End of Semester Project for GEOL8-50 points
In this project, you will be assigned one of the following geology specializations to research in more detail during the first week of class:
• Biostratigraphy
• Climatology
• Economic geology
• Engineering geology
• Environmental geology
• Geochemistry
• Geoinformatics (GIS)
• Geomagnetism
• Geomorphology
• Geophysics
• Glaciology
• Historical geology
• Hydrology
• Igneous Petrology
• Marine geochemistry
• Marine geophysics
• Metamorphic Petrology
• Meteorology
• Micropaleontology
• Mineralogy
• Natural hazards geology
• Paleontology
• Petroleum geology
• Planetary geology (aka astrogeology or exogeology)
• Plate tectonics
• Sedimentology
• Seismology
• Stratigraphy
• Structural geology
• Volcanology
Choosing Your Form of Research Project
You will research your topic using your notes from class, your textbook and outside research (websites, scientific journal articles, and books on the subject). Your research on your provided topic must take one of the following forms:
• 5 to 10 minute podcast/audio documentary (think NPR; must have credited source material and must be submitted through Canvas) Note—you cannot do a podcast within a podcast!
• 5 to 10 minute short film/YouTube video (with credited artwork/photographs and source material, must be submitted through Canvas) Note—you cannot do a video within a video!
• 3 to 5 page typed and printed report (with properly cited sources, both in-text and end of text; see provided example on Canvas!)
• An informational website (with links to original source material, must be submitted on Canvas, and an example website will be linked on Canvas)
Any project you decide on must be an original work—it must be written in your own words and include in text and end of text citations! You will need to cite your sources for this project by following my citation format guide, which are provided in a separate document on Canvas. Citing sources is extremely important—if you do not cite sources in your project, and copy-paste any part of an article you research, you are plagiarizing! Plaigiarism.org has an excellent article on this topic, if you are unsure about the definition.
If you plagiarize any part of this project, you will fail the assignment and be reported to the Dean of Math and Science.
Research Project-Points to Include
• Background info on your field of study
(a) What is your field of study about? Define it and relate it to geology in general.
(b) What kinds of places or Earth features does your field of study focus on? Name some specific locations or features scientists in your field have discovered or explored (in the United States or elsewhere)
• Information on one person in your field of study
(a) What kind of work does your person do in the field—what is a typical “day in the life” for this person?
(b) How did your scientist earn their degree(s) or experience?
• How your field of geology connects to our course
(a) Refer back to your notes/textbook to aid you in responding to this prompt!
Approved Sources—you can use any of the following sources in research; please see me if you need help finding sources for your project!
• Google Scholar
• Microsoft Academic
• Science.gov
• Refseek
• Research Gate
• NASA, USGS, NOAA, NPS, and any other scientific branch of the government
• Any collegiate or professional website (EXCEPT social media!)
YOUR PROJECT CANNOT BE TURNED IN PAST THE DEADLINE-IT IS DUE