Senior Research/Internship I and II
MSCI 4902/4903
Savannah State University
Fall 2011
Instructor: Dr. M. Gilligan
Office: Marine Biology 102
Phone: 358-4098
e-mail: gilliganm@savannahstate.edu
Office Hours: 10:00-12:00 Daily
3:00-5:00 Daily
I am available at other times. Please stop my office any time; if I cannot meet then, we can set up
an appointment. Alternatively, you may set up an appointment over e-mail or phone.
Course Description
This is an independent study opportunity to engage in original independent scientific research. The student must
meet regularly with the research advisor (SSU or research institute faculty member), submit a complete research
report, and make a presentation to peers and faculty.
Course Objectives
 Design and conduct an independent scientific research project.
 Gain experience in communicating the results of that research, both orally and in writing.
 Review literature critically in support of research topic.
Grading
Grades will be assigned based on a research plan and timetable (10%), research report (65%), and research
presentation (25%). The graded drafts will be incorporated into the final grade for the research report. Grade of
incomplete (IP) will be given only in cases in which significant effort has been made to stay on schedule in the
designing, planning, and implementation of the research project and significant progress has been made on the
research report, but due to the nature of the research project, the final report and/or final presentation cannot be
completed by the end of the semester.
Date
8/19
Topic and Assignments
Class meeting: Introduction
Work on Research (background literature and introduction, methods sections)
Completed Contract Form due
TIMETABLE DUE
DRAFT I OF RESULTS DUE
DRAFT DUE
Work on background literature
Work on Introduction and Materials and Methods Section
DRAFT OF COMPLETE RESEARCH PAPER DUE
DRAFT OF COMPLETE RESEARCH PAPER DUE
Practice oral presentations
Class meeting: ORAL PRESENTATIONS (Power Point) /FINAL RESEARCH PAPER DUE
1
Savannah State University
College of Sciences and Technology, Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Marine Science Program
Writing in the Disciplines
6/25/2009
Writing a Research Report (from Gilligan, Kozel, and Richardson 1991, Gilligan 1995, with edits by T. Cox, C.
Curran, and C. Pride 2009)
A laboratory report is a mini-version of the principal vehicle for the communication of scientific research
findings: the journal article. The article is accepted for publication in a scientific journal by an editor who relies
upon expert reviewers (scientists who specialize in the area) to advise whether or not the article is worthy of
publication. The journal article is the solution to the underlying organizational and communication needs of
science. It reflects all the elements of the scientific method (hypothesis, evidence, experimentation, validation or
rejection of hypothesis, and interpretation or conclusion). It is the vehicle by which new knowledge in science is
published. As mini-versions of journal articles, laboratory reports are useful exercises for future scientists.
Parts of the report
The elements of the laboratory report (or journal article) are: title, introduction, methods, results, discussion and
literature cited (references) sections. The report may also include a summary, abstract, and acknowledgments.
The introduction describes what you planned to do and why. It includes a statement of the problem or question to
be studied and an explanation of why the knowledge gained by this research is of interest and to whom.
An introduction states the hypothesis, an educated guess as to the process by which the phenomenon under
investigation operates.
A general outline of an introduction would look something like the following example. Note: different people
have different styles; it is okay to switch these around a bit to fit what flows best in your mind, but the last
paragraph is critical.
1.
Broad Context
a. What are the theoretical underpinnings of the study? How does your specific project fit into the
broader context of knowledge on this topic?
b. Note: this is often the hardest part of a paper.
2.
Specific background knowledge regarding topic
a. Use published literature and cite it.
b. However, do not make this simply a review of the literature. Make sure you note the relevance
of the literature to your study.
3.
Objectives
a. First, link the previous 2 paragraphs immediately to your objectives.
b. Then, state the specific hypothesis you are testing.
c. This should be the shortest part of the introduction. Be concise and straight-forward; you do
not want the reader to have to search for what you did and why you did it.
You should have thoroughly reviewed the primary literature prior to writing the report, but only include the most
relevant references in the paper.
The methods section is a concise description, written in the past tense, of the procedures used. It describes the
equipment used and how information was collected: by laboratory or field experimentation, surveys, or literature
review. This section contains the most explicit (exactly described) statements of how you did the experiment or
study. It should contain enough detail for someone else to repeat the study.
2
The results section describes what you found out. It is a compilation and organization of the information (facts,
data) collected in the study, typically organized into tables and graphs. Important data should be included in
flowing sentences. ALL tables and graphs should be referenced to in the text. Tables and figures must be
arranged in numerical order and on separate pages. Tables and figures must be referred to in chronological order
(e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Table 3 {not 1, 3, 2}).
