Spring of 2006, 5 credits.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:00 Noon to 1:45 pm, in #431 ISB
Instructor: Weixin Cheng, 416 ISB. Email: wxcheng@ucsc.edu, phone: 459-5317
Prerequisites:
By interview only: Looking for quality of prior work, relevant courses (e.g., ENVS 161/L, ENVS 168, etc.), and level of preparation (e.g., project ideas, initial plans, etc.). A final examination is NOT required.
This course is for seniors who have an interest in trying out their own research ideas pertaining to understanding of terrestrial ecosystems. It is designed for students in Environmental Studies majors, or combined majors between Environmental Studies and Earth Sciences or Biology/Ecology. Students in Biology or Earth Sciences can be considered for enrolling into the course if appropriate prerequisites are met, and if the instructor permits. The main philosophy of the course is to learn by doing. Students will present an idea for a project, review relevant literature, develop a research question/hypothesis, design and execute an experiment, collect and analyze data, and write a report. The instructor will evaluate the feasibility of each student's project initially. The course will proceed in the following order:
Week-1: Individually based literature review and hypothesis formulation. Each student will do a thorough literature search using electronic databases and compile a list of references for his or her perceived project, then revise or modify the original idea into a testable hypothesis.
Week-2: Each student will design an experiment or a study plan to test his or her hypothesis or to find possible answers to a research question, and will secure necessary materials, supplies, equipment, and other needs.
Week-3 through Week-7: Execute the project independently.
Week-8 through week-9: Data analysis, writing a report, and prepare for a short presentation.
Week-10: Presentation and feedback.
The instructor will provide each student access to a research laboratory equipped with various equipment and facilities, and will cover the necessary and reasonable expenses associated with materials and analytical cost using course support funds.
Evaluation:
The performance of each student will be evaluated according to the actual progress made by each student at each step of the whole course. Each student's overall evaluation will consist of the following parts: initial synthesis (15%); project design (15%); project execution and data collection (30%); and final report (40%). A pass grade requires at least 70% or higher overall score. Letter grades can be given upon request.
The overall objective of this course is to enhance student's ability to work and to learn independently and creatively.