Dr. Sarah's First Year Seminar Class Highlights Fall 2011

The following is NOT HOMEWORK unless you miss part or all of the class. See the main class web page for ALL homework and due dates.

  • Thur Dec 8
    1. Take the ASULearn Anonymous Advice for Next Semester survey
    2. Complete online course evaluations from the email you received from the first year seminar program on Tuesday
    3. Skim back through Research Project 3 on the calendar webpage and write down any questions you have.
    4. Click on the link on ASLearn titled Research Project 3: Unsolved Questions (for University Assessment) Assignment and scroll to the bottom to see where you would Choose a file and Upload it [you must also click upload too]
    5. Look at and begin working on What Kind of Research Should Our Government Support? on the class highlights page
    Class discussion and clicker questions: Should we fund the research?
    a) yes
    b) no

  • Tues Dec 6 Discuss sync. TED video. Ethics.
  • Thur Dec 1 Discuss cloning. Picture of an ear on a mouse.
  • Tues Nov 29 Meet in the library for research on the final project
  • Tues Nov 22
    update on IMDB.
    Review research on games
    Understanding fire
  • Thur Nov 17 Research on Games: How do you generate knowledge? (Meet back at 11:50)
    19 nice ones
    What the Hex? and game board
    Knight's Tour
    Tower of Hanoi
    Texas Hold-em
  • Tues Nov 15
    Anastasia (Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia 1901-1918). Missing Romanovs and DNA. Michael Coble 1969 Vietnam draft data, and boxplots via Starr .
    GE experiment via i-clicker.
    Mention Thursday's class.
    Research on Games: How do you generate knowledge? (Meet back at 11:50)
    1. Did your group use paper, manipulatives, pictures, or some combination?
    2. What general strategies did you try? Ie did you look at examples and then try and look for patterns, dive right in and attack the problem head on, plot out a strategy and division of the work, etc.?
    3. How did you communicate and work with your partner - did you work alone and then explain to each other what you had done, or work collaboratively, or some of each? Did you split up portions of the problem?
    4. Did you enjoy working on your problem? If so, what was enjoyable? If not, what would have made it more enjoyable? How did you deal with any frustrations that arose?
  • Thur Nov 10 Hand out prizes.
    Discuss the final project. Discuss Placebo reading. Discuss HumanMetrics. Discuss controversial aspects. Reflection. Budget FT. Test SN.
  • Tues Nov 8 Finish 40,000 digit of pi. Discuss Excel data.
    1. Work on Egg Bungee Experiment and enter the data in Excel in 303b
    2. Take the HumanMetrics Questionnaire.
    3. On ASULearn message me the Myers-Briggs type that the test gave you.
    4. Next read through the description of the type the test gave you and the "opposite" type with no common letters at The 16 MBTI Types.
    5. Research to find some controversial aspects of the MBTI Indicator.
  • Thur Nov 3 Discuss additional research people conducted for the reflection on IT and Privacy. Revisit The Proof. Generating knowledge - problem solving versus research. Certainty, experiments, mind reading.
    Pants research.
    Choose a random number. Experiment, Excel analyses, chi test and p-value, including expected value of 5.2 from SUM(B2:B11)/10 and briefly mention the chi test [(B2-C2)^2/C2, CHITEST(B2:B11,C2:C11)] and p-value (are the observations statistically significant or can the differences be ascribed to random variations of chance?) Discuss whether the human mind can provide a random number. Finish My research. Discuss egg bungee and MBTI in 303b.
  • Tues Nov 1 Continue our discussion on Is Information Technology a Threat to Privacy? as chosen by the class survey.
    Clicker questions.
    TED: Rebecca MacKinnon: Let's take back the Internet! Discuss final project. Choose a random number.
  • Thur Oct 27
    Finish and then discuss Nova's "The Proof" video and Notes. Discuss Henderson Search the library catalog and the databases - MathSciNet for Author: Wiles, A* Look at MR1333036 and MR1333035. Also do "Search for Full Text" and pull up the actual articles. Look for the references. Look at google scholar search.
    Discuss Is Information Technology a Threat to Privacy?
  • Tues Oct 25 Finish Project 2 Presentations.
  • Thur Oct 20 Research Project 2 Presentations
  • Tues Oct 18 Continue the theme of mathematical certainty versus statistical correlation. Discuss Nova's "The Proof" video and Notes.
  • Tues Oct 11 Discuss the Timeline and the idea that this should be more than "the first...." Review scholarly publications and the idea of faulty history replicated in many sources. Review library research including CQ Researcher in the Databases and Books and Media and how to find books in the library or order them using the "history of numbers." Discuss the references and suggestions on the timeline assignment.
    Lisa Abbott's Library Guide for our class
    Search:
    -CQ Researcher
    -Library Books and Media [also check nearby books on the shelf, and check out or photocopy from books that you find helpful]
    -Individual suggestions from Lisa and/or myself as we make our way around the room
    -References and suggestions from the timeline
    By the end of class, message me on ASULearn [as usual, go to Participants, find my name, and send me a message].
    1. Your project topic
    2. Did you find a timeline in CQ Researcher related to your topic?
    3. What library books did you check out or photocopy from that relate to your topic?
    4. What other scholarly sources did you find that relate to your topic?

