Lesson+Archives+2009-10

toc


 * COMPLETION OF ONLINE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE**

Monday May 17 meet in the Bryan Lobby at 9:00 AM. We will run through your presentations and make changes as necessary so please bring everything you will need for a presentation. Your sessions are all scheduled together in Bryan 335 at 1:30


 * Group Elluminate Sessions are on Mondays at 8:05 -** []


 * __For the Remainder of the Course as you work on your research__**
 * __project:__**


 * Please post daily progress, photos, literature reviews etc. of relevance to your project on the personal pages at left. We can all see them so that should help us all figure things out. To make a visual/voice record that we can comment on and follow along with as you are working on the hands-on parts of your research projects, consider using VoiceThread http://voicethread.com/#home**


 * Place a detailed procedure on those pages at left. Due Monday February 1.**


 * This semester you have 3 simple, straight forward goals:**
 * 1) Complete your research**
 * 2) Submit an amazing essay to the Young Naturalist Award program http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/**
 * 3) Give an oral presentation of your research and findings at the NCSSM Research Symposium in May.**

[]
 * We will meet weekly in one-on-one sessions at Schmalbeck's Elluminate Virtual Office:**
 * **__Bryce & Mark__ (or Mark and Bryce) on Thursdays at 11:40AM (except Thursday January 28 which will be held instead on January 29th at 11:40 AM)**
 * **__Kacper__ 3:05 PM. Fridays at Joe Van Gogh's**
 * **__Ariane__ at 12:55 PM (D-Block) Wednesdays.**
 * **__Lynea__ - Tuesdays at 10:40 AM.**


 * Elluminate Session on Monday January 25 at:** https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.D277D4E0474B5BE41CAB3639BEC8EF **.**

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SURVEY:
Intro to Research Experience: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DYMN76X The NCSSM Online Instruction Survey is part of our evaluation process to help assess and improve the NCSSM Online program. This survey asks questions specific to your class and your teacher, and should be answered by the student only. The evaluation covers four areas: 1. Course Information and Navigation 2. Course Content-Activities 3. Instructor 4. Learning Experience The survey is anonymous (your name and computer address are not recorded) and the results will NOT be available to your instructor until after final grades are submitted. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Ms. Feeney at feeney@ncssm.edu. Intro to Research Experience: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DYMN76X

__Week of January 4, **2010**__
Elluminate Link for Monday, January 4 https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.FF0C47ADA012B3C2212668CC6B3164 ||
 * 1) BE READY TO DISCUSS YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL !**


 * 2) We will also be planning for the On Campus Weekend so be ready to present us with a list of things you will need to COMPLETE your research proposals (no guarantees but we will do our best.)**


 * 3) QUESTIONS OR OTHER ISSUES?**: Sign into Elluminate session early or stay late after session ends at 9:00 PM.

Week of December 14:

 * PLEASE POST** **LITERATURE REVIEW HERE**

Research Proposal Timeline:

 * December 15 – Literature Review due**
 * January 5 - 2nd draft of literature review**
 * January 9 – 1st draft of Research Proposal**
 * January 15 – Final Research Proposal**


 * POST YOUR JOURNAL ARTICLE SUMMARY AND VOTE ON YOUR FAVORITE** **HERE**

Week of November 16:

 * Continue reviewing interesting research articles - 1 per student. Consider some of the research areas on the list linked as "Research Ideas" in the left navigation pane.


 * Continue collected leaf litter and reporting it in the table below (scroll down)


 * Locate the closest weather station to your site and be ready to supply the CRONOS station name so that we can collect data for heat sums calculations. Send the station's CRONOS name to schmalbeck@ncssm.edu

Week of November 9:


Continue reviewing interesting research articles - 1 per student. Consider some of the research areas on the list linked as "Research Ideas" in the left navigation pane.

Continue collected leaf litter and reporting it in the table below (scroll down)

Locate the closest weather station to your site and be ready to supply the CRONOS station name so that we can collect data for heat sums calculations.

Week of November 2:
//**You think you know why leaves fall off trees. Well, you're wrong. It's not the wind. It's not the cold.**// //**A funny, factual audio report on leaf abscission and there are some great visuals too.**// //**Click on the maple leaf at left for more.**//

//**Getting Ready for You Independent Research Project Proposal**//


 * CHECK OUT POSSIBLE RESEARCH IDEAS**

Your goal this week is start thinking about what you want your independent research project to be about. To figure this out you will need to start looking at journal articles. Once you have located a topic and article you think might be of interest for your topic read it thoroughly -- maybe even several times. Then go ahead and write a summary of the article and post it **here** on the class wiki.

To help you select and article be sure to use the **"How to ... "** guides that are linked in the left hand navigation pane.


 * Your summary should be about 250 words long and answer the following questions:
 * What is the research question?
 * What is the main hypothesis the research tests?
 * What methods were used?
 * What conclusions were reached?
 * What are the implications of the findings?

Post your article summaries on the class wiki by Saturday at noon. Then read through all of the other summaries and use the poll on the page to select the article you would like to talk about in our next session.


