-processed and must be on a separate sheet of paper that is stapled to the original question sheet. Each student must submit his or her own answers to these questions. A five-point penalty will be assessed for not completing the questions before the laboratory session.

The writing assignments will generally be due 1-2 weeks from their assignment. They will normally be due by 4:00 P.M in the CEE office (EB 3546 in the CE 321 box).

LAB GROUPS:Lab groups will be determined based upon class, major and other information provided to the TA from the background information sheet (handed out separately).

DISPUTES: If you are having problems with your lab partner; A) not coming to class, B) harassing you, C) not performing his/her fair share of the work, D) any other reason; my first suggestion is that you communicate the problem informally to that individual. However, if the problem persists, if you do not think your action will help, or if you are afraid to confront your partner, please come and see your TA immediately. Your concerns will be confidential and we will work together to remedy the situation.

FEEDBACK:I (TA) welcome your feedback at any time during the semester. If you have any suggestions to improve my teaching, the lab, the atmosphere of the class, anything, just let me know. You may make your suggestions by e-mail, ‘classical’ mail, personal meeting, telephone, fax, etc. I will only accept feedback from which I can identify the person. If you wish your feedback to be anonymous, you should get in touch with Dr.Wallace or the department chairperson. They will then give me the message. You will also obviously be given the chance to make anonymous feedback at the end of the semester through standard SIRS forms.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: If you need special accommodations for the class, you must first contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RPCD) at 120 Bessey Hall, 353-9642 (Voice), 355-1293 (TTY). They will then arrange for the best, most prompt, and certified assistance.

WRITING REQUIREMENTS AND TIPS

TRANSMITTAL LETTER: Each lab report (not memos) will have attached to it a transmittal letter. More information about this will be forthcoming.

STYLE:It is important not only to have good content in your writing, but to also present it clearly. To do this, the writer must be consistent with his or her use of fonts, headings, titles, etc. Therefore, you are free to choose the formatting style for your report. A separate handout lists the styles and fonts that I use when writing important documents. If you have not yet developed a style of your own, you may use these formatting ideas. However, no matter your style of choice I expect consistency throughout your documents and throughout the semester (i.e. – I would be disappointed to see a well formatted lab report followed two weeks later by one of different format that is obviously sub-standard.)

REFERENCING AND PLAGIARISM: You may use any in-document-referencing format you like. At a minimum, parenthetical references must contain the author’s last name and year. (See the sample styles sheet.) Include a bibliography of all works consulted during writing and a references section of only those works that are directly reference in your document. You are discouraged from looking at lab reports from years past. If you do examine old lab reports, you must include them in your bibliography. Keep in mind that many things concerning CE 321 have changed in the past couple of years - be wary of mistakes and inappropriate sections in them. You may not copy from old lab reports, even if you have obtained permission. You are being graded on original work.

LAB REPORT CHECKLIST: See separate handout.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

TA’s OUT-OF-TOWN: It is only fair that I let you know ahead of time when I am planning to be out of the Lansing area. If I become aware of any dates that I will be out of town, I will inform you immediately.

LAB SAFETY: Safety in the lab is paramount. Please see the safety documents for more explicit details. Pay attention to the underlined entries.

EQUIPMENT:The main piece of equipment we will be dealing with is the hydraulic bench. Information on other devices that we will be using will be distributed as needed.

EXAMPLE STYLE SHEETS

INTRODUCTION

The main subject headings (INTRODUCTION, OTHER INFORMATION, TABLES, REFERENCES) are in bold, all caps, 12 point. The body text is justified across the paper, is spaced at 1.5 lines, and is 12 point.

OTHER INFORMATION

There is an extra line between the end of a preceding section and the title for the next. Figures and tables should immediately follow their referencing in the paper. Figure 1 is a schematic of the East Lansing-Meridian Water and Sewer Authority Water Treatment Plant (ELMWSA WTP).

FIGURE 1

A simplified schematic representation of the ELMWSA WTP and the selected sampling point locations.

The figure should be left justified and should sit right below the text above it. The identifier is right below it, also left justified. The top part of the identifier is all caps, bold, 10 point. The bottom part of the identifier is 10 point. To reference a work, follow the sentence that contains the idea with the author’s name followed by the year of publication both surrounded by parentheses (EPA 1983).

Start new paragraphs within the same heading by leaving an empty line between them. Do not indent. Any type of list should be:

1) indented

2) single-spaced

3) lower-case (unless using complete sentences)

Never leave titles to subsequent sections dangling at the bottom of a page. Start them on the next page.

TABLES

Tables should also be left justified. However, their identifiers come at the top. Table 1 identifies some organic precursors that are essential in trihalomethane formation. Tables and Figures should always be referred to in the text. Italicize very important statements or words to make them stand out. However, do so very sparingly.

TABLE 1: Important information on organic precursors to trihalomethane formation

(Source: EPA 1983)

Tables should be separated from the text by adequate spacing on the top and bottom. The identifier is all bold and 10 point and the top part is also all caps. The source should be listed immediately below the table with the same formatting as the identifier except containing the word source and set off by parentheses.

REFERENCES

EPA (1983). Triahlomethanes in Drinking Water: Sampling, Analysis, Monitoring and Compliance - 570/9-83-002.

LAB SCHEDULE FOR SPRING 2009

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