SenSem fall '15

• Welcome, sorry that this is so cramped, we'll split up very soon
• introductions of folks
• sign up for course number: 
• E3B majors: EEEB W 3991/2
• everybody else: EESC BC 3800
• all students added to EESC BC 3800
• cool.barnard.edu/envsci/
  
• tell us if you find a problem with the website
  

• discussion of drafts with advisors, (have two meetings in case your advisor has changed)
• Matt, Sedelia and Jenna will go over the summer with you

• Goal of senior seminar is to support you in writing a thesis
• and prepare you for a successful professional career
• at the end of this year you feel like this!
• Why thesis:
• Life is a series of senior thesis projects
• phrase a question, gather data, analyze, interpret data, present information to others
• advantage when looking for graduate school or if you look for a job
• put it on your CV
• capstone experience, because it ties together a lot of things you have learned as a college student 
  
• draws on the knowledge you have gathered in your courses
  
• design and implement an independent scientific study
• apply analytical and quantitative approaches
• handle uncertain, complex, real-world challenges
• communicate your finding: oral, written; for scientific community and the public
• collaborate with peers, research mentors, and seminar advisors

• a project/idea
• person to work with (the research mentor)
  
• a faculty member in the senior seminar who will work with you one-on-one (seminar advisor)
  

• hand out signup sheets, check info, fill in project info
• ask about career events & grad schools
  

• proposal/thesis
• 1st semester vs 2nd semester students, scheduling flexibility
  
• transition from student to professional

•  outline/drafts of thesis proposal
•   read a scientific paper & thesis/proposal with advisor
•   mini conference presentations
•   peer review, big sibs

• writing for a generally well educated audience
• scientific paper vs. thesis

• meet regularly with mentors and advisors
• be proactive
  
• students complaining about uneven workload

• I have been teaching this course for 1onger than I can remember
• never get tired of it
• we learn as much as you do about this wide open field

1. think of a scientific question on your own, some topic that you know about or have worked on in the past 
2. idea 1: blue roof versus green roof, water retention efficiency
   
3. idea 2: air quality and socioeconomic factors
   
4. idea 3: what do water filters remove that might be beneficial to the consumer?

Endnote

• handed out first page of Meharg et al, 2006 and had everybody read it
• Brian gave brief ppt about concept maps and put list of key words and concept map together
• we had students work for 20 min on a concept map for their own topic (problem: not everybody has a topic yet)
• we then had students explain their maps to each other in small groups
• Put the main 4 questions that the introduction needed to address on the board
  
• took Word document of intro, divided it into sections and drew an inverted triangle diagram on the board with the elements covered
  
• pointed out the hook and the thesis statement
• could consider doing the breakup of the breakup of the text and the triangle diagram successively
• let students go; could have had them draw the triangle diagram for their topic in class.

NOTES - Sen Sem, spring'12

•   some advisors have changed, will post tonight

• phrase a question, gather data, analyze, present info to others
• capstone experience; departmental learning goals
  
• advantage when looking for graduate school or if you look for a job
  
• mentor - advisor
• proposal/thesis
• transition from student to professional

• read thesis and scientific paper with your advisor
• meat regularly with mentors and advisors
  

• writing for a generally well educated audience
• scientific paper vs. thesis