Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

MICROBIOLOGY-RELATED CURRENT EVENT PAPER 

Microbiological topics are prevalent in today’s news media coverage and may be overlooked between the Sport’s page, comics, Dear Abby, sudoku puzzle or the FOX major headline of the day.  Advances in biotechnology, concerns with public health issues, infectious diseases and environmental concerns are just some of the many topics that are newsworthy.  The purpose of this activity is to increase student awareness of microbiological topics/concepts by utilizing reputable online/library resources.  

The student is responsible to collect at least 3 current references for their current event this semester and share the current event in lecture or laboratory with the class. The student is responsible for summarizing at least 2 science/nursing related journal references and one internet reference.  More than three references may be used in completing your selected current event.  

As you research your topic, identify potential problems or issues facing scientists today (ethical issues, public health policies, research value, governmental funding, etc.) and identify science’s influence on or contributions to today’s culture (technological advances, epidemiological studies, infectious disease controls, etc.).  

Your topic should be approved by the instructor prior to starting your current event (by February 7). The completed current event paper should be submitted before/by March 21. 

This exercise will be evaluated as a laboratory grade and will be worth 150 total points.  No late work is accepted.  Failure to share the current event with the class will result in a 25 point deduction.  Summations should be computer generated (double spaced) and should be four full pages in length. Plagiarized reports will not be accepted.  The font should be Times New Roman and the font size 12 for this exercise. APA format of documentation should be followed.  
Submission of your Microbiology current event should be as a file upload (doc or docx) in Canvas. Remember that Turnitin is enabled for this assignment, so please do not plagiarize. If your originality report from Turnitin is too high, you are probably plagiarizing. Your originality report score needs to be below 30% to insure that potential plagiarism issues are being monitored. 
Please note that students that have previously attempted the course will need to select and complete a different microbiology-related current event topic. Also note that papers that have previously been submitted and evaluated for the microbiology course cannot be resubmitted for evaluation.  
Databases and information on proper APA formatting for citations and references is provided under the “Library” tab of the Panola College homepage.  The link is as follows:  http://www.panola.edu/library/fresource.html 

The following format should be followed for your current event report: 

1) Title Page  2) Abstract 3) Report Content: 4+ pages 4) Reference Page 

If you have not written an APA formatted paper you may wish to view the following You-Tube video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xntxoinC0wA 

MICROBIOLOGY CURRENT EVENT GRADING RUBRIC CATEGORY EXCELLE NT ABOVE EXPECTATIO NS ACCEPTAB LE UNACCEPTAB LE POINTS AVAILAB LE TITLE PAGE/ ABSTRACT/ HEADERS *Present with correct components and proper APA formatting. *Present with minor issues with correct components and proper APA formatting. *Present with little indication of correct components and proper APA formatting. *Not present or no indication of proper components or proper APA formatting. 15 POINTS CONTENT *Informatio n related to the selected topic was properly introduced and specific components of the selected topic were  thoroughly covered. *Information related to the selected topic was adequately introduced and specific components of the selected topic were  adequately covered. *Information related to the selected topic was minimally introduced and specific components of the selected topic were  minimally covered. *Information related to the selected topic was not properly introduced and specific components of the selected topic were  incomplete or lacking. 75 POINTS GRAMMAR & MECHANICS *Spelling, grammar and sentence structure are excellent. *Spelling, grammar and sentence structure are adequate. *Spelling, grammar and sentence structure are mostly appropriate. *Spelling, grammar and sentence structure are consistently lacking or inappropriate. 15 POINTS CITATIONS & REFERENCES *Proper references are selected and citations follow correct APA formatting.  *Proper references and citations are noted and mostly follow correct APA formatting. *References and citations are present but some issues are noted with correct APA formatting. *References and citations are incomplete or lacking and do not follow correct APA formatting. 20 POINTS ORAL PRESENTATI ON Oral presentation, presentation style, grammar are excellent. Oral presentation, presentation style, grammar are above expectations. Oral presentation, presentation style, grammar are adequate. Oral presentation, presentation style, grammar are unacceptable or lacking. 25 POINTS LACK OF A PROPER ORIGINALITY SCORE (TURNITIN) WILL RESULT IN A REDUCED GRADE AND PLAGIARISM COULD RESULT IN A GRADE OF “0” FOR YOUR MICROBIOLOGY CURRENT EVENT. GRADE REFLECTS A TOTAL OF  150 POINTS      

