Authentic Science Research (ASR)

A class for students who want to make Science their career.

Senior Workbook

Dr. Burgessburgessm@mersd.org

http://www.merhs.mersd.org/Pages/MERHS_Teachers/MERHS_MBur/index1

Table of Contents for the Senior Workbook

I Student researchSummer contacts – 3 requiredLab notebook

II Dissemination of Research ResultsNational:Siemens Math, Science & Engineering Competitionhttp://siemens.collegeboard.org/Due: Mon, Sept 30, electronic submission only

Intel Talent Searchhttp://www.societyforscience.org/Page.aspx?pid=262Transcript/Recommendations Due Date- November 6, 2013Technical Support Deadline – November 12, 2013Application Deadline- November 13, 2013

Davidson Fellowshttp://www.examiner.com/article/davidson-institute-awards-fellowships-to-18-

extraordinary-studentsDue: Check website for 2014 dates

BioGENEius Challengehttp://www.biotechinstitute.org/go.cfm

Google Science Fairhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/2013/Due: Check website for 2014 dates

The DuPont Challengehttp://thechallenge.dupont.com/challenges/

Exploravisionhttp://thechallenge.dupont.com/challenges/

Regional:Junior Science and Humanities Symposiumhttp://www.jshs.org/

Local:Oral powerpoint presentation to school and communityPoster presentation to school committee

III Assessment and the student conferenceBiweekly assessment of performanceGrading rubricGrading scheme

IV Research Seminar Series

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Description of the ASR course, 2-year honors course for grades 11 and 12ASR enables students to independently learn-about and practice authentic and original scientific research. This 2 year program affords the students the opportunity to participate in the community of science research and scholarship as a part of their high school experience. Students are encouraged to work in conjunction with research scientists and professionals within their field of research interest, with the goal of achieving independent research in life sciences, physical sciences, psychology, mathematics or the social sciences. Students are required to use the newe3st technology to obtain the services of online data bases, email, and to maintain a portfolio of their research. Assessment is accomplished through both traditional and non-traditional means; i.e. both objective and subjective assessment constitutes the grade. All students are required to enter local, regional, national and international science competitions. Additionally, the possibility exists of the students’ research being published, either in conjunction with the mentor’s lab/affiliation, or independently in journals such as the Young Scientist and/or Journal of Experimental Secondary Science.

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Philosophy of the ProgramASR is designed to provide students with an understanding of research methodology in the natural and social sciences. The course is directed to those students who wish to pursue excellence and progress into advanced areas of original science research. Emphasis is on both bibliographic and laboratory research.

Students use the process of online bibliographic research databases via the school’s library resources. Group seminars and individual consultations with doctoral level scholars are arranged. Student commitment to long-term, focused research, demonstrating initiative, perseverance and creativity is fostered.

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Overview Students taking the course accomplish the following: They choose and explore a topic of interest in the field of life, physical or social sciences,

mathematics or psychology. They develop skills for conducting online bibliographies via national and international databases.

They find, read and study several journal articles, eventually choosing one that they will present to the class. Their class presentation emphasizes how research described in the article was conducted. Thus, the Scientific Method, which will be the essence of the course, is made explicit for the student and the class. The elements of this method include the following:

Review of literature Statement of problem, question or hypothesis Methodology/procedure A presentation and analysis of the results A discussion of the data presented Conclusions Bibliographic work and footnotes

Students prepare a statement of what they intend to study, based on their bibliographic research.

Students contact the author of the journal article they studied and ask for further readings and suggestions in the research that they are considering to undertake. The student may ask the scientist to also serve as a mentor or to help in finding an appropriate scientist to serve as a mentor for their research project.

Students then engage in original research under the supervision of their science mentor and of the classroom teacher. The classroom teacher meets with individual students and the research class regularly. Students maintain communication with their mentor via email and/or phone.

When appropriate, students conduct statistical analyses using appropriate statistical computer programs.