 * CONTINUE LEAF LITTER COLLECTION AND COUNTING AND WEATHER DATA COLLECTION**


 * DATA SETS FOR HEAT SUMS CALCULATION POSTED AT LINK LOWER LEFT IN NAVIGATION PANE**


 * STREAMING VIDEO OF DRS. OREN AND DOMEC AT WEEKEND ON CAMPUS IS POSTED BELOW**


 * Website for the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards: http://www.conradawards.org/**

Week of October 26:
Data Collection from Weather Stations

We are working on getting together more of the "historical" data for each of your sites. First we need to establish which weather stations are likely to provide you with the best data both going back 5 or more years and in the future as we get ready to collect sap flow data. To test that this week your job is to identify the weather station or stations closest to your site and download as much data as possible. Here is the procedure:

and the list of weather stations organized by county

Leaf Litter Table
POST LEAF LITTER DATA HERE :

//**Please Post - Adjust rows and columns using the little spreadsheet icon that appears when you are inside the table. Please be careful not to erase anyone else's data and b****e sure to keep a hard copy record !**// 10/22/09 || 3 days || 12 || sunny || had a few sweetgums and poplar but I didn't count them. || 10/26/09 || 4 days || 101 || rain and wind ||  || 10/29/09 || 3 days || 114 || sunny || rained yesterday || 11/01/09 || 3 days || 147 || rain || rain and windy yesterday and today || 11/05 || 3 days || 49 || sunny || beautiful weather little or no wind || 11/09 || 4 days || 14 || sunny ||  || 11/12 || 4 days || 56 || rain and wind || northeaster from tropical storm - high winds || 11/15 || 3 days || 14 || warm ||  || 11/19 || 4 days || 5 || a little rain || NO MORE LEAVES on my tree || 10/26/09 || 4 days || 86 || rainy/cloudy || My cousin is doing a good job helping out! =] More leaves on Friday || 10/29/09 || 3 days || 11 || sunny || very comfortable, no rain || 11/2/09 || 4 days || 27 || rainy, cold || lots of other tree leaves =/ || 11/9/09 || 7 days || 16 || dry, cool ||  || 11/12/09 || 4 days || 7 || cloudy || wet leaves || 11/16/09 || 3 days ||  || rainy || Tropical Storm Ida brought lots of rain || 11/19/09 || 3 days ||  || rainy ||  || 10/22/09 || 3 days || 38 || sunny/cloudy ||  || 10/26/09 || 4 days || 42 || Cloudy || Rained on 10/24 || 10/30/09 || 3 days || 112 || Cloudy ||  || 11/02/09 || 3 days || 116 || Cloudy/Windy || Drizzled/Misted on and off on 10/30, 11/1 || 11/05/09 || 3 days || 97 || Sunny ||  || 11/09/09 || 4 days || 45 || Cloudy ||  || 11/12/09 || 3 days || 63 || Cloudy/Rain || Rained for the past 2 days || 11/16/09 || 4 days || 38 || sunny ||  || 11/19/09 || 3 days || 18 || rainy || Rained for past 2 days || 11/03/09 ||  || 15 || sunny ||   || 11/05/09 || 2 days || 8 || sunny ||  || 11/10/09 || 5 days || 14 || rainy ||  || 11/13/09 || 3 days || 77 || cloudy ||  || 10.26.09 || 5 days (10.22-10.26) || 42 || Partly Cloudy || Rained on 10.24.09 || 10.28.09 || 3 days || 26 || Sunny || Rained on 10.27.09 || 10/22/09 || 3 days || 4 || Sunny || Nothing Happens, Winds shifted, going to try moving basket tm || 10/26/09 || 4 days || 13 || Rainy || Rained all weekend & Somewhat Windy || 10/29/09 || 3 days || 17 || Cloudy || Partially cloudy earlier in week || 11/02/09 || 4 days || 24 || Cloudy || Rainy During Weekend || 11/05/09 || 3 days || 38 || Sunny || Sunny Since Monday but Windy on 11-04 || 11/09/09 || 4 days || 37 || Sunny || Sunny All weekend || 11/12/09 || 3 days || 58 || Rainy || Trop Storm Rain... been raining since 11-10 (picked on 11-12/counted on 11-13) || 11/16/09 || 4 days || 23 || Rainy since 11-12 except 11-15 || Waiting for leaves to dry to update count... Looks like there are very few.. if any leaves left. || 11/19/09 || 3 days || 4 || Sunny || Regular... been Sunny.. nothing else happened || 10/22/09 || 4 days || 0 || sunny || We had a lot of wind Friday and it appears the winds changed direction so I will be moving the extra baskets. || 10/26/09 || 4 days || 152 || sunny ||  || 10-26-09 || 4 days || TBD || TBD || Has been raining often, might affect count ||
 * Site Name** ||
 * Date of Leaf Count** ||
 * Number of Days of Leaf Fall included** ||
 * Count** ||
 * Weather** ||
 * Comments** ||
 * Chatham** ||
 * Chatham** ||
 * Chatham** ||
 * ENO** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Red Mountain** ||
 * Red Mountain** ||
 * Red Mountain** ||
 * Red Mountain** ||
 * ECHHS** ||
 * ECHHS** ||
 * NCSSM** ||
 * NCSSM** ||
 * Columbus** ||
 * Columbus** ||
 * Oriental** ||
 * Oriental** ||
 * Oriental** ||
 * Mt. Airy** ||
 * Mt. Airy** ||
 * Pfafftown** ||
 * Pfafftown** ||
 * Pfafftown** ||