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY FINAL ESSAY QUESTIONS
Please select two (2) questions from the following and write a two-three-page essay on the topic.  Each essay must be a full two-three-pages, double-spaced, using a typewriter or word processor, with one-inch margins.  Include your name and date on each paper.  Final Essay Questions must be turned in on MONDAY, JUNE 6 - one week before the Final Exam. Each essay will be graded for accuracy and fullness of content, along with punctuation, grammar, spelling, and sentence and paragraph structure.  You may use your notes, textbook, or other reference sources. Be careful about plagiarism – copying will result in an F for the essays.  Include a reference or bibliography page with each essay.

EXPLAIN THE MECHANICS OF PHYSICAL WEATHERING.  WHAT TYPE OF MATERIAL IS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS TYPE OF WEATHERING? WHERE DOES THIS TYPE OF WEATHERING TAKE PLACE? WHAT EFFECTS DOES THIS WEATHERING TYPE HAVE IN TERMS OF ROCK STABILITY, LANDSLIDE OR DEBRIS FLOW CONDITIONS?  YOUR ESSAY SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ON THE TIME FRAMES INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS, AND IT’S GENERAL RELEVANCE TO WEATHERING OF ROCK MATERIALS IN GENERAL.

DESCRIBE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES.  INCLUDE IN YOUR DESCRIPTION THE TYPES AND SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION, OVERDRAWING AND ITS EFFECT ON THE WATER TABLE.  YOUR ESSAY SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PHREATIC AND VADOSE ZONES.

DESCRIBE THE THREE PROCESSES BY WHICH WATER IN A STREAM/RIVER CAN TRANSPORT MATERIAL.  INCLUDE AN EXPLANATION OF EACH PROCESS (AND THE “SUBPROCESSES”).  YOUR ESSAY SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ON DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STREAM CAPACITY AND STREAM COMPETENCE.

DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF MASS MOVEMENT.  INCLUDE IN YOUR ESSAY A DISCUSSION REGARDING MATERIALS INVOLVED, SPEED, SLOPE ANGLES, CLIMATIC FACTORS, ROCK STABILITY AND OTHER FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE DOWNSLOPE MOVEMENT OF ROCK BODIES AND SEDIMENT.  YOUR ESSAY SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE NOTABLE LANDSLIDES, MUDSLIDES, AS WELL AS A DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FINAL MOVEMENT.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

CUMULATIVE:  POSSIBLE SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS  FOUR OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WILL ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL EXAM FOR THE CUMULATIVE PORTION OF THE EXAM. EACH QUESTION WILL BE WORTH 5 POINTS.
(1) Describe El Niño-Southern Oscillation Events (ENSO). Include in your discussion, changes in local weather patterns, including rain/drought patterns, changes in air pressure systems, changes in local, regional and global wind patterns, changes in ocean currents, upwelling, and other possible occurrences during a major ENSO event. Also include any possible long-term economic consequences associated with ENSO events.

(2) A city located near a large body of water will generally have a milder climate than a city located inland.  Describe the factors that account for this difference.  Include in your discussion: heat exchange processes, water-land interactions, mixing of solar energy and water, possible pressure system interactions, and any other process(es) directly related to this climatic difference.

(3) Name and define the Greenhouse Gases.  Include in your discussion: sources, both natural and human-induced sources, which gases are increasing and why, and possible environmental consequences relating to the increase in quantity of the gases in the atmosphere.