Students give presentation of their findings to their class, their school district and at regional and statewide symposia. Their presentations are based on the scientific protocol listed above, and are both oral/slide presentations as written/poster presentations.

All steps in the students’ progress are carefully and systematically monitored to assure that students engage in each phase of scientific research and have attained the desired goals of the course.

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Goals I Using the scientific method ………………………………………….………… Standards Addressed

1. stating the research problem/questions2. generating hypotheses3. stating hypotheses4. testing hypotheses

a) design an experimentb) execute an experiment

5- building theories

II Critical thinking1. drawing conclusions based on data2. indicating future research that the present completed research suggests

III Conducting literature searches1. Use of available online data bases2. Use of the library network to retrieve desired journals3. Review of all pertinent literature to determine the present state of knowledge in the

topic of research

IV Conducting authentic experimentation that:1. addresses the hypothesis2. is reproducible3. has appropriate controls4. is complex, compound and current

V Working with data1. collecting data2. organizing and displaying data (ie. graphs, charts, tables, figures)3. storing data4. analyzing data (i.e. conducting statistical analyses)5. interpreting data, data analysis (ie. distinguish valid from invalid interpretations of

data)

VI Participating in the scientific community1. locating and contacting professors and professionals to serve as mentors2. working with professors and professionals via email/phone correspondence and

internship experience

VII Writing a scientific paper1. writing a research abstract2. using economy of language3. writing a scientific paper which includes:

a) review of literatureb) statement of the questions, problem or hypothesisc) methods/procedures and materialsd) resultse) discussion of resultsf) conclusions

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VIIIPresenting scientific data1. Present orally (with visuals) to teacher, class, community, scientific community at

symposiaa) preparationb) delivery

2. Present as poster to teacher, class, community, scientific community at symposiaa) preparationb) delivery

IX Financial support1. applying for grants and scholarships to help fund the student research2. correctly formatting and completing the grant/scholarship applications

X Preparing a portfolio1. Research materials representing up to 2 years of growth

XI Time management1. working under self-developed, quarterly timelines2. developing long-term and short-term plans for research3. pursuing longer-term research efforts

XII Troubleshooting1. overcoming immediate research obstacles2. the transfer of problems solving skills to real life situations

XIIIAppreciation1. Appreciate the process of research2. Appreciate the natural world3. Appreciate the accomplishments of research4. Appreciate the value of in-depth, long-term research

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Time Requirements for the CourseAll students enrolled are required to complete 240 hours of research time during the school year. This is structured around the following guidelines:

Conference time………………………………………………………. 20 hours per yearClass time……………………………………………………………….. 80 hours per yearResearch time………………………………………………………….. 3.5 hours/week

Work time must be documented in Report 1 and Report 18 of your portfolio.

Beginning the course ~ How Students Identify a Research Topic

1 To begin to become well-informed about a variety of science topics, students are required to read 9 “layman’s” articles on topics they like during the Summer prior to beginning school in the Fall of their Junior year. They are asked to read at least 9 full-length science articles from newspapers and magazines (New York Times, Boston Globe, Scientific American, Popular Science, etc).

2 Students are required to submit summaries of each of the 9 articles they are reading. This work is submitted throughout the Summer.

3 Students then follow a specific protocol (below) to help them find a person who can serve as a mentor to conduct independent research.

Protocol For Searching For A Research Mentor ~ Use some or all of the combinations of strategies below to search for a mentor. This process takes a lot of ‘digging’ on the internet. You should not correspond with any potential mentor/s until we discuss your choices and reasons for wanting to communicate.

Identify local research scientists in your area of interesta. Look through annotated bibliographies for names of scientists who are publishing in your area.b. Check the abstracts for their locations.