Collaboration with Duke U. Partners
( October 16 - 18) For streaming video of Drs. Oren and Domec's lectures from this weekend. []

Here are copies of the papers and presentations we discussed this weekend:


 * PROTOCOLS** linked HERE and at lower left on navigation pane

1. Professor Oren's Powerpoint slides on leaf phenology 2. Paper showing timing of leaf loss for various species including red maple - our study species 3. The paper on the heat island effect that pairs Durham and Bahama for those students participating in the heat island study (NCSSM, Eno, ECHHS, Red Mountain)

1. Smithsonian - Leaf Study Post in the Assignment section of your personal Wiki.

When you have answered the questions, please proceed to this activity where you can use leaf fossils collected by the Dr. Wings’ group to draw your own conclusions about how plants used water in the period of global climate change that most resembles our current conditions. Post in the Lab-Field section of your personal wiki

2. Presentations ready. You can send them to me as a Powerpoint or you can post them on your personal wiki's. You should be ready to present them to the Duke folks and anticipate questions. Here is the template.Post Site Presentations Here.

1) Intro – general location of your site (Durham County SWETNET Site) and your names 2) Map 1. – jpg showing the position of your site in NC; name of the river basin (Neuse, probably) and general geographic location (piedmont) 3) Map 2. – Site detail in .jpg format with outline of site showing and type of site (public property, private property etc.) 4) Map 3. – Interactive – a slide with a link to the .kmz file that marks the site and and key features (eg. power source) This link can be included on the same slide as Map 2. 5) Map 4. – Outline of site showing the relative distances between key trees (red maple, yellow poplar and sweetgum), power source, major heat sources, major light sources. The distances between these features, the height and diameter at breast height of the selected trees, can be shown on the map or in a table or some combination of both. 6) Summary of Pros and Cons of the site

3. Pataki & Oren paper (POST YOUR QUESTION). It takes 3 or 4 readings of this sort of paper to figure out what's going on. POST YOUR QUESTION FOR THE DUKE TEAM HERE:

4. Slides from the Elluminate session. The slide with the water cycle drawing on it is a link to the Hydrology Modeling web page we looked at during the Elluminate session. If you think you might want to do a modeling project for your indepenent project, this is a good site to start looking at http://www.uvm.edu/giee/AV/EDU/ONLINE/M_Hydro/index.html

=Reading Research Papers=

1. STELLA Models

Click here to see the evolution of more complicated bath tub models using Stella. The final model is a simplified model of the Earth’s Hydrological Cycle. Think of each of the reservoirs as a bath tub and all of the bath tubs faucets and drains are interconnected. Evapotranspiration by plants is one small but important part of the Hydrologic cycle.

2. Tom Maddock

The research question that Tom Maddock’s research group is addressing is described by him as:

I //work in the area of ground water/surface water interactions. In particular if you withdraw from the ground water system, if you’re close to a stream, you may intercept water that would have arrived at the stream or draw water directly out of the stream. This reduces the amount of water available downstream to a farmer, to a critter, to a tree. The other problem that you have is with depletions due to surface water pumping is that there’s a riparian unit, which is essentially trees, bushes, grasses that grow next to the stream, even though these may be out in the absolute desert away from it. When you drop the water table, you can destroy those ecological units. That is the area that I’m trying to understand How much, or how little water can these systems survive with and how do they work?//

Dr. Maddock’s group has classified plants into groups according to the way they use water. Then he can study water use in one member of each group and generalize his results to the other members of that group.

This week we are going to look at another research approach that relies on categorizing plants according the way in which they use water, only these plants lived on the Earth more than 5 million years ago!

3. Climate Change Leaf Study

This research was presented at a recent Smithsonian meeting on Climate Change. You can begin by watching Scott Wings presentation (about 50 minutes long) at[] Use the question posted here to help guide you through his presentation.


 * Guide Questions for Dr. Wing's Smithsonian Conference presentation** [[file:Questions for Scott Wing Smithsonian Presentation.docx]] Post in the Assignment section of your personal Wiki.

When you have answered the questions, please proceed to this activity where you can use leaf fossils collected by the Dr. Wings’ group to draw your own conclusions about how plants used water in the period of global climate change that most resembles our current conditions. Post in the Lab-Field section of your personal wiki.

You will also begin reading a really tough research paper based on work by Dr. Ram Oren, who you will meet during the October 16th weekend on Campus. To help you negotiate this sort of technical paper please take a look at the summary of how to read a Journal Article. Each of you has been assigned responsibility for simplifying the contents of one of the sections of the paper.
 * 4. The Pataki & Oren Pape**r

Here are the assignments:


 * Introduction** - Dylan
 * Study Site and Instrumentation** – Mark and Bryce
 * Leaf area measurements** – Lynea
 * Stand transpiration** – Keila and Tyler
 * Effects of net radiation** – Ariane and Alice
 * Effects of soil moisture** - -Kacper

If there are two names beside a section please work independently. Plan on presenting your simplification of the assigned section during the Elluminate session on Monday. If you would like, you can send a Powerpoint slide of Word document to Dr. Schmalbeck via email to be posted for you to use during the Elluminate session.