(4) Describe the atmospheric conditions that are favorable for the development of a hurricane.  Include in your discussion the source of energy for hurricanes, factors that tend to weaken hurricanes, and typical values for the following hurricane characteristics: diameter, location and size of the eye, direction of rotation and speed of winds, central pressure, direction and speed of movement and duration.  Additionally, describe why these types of storms produce so much rain.

(5) List and describe the different types of faults. Include in your discussion the forces working to create each type of fault, examples and locations for the faults, as well as the development of fault-block mountains such as the Sierra Nevada and the Basin and Range Province in Western North America.  Give special attention to the San Andreas Fault in California!

(6) Briefly describe how plate tectonics explains mountain building.  Include in your discussion all the different types of mountains, including volcanic, faulted and folded; listing examples of each type, their location and the tectonics involved.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer: 

Write an essay about bulldog breeds

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer: 

this assignment asks you to write a formal letter about a wildlife conservation or management issue. The letter may deal with either a real or fictional situation, but it should be a significant concern and should be handled in a serious (not humorous) way, demonstrating your understanding of the ecological and policy issues involved and reflecting your understanding. You will need to get my approval of your topic because I want to be sure that you will be able to find adequate source information. 

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer 

COMPARATIVE ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS

Selection of Topic
Choose 1 of the following topics for your Comparative Essay:
1.    Original creation of the earth (nebular hypothesis vs. six-day creation),
2.    Geologic time (billions of years vs. thousands of years),
3.    Dating the rocks of the grand canyon (old earth vs. young earth),
4.    Geologic paradigms (uniformitarianism vs. catastrophism), or
5.    Radiocarbon dating (old-earth vs. young-earth methods/assumptions).

Content and Outline
Use the following outline when writing your paper. Each point on the below outline must be a separate section (with the section heading, as indicated) within your paper.  
I.    Introduction
•    Indicate which topic you chose from the list above.
•    Indicate the purpose of your paper (i.e., to compare old-earth and young-earth viewpoints on your chosen topic).
II.    Old-Earth Secular View
•    What is the old-earth secular viewpoint on your chosen topic?
o    Do not discuss the old-earth creationist viewpoint on your chosen topic. For a description of old-earth creationism, go to http://www.icr.org/article/4535/.  
III.    Young-Earth View
•    What is the young-earth viewpoint on your chosen topic?
IV.    Comparison of the Viewpoints
•    Comparison is articulating similarities between the 2 viewpoints.
•    Be sure to provide at least 2 similarities (comparisons) between the viewpoints.
V.    Contrast of the Viewpoints
•    Contrast is articulating differences between the 2 viewpoints.
•    Be sure to provide at least 2 differences (contrasts) between the viewpoints.
VI.    Conclusion
•    Provide a summary statement for your paper.
•    Be sure to restate your purpose.
•    Do not introduce new material in your conclusion.  

Format
You must use current APA formatting. Papers must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins. Font is to be 12-point Courier New or 12-point Times New Roman. Include a title page with your name, instructor’s name, course number and title (i.e., PHSC 210, Elements of Earth Science), date, and paper title. There is no need to include an abstract in your paper. 

Sources
Your Comparative Essay must include at least 4 scholarly sources in addition the course textbooks. Of these required sources, 2 must be from an old-earth perspective and 2 from a young-earth perspective. Acceptable sources include journal articles, manuscripts, scholarly textbooks, and/or internet sites from .edu or .gov sources. Avoid internet sites from .com, .net, .org, etc. as the information contained therein are not often peer reviewed. There are exceptions to this rule (e.g., the Insitute for Creation Research site is a .org site, but it has been judged a reputable site by those in the young-earth community); however, as a general rule, avoid these sites. In particular, avoid Wikipedia. Study Bibles are also not appropriate for this assignment.