The discussion section includes explicit statements of what the results mean in a logically unfolding pattern.
Simply, this is what you think the results mean or what the results reveal about the way nature works. The
discussion should tie your findings back to your introduction – how do the results compare to a) what you
expected to find (i.e., your hypothesis) and b) what can be found in the primary literature (i.e., what other
researchers have found). It contains the conclusions and perhaps even recommendations for future investigation.
Literature cited is a list of references to substantiate statements in the introduction, methods, or discussion
sections. References are written in a standard format which differs from journal to journal (see below for a sample
format).
The laboratory report should contain all of these sections and a title that describes the specific investigation or
experiment completed. Summary, abstract, and acknowledgments sections would also be expected in detailed
reports, such as journal articles and other publications.
A summary is an abbreviated overview of the major findings of the study within the broader context of the
project. It can contain a very condensed version of each section of the report. This goes after the discussion
section.
An abstract is a condensed and concise summary found at the very beginning of scientific journal articles.
Acknowledgments sections thank people and organizations that helped with the study. This goes after the
summary section and before the references.
How is writing a laboratory report different from writing a narrative of what you did and what you found out? In
technical writing the goal is to state facts, procedures, processes, and concepts as clearly as possible, concealing
the writer’s own opinions or feelings about the problem. Typically, expository writing, such as an English
composition, concentrates instead on commentary based on opinion and personal values.
Good technical writing is: clear (not diffuse, vague, or general), accurate (data honestly gathered, accurately
reported, edited and proof-read to ensure that it is error-free), concise (not wordy), conventional and consistent
(following accepted patterns for reporting information consistently throughout), mechanically correct (proper
grammar, -spelling, and usage), and interesting (has enough stylistic character to be interesting as well as
informative to the reader).
Some of the keys to good writing in general are:
1. Avoid sentence fragments and run-on sentences.
2. Keep tense, person, and number consistent within sections.
3. Use the active (rather than passive) voice. Maintain agreement between pronouns and antecedents. Keep
the placement of modifiers consistent and search for parallel constructions.
4. Avoid long words when short ones will do the job equally well. Avoid wordiness, redundancy, clichés,
jargon (e.g. officialese, bureauquack, engineerese, gobbledygook), overblown phrases, misused words.
5. Keep ideas together within paragraphs of moderate length and make clear transitions between
paragraphs.
6. Write naturally while remaining detached from your subject (objective).
7. Avoid overwriting and over-explaining.
8. Concentrate on clarity and coherence.
9. Use graphs and tables for clarity, simplification, emphasis, summary, reinforcement, interest, impact,
credibility, or coherence.
10. Do not excuse, diminish or find fault with the study. Let the reader judge the quality and significance of
it.
3
Standard Format:
Title
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
Summary (optional)
Acknowledgments (optional, but recommended)
Literature Cited (sometimes called References)
Tables (such as site information, summary statistics, t-test results)
Figures (such as study location map, data)
Literature Cited
(Example of format)
Alverson, D., M. Freeberg, J. Pope, and S. Murawski. 1994. A global assessment of fisheries by-catch and
discards. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. FAO, Rome, pp. 339.
Barnes, R.S.K. and R.N. Hughes. 1999. An Introduction to Marine Ecology: third edition. Blackwell Science
LTD, Malden, MA. pp 202-204.
Gilligan, M.R., T. Kozel and J.P. Richardson. 1991. Environmental Science Laboratory: A Manual of Lab and
Field Exercises. Halfmoon Pub. Savannah, GA, 156 pp.
Gilligan, M.R. 1995. Improving Your Technical Writing. Fisheries 20(5):36
Murray, J.D., J.J. Bahen, and R.A. Rulifson. 1991. Management considerations for by-catch in the North Carolina
and southeast shrimp fishery. Fisheries 17:21-26.
Rulifson, A.R., D.M. Murray, and J.J. Bahen. 1992. Finfish catch reduction in South Atlantic shrimp trawls using
three designs of by-catch reduction devices. Fisheries 17:9-20.)
4
Research Internship Paper
Name______________________________
Beginning
1 pt.
Information provided is
not directly relevant to
the report
Developing
2 pts.
Gives very little relevant
information
Introduction
(intro
material for
your project)
Methods
Does not give any
information about what
to expect in the report
Unclear on objectives of
the project
Not sequential, many
steps missing and/or
confusing
Some of the steps are
understandable; most are
confusing and lack detail
Accomplished
3 pts.
