Practical Oceanographic Research...SEA Semester®: Caribbean Reef Expedition 3. Critically analyze...
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SEA Semester®: Caribbean Reef Expedition Practical Oceanographic Research XAS NS 226 (4 credits) Course Catalog Description: Introduction to oceanographic research. Design a collaborative, hypothesis-driven marine ecological research project on coastal ecosystems in the Eastern Caribbean following the scientific process. Collect original data. Conduct analysis and interpretation, then prepare a written report and oral presentation. Instructor: Sea Education Association Oceanography Faculty Location: SEA campus in Woods Hole, MA, at field station in U.S. Virgin Islands, at sea on SEA’s sailing school vessel Corwith Cramer, and on reefs during several island port stops. Prerequisites: Admission to SEA Semester. Course Philosophy and Approach: Field research is central to the study of the marine environment. Throughout the shore component we will explore the scientific process as students develop research inquiries, plan experiments, and craft a concise project proposal. This student-generated suite of research objectives will define much of the subsequent scientific mission and sampling plan while we study reefs at a field station in the U.S. Virgin Islands, during island port stops and at sea. Additionally, a critical educational goal of the Practical Oceanographic Research course is the transfer of “what sounded good onshore” to “what really works as sea,” and the evolution of each scientific project to the real world will occupy much of our time while collecting and analyzing data. Student teams will complete collaborative research projects in oceanography and marine ecology under the guidance of the Chief Scientist on Caribbean island reefs and aboard the vessel. In conducting their projects, students will learn and perform standard visual survey field techniques using snorkel and small boat operations. Essential project components include the collection, analysis and presentation of data; a research report will be written to summarize findings and conclusions. This course consists of 36 hours of lecture/lab/discussion sessions on shore in Woods Hole; 35 hours of reef work (data collection and mentored analysis) in the U.S. Virgin Islands and during port stops; 4 scheduled discussion/mentoring sessions (1.5 hours each), countless informal conversations, and 1 research poster session (3 hours) at sea; as well as 36 hours of laboratory watch participation (active learning/laboratory) during 18 days underway at sea. Learning Outcomes: 1. Read, analyze and evaluate scientific literature and data sources in relevant disciplines. 2. Recognize and employ the scientific method through the development of a collaborative research project.
Transcript of Practical Oceanographic Research...SEA Semester®: Caribbean Reef Expedition 3. Critically analyze...
SEASemester®:CaribbeanReefExpedition
PracticalOceanographicResearchXASNS226(4credits) CourseCatalogDescription:Introductiontooceanographicresearch.Designacollaborative,hypothesis-drivenmarineecologicalresearchprojectoncoastalecosystemsintheEasternCaribbeanfollowingthescientificprocess.Collectoriginaldata.Conductanalysisandinterpretation,thenprepareawrittenreportandoralpresentation.Instructor:SeaEducationAssociationOceanographyFacultyLocation:SEAcampusinWoodsHole,MA,atfieldstationinU.S.VirginIslands,atseaonSEA’ssailingschoolvesselCorwithCramer,andonreefsduringseveralislandportstops.Prerequisites:AdmissiontoSEASemester.CoursePhilosophyandApproach:
Fieldresearchiscentraltothestudyofthemarineenvironment.Throughouttheshorecomponentwewillexplorethescientificprocessasstudentsdevelopresearchinquiries,planexperiments,andcraftaconciseprojectproposal.Thisstudent-generatedsuiteofresearchobjectiveswilldefinemuchofthesubsequentscientificmissionandsamplingplanwhilewestudyreefsatafieldstationintheU.S.VirginIslands,duringislandportstopsandatsea.Additionally,acriticaleducationalgoalofthePracticalOceanographicResearchcourseisthetransferof“whatsoundedgoodonshore”to“whatreallyworksassea,”andtheevolutionofeachscientificprojecttotherealworldwilloccupymuchofourtimewhilecollectingandanalyzingdata.StudentteamswillcompletecollaborativeresearchprojectsinoceanographyandmarineecologyundertheguidanceoftheChiefScientistonCaribbeanislandreefsandaboardthevessel.Inconductingtheirprojects,studentswilllearnandperformstandardvisualsurveyfieldtechniquesusingsnorkelandsmallboatoperations.Essentialprojectcomponentsincludethecollection,analysisandpresentationofdata;aresearchreportwillbewrittentosummarizefindingsandconclusions.Thiscourseconsistsof36hoursoflecture/lab/discussionsessionsonshoreinWoodsHole;35hoursofreefwork(datacollectionandmentoredanalysis)intheU.S.VirginIslandsandduringportstops;4scheduleddiscussion/mentoringsessions(1.5hourseach),countlessinformalconversations,and1researchpostersession(3hours)atsea;aswellas36hoursoflaboratorywatchparticipation(activelearning/laboratory)during18daysunderwayatsea.LearningOutcomes:
1. Read,analyzeandevaluatescientificliteratureanddatasourcesinrelevantdisciplines.2. Recognizeandemploythescientificmethodthroughthedevelopmentofacollaborative
researchproject.