    Over fall break, I will message you on ASULearn any relevant mathematical connections from the Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society that is due out at the end of the week!
  • Thur Oct 6 See calendar webpage for assignment during class.
  • Tues Oct 4 Finish crows. Take questions on Research Project 2. Discuss Thursday and Tuesday class. Discuss tickets.
    Discuss research project 1 revisions.
    If time remains, discuss computer research from Tuesday on barefoot running, including
    CQ Researcher
    Health and Medicine subject database: Science Direct
    Academic Search Premiere
    and the Books and Media library catalog
  • Thur Sep 29 Discuss faculty interview. My research. Revisit the sixth extinction article and watch crows.

  • Tues Sep 27 Finish discussion of truth of equations. Review course goals and the "big picture" questions from equations, as well as a connection to college (and differentiate from standardized tests). Continue with the slides. Go to the 303b computer lab and

    Search the library for barefoot running including:
    CQ Researcher
    Health and Medicine subject database: Science Direct
    Academic Search Premiere
    and the Books and Media library catalog

    Take general notes on what you find.

    Next, search google scholar, personal webpages and the library to find articles or books by the faculty member you chose to interview.

    Return to the classroom and share what you found.
    If time remains then finish equations and during the video, look for cause/effect relationships or correlations.
  • Thur Sep 22 Discuss Scientific and Mathematical Articles.
    Search the library and google scholar for articles by the faculty member you will interview.
    Google scholar
    Library Databases by Subject
    Mathematics: MathSciNet
    Academic Search Complete
    Education: Eric
    Webpage
    Return to the classroom. Discuss the research. Review cause/effect and correlations and the connection to input and output of functions. Begin equations.

  • Tues Sep 20 Discuss university sponsored activities. Discuss science and mathematics as well as controversy in convocation. Look at Chris McDougall's website and photos. Mention TED video. Discuss controversy in the book. Discuss cause/effects versus correlations, including the connection between smoking and cancer. Breakthroughs amidst all the controversies via observational studies and controlled experiments.
  • Thur Sep 15 Convocation
  • Tues Sep 13
    http://www.ted.com/talks/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html [~7:00 until the end]
    Create a Decision Matrix for electric cars, biodiesel, and hydrogen:
                      Best Case Scenario                 Worst Case Scenario
    Pro:
    Con:
    Discuss why are there no tests, continue with effective writing, build connections by writing down as many people's names in the class as you know. LaTex Beamer slides. Writing continued. Discuss cause/effects versus correlations, including the connection between smoking and cancer. Breakthroughs amidst all the controversies via observational studies and controlled experiments. Revisit the sixth extinction article and watch crows.

  • Thur Sep 8
    Meet in 209b. Additional comments on fueling cars. Look at CQ Researcher and search for alternative fuels. Look through Alternative Fuels: Is hydrogen the fuel of the future, including the last entry in the chronology.
    Look at Faculty Interview Reflection and search for faculty that you are interested in interviewing.
    Return to the classroom.
    http://www.ted.com/talks/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html [~7:00 until the end]

  • Tues Sep 6
  • Fill out information sheet.
    Which best describes your belief about powering cars?
    a) We should continue to use the internal combustion engine and gas
    b) We should develop hydrogen models
    c) We should develop bioethanol models
    d) We should develop electric models
    e) We should develop hybrid models

    Which author did you find most credible?
    a) They were equally credible
    b) David L. Bodde
    c) Robert Zubrin

    Discuss Taking Sides: Will Hydrogen Replace Fossil Fuels for Cars?
    Discuss effective writing. LaTex Beamer slides.
  • Thur Sep 1 i-clicker question: Which best describes your belief about mass extinctions?
    a) Strongly believe that we should let nature take it's course
    b) Somewhat believe that we should let nature take it's course
    c) Neutral
    d) Somewhat believe that we should intervene or change behaviors
    e) Strongly believe that we should intervene or change behaviors
    Also search the library journals and the database CQ researcher. Then look at the biology subject guide and search science direct.
    Review the course calendar.
    Continue reading The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. LaTex Beamer slides. If time remains then discuss effective writing.

  • Tues Aug 30 Register the i-clickers. i-clicker question. Question How interested are you in discussing Should We Reject the Transhumanist Goal of the Genetically, Electronically, and Mechanically Enhanced Human Being?
    a) very interested
    b) interested
    c) neutral
    d) probably not interested
    e) definitely not interested
    Discuss research project 1. Academic reading - Frankenstein and reading research. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert.
  • Thur Aug 25 Meet in 209b. Discuss the syllabus. Discuss Advice from last semester. Go in to ASULearn and mention the messages there that can be sent from the Participants link. Take the survey. Search google for the Science Times of the New York Times and skim through the news. Prepare to share something interesting that you found there in class [so take some notes]. Return to the classroom and share from the science times.

  • Tues Aug 23 Discuss what is a seminar? Overview of FYS and the course. Connections with each other: Introductions and take notes. Discussion Question: How could we know that the earth is round without using modern technology? Interdisciplinary connections and flat earth society. Break up into groups and learn the names of the people in your group. Scientific revolutions require an imaginative leap, but these are complicated by filters. LaTex Beamer slides.