Basic scientific literacy is essential for understanding real-world applications of the natural sciences. As a consumer and voter, you will be faced with issues that
require a basic understanding of science. For example, you might ask yourself the following questions: How can genetically modified foods affect my health?
Should scientists be held liable for not predicting earthquakes that led to human casualties, as they were in Italy in 2012? Is anthropogenic climate change real?
Is fracking a concern where you live? Because of the prevalence of natural science issues such as these, it is important to understand basic natural science
concepts and how they impact our daily lives.
The project for this course has two parts. In part one, you will conduct a research investigation that examines an issue in the natural sciences. You will identify
appropriate resources for investigating the issue you select, use these resources to develop a question related to the issue, and apply natural science principles
to the issue and question. In addition, you will identify an audience who would be interested in the selected issue. In Part Two, you will develop a presentation
for the audience you identified in part one. In your presentation, you will explain how scientific thinking has impacted you and your audience, supporting your
claims with evidence.
Part one of this project addresses the following course outcomes:
Illustrate the impact of scientific thinking on personal and professional experiences
Select appropriate and relevant science resources in investigating contemporary issues in the natural sciences
Communicate effectively to specific audiences in examining fundamental aspects of the natural world
Apply essential principles of the natural sciences in addressing critical questions related to the natural world
Prompt
Select a contemporary issue in the natural sciences to investigate. You may select an issue that was discussed in the course, or you may select your own if you
have instructor approval. You could consider using your topic and question from Perspectives in the Natural Sciences if they are something you would like to
investigate further for this project. After selecting an issue, you will conduct a research investigation, identifying appropriate resources for researching the issue,
developing a question related to the issue, and applying principles of natural science to your issue and question. You will submit your planning document as a
written report.
Sample Solution