This introductory level class for non-biology majors covers a broad spectrum of topics designed to help the student understand and analyze science from a biological perspective- human impacts on other organisms, how humans interact with other organisms and how human population acts similarly and dis-similarly to other organisms’ populations, and an introduction to the various biomes of the world, as well as the driving forces of natural selection, evolution, and speciation.  The over-arching goal of this class is to help mold a scientifically literate, and all of the Kent Core foster the growth of critically thinking, well-rounded students.  For this project, the students were asked to find a topic of interest to them in the course, and write a research paper that tied in their interests to what we have learned in class.  Some students took an “problem” approach, and focused on a local environmental issue that we had discussed in class and that they had heard discussed in other media, and others took a habitat approach and described the biodiversity found in various habitats around the globe.  These presentations represent summaries of the students findings, and an introduction to their interests, while at the same time letting them comment individually on their classmates’ work, and help each other to address points that they might not have considered previously and to learn from what other students were doing.  The topics chosen by students for their research projects include:

Acid Rain: Causes, Effects, and Prevention

Air Pollution

Biomes

Life on Planet Earth

Invasive Species and Climate Change: A Deadly Duo

Antibiotic Resistance: The Cause, Impact, and Solution

GMO Wheat and Gluten Intolerance

Species of Cats

The Effects and Consequences of Teratogens

The Effects of Water Pollution on the Enviroment

Flies Feed the World

How Asthma Affects the Human Body

Fracking and Deadly Chemicals

The Potential Dangers of Vaccinations

Endangered Species: Slowly Fading

Just a Few Steps Away From the Walking Dead

The Great Barrier Reef

Asthma and the Enviroment

The (Recent) Invasion of the Stink Bug

Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe?

Salamanders in Ohio

Clean Water

On-Site Wastewater Treatment

Genetically Modified Organisms

Earth Powers: The Practicality of Transitioning to Renewable Energy in Trumbull County

Air Pollution

A Polluted World

Is Organic food really better for you than Genetically modified foods?