INTRO TO ENVIRONMENTAL

Understanding Experimental Design LAB  – Assignment

OVERVIEW

Scientists conduct experiments in order to understand how the natural world works. Virtually all of the science you learn in this and your other science classes was discovered and verified by repeated experiments. Designing and running a good experiment is challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. What makes experiments worthwhile, indeed critical, is that they are the most powerful tool we have for establishing cause-and-effect relationships. Educated citizens need to understand how scientific investigations are done and how results and conclusions are reported in order to make informed decisions. This lab will introduce you to the principles of good experimental design. Because these principles are best learned by carrying out an actual experiment, your challenge will be to design, conduct, and interpret your own experiment.

BE ORIGINAL! Remember to use your own words and do not copy verbatim from any online, previous or current student source. By submitting this assignment, you are agreeing to the following statement: “I understand that my paper will be checked against multiple sources for original content. A report will be generated that shows if content in this paper matches content in documents available on the Internet, in many print journals, and a database of other papers submitted by students. If submitted to the instructor, my paper will be added to the student database for comparison of future OSU papers against it. I maintain ownership of the original intellectual property created in this paper. I understand that results of this report may be used by the University in student conduct proceedings related to academic dishonesty (See Canvas Start Here module for more information)” Turnitin generates a report that highlights any potentially unoriginal text in your paper, including text from previous students’ or current students’ submissions.

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ASSIGNMENT

Section 1 Reflection (2 pts)

Take the opportunity to reflect back on last week’s work. Please use complete sentences!

1. a) Identify one thing you did well. Be specific and use an example.

I had less driving time last week, and more time I chose to carpool or use public transportation, and in China we use a software called Didi to complete carpool trips, which not only cut down on travel costs. It can also effectively reduce carbon emissions per capita.

1. b) Identify one thing you could improve upon. Be specific and use an example.

I think instead of taking public transport or carpooling, I should choose to walk or ride a bike, so I can exercise on the one hand, and reduce individual carbon emissions on the other. In many cities in China, we have public bike for just $1 a month and you can ride unlimited times, and you can find it anywhere at any time and also same as park it.

1. c) Find and copy a grader’s comment on your work here. Not sure where to look? See the ‘submission comments’ on your assignment, or email and ask!

Type answer here

1. d) Respond to the grader (Who will read this! This is your opportunity to connect!). You could state how you could have done better, did you need to double check a value, ask a question, look something up, put something in your own words?

Type answer here

Section 2 What Makes a Good Experiment (5 pts)

Section 1 of the lab is an interactive tutorial that introduces the components of a good experiment. Section 1 warms you up with 17 low-stakes, coached questions.  This section will be completed entirely within SimUText and you will get credit simply for completing it.

Note, you must get these questions correct to get credit! This means clicking through AND correcting your mistakes when prompted by the program.  This section is meant to prime you for creating your own experiments in Section 2!

Section 3 Part 1: Save the Simploids! (10 pts)

Section 2 of the lab helps you practice in SimUText and receive feedback as you design experiments, generate quality scientific data, and state conclusions of what is sickening the Simploids. I have provided a table in this document for you to keep track of your experiments and results for your summary report in Section 2 Part 2. 10 pts for answering the questions in SimUText AND completing the tables.

• Work through the warmup questions Q2.1-Q2.3. Then select a hypothesis to test with your first experiment.
• Design and carry out a minimum of TWO experiments to address the problem of the sick Simploids. Based the data from each experiment, answer the questions in SimUText, including stating your scientific conclusion of what is causing the Simploids to sicken.
• Fill in the tables below as you work through SimUText experiments (note that the table does not ask exactly the same things as the tutorial – pay careful attention in order to answer correctly). This will help you organize your summary report that you submit in Section 3 of the lab.

Experiment 1

Experiment 2

Overall conclusion

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• After conducting each experiment, export ALL the data from that experiment to your computer (see button below!):

Click “Export Data” (see image to the left!) and then save the file (default name is “results.txt”) to your computer. Make sure to give your two results files different names. Open the files in a spreadsheet application and organize the data into data tables. You are encouraged, but not required, to make graphs of key results. Your summary report in Section 3 Part 2 MUST refer to the tables and any graphs submitted.

