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.
Fracking: An Environmental Health Hazard
Climate Change Throughout the World
Marcellus Shale Fracking Waste
African Honey Bees: Economic Impact of an Invasive Species
Air Pollution at Home and Worldwide
Urbanization: A Threat Ignored
Adverse Effects of Supplemental Creatine
Impacts of Water Pollution in Florida