SCH4U Independent Study Summative Outline

The purpose of this project is to use your organizational skills to explore aspects of chemistry as well as business, marketing and economics.

Please read the following outline carefully to be sure you understand what the basis of the assignment is. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to be aware of the deadlines and the work that is required by those dates. Failure to adhere to the guidelines will affect your result in a negative manner.

Thursday, September 18th , 2014:Submission of topic for approval

Week of Monday, September 29thto Thursday, October 2nd, 2014:Progress e-mail sessions

Students will have a 1 week opportunity to pose questions relating to their research to date. Students are responsible to take the initiative to seek assistance with any issues to date. E-mail dialogue may be scheduled for each student within this week to touch base.

Tuesday, October 14th – Thursday October 16th, 2014: First draft submission

This should be a comprehensive rough draft of your final submission which includes :

1)working title(2)table of contents

3)text and citations (quotes)(4)tables and figures (on separate pages)

5)a complete reference list(6)any appendices (content that isn’t required as text)

Week of October 27th to Thursday, October 30th, 2014: Final submission of proposal accepted anytime before end of class on the Friday, so long as the student is present in all classes on the day of submission

Monday, November 17th , 2014: Presentations begin on a random basis

Evaluation

REPORT CRITERIA (should include the following)MARKS

Introduction style, background4

Chemistry Focus chemistry & referencing, inclusion of 4 of the 5 major units10

Proposed plan clear recommendation, target market, strategy for change8

Experiment introduction, chemistry, purpose & materials

procedural flowchart, analysis15

Summarybrief conclusion of the concepts from the experiment6

Referencescorrect referencing style5

AppendicesBrief tables and figures not required in the text2

TOTAL50

PROTOTYPE

Working natureFeasibility, practicality and market value10

Labelsclearly identified and relatable, WHMIS where applicable5

RepresentabilityEye-catching and inspirational10

TOTAL25

POSTER

InformationClarity and Relevance without repetition10

ReadabilityColour and attractiveness5

TOTAL15

PRESENTATION

Peer Evaluation(with the honesty factor) 10 ____

OVERALL TOTAL100

Research and Development Proposal

Background

You are a chemist who works in the research and development department of a well established corporation. The success of this company has been based on its commitment to product and process development. Their finesse for innovation has placed them as leaders in the marketplace. Such an example is 3M who delegates 30% of an employee’s time and resources to projects that they dream up themselves.

Currently your company’s products and processes are under semi-annual review. Each R&D chemist has been asked to submit a complete proposal on a development idea that would help increase the company’s cost-effectiveness and returns.

The marketing department has just completed their reports on the most recent customer surveys and have a comprehensive consumer profile for the country. It has become apparent that consumer’s wants and needs have changed drastically since the early 90’s as a direct result of the economy and environmental concerns.

Your proposal will be based upon one of 3 types of innovation:

1)New Product Development

-a completely new invention

-an existing product may be used as a model (i.e. an edible cup modeled after an ice cream cone)

2)Product change

-modifications to an existing product or process

-could involve any of the following :  identify a shortcoming of a product and solve it

( a detergent that doesn’t remove stains)

modify a product to meet new demands

( vary ingredients, colours or components)

extend the application of the product

( recycled rubber for shoe soles)

3)Process development

-modifications to existing procedures, methods, production schedules or plans

-can include increasing energy efficiency, product yield and purity, reducing or isolating wastes and increasing the application and diversity of a process (collecting broken graham crackers in a clean container and rerouting them back into the production line)

-a flow chart should be involved in the proposal to outline the new process

Topic Areas

Your company services one of the following markets:

1)Pharmaceuticals2)Herbicides & Pesticides

3)Construction products4)Foods and Beverages

5)Cosmetics, Health and Beauty 5)Fuels and Energy

7)Paper and Lumber8)Recycling and Material Recovery

9)Packaging and Wraps10)Aeronautics

Proposal (either rough or formal)

A typed report that is CONCISE and PERSUASIVE with the following information:

1) Introduction: Description of the commodity or process (set in the context of an imaginary company)

Background history

Summary of the chemistry involved

Changes in the consumer profile to indicate the need for the product

(examples : aging population, environmental concerns, nutritional awareness)

2) Proposed PlanRecommendation for change ('what you are going to do' in terms of theory/chemistry)

Identification of the target market

Proposed strategy for implementation of change

(examples: preliminary tests, surveys, pilot plant testing, using existing equipment)

3) Experimental DesignFormal write-up of tests that will have to be done to produce or test the process

Should include an introduction (including all relevant chemical information), purpose, outline of materials and apparatus required (including diagrams where necessary), procedure (plan for the controlled experiments in a flow chart), observations, results and conclusions

Should be included in an APPENDIX to the proposal

A synopsis of this work is to be included in the body of the proposal, with the formal work in an appendix appearing after the reference list

NOTE : THIS SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF THE PROJECT

4) SummaryIndicate how the company can benefit from these changes in terms of profits,

recognition and any other areas

5) PracticalPresent a proposal as a typed report with proper references (see the library for details)

Develop a sample, prototype or model of your innovation that can prove its viability

Produce a Bristol board promotional model for the idea that will accompany the above

Present your ideas to your peers in a ‘science fair’ presentation style

N.B. if you are unsure of how to write a proper scientific report, check with Mr. Ward Badenoch for an example to borrow, or check the internet under ‘writing research reports’

See the following websites for ideas and help:

1)

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