Start your research early to ensure success, and feel free to discuss your research with me at any point. This project forms 20% of your grade, so you should expect to spent a lot of time on it. Your grade on the project will be based on a poster presentation scheduled for the last week of class.

Your poster should summarize your work (one poster per person). Each student should obtain a piece of poster board, a trifold, or poster paper approximately 4'x3' in size. Each student should choose a title and write an introduction and conclusion. Each student should have her/his name on the poster, written underneath the title. Each student should then select at least 4 figures that illustrates his/her project. The figure can be a photograph, a graph, a sketch, or a table. Ideally, the figures should complement one another, forming the basis for your project's "story". 

You must use at least 3 separate references. At least two references must be from textbooks, other reference or scholarly books, or articles from well-recognized journals or science-oriented magazines (i.e. not a web site). You must list all your references, and any direct quotes must be indicated as such. Please be very careful about your referencing. If you copy any exact wording from one of your sources, you must cite the source in your text. If you fail to do so, you run the risk of plagiarizing. Even if you are paraphrasing in your own words something that is clearly another's idea or opinion, you must mention the source. Much of what you write should represent your own synthesis of what you've learned.

The point of your poster is to communicate your project with each other. Posters will be hung on the wall during the last week of class. Each student will have a scheduled day to present his/her poster.  You will stand next to your poster during the poster symposium, and explain your project to anyone who pauses to look at your work. Each person in the class is required to review at least 6 posters (NOT your own) over the 4 day period. This will be part of your participation grade. Everyone must come to class every day that week, even if you are not presenting. Suggestions for preparing posters can be found here. The poster review form can be downloaded here.

** Note: If you are taking this class as a "W" course, you must write a paper 3000-3500 words in length (about 10-12 pages of double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font). The first draft is due on Monday, November 30, 2009 at 10:30am. I will provide comments to you by Friday, December 4, 2009. The paper must be revised based on my comments. The revised paper is due on the last day of class, Friday, December 11, 2009 at 10:30am. For more info on the "W" requirement, click here.

The written paper must be a solid piece of writing. The paper must include a title, introduction, discussion of the subject matter, and conclusion. Supplementary tables and figures are encouraged, and datasets, references and other sources of information used in the paper should be listed in sufficient detail at the end so that an interested reader would be able to locate them. You must use at least 3 separate references. At least two references must be from textbooks, other reference or scholarly books, or articles from well-recognized journals or science-oriented magazines (i.e. not a web site). You must list all your references, and any direct quotes must be indicated as such. Please be very careful about your referencing. If you copy any exact wording from one of your sources, you must cite the source in your text. If you fail to do so, you run the risk of plagiarizing. Even if you are paraphrasing in your own words something that is clearly another's idea or opinion, you must mention the source. Much of what you write should represent your own synthesis of what you've learned.