Citation
Be sure to cite your sources in the body of your paper using current APA formatting. Examples of current APA formatting rules can be found here. Also, a presentation about current APA formatting is provided in Module/Week 7.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer: 
For Assignment 2, you are to choose a species of wildlife you would like to work on for the rest of the semester and develop a scientific, (cited) 4-5 page (excluding cover sheet, figures, and Works Cited pages) detailed life history. Sections should include an Introduction, Species Description (from the literature), Life Cycle, reproductive Strategy, Conclusions/Student Learning Point, and Literature Cited. At least 5 published journal articles MUST be used!

This is meant to be a scientific life history, full of data and details found in the published literature, not an overview one would give to a non-scientist.

You do not have to limit your species choice to the "charismatic megafauna" (bears, wolves, etc.). Also acceptable are small mammals, amphibians and reptiles, bats, and birds - something that interests you as well as makes for interesting reading.

As a guide, check out the following article because there is a nice table within that provides a list of items that can appear in a life history study: (You should use at least half of these items in your life history submission!)
McCallum, M.L. and J.L. McCallum. 2006. Publication trends of natural history and field studies in herpetology. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 1(1):62-67.http://www.herpconbio.org/volume_1/issue_1/McCallum_McCallum_2006.pdf

If you are wondering why it is important to understand an animal's life history as a wildlife manager, read this article written by long-time wildlife ecologist and winner of the Fitch Award for his contributions to natural history, R. Bruce Bury.  Bruce Bury is considered one of the international leaders and world experts on wildlife responses to fire....

R. Bruce Bury. 2006. Natural history, field ecology, conservation biology and wildlife management: Time to connect the dots.  Herpetological Conservation and Biology 1(1):56-61.
http://www.herpconbio.org/volume_1/issue_1/Bury_2006.pdf

Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 

Explain what's  the solar system and all information about it  its history and all Information about it

Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 

The paper should be 10-12 pages in length, double spaced.  Please use APA style for references. The topic of the paper is the evolution of sex in humans. It should have an introduction with a thesis, what sex is, the advantages of sex, types of forms, how it evolved and a conclusion. I recommend starting out broadly and trimming when you have too much to work with. You can focus specifically on mammals or Humans, or maybe to look at sex and reproduction (Which will include all kinds of life)?  If you limit it to Plants and animals you will have less territory to cover, but more than enough to work with. You ultimately will decide the scope of the paper. You can use online sources and the book, Undeniable by Bill Nye. 
Thank you!

Questions and Topics We Can Help to Answer
Paper Instructions;

multiple perspectives on the risks and rewards of nuclear energy

Questions and Topics We Can Help to Answer
Paper Instructions;

Female copperhead snakes have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. In your opinion, which method is best for the species in general and why? 
Develop your opinion and include the following in your post:
Discuss asexual and sexual reproduction in terms of genetic diversity. How is meiosis related to genetic diversity? 
Use one of Gregor Mendel's ideas to support your opinion.
Cite your sources according to APA guidelines. See the Center for Writing Excellence for more information on using APA style.

Questions We Can Help to Answer
Instructions:

You do not need to answer all the questions, but your paper should address the major points of gender socialization. Once again, make sure you use concepts from the readings and videos that are associated with socialization to support your arguments.

From what you know about your own upbringing, what were the major socializing agents in your childhood?
Discuss what behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, etc. you learned from these agents and how your socialization has influenced the person you are today.
Toys for female children often socialize them to be talkative, relational, expressive, and domestic. Toys for male children often socialize them to minimize talking while focus on strategizing (army toys), on physical aggression (guns, actions figures), on thinking (building blocks), on danger (swords, grenades). Think of your experience as child and what toys helped to socialize you. Describe what toys, items, or activities you think had a significant influence on your present adult behaviors, attitudes, values, etc. and how/why.
I tend to agree with research in that both sexes lack certain characteristics due to gender socialization. For instance, females may focus too much on relationships while males have difficulty discussing their feelings. Do you think the way our culture socializes girls and boys is positive or negative? Both?
How do you think you might socialize a child if you were the parent? Would you do it the same or differently from the way you were raised? Why?