ESS 499 UAHuntsville Undergraduate Research Capstone Study Abroad Program Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean This course syllabus pertains to Part II of the Study Abroad Program, which is comprised of Internship Research for 3 credit hours. Course Title:
Internship Research Project
Course Number:
Section II of the Special Topics Summer Course: “Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean” (University of Alabama in Huntsville) – ESS 499.
Course Date:
July 5 - July 30, 2010
Course Location:
CATHALAC: City of Knowledge 111, Clayton, Panama, Republic of Panama
Instructors:
Thomas L. Sever, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, UAHuntsville. (CATHALAC Associate Research Professor) Tel: 256-961-7958. Email: sever@nsstc.uah.edu
CATHALAC Internship Coordinators: Eric Anderson, CATHALAC Research Scientist Tel: (507) 317-3222. Email: eric.anderson@cathalac.org Emil Cherrington, Applied Research & Development Division Manager, CATHALAC Tel: (507) 317-3223. Email: emil.cherrington@cathalac.org Joel Perez, CATHALAC Senior Scientist Tel: (507) 317-3230. Email: joel.perez@cathalac.org Francisco Delgado, Information Technology & Communication Division Manager, and Risk Management Expert, CATHALAC Tel: (507) 317-3224. Email: Francisco.delgado@cathalac.org Africa Flores, CATHALAC Research Scientist Tel: (507) 317-3223. Email: africa.flores@cathalac.org Santiago Gonzalez, CATHALAC Research Scientist Email: santiago.gonzalez@cathalac.org
Betzy Hernandez, CATHALAC Research Scientist Email: betzy.hernandez@cathalac.org John Flores, CATHALAC ITC Senior Advisor Email:john.flores@cathalac.org Luis Alejandro Del Castillo, CATHALAC ITC Support Email: Luis.delcastillo@cathalac.org
Description The Internship Research Project is the culmination of the Study Abroad Program on Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The acquired knowledge, skills and methods learned in the Program, are to be applied during the development and implementation of the internship research project (Part II of the Program).Throughout the Program students will review and select potential topics of interest for their internship by consulting instructors and assigned internship supervisors. Students carry out a four week internship which demands a full-time work commitment while conducting research. The internship provides students the opportunity to gain professional experience by working on projects alongside CATHALAC’s international staff. All students will participate in a general initiation at CATHALAC offices, but some students may be required to conduct field research. Upon completion of the internship, students present their research findings. Objectives ¾ Conduct original, independent research ¾ Encourage critical-thinking skills and employ them through investigation ¾ Enhance scientific and technical knowledge ¾ Provide hands-on experience at an international applied research facility (CATHALAC) and at field sites ¾ Be part of a process dedicated to developing innovative solutions to environmental problems Expected Outcome By the end of the Study Abroad Program students will have gained invaluable experience in executing their own research project, which they may choose to develop further in their university or professional careers. Requirements ¾ Successful completion of at least 2 semesters of undergraduate work. Basic Spanish proficiency is a plus but not a must ¾ Successful completion of Part I of the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Program ¾ The four-week internship requires a full-time work load while conducting research. ¾ The course requires responsibility, commitment, initiative, and a good work ethic.