10/2/09 Bathtubs and Models


 * //"////We would like to understand how much water a plant is extracting from the ground water system, and, indirectly, from the surface water system... We need to understand how water moves through the plant. It comes in through the roots, travels up the trunk of the tree, and expires through the leaves, in evaporation, which we refer to as transpiration. The amount of water that comes up through the roots in certain plants is dependent on the water table. We study plants that like to keep their “toes,” so to speak, in the water table. They extract water directly from the water table or from the capillary fringe, which lies on top of the water table. We’ve found some remarkable things about the way these plants behave."//**

~ University of Arizona Hydrologist Tom Maddock

This week you will become familiar with the type of modeling tools that many scientists use to connect their findings from small isolated experiments like sap flux in a small stand of trees in say, Polk County or Pamlico or the Piedmont, to a Big Picture phenomenon like Global Climate Change. The specific assignments are shown in red below and also in the assignment table in the Assignments section in the left hand navigation pane.

Don't forget to continue moon phase observations until you have 1 full month of observations. Also, continue to define your sap flux monitoring site. The reporting requirements in the site are at the end of this page and are linked through the table of contents at right.

To begin with, please what the video on GoCourse that is part of The Habitable Planet series. This video outlines the research of [|Thomas Maddock]Thomas Maddock is the head of the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Arizona, the former deputy director of the Science and Technology Center for Sustainability of Semi-arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA), and the co-director of the University of Arizona Research Laboratory for Riparian Studies. [|Read bio] //[|Read interview transcript]//
 * 1) Video (in GoCourse)**

//You only need to watch the first half of the video that covers Maddock's work although you might find Wendy Graham's work of interest too.//


 * Answer the following questions based on the video in the "Assignments Section of your wiki:**


 * a) What is the research question that Maddox has been asking with his research?**
 * b) How does he use sap flux measurements?**
 * c) Why are tree core samples taken?**
 * d) How could tree transpiration affect water levels in the atmosphere?**
 * e) Maddock's work is in the arid Southwest. How do you think the results from the same sort of study in North Carolina would differ from the results from the drier southwestern U.S.?**

Next you will want to download a copy of STELLA onto your computer. You need to go to the ITS Moodle site accessible from NCSSM ATAGLANCE. Choose the Software page and the look under the heading "Classroom Related" and from there select "Stella 9" Follow the the instructions on the MOODLE page to complete the download.
 * 2) Download STELLA from ITS MOODLE**

Once you have downloaded STELLA set up the simple model we explored during the Elluminate session on Monday. It had three components:
 * Faucet or inflow
 * Bath tub reservoir or stock
 * Drain or outflow


 * 3) Powerpoint from Elluminate Session**

Here is the Powerpoint from that Elluminate session:
 * 4) Experiment in a Box**:

Use the experiment in the box to test your model. The first trick with the STELLA model is to figure out what your starting conditions will be. Will you fill the "bath tub" up to the black line on the side of the cup with the drain plugged with the binder clip until you start the faucet? Will you begin with nothing in the cup - but then you will need to have a point at which you adjust the inflow to stop filling the cup and balance the inflow with the outflow.

However you end up setting up your experiment, follow the basic instructions below. Enter the necessary values in your model and see how well it predicts your observations with the experiment in a box.


 * Post your STELLA Model and observations about the experiment in the "Assignments" section of your wiki.**

1.Check to make sure that “bathtub” is intact without cracks or other damage. 2.Use clips to block flow through straws and fill with water up to the magenta line to check for leaks. 3.Release clips and empty water.

//**Experiment:**//

A.//**What conditions are necessary to maintain a dynamic equilibrium at the black line with all drains open?**//

//**Use water from a faucet to add to the bath tub to establish these conditions.**//

B.//**Repeat the experiment but now use the magenta line as equilibrium point.**// C.//**Try to express your observations mathematically.**// D.//**Which variables do you need to measure to model your results?**//E. //**Measure those parameters under a range of conditions to test your model.**// Possible variables to use – volume of bath tub, faucet flow rate, drain flow rate, overflow flow rate, depth of water in tub, drain diameter, gravity (9.8 m/s/s).


 * 5) Bath Tub Model and Questions**

Below is a more detailed bath tub model and some questions for you to answer about the model. You will need to have STELLA loaded to see the model. First double click on below. It should open STELLA. Answer "yes" to the question and a full STELLA model with documentation all around it should open up. This model breaks out the physics of the water drain.


 * Use the model to explore the questions in the box to the right of the model. Post your answers in the "Assignments" section of your Wiki.**

Some vocabulary that you might find useful includes:

Feedback: This is a process that directly affects the phenomenon you are observing. In this case, the volume of water in the bath tub. The drain is a negative feedback because the more water in the bath tub the faster the drain empties. A positive feedback would work in reverse - the more the water in the bath tub the slower it empties (or hint: faster it refills).

Response Time: how long it takes for a system to come to equilibrium after a change in conditions.



Lesson 4. What's in my Neighborhood?

This week we will continue to identify and characterize the sap flow monitoring sites. All data, maps and other information important to evaluating our sites should be posted on the "Site Selection" page linked at left.