Helpful Hints: There are descriptions of the data columns in the LAB Background document. The LAB Demonstration video shows how to export data from SimUText and import it to your spreadsheet application. Recall that you learned how to explore, sort, and filter data in the Ecological Footprint lab; those skills will come in handy here as well.

Section 3 Part 2: Report with Data (15 pts)

This section is NOT in the SimUText application, and is REQUIRED. Complete a report for the city of Idyllic that states your conclusion of what is happening to the Simploids, describes the experiments you conducted, and provides supporting data for your conclusion. Look to the tables you completed as you worked through Section 2 to fill in the blanks. We have provided a template report letter for you to fill in.

You must present your data in your lab assignment, by submitting your data table(s) (with ALL OF the data) along with a paragraph explaining how you came to your conclusion based on the data. This section requires the use of a spreadsheet application (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, etc.) to construct your tables. Paste your tables, with clear descriptions, into the placeholders below.

Report to the Town of Idyllic (5 pts)

I have provided a template for your report below. If you did more than two experiments, add another paragraph to the methods for each additional experiment.

• Fill in all areas denoted by red brackets, […], to complete a report on your experiments to submit to the town of Idyllic. Wherever you see [red brackets], you need to type an answer. Please keep your answers in RED text!

Dear Town of Idyllic,

My research into the effects of herbicides and parasites on the health of Simploids indicates [type conclusion here]. Based on these results, I recommend you take the following actions to improve and protect the health of Simploids in your community:

[type recommendations here].

I came to this conclusion by conducting the following experiments.

My first experiment tested […] by experimentally changing […]  and observing the effects on […]. This experiment demonstrated that […]. This conclusion is supported by the data shown in Table 2.1 below.

My second experiment tested […]  by experimentally changing […]  and observing the effects on […]. This experiment demonstrated that […]. This conclusion is supported by the data shown in Table 2.2 below.

Taken together, the results of these experiments indicate that [restate conclusion here] is the cause of Simploid sickness in the town of Idyllic.

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Table 2.1. Experiment 1 Data Table (5pts)

The data table must be labeled and units clearly indicated.  Hint: if there are only a handful of rows or columns in your table, you did something wrong!  Go back and review the video to download data from SimUText.

Description: [Summarize what these data tell you and how you came to your conclusion based on the data.]

Table 2.2 Experiment 2 Data Table (5pts)

The data table must be labeled and units clearly indicated. Hint: if there are only a handful of rows or columns in your table, you did something wrong! Go back and review the video to download data from SimUText.

Description: [Summarize what these data tell you and how you came to your conclusion based on the data.]

Section 4 Autograded questions (10 pts)

This section includes 10 autograded questions that you will complete in SimUText.

Section 5 Synthesis and Relevance (8 pts)

Each lab we will check-in with the current state of the world and let you know how this week’s lab topic is relevant to you and to sustainability. This portion of the lab may reference a news story, scientific study just published, or a local event.

Monarch butterflies – our own Simploids?

The iconic Monarch butterfly is declining – and it is unclear exactly why.  In this lab we learned about how experimental design can help us solve a mystery: What was killing the Simploids? Well, in the real world we might ask: What is killing the Monarch Butterflies?