SEASemester®:CaribbeanReefExpedition3. Criticallyanalyzeandinterpretauthenticoceanographicdata.4. Generateclearvisualrepresentationsofoceanographicdata.5. Participateandcontributeasanessentialmemberofaresearchteam.
Evaluation/Assignments:
OnShore:
TaxonomicIDQuizzes 10%
ResearchProjectTechniqueAssignments 10%
ResearchProjectProposal 10%
AtSea:
CoralReefReportCards 20%
DataDiscussions 10%
ResearchPosterPresentation 15%
WrittenReport 25%
AssignmentsOnshore:TaxonomicIDQuizzes:Studentswilltakefourtaxonomicidentificationquizzesduringtheshorecomponent.Aquizre-takewillbeofferedduringWeek5.ResearchProjectTechniquesAssignments:Studentswilllearnavarietyofdatacollectionandanalysistechniquesduringtheshorecomponentthatarecrucialforsubsequentlycompletingtheirresearchprojectsatsea–substrateanalysis,diversityindicesandmappingtechniques,aswellasin-poolsnorkelingtraining.Studentswillcompleteaseriesofassignmentstopracticeanddemonstratemasteryofthesetechniques,priortoheadingtotheCaribbean.ResearchProjectProposal:Aseriesofresearch-focusedseminarsonshorewillguidestudentsthroughtherigorsofthescientificprocessincludingthereadingofscientificjournalarticles,gatheringessentialbackgroundinformation,craftinghypothesestobeinvestigated,describingfieldmethodsanddataanalysisplans,etc.Thoughtful,well-preparedparticipationduringresearchseminarsisexpectedofeachstudentandessentialtosuccessfulprojectdevelopment.Eachstudentresearchteamwillcompleteathoroughlyresearchedandcarefullywrittenexplanationofproposedscientificworkatseaand/oronthesevenreefsiteswewillstudy,includinganintroductoryliteraturereview,intendedmethodsandsamplinglocations,dataanalysisplan,andreferences.AssignmentsatSea:
CoralReefReportCards:StudentswillcompileandcompleteCoralReefReportCardsforeachofthesevensiteswestudy.ModeledaftertheHealthyReefInitiative’sreportcardsfromtheCentral
SEASemester®:CaribbeanReefExpeditionAmericaregionandTheNatureConservancy’sreportcardsfromtheCaribbean,thesewillbeconcise,visual,easy-to-understandtoolsdesignedtobeaccessibleforadiverserangeofaudiences.Theywillbecollaborativeefforts,withteamsofstudentscontributingsectionstoeachreport.DataDiscussions:Twomentormeetingswillguidetheprogressofdataanalysis.Forthefirstsession,researchteamswillberequiredtoretrieverelevantdatafromcurrentcruisearchivesandplotstationlocations.Forthesecondsession,researchteamswillgeneratetwofiguresthatbegintoaddressthehypothesisbeingtested.PosterPresentation:Researchteamswillpresenttheirresearchinapostersession.Emphasiswillbeplacedonclearvisualrepresentationoftheresearchquestion,methods,dataanalysisandinterpretation,aswellasoralexplanationofthework.WrittenReport:Researchteamswillproduceawrittenreportfollowingastandardformat.ThefinalreportswillbearchivedatSEA.Readings:
Tobeginthescientificprocessregionallyrelevantjournalarticleswillbeprovidedtothestudentsonthecoursewebsite.Additionalsupportingreferencesandscientificliteratureareprojectdependentandwillbeobtainedbyeachresearchteam.ExpectationsandRequirements:
• Punctualattendanceisrequiredateveryclassmeeting.• Activeparticipationinclassdiscussionisexpected.• Lateassignmentsubmissionsarenotaccepted.• Thepolicyonacademicaccuracy,quotedbelow,willbestrictlyfollowedinthisclass.
Thepapersthatyousubmitinthiscourseareexpectedtobeyouroriginalwork.Youmusttakecaretodistinguishyourownideasandknowledgefromwordingorsubstantiveinformationthatyouderivefromoneofyoursources.Theterm“sources”includesnotonlypublishedprimaryandsecondarymaterial,butalsoinformationandopinionsgaineddirectlyfromotherpeopleandtextthatyoucutandpastefromanysiteontheInternet. Theresponsibilityforlearningtheproperformsofcitationlieswithyou.Quotationsmustbeplacedproperlywithinquotationmarksandmustbecitedfully.Inaddition,allparaphrasedmaterialmustbeacknowledgedcompletely.Wheneverideasorfactsarederivedfromyourreadingandresearch,thesourcesmustbeindicated.(HarvardHandbookforStudents,305)
• Considerationsforuseofinternetsources:Asyoubrowsewebsites,assesstheirusefulnessverycritically.Whopostedtheinformationandwhy?Canyoutrustthemtobecorrect?Authoritative?Unbiased?(It’sokaytouseabiasedsourceaslongasyouincorporateitknowinglyandtransparentlyintoyourownwork.)Keeptrackofgoodsourcesthatmightbeusefulforsubsequentassignments,andannotateinyourbibliographyanysitesyoucite.Yourannotationshouldincludethenameoftheauthorororganizationoriginatinganymaterialthatyoureference.Ifyoucan’tidentifythesource,don’tuseit!