¾ Once a topic is selected, a CATHALAC Supervisor who is a specialist in the field is assigned to the student ¾ Students are expected to independently research their topic but will be guided by an Internship Supervisor to whom they must communicate and report to twice a week ¾ Upon completion of the internship, students will submit a final report and will give a 20 minute presentation on their research and findings with a 5 minute question period. Potential Research Topics ¾ The effects of climate and land cover change on erosion and sedimentation ¾ Historical analysis and future trends of agricultural and forest fires, and their relation to protected areas ¾ Climate change’s impacts on species or ecosystem distributions ¾ Impacts of sea level rise on coastal communities ¾ Costs and benefits of avoided deforestation and forest degradation ¾ Climate change and its impacts on public health ¾ Perspectives of greenhouse gas emissions in the region under different scenarios ¾ Impacts of climate change and El Niño on fisheries, the energy sector, agriculture, or livestock ¾ Changing energy demands in a changing climate: what are the options? ¾ Adapting risk management to a changing climate These are general research ideas that must be further refined by the students and supervisors. Students should be thinking about potential research topics during the first four weeks of the Study Abroad program, drawing inspiration from lecturers and field visits. As such, students will be able to begin the internship component having given adequate thought and consideration to topics and groups. Depending on the scope of each project, students should team up into groups of two or three. Naturally, supervisors will expect more of larger groups. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the projects, students should consider grouping together with other students of different but complementary strengths and experiences in order to educe more holistic approaches to addressing the problems at hand. Provisional Schedule Date 18 June 25 June 2 July Week 5 5 July 9 July Week 6 19 July
Activity Distribution and discussion of general research topics (afternoon) Begin background research on fields of interest (afternoon, tentative) Go over syllabus. Review general research topics, form groups and meet with supervisors. First week of internships. Background research and preparation for field visits (Spanish in the afternoons) Group visit to Parque Soberanía (tentative) Work plan due. Complete background research. Begin field work and analysis. Informal presentation to peers and supervisors
20 July Week 7 Week 8 30 July
Turn in updated work plan. Complete field work and analysis. Interpret results. Finish final report and presentation at CATHALAC. Formal presentation, deliver products and report, closing ceremony
Work Plan and Chronogram of Activities The Work Plan should document the objectives expected results of the students’ projects. It should include a Chronogram of Activities that contain important dates and all activities recorded down to the hour. This will be the guide to achieve the goals established between the students and the Center and will be revised by group supervisors. The Work Plan should evolve into the Final Report as the projects progress, and the Chronogram of Activities will be included in the Appendix of the Final Report. Informal presentation The informal presentation provides students the opportunity to share their refined research questions and proposed methodologies to their peers and other scientists and professionals at CATHALAC. The objectives here are to practice how to present the projects and to initiate brainstorming sessions that should enrich the projects’ development. Only 10 minutes will be designated for each presentation, and an additional 5-10 minutes of feedback. The topics to present are: • The context of the independent research project and relevance to climate change and sustainable development • Specific research question and objectives • Proposed methodology • Expected results • Obstacles encountered so far or those the students anticipate in the future, and possible ways to overcome them Given the brevity of these discussions, groups should limit their presentations to 5-7 slides. Final Report The Final Report will be one of the products delivered to the Director of CATHALAC and project supervisors. It should be approximately 15-20 pages (single spaced, printed doublesided) written in English. It will include: • Title page with students’ names, university(ies) logo(s) and CATHALAC logo • Table of Contents including graphs, tables and figures • Contact information for CATHALAC and students’ universities • Introduction (general context, literature review) • Problem statement / research question • Methods • Results • Discussion • Conclusions • References, Appendices and other information o Includes Chronogram of Activities / amount of time dedicated to the project
Executive Summary In approximately 300 words, the Executive Summary describes the essence of the project and should include title, student and organization names, general context, specific objectives, brief methods, results, and conclusions/recommendations. This should be prepared in both English and Spanish and turned in with the Final Report. Formal Presentation The final formal presentation will be given in front of project supervisors, other CATHALAC staff, invitees and peers. Each presentation should last 20 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions and should include the following: • The context of the independent research project: students’ backgrounds and relevancy to CATHALAC, climate change and sustainable development • Objectives • Brief methods • Results • Interpretation of results (discussion and conclusions) • Lessons learned, both academic and professional Depending on level of Spanish proficiency, it is encouraged—but not required—that Powerpoint slides be prepared in Spanish. Students may present in either English or Spanish. Grading The Internship Research Project will be graded based on the following items 1. Work Plan and performance (10%) 2. Final Report (45%) 3. Oral Presentation (45%) The grading scale is as follows A: 90-100 B: 80-89 C: 70-79 D: 60-69 F : <60
** Please note. Attendance at all program activities is mandatory and is crucial to student success in the program. Students will be expected to work full-time on their research projects, report as requested to their supervisors, be involved in excursions, be punctual and cooperative, and respect instructors, guides and supervisors.