Think about the experiment you performed above and do some internet searching to answer the following questions:

1. a) Name three threats that the Simploids faced in the experiment above (hint: we only tested two…but there’s one more! What did you have to add to the plots so Simploids could live?? What did they eat??)

type your answer here

1. b) Name three threats for Monarch Butterflies that are similar to those for the Simploids. (hint: look at the threats for the Simploids; might these be the same or different for butterflies in the real world? Do a little research if you need to!)

type your answer here

1. c) Now think about how you determined the biggest threat to the Simploids. How could you test which of the three things you listed above is the primary threat for Monarch Butterflies? Write a couple of sentences at least!

type your answer here

1. d) What do scientists say is the biggest threat to Monarch Butterflies (hint, what do most folks recommend you can do to HELP Monarchs (again, do a quick internet search!))?

type your answer here

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science lab 101

QUESTION 1

1. For the HKPS station, what was the arrival of the P wavearrival time?  All waves arrived in the 3 o’clock hour so please omit that and simply put the minute and second information below.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said one of the earthquake waves arrived at 3 o’clock, 25 minutes and 45 seconds, omit the 3 o’clock (input 0 for hours), input 25 minutes and 45 seconds into the website above, and out would come 25.75 min (this is what you’d submit).  Another example is if you believe the earthquake wave came in at 3 o’clock, 32 min and 20 seconds, you would put 0 in for hours, 32 min, and 20 seconds into the website and get 32.3333 min (this is what you’d submit).

5 points   

QUESTION 2

1. For the HKPS station, what was the arrival of the S wavearrival time?  All waves arrived in the 3 o’clock hour so please omit that and simply put the minute and second information below.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said one of the earthquake waves arrived at 3 o’clock, 25 minutes and 45 seconds, omit the 3 o’clock (input 0 for hours), input 25 minutes and 45 seconds into the website above, and out would come 25.75 min (this is what you’d submit).  Another example is if you believe the earthquake wave came in at 3 o’clock, 32 min and 20 seconds, you would put 0 in for hours, 32 min, and 20 seconds into the website and get 32.3333 min (this is what you’d submit).

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5 points   

QUESTION 3

1. For the INCN station, what was the arrival of the P wavearrival time?  All waves arrived in the 3 o’clock hour so please omit that and simply put the minute and second information below.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said one of the earthquake waves arrived at 3 o’clock, 25 minutes and 45 seconds, omit the 3 o’clock (input 0 for hours), input 25 minutes and 45 seconds into the website above, and out would come 25.75 min (this is what you’d submit).  Another example is if you believe the earthquake wave came in at 3 o’clock, 32 min and 20 seconds, you would put 0 in for hours, 32 min, and 20 seconds into the website and get 32.3333 min (this is what you’d submit).

5 points   

QUESTION 4

1. For the INCN station, what was the arrival of the S wavearrival time?  All waves arrived in the 3 o’clock hour so please omit that and simply put the minute and second information below.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said one of the earthquake waves arrived at 3 o’clock, 25 minutes and 45 seconds, omit the 3 o’clock (input 0 for hours), input 25 minutes and 45 seconds into the website above, and out would come 25.75 min (this is what you’d submit).  Another example is if you believe the earthquake wave came in at 3 o’clock, 32 min and 20 seconds, you would put 0 in for hours, 32 min, and 20 seconds into the website and get 32.3333 min (this is what you’d submit).

5 points   

QUESTION 5

1. For the MAJO station, what was the arrival of the P wavearrival time?  All waves arrived in the 3 o’clock hour so please omit that and simply put the minute and second information below.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said one of the earthquake waves arrived at 3 o’clock, 25 minutes and 45 seconds, omit the 3 o’clock (input 0 for hours), input 25 minutes and 45 seconds into the website above, and out would come 25.75 min (this is what you’d submit).  Another example is if you believe the earthquake wave came in at 3 o’clock, 32 min and 20 seconds, you would put 0 in for hours, 32 min, and 20 seconds into the website and get 32.3333 min (this is what you’d submit).

5 points   

QUESTION 6

1. For the MAJO station, what was the arrival of the S wavearrival time?  All waves arrived in the 3 o’clock hour so please omit that and simply put the minute and second information below.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said one of the earthquake waves arrived at 3 o’clock, 25 minutes and 45 seconds, omit the 3 o’clock (input 0 for hours), input 25 minutes and 45 seconds into the website above, and out would come 25.75 min (this is what you’d submit).  Another example is if you believe the earthquake wave came in at 3 o’clock, 32 min and 20 seconds, you would put 0 in for hours, 32 min, and 20 seconds into the website and get 32.3333 min (this is what you’d submit).

