Purpose:
One of the core experiences that is intended for this class is the opportunity to explore the relationship between the way science is described in the news and how it looks in it's original form as a research finding. This lab will focus on the criteria for choosing your news/research topic and the next lab will be directed towards the presentation criteria for your work.
Where to find a potential news article:
I have done some looking around and here are some of the websites that I have found that have potentally interesting new articles and also reference the original research that is behind the article (at least most of the time):
Science Daily News (Renewable):
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): -- look under the renewables tab for news in each category
Popular Mechanics Energy News: - be a little careful with this one.
These are just suggestions for where you might look for an article that meets the criteria that are given below. You are welcome to use other sources as long as they meet the criteria.
Criteria:
Like everything in this class there is some potential for negotiation. I am framing these criteria in a way that makes sense to me but that doesn't mean that they are clear. Feel free to discuss your interpretation of the criteria with me. Ultimately you need my affirmation that your new article and associated research article meet the criteria.
- Criteria 1: A news article published in the last 12 months that presents some new data about some aspect of renewable energy in it's broadest sense. Be sure that you find it interesting and intriguing. Reading a research paper or study about something you find uninteresting is not fun.
- Criteria 2: Ideally you can track down the original work that informs the new article. This is not always possible but in most cases the news article is based on the work of an individual or organization. I want you to look for that original work so that you can read it and see if you arrive at the same conclusions as the news article. Opinion pieces or general policy articles may not reference the original work but be persistent. Notice if the article describes the contributions of any individual or institution. Use search tools to find that possible author and go to their professional webpage and see if there are additional references.
- Criteria 3: The referenced research would ideally be published in a peer reviewed journal. This means that the original paper has been reviewed by other researchers in the field and approved for publication. While this process has occasionally led to good work not getting published right away it generally leads for more effective communication and high quality results. If you are unable to find a referenced research article you will need to find two additional resources that describe the same effect discussed in the news article.
- Criteria 4: You must be able to summarize the main point of the news article or research in less than 50 words in a way that your lab instructor can understand.
LAB DELIVERABLES:
I) Submit a link to your news article and the underlying research paper to the LMS. Note the dates of publication of the news article and the paper as well as the journal (or alternate references) in which the paper was published. Finally provide your less than 50 word synopsis of the main point of the article/research paper.