Perform a Google search for local research scientistsc. Example: Google “Boston dream research”

Example: Google “Boston fuel cell research”Example: Google “Boston tissue engineering research”Go to a researchers or authors website to read about their work, backgrounds, etc.

d. Sometimes the website it given in the abstract; or you might have to search for it.e. Google the author’s name to find their website.f. If the author’s affiliation is provided in the abstract, go to that website and search for that author.

Go to a University, Research or Clinical/Work Facility website and perform a ‘search’ on your topic of interest.

g. Example: www.MIT.edu, orthopedic tissue engineering, etc.

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Examples of Previous ASR Research Titles and Participating Institutions

from across the country that entered the competition, only 294 were named a semifinalist. Approximately 50 “experts” in their fields meet for 4 days to determine the winners.

Title Institution/s of Mentor/s

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence MA Institute of Technology (MIT)

Animal movement due to behavior Univ. of New Hampshire

Genetic analysis of scale pattern formation of common carp Temasek Life Sciences Laboratories,

Singapore

Rapid CD4+ T-lymphocyte Counts for HIV Diagnosis in Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Resource-Limited Settings Technology

Cardiology and Hypertension Texas Heart Institute

Novel small molecule agonists of the integrin CD11b/CD18 MA General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

The Role of Microenvironment Stiffness in Directing Harvard-MIT Health Sciences &Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Technology

The heritability of emotion regulation in 2- and 3-year old twins Boston University

Electrostatic Discharge Protection for Analog Digital I/O Boards Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates

Small Molecules that Inhibit the TNF-α Stimulated NF-κB PathwayBroad Institute

Modeling of E. coli metabolism for optimization of a Tufts Universitybiosynthetic precursor of erythromycin

The inter-relationship between MR diffusion measures and Beth Israel HospitalThe mechanical status of the intervertebral disc

Optimizing microbial fuel cell performance New England BioLabs

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Purpose, Creation and Use of the Student PortfolioThe purpose of the portfolio is to:

1- provide the student with the organization needed to successfully complete this course; and

2- allow you to display the evidence needed to document your research.A significant part of your assessment will be determined by the completeness of this Portfolio.

In order to successfully create your portfolio, remove the Portfolio pages from this workbook, and insert them into a 1 inch, 3-ring binder. Include tab dividers before each of the Report Sections. Upon completion, you will have 18 tabs creating 18 sections with 18 different reports.

Every science research activity that you will need to perform is now identified in your Portfolio. You are to record these activities in the Portfolio as they are completed. Present this updated Portfolio to your teacher at each of your bi-weekly meetings. Your bi-weekly meetings and the discussion within these meetings will focus on your 18 Portfolio Reports.

List of Contents of the Portfolio Report

Report 1: The yellow sheetsReport 2: The white sheets – goal sheet for science researchReport 3: Bibliographic research Report 4: Journals – summary of journal articlesReport 5: Telephone Usage – telephone usage logReport 6: Meetings – meetings, appointments and conversation logsReport 7: Assessment – bi-weekly assessment of the student’s performanceReport 8: Grants – seeking a grant Option A and Option BReport 9: Class presentation – rating sheets for presentation of articlesReport 10: Recognition – honors, recognitions, awards and grantsReport 11: Abstracts – writing your abstractReport 12: The final research paperReport 13: Rules/ChecklistReport 14: Time summary – bi-weekly record of independent research timeReport 15: The sex standards of excellence in educationReport 16: Goals and objectives and midterm paperReport 17: Communication: email, letters, internet (electronic copy on flash drive)Report 18: Timelines

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Authentic Science Research

Student Master Portfolio

Name ______________________________________________

Email ______________________________________________

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High School _______________________________________