5 points   

QUESTION 7

1. For the HKPS station, what was the S-P time difference? All waves arrived in the same hour so the time difference should only be in units of minutes and seconds.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said the S-P time difference was 6 minutes and 10 seconds, put 0 hours, 6 minutes, and 10 seconds into the calculator above and out would come 6.1667 min.  This is what you would input for your answer below

5 points   

QUESTION 8

1. For the INCN station, what was the S-P time difference? All waves arrived in the same hour so the time difference should only be in units of minutes and seconds.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said the S-P time difference was 6 minutes and 10 seconds, put 0 hours, 6 minutes, and 10 seconds into the calculator above and out would come 6.1667 min.  This is what you would input for your answer below

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5 points   

QUESTION 9

1. For the MAJO station, what was the S-P time difference? All waves arrived in the same hour so the time difference should only be in units of minutes and seconds.  Remember to use the website https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/time/time-to-decimal-calculator.php to convert your minutes and seconds into units of just minutes (see announcement).

For example, if you said the S-P time difference was 6 minutes and 10 seconds, put 0 hours, 6 minutes, and 10 seconds into the calculator above and out would come 6.1667 min.  This is what you would input for your answer below

5 points   

QUESTION 10

1. What is the distance from the epicenter of the earthquake for the HKPSseismic station?  Your answer should be in kilometers; however, you do not need to write the units in the answer below.

5 points   

QUESTION 11

1. What is the distance from the epicenter of the earthquake for the INCNseismic station?  Your answer should be in kilometers; however, you do not need to write the units in the answer below.

5 points   

QUESTION 12

1. What is the distance from the epicenter of the earthquake for the MAJOseismic station?  Your answer should be in kilometers; however, you do not need to write the units in the answer below.

5 points   

QUESTION 13

1. What is the latitude of your epicenter?  Round your answer to the nearest whole number.

5 points   

QUESTION 14

1. What is the longitude of your epicenter?   Round your answer to the nearest whole number.

5 points   

QUESTION 15

1. Would it be more beneficial, less beneficial, or irrelevant(meaning there is no benefit) to use more than 3 seismic stations?

4 points   

QUESTION 16

1. Is the earthquake’s epicenter located near a plate boundary? If so, what type of plate boundary?

4 points   

QUESTION 17

1. Which statement or statements are true about how P wavesmove through the Earth?

5 points   

QUESTION 18

1. Which statement or statements are true about how S wavesmove through the Earth?

5 points   

QUESTION 19

1. Label the three different types of faults seen below.  If you can’t see the image below, it is the same as in question 6 of the lab.

4 points   

QUESTION 20

1. Which fault or faults can cause tsunamis?

4 points   

QUESTION 21

1. Both large volcanic eruptions and earthquakes can cause tsunamis

True

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EXERCISE 1 DATA SHEET

Table 1. Earthquake Triangulation via Three Seismograph Stations

EXERCISE 1 DATA SHEET

1. What is the latitude and longitude of your epicenter?

Latitude: ______32.38°__________

Longitude: ______148.24°________

2. Based on your results, would it be more or less beneficial to use more than three seismograph stations?

Answer: It is easier to find out the epicenter by comparison of triangulation result of we use more than three seismograph stations.

3. Select the link here to download and run the Earth’s Tectonic Plates.kmz file in Google Earth™. Is the epicenter near a plate boundary? Circle the correct answer.

Answer: YES                                     NO

4. What type of plate boundary is located near the epicenter?
5. Convergent
6. Divergent
7. Transform
8. The epicenter is not near a plate boundary

Answer: A

5. How do P- and S-waves, respectively, move through the Earth? Draw lines in the circles to show the movement.

6. Read the information about tsunamis and faults below, then complete the related activities:

Tsunamis are formed as a result of sudden displacement of a large volume of water by significant vertical motion on a fault at the bottom of a volume of water.

Label the different types faults and then hypothesize which are the most likely to generate tsunamis.

