Issues Capstone Poster Project:

This was modified from an assignment developed by the Biology Faculty at BC, and derived from the Bio 100 Student Module. Each person will work to produce a poster or a PowerPoint presentation that addresses an issue related to biology. Remember that for this class, "an issue is something for which informed scientific researchers disagree." It must be controversial, with a definite pro and con to it. For this assignment the issue must also have some interesting Biology associated with it. When presenting both sides of the issue, it is important that their be a biological basis to support both sides. Ethics are important, but arguments that deal ONLY with what is moral or ethical are not sufficient. If you would like to make this a poster in a PowerPoint presentation or make a web site to present the information, then email it to me at my office that is ok with me. You may have a maximum of 8 pages in the PowerPoint presentation. Please include a minimum of three references with this paper. If you want to create the poster online, try going to: www.libreoffice.org (Links to an external site.) and downloading a free suite of software. Open the file analogous to Microsoft Office, and set the measurements 3 ft. by 4 ft. and 3-4 columns and begin to create your poster. Have fun!!! In the world of science, references have to be recent to be correct, and present up to date research ideas. In the fields that are releasing much research constantly, your references cannot be more than TWO years old to be current. New significant research has been published within the last SIX months.

USE ONLY PRIMARY SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES!!!!! Do not use any references with the notations: n.p.;n.d.; nor n.pag. Do not use out of date ideas for a current paper presenting both pros and cons of a Biological Controversy. Do not use the topic of Stem Cells, as beginning students have difficulty understanding the research techniques involved. Please use actual scientific primary references, from the actual people doing the research, not from a secondary source writing about the results of the research for your Issues Poster. Please email the PowerPoint presentation and a separate file for each of the following: the annotated bibliography, the two page paper, single spaced, that explains your poster, and the one page abstract that summarizes the poster to me at the Canvas grade book.

Most frequently missed points on this assignment are: Not making the poster the required size -- minus 3 points; having footnotes of any type -- minus 3 points; not submitting an annotated bibliography -- minus 5 points; not stating the title as a question -- minus 1 point; not having the same amount of pros as cons -- 4-5 points; not having a topic that is a controversy among Biologists-- a new paper will have to be submitted for a grade. FOR EACH REFERENCE YOU USE THAT IS NOT A PRIMARY SCIENTIFIC REFERENCE, YOU WILL LOSE 1 POINT!

You will be evaluated chiefly on the quality of your poster, and a paper that you will write explaining the pros and the cons of your issue. The posters should be 4 feet by 3 feet on an X-Acto Display poster board of cardboard with foldable wings, or a poster of the same size, made of a foldable graph paper or something that will role up to be mailed in a tube to me. Be sure to choose an issue that is controversial within Biology today. State the title in a short question, as it helps you to form the pros and the cons. For example, "Are Antibiotics Working Today" or "Should Foods be Irradiated?". Include anywhere from three to five pros on one side of the front of the poster, and the same number of cons on the opposite side of the front. These should be stated as bullets or phrases that you will explain BRIEFLY in a two page paper that will take the place of the oral presentation that the on campus classes make. It should be single-spaced, and incorporate the pros and cons of the poster. Please do not use any kind of footnote or citation in the body of your paper, as the paper is only two pages. Do NOT use any direct quotations in this brief paper. The annotated bibliography will take the place of citations within the body of your Issues Paper. Your abstract, a one page typed summary of the poster, should be in the center of the front of the poster. In addition, the front should have pictures and writing that explain the biology of the issue. Is this issue clearly stated in your paper and on your poster? Are the pros and the cons presented fairly? Your own biases should not show. Please state the title as a question. You are presenting information, and asking the reader to make an informed decision based upon the holistic handling of the issue that you have presented in your poster and your paper. You need to list at least one reference from either Ebscohost or Science Direct. When you go to the BC Library site online, use the Journal articles with a green symbol next to them. They are for free. Use the Periodicals/ Data Base to look under "s" to find the electronic indeces, "Science Online" and "Science Direct". You will submit an annotate bibliography of at least three scientific references on the back of your poster, and an abstract, a short summary of the poster topic, of 3-4 paragraphs on the front of the poster. An example of an annotated bibliography is found in the "Issues Paper" Student Activity Sheet. The LMC Librarian Instructions for annotating your MLA Bibliography is found at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/

Your references should be from a variety of sources, including periodicals, newspapers, World Wide Web, full-text databases such as Science Direct or EBSCOhost, and be current. Books should be used sparingly, as they are often outdated when they are published. Encyclopedias, including Encarta and Wikkipedia, and dictionaries are NOT acceptable references. Your bibliography will be graded on the following criteria:

1. What is the quality of the references?

2. Are the references relevant for the topic?

3. Are the citations complete and correctly formatted?

4. Are the dates of the references appropriate for the issue?

5. Are there periodicals as well as other sources?

6. Are the references relevant and appropriate for the issue?