Date you began ASR _______________________________

Contents of the Portfolio Report

Report 1: The lab notebook

Report 2: The goal sheets for science research

Report 3: Bibliographic research

Report 4: Journals – summary of journal articles

Report 5: Telephone Usage – telephone usage log

Report 6: Meetings – meetings, appointments and conversation logs

Report 7: Assessment – bi-weekly assessment of the student’s performance

Report 8: Grants – seeking a grant Option A and Option B

Report 9: Class presentation – rating sheets for presentation of articles

Report 10: Recognition – honors, recognitions, awards and grants

Report 11: Abstracts – writing your abstract

Report 12: The final research paper

Report 13: Rules/Checklist

Report 14: Time summary – bi-weekly record of independent research time

Report 15: The sex standards of excellence in education

Report 16: Goals and objectives and midterm paper

Report 17: Communication: email, letters, internet (electronic copy on flash drive)

Report 18: Timelines

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Report 1

The Lab Notebook

___________________________________________________________

This report contains a copy

of the lab notebook

which provides evidence of your progress

throughout the course.

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Report 2

The Goal Sheets

___________________________________________________________

This report contains your

achievements and goals

for the previous cycle

and for the upcoming cycle.

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Report 2

Goal Sheet for Science ResearchDUE EVERY CONFERENCE DAY WITH THE TEACHER

Name:__________________________________________________________________ Date:___________

Please indicate those activities, readings and goals that you accomplished during your last cycle. Organize your statements in logical order and write in complete sentences. This must be completed before the meeting.

1 ________________________________________________________________________________________

2 ________________________________________________________________________________________

3 ________________________________________________________________________________________

4 ________________________________________________________________________________________

5 ________________________________________________________________________________________

6 ________________________________________________________________________________________

Please indicate those activities, readings and goals that you intend to accomplish during your next cycle. Organize your statements in logical order and write in complete sentences. This part must be completed before the meeting.

1 ________________________________________________________________________________________

2 ________________________________________________________________________________________

3 ________________________________________________________________________________________

4 ________________________________________________________________________________________

5 ________________________________________________________________________________________

6 ________________________________________________________________________________________

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Report 3

Bibliographic Research

___________________________________________________________

This report contains all bibliographic research

which documents the search processes

for all methods employed by you.

Ex: PubMed, JSTOR, personal communication

with author, etc.

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Report 3

BIBLIOGRPAHIC RESEARCH

Date:___________

Total time spent: _______________________________________________________________________________

Type of research: (ie. online article, book, etc.) ____________________________________________________

Location where research was done:____________________________________________________________

Summary of your research results:

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Report 4

Journals

___________________________________________________________

This report contains photocopies of articles

obtained from scientific journals.

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Report 4

Summary of Journal ArticleThis template must be typed and not hand-written. Also, do not use abbreviations.

Author(s) names (Last Name First initial, Last Name First initial, list all):  

Article Title:      

Journal Title:      

Volume Number (if applicable, in BOLD):    

  

Page Numbers (first page-last page):   

   

Year of publication:      

Summary. Please use your own words – 75 to 100 word limit.

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Report 5

Telephone Usage

___________________________________________________________

This report contains a summary

of all telephone calls

made in connection with your research.

Please put all records in chronological order.

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Report 5

Telephone Usage Log

To whom was the call made?

Telephone number:

Date:

Total time spent on telephone:

Summary and results/outcome of conversation:

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Report 6

Meetings, Appointments, Conversations

___________________________________________________________

This report contains a summary

of all meetings you attended

that are related to your research.

Please put all records in chronological order.

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Report 6

Meetings, Appointments and Conversation Log

With whom did you meet?

Date of the meeting:

Where did you have the meeting?

How long was the meeting?

What was the purpose of the meeting?

What were the results/outcomes of the meeting?

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Report 7

Assessment

___________________________________________________________

This report contains an assessment

of your research.

This assessment is make by you,

in conjunction with the teacher,

during the normally scheduled

teacher/student meeting.