Normal Fault                                  Reverse Fault                                     Strike-slip Fault

Hypothesis:

Reverse fault is most likely to generate Tsunami.

7. Click the link here to download and run the Hazards.kmz file in Google Earth™. Select “Tsunami Source Events”, “Tsunami Observations”, “Significant Earthquakes”, and “Significant Volcanic Eruptions.” Do you see any relationships among earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis? Explain why or why not.

Answer: Earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis do have relationships. Usually, Earthquakes or volcanic could trigger tsunamis. In history, almost all the major tsunamis are trigger by earthquakes. Most volcanoes are along the edges of tectonic plates. Most earthquakes beneath a volcano could cause the movement of magma. The eruption of the volcano must cause an earthquake, because the intense magma activity can impact the surface of the earth’s crust and lead to varying degrees of tectonic change in the lithosphere.

Business Interview Questions /Assessment: Implementing Change Business Case

Assignment 1

Select a company you would like to interview about change management strategies, and request an informational interview with a representative.

Create 3 to 5 questions you can discuss with a representative regarding the company’s approach to change management in the past.

• Your interview questions should illicit the change management strategies they have used to implement a variety of changes intended to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the organization that will ultimately improve the bottom line.

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Assignment 2

Purpose of Assessment   

Demonstrate how a leader can implement change within an organization to enhance effectiveness and efficiency. You will consider the information you learned in your conversation with the company you contacted in Week 5. You will be measured on how you apply key managerial skills to foster innovation and lead change in a dynamic business as well as your ability to listen actively and respond using appropriate tone and word choice.

Scenario

Your boss has asked you to implement a new rotating work schedule that requires employees to work different schedules each week. She would like to know how other companies in the area have handled their schedule changes in the past to determine if their change model is applicable to this situation.

Review the discussion with the organization you contacted in Week 5, and consider whether you would use any of the strategies to implement a new rotating work schedule.

Prepare a 12- to 15-slide presentation (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi®, etc.) to build a business case for your boss and your organization’s leadership team. Your presentation should include speaker notes, and ensure you do the following:

• Analyze the change requested by your boss:
• Analyze the impact of this change to the bottom line (profit, productivity, and expenses).
• Analyze the desired result or goal.
• Analyze who will be affected by the change.
• Analyze the change management approach(es) used by the company you interviewed in Week 5.
• Identify the company you chose to interview for your research.
• Discuss the approach(es) the company used to make a change in the past. Include elements of your interview, such as your questions and the company representative’s responses.
• Evaluate whether you would use any of the change management strategies from your Week 5 interview.
• Analyze the role of the leader to accomplish the change.
• Assess what metrics will be applied to determine success or failure.
• Determine the timeline for the change.

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Progressive disciplinary process

Progressive Disciplinary Process

Complete this template based on the scenario and instructions in the Week 7 assignment: Progressive Disciplinary Process. You are acting in the role of the Human Resources Manager for a manufacturing company. Each of the sections of this template simulates a document that will be placed in an employee’s personnel file.

1. Record of first conversation with employee

This part of the assignment will be 2–3 paragraphs in length.

Use the area below to describe the communication. It will expand to accommodate the length of your response.

Description of the incident that led to this contact:

Description of the contents of your conversation with the employee:

2. Progressive Disciplinary Plan

This part of the assignment will be one page in length.

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Each of the sections below will expand to accommodate your comments.

1. Describe the incident(s) that led to the creation of this plan.

Falsifying timecards to cover up lateness, leaving work early, and continued tardiness.

2. Purpose of this Plan

3. Describe the progressive steps of the plan, expectations for employee behavior, and consequences of additional incidents.

3. Recommendation and Documentation

This part of the assignment will be one page in length.

a.     Recommendation to the Director

Human Resources Manager: Use this space to recommend the action that the company Director should take toward the employee. It will expand to accommodate the length of your response.

b.     Record of Prior HR Warnings to Employee

For each warning, include this information: Type of contact (verbal or written), Date, Subject.

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