ENGINEERING 100W LAB ASSIGNMENT Dr. Thalia AnagnosENGINEERING 100W LAB ASSIGNMENT Dr. Thalia AnagnosObjectives of Assignment:- Persuade Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, that she should place ocean acidification high on her agenda.- Use the correct format for a business letter.- Write paragraphs that each develop an idea and use a topic sentence to introduce that idea.- Compile information from multiple sources and create an organized argument.- Cite Sources and use quotes correctly.Background: Dr. Jeff Koseff, Director of the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University,spoke on Friday, February 6 about coral reefs, their importance, and the research being done to understand how they function. In his presentation he talked about ocean acidification and how that can lead to dissolution of coral reefs (Koseff, 2009). In addition to attending his talk, you were asked to look at several web sites dedicated to understanding and protecting coral reefs. Assignment: President Obama has nominated Dr. Jane Lubchenco to serve as the next Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. In this position she will head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA (www.noaa.gov) is the federal agency responsible for monitoring and researching the health of our oceans, coasts, and atmosphere. The mission of the agency is“To understand and predict changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs” (NOAA, n.d.).Assuming that Dr. Lubchenco’s nomination will be confirmed by the United States Congress, her first task will be to establish a set of priorities for the agency to pursue in the coming years. She will be consulting with her own advisors and with prominent scientists from around the world. In addition, she will be interested in what the American people think. You now know about the importance of coral reefs and the stresses that impact their health, particularly the potential for ocean acidification to dissolve coral reefs. Write a letter to Dr. Lubchenco and provide her with information that will convince her that she should place a high priority on researching and monitoring ocean acidification. You might consider including:- who you are and why you are writing to her,- why coral reefs are important, - the interaction of climate change and ocean acidity, and - the potential impact of increased acidity on coral reef health. Her address is:The Honorable Jane LubchencoUndersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and AtmosphereNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration1401 Constitution Avenue, NWRoom 5128Washington, DC 20230Refer to your notes and feel free to include quotes from the speaker or other resources. A variety of resources related to coral reefs can be found on the class web site www.engr.sjsu.edu/tanagnos/ENGR100W (click on Assignments).Guidelines: The assignment must be turned in at the end of this class period and a copy MUST BE TURNED INTO TURNITIN.COM. The letter must be typed on the computer. Complete the business letter with 12 point Times Roman font, 1 and ½ line spacing, and 1- inch margins. Page 1ENGINEERING 100W LAB ASSIGNMENT Dr. Thalia Anagnos1. Write a letter from you to Dr. Lubchenco that addresses the points listed.2. Number your pages.3. Cite references in APA style.4. Include a “References” section at the end of your letter with properly formatted references.Proofread your document before you print it. Sign it at the end after your salutation and hand it.Grading:Proper format of a business letter 2Introduction: introduce self and indicate letter purpose and scope 2Discussion of coral reef importance and threats 3Conclusions providing your recommendations about what she should do 2References properly cited and plagiarism avoided 2Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation 4 Total 15 pointsReferencesKoseff, J. (2009, February 6). Turbulent times in our coral reef systems [Lecture notes]. ENGR 100w: San Jose State University.NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (n.d.) About NOAA. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from the NOAA web site: http://www.noaa.gov/about-noaa.htmlPage
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