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Report 7

Bi-weekly Assessment of Student PerformanceStudent name: Date:

1 During this cycle, did the student do an appropriate amount of bibliographic research on both general literature and scientific journals? Yes No NA

2 During this cycle, did the student achieve appropriate advancements in the journal readings, i.e. did the student progress from general literature to specific journal scientific readings? Did the student read an appropriate amount of literature this week? Yes No

NA

3 Did the student obtain journals and did the student attempt an appropriate journal retrieval effort? Yes No NA

4 During this cycle, did the student’s work focus on the area of research or hypothesis?Yes No NA

5 During this cycle, did the student meet every deadline without additional reminders?Yes No NA

6 During this cycle, did the student use email, internet, telephone, etc. to further his/her research? Yes No NA

7 During this cycle, did the student communicate with the mentor? Yes No NA

8 During this cycle, did the student design his/her research with the aid of journal literature to help shape it into a compound, complex and state of the art body of research?

Yes No NA

9 During this cycle, did the student spend sufficient time on his/her research?Yes No NA

10 During this cycle, did the student exhibit a clear direction in his/her work as is s/he approaching the research in an enthusiastic manner? Yes No NA

11 Is the portfolio neat, complete and updated?Yes No NA

OVERALL STUDENT AND TEACHER IMPRESSION: 6 5 4 3 2 10

Student signature_____________________________________________ Date__________

Teacher signature____________________________________________ Date__________

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Report 8

Grants

___________________________________________________________

This report contains copies of any

grant requests which you have

sent to a granting agency.

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Report 8

Option A

The grantor or organization is offering you grant money to pursue your science research.The grant or organization is a firm which serves young scientists and help support their research.

Contact information: Grantor/Organization NameAddressCity, State, ZipContact email addressContact phone number

All letters and electronic communication sent to them must be approved by your teacher.

WHAT A GRANT APPLICATION MUST CONTAIN:

1 Title of your research

2 Brief abstract of your intended work.

3 Your needs and their costs. The cost must be documented from a catalog with must have the company’s name, catalog number, item price and shipping costs.

4 Justification, or reasons why these items are needed for your research, and how they will allow you to accomplish your intended work.

The application should be limited to 1 page.

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Report 8

Option B

This form is to be used when applying for grant funds to aid in carrying-out a research project. To be considered for funding, you must answer all questions below.

Date of application:

Your name:

Home address:

Home phone:

SSN:

Year in high school: Sophomore Junior Senior

Name of your school:

Address of school:

School phone:

Title of your research:

Please attaché a 100-150 word abstract of the research that you intend to do, or that you are currently doing.

Attach a description of your budget, including:

Description of any materials you will need to purchase and how they will be used.

An estimate of the round trip mileage to your research site; how often you expect to travel to the research site; any tolls you expect to incur.

A list of any other expenses you foresee in carrying-out your research project.

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Report 9

Class Presentation

___________________________________________________________

This report contains a copy

of all the materials you used

in class for your presentation

of a research paper.

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Rubric for Presentation of ArticlePresenter’s name: _____________________________________ Date: ______________

Topic/title: __________________________________________________________________________________

Scale: 4 = excellent; 3 = good; 2 = fair; 1 = unacceptable

Section Rating (circle one) Constructive CommentsIntroductionCaptures the audience’s interest. Clearly introduces the main idea or purpose of the presentation.

4 3 2 1

Review of the LiteratureIndicates an adequate search of literature. Presents references in logical order. Starts broad and ends with focusing on topic of paper.

4 3 2 1

Problem Statement or HypothesisClearly states the problem or hypothesis.

4 3 2 1

Methods and Materials Shows a concise and reproducible series of steps.

4 3 2 1

Results The results are easily understood. Visuals are accurate, clear and effective. 4 3 2 1

Discussion The results are well explained related to other work. There is a clear statement of whether the hypothesis is proven.

4 3 2 1

Conclusion This summarizes the presentation. It relates to the state hypothesis or problem. It is clearly and concisely stated.

4 3 2 1

Delivery The presentation is well-organized and the presenter is comfortable with the topic. Presenter used appropriate voice, eye contact, posture and body language.

4 3 2 1

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