Gives too much
information on project
specifics – more like a
summary or abstract
Hints at questions
addressed by the research
and report but it is not
concisely spelled out
Most of the steps are
understandable; some lack
detail or are confusing
Results
Tables and graphs not
properly referenced;
many significant trends
in data or other findings
not discussed; excessive
listing of data that could
be put in a table
Provides illogical
explanations for
findings; does not
compare our results
with those in published
literature; much of
discussion is irrelevant
to project objectives
Conclusions do not
represent material in
results and discussion
Tables and graphs not
properly referenced or
many significant trends in
data or other findings not
discussed
Most tables and graphs
properly referenced and
nearly all significant trends
in data and significant
findings discussed
Provides illogical
explanations for many
findings or does not
compare our results with
those in published
literature or much of
discussion is irrelevant to
project
Conclusions are relevant to
report but not concisely
written and/or significant
amount of important points
left out and/or introduction
of new material
Most explanations for
findings are logical;
inclusion of many relevant
comparisons or our results
to those in published
literature; most of
discussion is relevant to
project
Conclusions include
summary of major points in
results and discussion, but
also includes extraneous
and/or new material
Introduction
(lead-in)
Discussion
Conclusion
or
Summary
Graphs/Tables
Incomplete, poorly represent
data, and bad formatting
2 of the following: Incomplete,
poorly represent data, or bad
formatting
2 of the following: citations
rare and not following proper
format (first author, yr);
excessive use of quotations;
few papers cited; papers cited,
but irrelevant; reference section
incomplete
More than 4 errors
3 or more of the following:
citations rare and not following
proper format (first author, yr);
excessive use of quotations; few
papers cited; papers cited, but
irrelevant; reference section
incomplete
Very frequent grammar and/or
spelling errors
Report handed in 4 or more
Report handed in 2-3 days late
days late
Plagiarism: Incidences of plagiarism will result in a grade of zero.
Cited
Literature
(citations
w/in text
and reference
section)
See plagiarism
Grammar
and Spelling
Timeliness
Exemplary
4 pts.
Presents a concise leadin to the report
Score
Concisely defines
question addressed by
the research and report
Presents easy-to-follow
steps which are logical
and adequately but not
overly detailed
All tables and graphs
properly referenced and
all significant trends in
data and significant
findings discussed
All explanations of
findings are logical;
many comparisons are
made between our
results and those in
published literature; all
included information is
relevant to project
Conclusions include
concise summary of
major points in results
and discussion without
introduction new
material
1 of the following: Incomplete,
poorly represent data, or bad
formatting
1 of the following: citations
rare and not following proper
format (first author, yr);
excessive use of quotations;
few papers cited; papers cited,
but irrelevant; reference section
incomplete
Only 1 or 2 errors.
Report handed in 1 day late
Clearly highlight
major results
Multiple papers
cited in proper
context, proper use
of citations within
text; reference
section complete
All grammar and
spelling correct
Report handed in
on time
TOTAL:
Adapted from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/triton/tidepoolunit/Rubrics/reportrubric.html
5
MSCI 4902 and 4903 Senior Research/Internship -- RESEARCH PRESENTATION
EVALUATION
Name of Speaker __________________Name of Evaluator _________________Total Score _________
Very
Needs
Needs
Significant
Was the problem/question statement clearly stated?
Good
3
Good
2
Work
1
Improvement
0
Quality and usefulness of graphics
3
2
1
0
Quality and appropriate use of text
3
2
1
0
Spoke at appropriate level given the audience
3
2
1
0
Clarity in explaining concepts
3
2
1
0
Clarity and confidence in tone of voice
3
2
1
0
Ability to answer questions
3
2
1
0
Overall organization of the presentation
3
2
1
0
3
2
1
0
(logical sequence and filled allotted time)
Overall quality of talk
Write suggestions for the speaker on the back.
MSCI 4902 and 4903 Senior Research/Internship -- RESEARCH PRESENTATION
EVALUATION
Name of Speaker __________________Name of Evaluator _________________Total Score _________
Very
Needs
Needs
Significant
Was the problem/question statement clearly stated?
Good
3
Good
2
Work
1
Improvement
0
Quality and usefulness of graphics
3
2
1
0
Quality and appropriate use of text
3
2
1
0
Spoke at appropriate level given the audience
3
2
1
0
Clarity in explaining concepts
3
2
1
0
Clarity and confidence in tone of voice
3
2
1
0
Ability to answer questions
3
2
1
0
Overall organization of the presentation
3
2
1
0
3
2
1
0
(logical sequence and filled allotted time)
Overall quality of talk
Write suggestions for the speaker on the back.