Many of you are still working on the observation of the phases of the moon. Please continue that activity too. When you have an entire month's series of observations recorded in your lab notebook you can stop making formal observations. Bring your lab notebooks to the weekend on campus where we will discuss your observations in more detail.

Continue to make daily entries in your journal on your personal wiki site.


 * This week**, your goal is to identify sources of information that might be important to understanding the sap flux experiments we are going to begin soon. Here is a list of potential sources. Don't limit yourself to these sources. Find out what sources of information there are in your area and think about how those information sources could be used to support our data collection and analysis. Use the table below to get started. Locate the closest measurement type or office of forester to your site so you will know where to get the information and who to contact and then enter it into the equivalent table that you will find on your Journal page on your personal wiki.

NC DENR – Division of Forest Resources [] || Local foresters contact and offices || Site and tree identification and other forestry resources in your area || Water/water quality measurements [] || Rainfall and other meterological data.
 * Sources** ||
 * Type of Information** ||
 * How does it relate to research?** ||
 * How does it relate to research?** ||

Stream flow and historic water data. || Locally collected rainfall and other water availability data may be of importance to how much sap can flow in different locations. For example, if mountains are experiencing drought conditions but Piedmont is not will it affect sap flow in the same species? || Meteorology Networks [] || Radiation, hydrology, soil networks || How much sun is reaching the trees in your area? Is it different from the amount reaching the trees in the other sap flux sites? How will that affect our measurements. Can historic data be used to predict the onset of spring and so rapid changes in sap flux? || Watersheds [] || What watershed is your site in and how will that watershed affect your site. || Is water being diverted away from your area? Is water quality very poor and so having an effect on trees? || Other Sources of Information .. ||  ||   ||

toc Keila and Alice || Wednesday - Keila is sick but will work on it Friday: || Saturday by midnight || Tyler and Mark || Wed: Met and reported by email Friday: || Saturday by midnight || Lynea, Kacper, and Ariane || Wednesday: Met and reported by email Friday: || Saturday by midnight || Bryce and Dylan || Wednesday: Dylan MIA but Bryce tried mightily Friday:Dylan still MIA - repartnering Bryce || Saturday by midnight ||
 * Unit One**
 * Lesson 3. Identification of a Potential Sap Flow Monitoring Site**[[image:Linnaeus_Notebook2.gif align="left"]]This week you will begin the process of identifying a location where we can begin our shared research project. You have been assigned a partner to work with on this project.Your job, as a partner, is to help your partner by discussing their site with them and providing positive critiques of their data and presentation. Constructive criticism and careful attention to site selection criteria are very important in this phase of the project.You will need to make an entry in your personal wiki on the “Journal” page **every** day of this week (except Sunday).You will need to set up a time to “meet” with your partner on Wednesday and Friday and you will need to have collected all the necessary data to discuss with them. Post the time and method (eg. in person or Skype) of your meeting plans in the table below by Tuesday at 10:00 pm.On Saturday you will need to post a presentation of your findings, after reviewing it with your partner, on BOTH your personal wiki and the class wiki.On Monday September 21, during our **Elluminate** //session each one of you will present your findings to the entire class.////Here is the list of partners://
 * Partners** ||
 * Meeting Times** ||
 * Final Posting** ||
 * Final Posting** ||


 * Partners who are in the same location and who can get to a single site may share the same site – for example, Keila and Alice may be able to find one location that is accessible to both of them. Each one must prepare their own report of the site, however.**

//**Guidelines for Site Selection**//
//1) Locate a stand or grove of trees that contains 15 or more trees that you can easily and regularly access. There should be some trees that are completely surrounded by other trees in this grouping.//
 * Record all of your findings in your lab notebook at the site**

//2) The grove should have a mix of tree species including yellow poplar, sweetgum and red maple. Use the tree identification guide to help you. Include sample leaves or seed pods in your notebook or make tracings of the leaves in your notebooks.//

//3) Establish the distance from the center of the grove to the following features://

//a) Artificial light sources// //b) Artificial heat sources (buildings, roads, parking lots, paved areas, traffic etc.)// //c) Electrical power source (somewhere you can plug in equipment)// //3) How secure is the site? Can you leave a locked box with equipment in it and have reasonable certainty that it will not be vandalized.//

//4) Stand some distance away from the grove and use your clinometers to measure the approximate average height of the stand and the height of the tallest tree in the stand.//

//5) Choose 1 tree of each of the 3 species and measure the diameter of the tree at about 4’ off the ground (dbh or diameter at breast height).//

Report
//I. Your report should include one or more tables to summarize all of the information above.//

//II. Your report should include a Google Earth/Google maps image of the grove with all the key features (Item 3 above) clearly marked. You can use the measurement tool in Google Earth to determine distances. You may need an additional map to show “context” of your site - Show approximately a 2-mile radius around the site on a map.//

//III. Draw some conclusions about how well your site meets what you think we need for a research site and explain why you think it does, or does not meet a particular criterion.//

**Tree Identification Guides**


//__**Continue Phases of the Moon Assignment until you have a complete month of observations.**__//

Lesson 4. What's in my Neighborhood?
//__This week we will continue to identify and characterize the sap flow monitoring sites. All data, maps and other information important to evaluating our sites should be posted on the "Site Selection" page linked at left.__//