SEASemester®:CaribbeanReefExpedition
CourseCalendar:
Topic Readings/AssignmentsDue
Week1(6hours)–onshoreatSEAcampusinWoodsHole
IntroductiontoCaribbeanReefExpeditionprogramandPracticalOceanographicResearch(POR);Overviewofcoursegoals&assignments.
Lecture/DiscussionTopics:• IntroduceSEA’sResearchCapabilities
andResearchProgram• RidgeToptoReef:AnIntroductionto
CaribbeanCoastalEcosystems
DrawingExercise
MBL/WHOILibraryResourcesandWoodsHoletour
Readings:CruiseResearchProspectusDesignatedprojectreadingsTBDIdentificationofpreliminaryreefsurveyresearchinterests
Week2(6hours)–onshoreatSEAcampusinWoodsHole
Lecture/Lab/DiscussionTopics:• CoralReefEcology,partIand
TaxonomicIDs(Coral,Sponge,Inverts)• TechniquesandDataAnalysis:
Quadrat,CameraandCoralPointCountsubstrateanalysis
• ResearchTopicRefinement
StartLiteratureReviewResearch
TechniquesandAnalysisExercisedue
TaxonomicIDQuiz
Week3(6hours)–onshoreatSEAcampusinWoodsHole
Lecture/Lab/DiscussionTopics:• CoralReefEcology,partIIand
TaxonomicIDs(Fish)• TechniquesandDataAnalysis:Belt
Transect,Roving,andStationaryPointCountfordiversityindices
• HypothesisDevelopment
LiteratureReviewResearch(ongoing)
TaxonomicIDQuiz
SEASemester®:CaribbeanReefExpeditionWeek4(6hours)–onshoreatSEAcampusinWoodsHole
Lecture/Lab/DiscussionTopics:• SeagrassEcologyandTaxonomicIDs• TechniquesandDataAnalysis:
CompassandContourMapping• ResearchMethodsDevelopment
LiteratureReviewResearch(ongoing)
DraftIntroduction&Methodssectionsdue
TechniquesandAnalysisExercisedue
TaxonomicIDQuiz
Week5(6hours)–onshoreatSEAcampusinWoodsHole
Lecture/Lab/DiscussionTopics:• MangroveEcologyandTaxonomicIDs• TechniquesandDataAnalysis:InPool
Training
TechniquesandAnalysisExercisedue
TaxonomicIDQuiz
Week6(6hours)–onshoreatSEAcampusinWoodsHole
Lecture/Lab/DiscussionTopics:• EcosystemConnections:Nutrients,
Energy,andLifeCycles• TechniquesandDataAnalysis:InPool
Training
TaxonomicIDQuizretakes
ResearchProjectProposaldue
Week7(10hours)–atfieldstationinU.S.VirginIslands
Site1:Orientation,Mapping,WaterSampling;Invert/FishSurvey
Site2:Orientation,Mapping,WaterSampling;Invert/FishSurvey
Datafidelityandanalysis
ReefReportCardsdue(x2)
Week8(10hours)–atfieldstationinU.S.VirginIslands
Site3:Orientation,Mapping,WaterSampling;Invert/FishSurvey
Site4:Orientation,Mapping,WaterSampling;Invert/FishSurvey
Datafidelityandanalysis
ReefReportCardsdue(x2)
Week9(15hours)–atsea+reefsurveyworkduringportstop
PortStopVisit#1Site5:Orientation,Mapping,WaterSampling;
Invert/FishSurvey
MethodsRefinement
MethodsSessions
Datafidelityandanalysis
ReefReportCarddue(x1)
RevisedIntro/Methodsdue
SEASemester®:CaribbeanReefExpedition
MeetingTopic:• Writing/RevisingResearchPapers
Week10(15hours)–atsea+reefsurveyworkduringportstop
PortStopVisit#2Site6:Orientation,Mapping,WaterSampling;
Invert/FishSurvey
DataAnalysis
MentoringSessions
MeetingTopics:• DataDiscussionI
Datafidelityandanalysis
ReefReportCarddue(x1)
DataDiscussionAssignmentdue
Week11(15hours)–atsea+reefsurveyworkduringportstop
PortStopVisit#3Site7:Orientation,Mapping,WaterSampling;
Invert/FishSurvey
DataAnalysis
MentoringSessions
MeetingTopic:• DataDiscussionII
Datafidelityandanalysis
ReefReportCarddue(x1)
DraftResultsdue
Week12(18hours)–atsea
DataAnalysis
MentoringSessions
MeetingTopic:• PosterPresentationtips
PosterPresentation
FinalReportdue
