GT Long-term Projects 2017-2018

Students will research and prepare a project on one of the following topics to be due April6, 2018. Presentations of the project will be given to the class the last week of school. Each presentation will be a PowerPoint includingresearch, data, and pictures. Presentations must be at least 5 minutes long. Each nine weeks parts of the project will be due and will count as grade for that grading period.

Choose one of the topics below that you are interested in for your project. You may partner with another GT student if you would like. The student doesn’t have to have Intensive Science the same period as you do, but be aware that you may have to work harder to coordinate your efforts.

Topics:

  1. Our climate is changing. Changes in the environment are also happening. Storms may be getting more severe and rain patterns may be changing. Commercial crops may also be affected by climate change. Research the effect climate change has had and will continue to have on the Coastal Bend.
  1. Apply your research to the effects that climate change has and will have on Portland farmers and backyard veggie growers/gardeners.
  2. Prepare a list of questions addressing climate change to ask area farmers and gardeners. (Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions. Remember that climate affects the entire environment not just the plants. It will also affect soil, water, pests, diseases, and pollinators as well.)
  3. Interview several farmers and backyard growers. (Gardening clubs and Master Gardeners are great people to start with.) Ask politely if you may photograph your subjects and video the interview. If someone does not wish to be videoed you may still interview them but be sure to take excellent notes so you can faithfully report their opinions and ideas.
  4. Prepare your PowerPoint presentation to thoroughly cover the subject and the impact for Portland TX. Include some ideas on how farmers and gardeners can help to mitigate effects. Make sure to include pictures that you have taken yourself, not pictures found on the internet. Put your videos on your PowerPoint.
  5. Practice your presentation, so you will be comfortable presenting your ideas. Don’t forget citations for your research.
  1. Educators and other professionals often work under extremely stressful conditions. Lack of windows and sunlight, as well as poor air flow and too close working conditions add to stress as much as long hours and high volume of work. The number of stress related diseases are becoming more prevalent, especially among highly scrutinized professions such as doctors, lawyers, and educators. Select three educators you would like to help and create a plan to make their environment a healthier and less stressful one. Research good office design, how stress affects the body, and what techniques can be used to lower stress without affecting performance.
  1. Get permission from the educators you’ve chosen to work with.
  2. Do your research and prepare a survey to help you assess your subjects’ stress levels. You may characterize them as somewhat stressed, moderately stressed, or extremely stressed.
  3. Create a 5 day regimen that you believe will lower the stress levels of your subjects. Go over the plan with your subjects and personalize it for each of them. Keep in mind it should be easy for them to do and should not affect their productivity.
  4. Help your subjects to make the most of their surroundings by using your research to make their office space/desk area/rooms more comfortable and soothing. Remember all your ideas must be approved by the subjects and be research based.
  5. Do a follow up survey after the allotted time to see if the stress levels of your subjects went down.
  6. Present your research, data, and findings in a PowerPoint presentation. Include before and after pictures of the environments. Include photos of your subjects working and destressing. Don’t forget citations for your research.

Advanced Project – The project below is for students who have extensive experience in projects and project design and would like an extra challenge.

  1. Everyone needs food. Food affects and nurtures the body in specific ways. Many people have chronic health issues that cause them to have special dietary needs. These people struggle with finding a good dietary plan that allows them the convenience to address their needs while on the go.
  1. Research one of the following chronic conditions.
  1. Diabetes
  2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  3. Fibromyalgia
  4. Crohn’s disease
  5. Colitis
  6. Arthritis
  1. Identify some friends or family members that may benefit from your research. Ask them if they will participate in your project.
  2. Design a week long meal plan to help reduce the effects of the disease and keep it under control.
  3. You will also design and create a recipe for a granola/breakfast/or snack bar and smoothie or juice drink that your subjects can take with them wherever they go. Remember to keep their personal tastes and allergies in mind when making the bar for them.(You will be preparing food for others to eat, so make sure it is prepared in clean conditions and that you have maintained a safe and clean environment to cook in. A parent must be available to supervise you as you are working in the kitchen.)
  4. Make your bar and drink. Do taste tests on your product and redesign if you need to.
  5. Create a survey to give to your subjects to get data on whether your products were convenient, tasty, and helped them.
  6. Present your research, findings, and photos of your products in a PowerPoint Presentation. To keep the conditions of your subjects confidential you should not include photos of them and you should change their names in your presentation. Do not forget to cite your research.

The following dates will help you stay on track with your project. These due dates are non-negotiable. If you know there will be a conflict, you may turn your work in early. Email me your work directly or share it with me on Office 365. If you would like to print your research and turn it in you may. If you need to borrow a camera to film your expert, you should let me know so we can work something out. Video files may be hard to work with on PowerPoint.

Official decision on which project you’re doing ------Due October 27, 2017

Background Research Begun ------October 28, 2017

Background Research Completed and turned in ------Due November 17, 2017

Creation of Action Plan, Data Sheets, Questionnaires, Interview questions, Subject Selection begun ------Dec. 11, 2017

Selection of Subjects completed and finalized. Data Sheets, Action Plans, Questionnaires Completed------Due January 12, 2018

Begin Data Collection, subject testing, recipe trials, and taking pictures relevant to topic. (All pictures in the presentation must be taken by student.)------January 13, 2018

Data Collection and Pictures Complete ------Due March 19, 2018

Begin PowerPoint Presentation including all data, pictures, interview video, questionnaires, conclusions and findings ------March 20, 2018

Completed Project/Presentation with all required elements ------Due April 6, 2018

Grades will be taken on the highlighted material