//__Many of you are still working on the observation of the phases of the moon. Please continue that activity too. When you have an entire month's series of observations recorded in your lab notebook you can stop making formal observations. Bring your lab notebooks to the weekend on campus where we will discuss your observations in more detail.__//

//__Continue to make daily entries in your journal on your personal wiki site.__//

//__ **This week**, your goal is to identify sources of information that might be important to understanding the sap flux experiments we are going to begin soon. Here is a list of potential sources. Don't limit yourself to these sources. Find out what sources of information there are in your area and think about how those information sources could be used to support our data collection and analysis. Use the table below to get started. Locate the closest measurement type or office of forester to your site so you will know where to get the information and who to contact and then enter it into the equivalent table that you will find on your Journal page on your personal wiki.__//

** Sources ** || ** Type of Information ** || ** How does it relate to research? ** || NC DENR – Division of Forest Resources [] || Local foresters contact and offices || Site and tree identification and other forestry resources in your area || Water/water quality measurements [] || Rainfall and other meterological data.

Stream flow and historic water data. || Locally collected rainfall and other water availability data may be of importance to how much sap can flow in different locations. For example, if mountains are experiencing drought conditions but Piedmont is not will it affect sap flow in the same species? || Meteorology Networks [] || Radiation, hydrology, soil networks || How much sun is reaching the trees in your area? Is it different from the amount reaching the trees in the other sap flux sites? How will that affect our measurements. Can historic data be used to predict the onset of spring and so rapid changes in sap flux? || Watersheds [] || What watershed is your site in and how will that watershed affect your site. || Is water being diverted away from your area? Is water quality very poor and so having an effect on trees? || Other Sources of Information .. ||  ||   ||

**Lesson 3. Identification of a Potential Sap Flow Monitoring Site**
This week you will begin the process of identifying a location where we can begin our shared research project. You have been assigned a partner to work with on this project.Your job, as a partner, is to help your partner by discussing their site with them and providing positive critiques of their data and presentation. Constructive criticism and careful attention to site selection criteria are very important in this phase of the project.You will need to make an entry in your personal wiki on the “Journal” page **every** day of this week (except Sunday).You will need to set up a time to “meet” with your partner on Wednesday and Friday and you will need to have collected all the necessary data to discuss with them. Post the time and method (eg. in person or Skype) of your meeting plans in the table below by Tuesday at 10:00 pm.On Saturday you will need to post a presentation of your findings, after reviewing it with your partner, on BOTH your personal wiki and the class wiki.On Monday September 21, during our **Elluminate** __session each one of you will present your findings to the entire class.Here is the list of partners:__

**Partners** || **Meeting Times** || **Final Posting** || Keila and Alice || Wednesday - Keila is sick but will work on it Friday: || Saturday by midnight || Tyler and Mark || Wed: Met and reported by email Friday: || Saturday by midnight || Lynea, Kacper, and Ariane || Wednesday: Met and reported by email Friday: || Saturday by midnight || Bryce and Dylan || Wednesday: Dylan MIA but Bryce tried mightily Friday:Dylan still MIA - repartnering Bryce || Saturday by midnight ||

__//**Partners who are in the same location and who can get to a single site may share the same site – for example, Keila and Alice may be able to find one location that is accessible to both of them. Each one must prepare their own report of the site, however.**//__

__// **Unit One** //__

**Lesson 2 - What else is out there?**
__//Once we humans got comfortable with finding our way around the Earth using this new-fangled navigation system we started to look around and ask questions about what else there was around us. One of the most famous efforts to find out what else is out there has been conducted by NASA. In the 1960s NASA assembled an extraordinary group of scientists to identify other forms of life on Mars. Dr. James Lovelock, a British chemist and instrument designer was part of that team. Uninvited, he worked on finding a method for determining, from a distance, if life existed on another planet. His work, from that starting point, has led to a complete revision of how we see our own planet and the role of life in maintaining habitable conditions on Earth. //__

__// Lovelock called the theory the Gaia hypothesis. He proposed that living and non-living parts of the earth form a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Named after the Greek goddess Gaia, the hypothesis postulates that the biosphere has a regulatory effect on the Earth's environment that acts to sustain life. //__

__// While the Gaia hypothesis was readily accepted by many in the environmental science community, it has not been widely accepted within the some other branches of science. To demonstrated the basis of his theory Dr. Lovelock used a rather novel approach, a mathematical model called Daisy World. We will return to discuss mathematical models and Daisy World later. However, you may want to take a look at the animation at the link in the references section to get a rough idea of how Daisy World works. //__

__// The question “What else is out there?” quickly became “What makes us, the Earth, unique?” Dr. Lovelock’s work on this topic has provided a foundation for the modern study of Earth systems science and that view of the Earth has led to the widespread use of satellite borne instruments to measure changes in the functioning of the Earth’s systems in response to human intervention. //__

__// ASSIGNMENTS: //__

__// The video for this lesson is located on GoCourse. It is an interview conducted by Dr. David Suzuki made in connection with the CBC series, //The Sacred Balance. //[] Your goal in watching this video is to map out the process of science and scientific discovery as described by Dr. Lovelock and his Gaia hypothesis. How do scientists come up with theories? How do they verify their hypotheses? Before you watch it please download this flow diagram [|How Science Works.pdf] and look at the processes it describes. You will also want to download a version of the// How Science Works //flow diagram that has blank spaces where you can write or type in information  [|HowSciWorks-sheet.pdf] . Use this blank form to enter events and developments that Dr. Lovelock experienced that fit into the blank blocks. //__

