Category: perspectives in natural science

Overview
Throughout this course, you will use a natural science–themed news story to examine a scientific topic that interests you. In this activity, you will choose your news story. While it is a good idea to choose your news story early, you may change it until the next module. You will use this news story for the entire course, so it is important to select something you are truly interested in.
Prompt
Visit the website Science Daily and choose a natural science–related news story published within the past six months. You will use this news story throughout this course to complete activities and project work. You can find a news story by browsing the articles on the homepage, or you can enter a keyword (such as “earthquakes,” “cancer,” or “black holes”) into the search bar.
To ensure your article is appropriately focused on the natural sciences and suited for this project, review the questions below. Please note that these questions are not the graded portion of the assignment. They are simply to help you choose an appropriate news story.
Was your news story published within the last six months?
Is your news story related to living organisms or systems of the natural world? This may include the following topics:
zoology (the study of animals)
botany (the study of plants)
cellular biology (the study of the cell)
anatomy (the study of body structures)
geology (the study of the earth)
meteorology (the study of the atmosphere, weather, and climate)oceanography
oceanography (the study of oceans)
astronomy (the study of the universe)
geophysics (the physics of the earth)
astrophysics (the physics of the universe)
atmospheric (a branch of meteorology)
biochemistry (the chemistry of life)
geochemistry (the chemistry of geological systems)
Does your news story report on the process of conducting scientific research, mentioning elements of the scientific method such as hypotheses, observation, field research, experiments, lab research, computer modeling, or data collection?
If you cannot answer “yes” to the questions above, or you are unsure how to answer the questions, consider reaching out to your instructor for additional guidance.
After you find a story that interests you and meets the criteria above, answer the questions in the Module One Activity Template Word Document. Before proceeding further with the project, your instructor must approve the news story you identify on the activity template.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Summarize the main idea in your selected news story.
What is the primary focus or thesis of the article? Briefly summarize the major points presented in the article.
Explain any prior knowledge and what you’d like to learn more about regarding your selected news story.
What, if anything, do you already know about the subject of your chosen news story? What would you like to research to learn more?
Discuss the value of the scientific research presented in your selected news story for contemporary society.
Why do you think this research might matter to society? How might it benefit individuals, communities, and/or the world?
What to Submit
Submit your completed Module One Activity Template. While not required, any sources should be cited using APA style. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on citations.

Thus far, you have learned about the fundamentals of scientific inquiry, including the scientific method. An important scientific principle is that in order to uncover truths about the natural world, scientific inquiry should be free from biases, emotions, and value judgments. This includes methods, results, theories, and scientists themselves. But there is always a human element in science that can affect objectivity. Reflect on what you learned from the module resources and respond to the following prompts. You will use your news story when participating in the discussion. Create one initial post and follow up with at least two response posts.
For your initial post, address the following:
Can scientists ever be completely objective when conducting research? Why or why not? Support your argument with course resources. What might be the consequences (positive and/or negative) of emotion in scientific research?

Overview
All scientific inquiry starts with a question. Scientists may wonder why something exists, how it came to be, or how it interacts with other things. Whatever the inspiration, asking questions is at the heart of scientific research. In this activity, you will revise the research question that you would like to concentrate on as you continue working on your project.
Prompt
Use the provided Module Three Activity Template PDF to complete this assignment. You will consider the research questions you wrote in the previous module and choose one to focus on for your project. Use this opportunity to edit your research question based on instructor feedback and what you have learned so far in the course. Revising your question may involve the following:
Clarifying language
Connecting it more directly to your news story
Making it feasible
Narrowing its focus
Make it measurable
Ensuring it is ethical
You will also reflect on how your personal beliefs, assumptions, and values may have impacted how you wrote and revised your research question. For example, maybe a close family member has chronic fatigue syndrome, and you assumed the medical community does not know what causes it. So you decided to focus your research question on what contributes to the disease.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
Finalize your scientific research question related to main idea of your chosen news story
Explain how your beliefs, assumptions, and values may have impacted your research question
What to Submit
Submit your completed Module Three Activity Template. While not required, any sources should be cited using APA style. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on citations.