How well you communicate affects your careerScientists and engineers are called upon to communicate in many different situations In scientific writing, formats vary considerably to serve different situationsThe majority of your work is communicated in a variety of documentsThe structure of a document is reflected in the headings, subheadings, and paragraphs Today’s talk will overview the term project, consider structure, overview the Project DescriptionThe Term Paper consists of a series of five assignments, which will be completed in stagesThe final proposal includes all revised sections, and Conclusion & RecommendationsYour Introduction should consist of three parts, which:Your Experimental Design should consist of three parts, whichYour Conclusions and Recommendations should: Structure: Use Section Hierarchies to Clarify Structure, Use headings for major topics Outline/Structure for Experimental Design Section, example:The organization of a document is reflected in the headings, subheadings, and paragraphs, example:Writing your Project Description, a sample For References use APA Format – Best, try Refworks, examples:Use diagrams for explaining your experimental design, example:Don’t forget that Writing Is a ProcessYou choose the information, how it is presented, and how it is analyzed.Reread, revise your writing for clarityAttention to the clarity of subjects and to logical connections helps the reader follow complex discussionsKnowing your Audience(s) for your Proposal is Crucial NSF Seven Deadly Sins of Proposal WritingKeep it as simple as possible, yet no simpler.Albert EinsteinBased on work by Michael AlleyHarlan Harlan Breindel, LecturerProgram in Writing and Humanistic StudiesMIT 1.018/7.30J Fall 2009 Ecology I2The fundamental purpose of scientific discourseis not the mere presentation of information and thought but rather its actual communication. It does not matter how pleased an author might be to have converted all the right data into sentences and paragraphs; it matters only whether a large majority of the reading audience accurately perceives what the author had in mind.--George Gopen and Judith SwanThe Science of Scientific Writing3How well you communicate affects your careerSurvey (Richard M. Davis) Successful engineers spent 25% of work week writingSurvey (Virginia Tech) Recruiters claim that engineers need more work on their writingSurvey (Wisconsin) Professional engineers found writing their most useful subject in college4Scientists and engineers are called upon to communicate in many different situationsspecifictechnicalaudiencesnon-technicalaudiencesgeneraltechnicalaudiencesReportsArticlesProposalsWeb PagesConferencesLecturesMeetingsPosters5In scientific writing, formats vary considerably to serve different situationsFormalReportsJournalArticlesPresentationSlides6The majority of your work is communicated in a variety of documentsWhat is a document?Like most engineering projects, a document is an artifact that is designed and produced• It is created – For specific purposes– For specific audiences – For specific uses• It is modular7The structure of a document is reflected in the headings, subheadings, and paragraphs8Today’s talk will overview the term project, consider structure, overview the Project Description9The Term Paper consists of a series of five assignments, which will be completed in stages1) Topic Submission……….……….. Due Lecture #32) Project Description………………. Due Lecture #73) Introduction……………………….. Due Lecture #114) Experimental Design/Proposal….Due Lecture #155) Complete Final Paper……………. Due Lecture #22* Oral Presentation: (15% of term project grade)10The final proposal includes all revised sections, and Conclusion & Recommendations11Your Introduction should consist of three parts, which:• Discusses the issues and attributes of the problem addressed by the topic you’ve selected. • Identify the problem’s implications ecologically and socially, etc. • Provides a foundation for your reader to understand the problem through a discussion of the literature. • Reviews the origins and history of the concept of geogengineering, and summarize a broad suite of proposed schemes • Demonstrates themes, problems, negative side effects or other ideas common to these various strategies.• Provides an in-depth analysis of the particular geoengineeringtopic that you’ve selected. • Discusses how it is supposed to work, providing technical details and diagrams if appropriate. • Cites relevant literature to provide the necessary details. _ Describe the “intended consequences” of your geoengineering topic, i.e. what is it supposed to do and why? 122312Your Experimental Design should consist of three parts, which• Reviews the potential unintended consequences of implementation of the geoengineering idea. • Explains what might go wrong, how it might negatively impact the Earth System, etc. • Provides a literature review of the relevant material.• Proposes a hypothesis regarding the testing of these unintended consequences. Your hypothesis should reflect your prediction of what your experiment will determine. • Proposes the actual experimental design that you’ve developed to test the hypothesis you’ve put forward regarding the unintended consequences of your geoengineering topic.• Includes technical details, diagrams, and experimental details (replicates, controls, etc.) • This is the experiment you are proposing and whose funding will have to argue for in your presentation. Your design must be scientifically reasonable and this will require literature reviews.12313Your Conclusions and Recommendations should: • Highlight the predicted results of your experiment and what these results might mean for your opinion regarding implementation of this and of other geoengineering strategies. • Put your experiment in the context of dealing with the global problems as a whole. • Include recommendations based on your research.13214Structure: Use Section Hierarchies to Clarify Structure, Use headings for major topics Executive SummaryIntroduction- Problem/Background- Geoengineering overview- Description of specific schemeExperimental Design- Potential unintended consequences- Hypothesis- Description of ExperimentConclusion/Recommendations- Expected results- Conclusion- Recommendations15Outline/Structure for