__//For example, Dr. Lovelock describes several pieces of evidence that supported his Gaia hypothesis and, at least in part, verify his theory. These included his discovery that methyl iodine and dimethylsulfide are produced by algae on the open ocean. When the mass of these chemicals released into the air over the ocean by algae was added to mathematical models of the Earth's sulfur and iodine cycles (budgets), his findings exactly fit previously unexplained gaps between the measured and expected quantities. So, this data verified his hypothesis that the waste products from algae were necessary to balance the sulfur and iodine cycles that had previously been thought to be independent of living organisms and only the result of geological and atmospheric cycles. This piece of evidence fits into the circle in the diagram named "Gathering data" and "Interpreting Data". //__

__// Take notes while you watch the video and then after you have finished watching it fill in the blank version of the How Science Works flow diagram. Use the following headings to guide your notetaking : //__


 * Exploration/Discovery
 * Gathering Data/Interpreting Data
 * Community Analysis and Feedback
 * Benefits and Outcomes

__//**DISCUSSION TOPICS**://__ __//While watching the video think about the process of discovery Dr. Lovelock describes. What makes a research question interesting and important? //__

__// **ASSIGNMENTS**: //__ __// 1) Continue observing phases of the Moon. //__ __// 2) "How Science Works" sheet a posting based on the video of interview James Lovelock to be posted on personal wiki on "Assignments" page. //__ __// 3) Begin looking around your neighborhood for forested areas where there are stands of hardwood trees, power sources and some security. //__ __// 4) Take a look at the NASA Climate Change website and NASA missions.[] to get a sense of how much the Gaia principle has affected the way scientists think about Earth System Sciences. //__

//**Some References of Interest**__:__// //__<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> J. E. Lovelock (1972). "Gaia as seen through the atmosphere". [|Atmospheric Environment] **6** (8): 579–580. [|doi]: [|10.1016/0004-6981(72)90076-5]. __// //__<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Daisyworld: [] __//

Unit One

|| rob_gonsalves_24.jpg || __**here am I?**__

__//In this module we will begin by looking at some key discoveries and the process, usually long and complex, that led to those discoveries. We begin with the question of how we know where we are on the surface of the Earth.We started to think about this problem during the summer session when you worked in teams to discover the polar circumference of the Earth from simple measurements that you could make right here on campus. Everyone had some idea about the polar co-ordinate system and roughly how it works. But how do we use that system and other information to figure out where we are on the surface?Most of the surface of the Earth is water (about 70%) and there often are no clearly distinguishing features to help you along. As you will see from the readings for this week, it seemed relatively easy for people to figure out what latitude they were at but longitude was a troubling problem that took hundreds of years to resolve.The solution depended on a highly skilled clockmaker who spent most of his life perfecting and improving clock designs. It was only when a competition was announced to encourage inventors and seamen to figure out how to determine longitude from any location on the globe for the right technology to match up with the right research question.//__

__// READING ASSIGNMENT: //__ __//So let’s begin by reading about the secrets of ancient navigation techniques at this NOVA site. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none;">[] //__

//__1) While you read this article, make a time line of the major discoveries showing the dates and the discovery using a pencil/pen and a piece of paper. Do you notice anything interesting about the spacing and the timing of discoveries? Is this how you might have imagined discoveries would be made? If not, what is different.__//
 * DISCUSSION TOPICS:**

//__2) Try to figure out exactly how a crossbar and a sextant works. You will be making a very similar instrument to measure the heights of distant objects.__//

__** What about Longitude? **__ __//How did it happen that someone figured out how to determine longitude at sea? In 1714, following a maritime disaster, the British Parliament offered a 20,000 pounds sterling prize for the first reliable method of determining the longitude on a ship.//__

__//It was well known that longitude can be found by comparing a ship's local time to the time at the port of origin. The challenge is finding a clock—a chronometer—that can keep time at sea, where temperature changes, humidity, gravity and a ship's movement affect accuracy. Early attempts were based on the assumption that astronomy could solve the problem.//__

__//Self-taught clockmaker John Harrison believed the answer lay in large mechanical clocks. Through careful observation and experimentation, he invented many adaptations to improve clock accuracy. After decades of work, he realized that pocket watches are a better choice and as a result he decides to redirect his efforts to pursue this smaller technology.//__ __//It took 50 years from the time of the first announcement of the prize for determining longitude at sea but in 1764, Harrison's watch proves accurate in helping determine the longitude on a six-week voyage to Barbados.//__

__//**<span style="color: #1c37ab; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: **//__ __ (TO BE POSTED ON PERSONAL WIKI) __

__//1) Try finding your position at sea from what you know by playing the game []//__ __//Find at least 3 positions in the game and write down how you determined what those positions where in a new entry to the “Assignments” section of your personal Wiki.//__

