Student Research Projects
Astronomy and Cosmologies,
Spring 99
with E.J. Zita
Perhaps the most important part of your engagement
with Astronomy this Spring
will be your research project.
Venus,
by Jason Mateljak
and Shira Stefanik
Comets,
by Lydia Gordon
Orion
and Leo, by Jenna
Loughlin
and Gina Malizia
Luna,
by Roxanne
Murray and Jennifer
Nicholson
Dark
Matter, by Ethan
Romero-Severson and Aaron
Cool
Cosmic
Nurseries, by Joe
Miller
and Nick Port
Mars,
by Dan Strothman
and Rich Folk
The
Sun, by Jake
Herman and Derek Foreman
Supernovae,
by Jesse Barham and Scott Fraundorf
In 2 person teams, everyone should:
-
A) do a library research project on astronomical objects or events:
explain the science
-
B) do an observing project on the same thing: explain what you
see
-
C) research how another culture has understood your research topic:
explain cultural/historical meanings
-
D) produce your final report as a Web
page, including a bibliography
-
Write in your own words and credit your sources.
Keep quotations and paraphrasing to an absolute minimum.
Essential Resources
Weekly Tasks:
-
week 1: Brainstorm project ideas in class;
find potential members of your research team during afternoon group
work sessions. Attend the Library Research workshop and start finding articles
from journals such as Scientific American,
Physics Today, Nature, Science, Science
News, Astronomy.
-
week 2: Write up a one-page draft describing
your proposed research project and team. Tell
us your title, etc. by email, and we will set up a Web link for you
in the project folder: http://192.211.16.13/curricular/astro99/projfolder/(yourtitle).
Attend the Introduction to Web Authoring workshop and get your own Web
page.
Every week:
-
Get out and OBSERVE, (re-)read another article, meet with
your research partner and, together, fill out a project report.
-
Help aeach other to continually update your site, so that you can
all share information efficiently.
-
Each research partner should research the group's topic, discuss
progress and challenges with each other, communicate in person, share
information on your Web page, and help each other to keep focused
and engaged.
******************************
-
week 5: Prepare a three-page interim
report on your research project with your team. Post (or link) it on
your team Web page, and bring a hardcopy of your report and
your best article to your team conference with Zita next week. Make
relevant links to Web sites you are finding useful, but remember to use
journal articles, not web pages, as your primary resources.
Include a description of your project, your progress,
each team member's tasks, a bibliography
(with a sentence about the level and reliability of each source), and a
list of goals you'd like to complete by the end of this quarter.
Also please print out a copy of the first page of your web page,
with your URL in the header.
Photocopy the best journal article on your topic that you've
found. for me to read. If your favorite source is a book, bring that
in addition to your best article. If you have some favorite web
sites, make links to them on your web page so I can browse them at your
conference, but do not rely on web sites as your primary sources of
information.
******************************
-
week 6: Meet Zita as a team to discuss progress
so far, and use the rest of the week to really concentrate on your research.
Bring all the stuff you prepared in week 5 (above).
-
weeks 7-10:
-
Every team should participate in the Spring Science Fair in May. Make
a poster of your research-in-progress and present it in the
Library lobby area. Astronomy will pay your $5 registration fee. Evergreen's
Science and Math Network will give us details...
-
Continue to research and discuss your project, and
update your Web site.
-
Finish writing your report/tutorial and your bibliography on the
Web.
-
Present your team's research on your web page to the program.
-
Submit three candidate exam questions with proposed solutions.
Bibliography
You should read at least 8 high quality journal or book articles.
This may include an extra chapter from our textbook.
List all your sources. Include a sentence or two summarizing
the content and level of the source, and how you used it in your project.
First list all your print sources (these should be your primary sources)
Last, list all your web sources by URL, with links to them on your
web page (not your primary sources).
Click here
for an example of a bibliography - please annotate yours even more.
Crediting your sources:
In the text of your paper, cite your sources by (Author, page) for EVERY
instance where you got information from a source. That means every
number or fact you quote. If you find yourself crediting every sentence,
your writing is relying too heavily on sources. Your report should
be written IN YOUR OWN WORDS except for rare "quotes." Paraphrasing
is tricky and risky; too often it ends up close to plagiarism,
so I don't recommend paraphrasing at all. Ask me if you're not
sure. The Writing Center can also help. Also see
my notes on How
to Write Papers in Your Own Words
Put all sources away when you are writing, and write in your own
words, leaving blanks for numbers and other data that you do not
know by heart. Go back and fill those in, with proper credit, after
you have finished. Make sure your source is completely cited in your
annotated bibliography.
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Maintained by: E.J. Zita
Last modified: 29.March.99