__//2) Modern tools for determining location on the Earth rely on satellites and very accurate clocks. The global positioning system (GPS) technology has revolutionized both everyday life and scientific investigations. To find out how GPS works go to [] and [] and complete the tutorial. In your personal Wiki "Assignments" section write one or two paragraphs comparing and contrasting the basic principles of GPS units and the navigation technique that John Harrison’s invention made possible.//__ __//3) Make a clinometer. Instructions are provided as part of the "Making Observation - Phases of the Moon" activity. [|Making Observations - Phases of the Moon.docx]//__

__//4) Once you have a working clinometer that you have tested and are satisfied with you can begin your daily observations of the phases of the Moon.//__

__//** Prepare to Discuss **//__ __//Read through the “Great Challenges” at []//__

//ENTER A CONTEST 10/16 Deadline __**International Year of Planet Earth & Earth Science Week 2009 Photography Contest -- Open to All Ages**__// //__ To celebrate the International Year of Planet Earth and Earth Science Week 2009, the American Geological Institute is sponsoring a major international photography contest. Photographs should focus on the topic “Exploring Earth Science Around the World.” The contest is open to anyone of any age from anywhere around the world. Entries must be submitted electronically. The deadline for submitting photos is **Oct. 16, 2009**. __// //__ [] __//

= =
 * Outline of Course - First Semester **


 * Expected next weekend on Campus - October 16.

//** <span class="wiki_link_new">Module 1: The Big Picture( Where am I? ) **// //__Lesson 1__// //__Lesson 2__// //__ **Introductory readings, activities and assignments to introduce the basic principles of experimental design.** __//

// **Module 2: Measurements** //

//__ **Now you're ready to start researching something. How do you know what to study? Where would you start to figure that out? This module is designed to help you answer those questions.** __//

//** Module 3: Experimental Design and Data Analysis **//

//__ **In this module we will focus on analyzing experimental data, communicating descriptive statistics and designing complex experiments. Many of the experiments we explore will rely on data collected by others and shared among researchers from different fields to answer complex questions.** __//

//** Module 4: Research Questions **//

//__T **his module is about formulating research questions and designing experiments that address those questions.** __//

//**Module 5: The Experiment**//

//__ **As part of ORE you will be participating in a larger shared experiment - the NC-SAPFLUX Network. This module will focus on your contributions to this experiment** **.**__//

//**Module 6: Explaining Yourself**//

//__ **In this module you will learn how to describe your work, communicate your findings both in presentations and in writing, and describe future work that you will participate in for the 2nd semester of the course.** __//

INTRODUCTION - Week of 8/25/09
//__ WELCOME! __//

= = Welcome to the NCSSM Online Research Experience Course. During the first week of classes we are going to focus on getting to know the course goals, syllabus, honor code and some of the tools we will be using a bit later in the semester. You will probably recognize some of the tools and the class topics from discussions during the summer session on the NCSSM campus. We will develop the themes we started during the summer session and in the first 2 modules of the course.

// Communications // //__ Remember that this Class Wiki is the place to check for assignments and updates. The GoCourse site will contain some reading materials and longer videos that do not appear on the ClassWiki site utwe will make it clear to you when something is on GoCourse but not on the Wiki. You should check in at that Wiki daily. __//

//__ If you have questions or problems, please contact us via email (You can use the Wiki messaging for this or your regular email service). This is especially important when you are working with troublesome software problems. Don’t “spin your wheels” for more than ½ an hour on any software or computer issue. Of course, since there might be a few hours delay in responding to your email, don't leave assignments to the last minute. __//

__**Elluminate** //tutorial sessions are required and will be held on//__ **Monday evenings between 8:00 and 9:00 PM**__//. When holidays fall on Mondays we may need to reschedule our tutorial time but we will discuss any rescheduling the week before the holiday and post the new time in both CoCourse and on the class wiki site.//__

// Week of 8/24/09 //

Here is a schedule for you to follow during this first week ( __beginning Tuesday 8/25/09//)://__

__// 1) Review the course goals and write down any questions you might have about them. (Course Goals are linked in the lefthand navigation bar) //__

__// 2) Read through the syllabus (linked in the lefthand navigations bar). Make sure you are clear about what will be expected of you and how your work will be evaluated. Write down any questions that you might have and we will discuss them in the Elluminate session on Monday, August 31 beginning at 8:00 PM. //__

__// 3) Go over the course outline (see that below). Is this what you were expecting? Once again, write down questions or things you would like clarified and we will discuss them during the //**Elluminate** //session.//__

__// 4) Complete the following assignments (details on the Assgnments Page linked in the lefthand navigation bar ): //__


 * Introduce yourself on the Class Wiki (Introductions Page )
 * Wikispaces assignment (post on personal Wiki)
 * Google Earth Assignment (post on personal Wiki)
 * // Prepare for the //**Elluminate**// session on Monday, August 31 at 8:00 to 9:00 PM

ENTER A CONTEST Deadline 10/16__
**International Year of Planet Earth & Earth Science Week 2009 Photography Contest -- Open to All Ages** To celebrate the International Year of Planet Earth and Earth Science Week 2009, the American Geological Institute is sponsoring a major international photography contest. Photographs should focus on the topic “Exploring Earth Science Around the World.” The contest is open to anyone of any age from anywhere around the world. Entries must be submitted electronically. The deadline for submitting photos is **Oct. 16, 2009**. []

Summer on Campus - 2009

Classes start on August 25, 2009