6
Contract Form – MSCI 4902/4903 Senior Research/Internship
These courses will oversee an independent study research project or internship experience
by students relevant to their area of study. The student must submit this formal request (Contract
Form) signed by the student’s research project mentor/supervisor and their academic advisor. It
is preferable that the student have a research project or internship planned and this form signed
prior to enrollment in these courses. The form must be signed and submitted to the course
instructor of record in order to continue to be enrolled in these courses. If it is not, then the
student will be administratively withdrawn from the course by the instructor. The 4902 course can
be taken for 1, 2, or 3 credits, and can be repeated as 4903 for 1, 2, or 3 credits.
Name
Address
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Major
Academic Advisor
Student ID
Phone
e-mail
____________
____________
____________
____________
_______________________
_______________________ printed name
_______________________ signature
(signature required for admission to course)
MSCI 4902 or 4903 (circle) – Senior Research Internship
Semester to be enrolled
Credits to registered
_____
______
Course section & CRN ___________
Instructor _____________________
If more than 1 credit hour is to be earned by student, answer in the spaces below
and provide a supporting letter from the host site or research mentor for the research or
internship.
Description of Research Project or Internship (use additional space if needed):
Name and contact information of mentor/supervisor for the research project:
Name __________________________ Signature__________________
phone__________________
Address
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
E-mail
_____________________
A separate letter or e-mail will be sent to the mentor/supervisor of the research project or internship requesting
verification of successful efforts by the student.
7
The Relationship Between Nesting Time and High Tide in Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) from
Blackbeard Island, McIntosh County, Georgia, U.S.A.
J. Ian Paige
3/20/2008
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of
MSCI 4902 Research Internship
Marine Sciences
Savannah State University
8
Introduction
The loggerhead sea turtle (Carretta caretta) is the second largest, hard-shelled sea turtle in the world.
Loggerhead sea turtles live in both tropical and temperate waters (Bowen et al., 1993), and nest on the beaches of
coastal counties in Georgia. The international conservation status of loggerhead sea turtles is classified as a
threatened species (Crouse et al., 1987). Loggerhead sea turtles are listed as a threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Crowder et al., 1994).
The incubation period for a clutch of eggs ranges from 50 to 75 days (Ruckdeschel et al., 2000). After
this period hatchlings emerge from the nest and crawl to the water. Hatchlings swim out to sea until they reach
the Gulf Stream where they remain until they are adolescents and are strong enough to swim back to coastal
waters. A female turtle reaches sexual maturity at 20 years or older (Ruckdeschel et al., 2000). Once a turtle has
reached sexual maturity, it will migrate to breeding grounds near the beach. Mating occurs from March to June
(Ruckdeschel et al., 2000). Once a female has mated she will return to land to make a nest and lay eggs.
Loggerhead sea turtles wait for the dark cover of night to crawl on the beach and lay eggs (Fritts and Hoffman
1982). It takes approximately 11/2 hours for a loggerhead sea turtle to complete the nesting process (Johnson et al.
1996). Nesting season occurs from May through July. Before turtles begin to lay eggs, they are very alert and can
easily be disturbed (Johnson et al. 1996). One female turtle can lay several nests in a single season (Hays and
Speakman 1991). Loggerhead sea turtles can live to be over 100 years old.
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between nesting times of loggerhead sea
turtles and high tide. By investigating sea turtle nesting patterns on Blackbeard Island, GA, I tested the hypothesis
that the majority of turtles will nest close to or near high tide.
Materials and Methods
Loggerhead sea turtles were monitored on Blackbeard Island, McIntosh County, Georgia, from May
through July of 2007. The beach (13 km) was monitored on ATVs every night from (dusk) 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
A total of 42 turtles and 70 nests were monitored. When a turtle was observed nesting the time was recorded and
the turtle was tagged if it had no previous tags. An inconel (flipper) tag was attached to one scute on each flipper
and a PIT (passive integrated transponder) tag was inserted into the right shoulder. Each tag has a personal
identification number on or in it. After all nesting data was collected; analysis was run among nest time and high
9
tide, nest time and time of night, and nest times of 4 individual repeat nesters. The r 2 values for the nest time and
high tide relationships were attained by using a regression analysis on Microsoft Excel.
Results
Forty-seven nests (67.14%) were produced within 3 hours of high tide, 32 nests (45.71%) were produced
within 2 hours of high tide, and 10 nests (14.29%) were produced within 1 hour of high tide (Figure 1). Thirtyeight percent of the variability of nest time was attributed to high tide (r 2 = 0.3866) (Figure 1). If the population
was evenly distributed among each time frame, 35 nests (50%) would have been produced within 3 hours of high
tide.
A relationship was found between nesting times and the time of night. Forty-four nests (62.86%) were
produced within the first 41/2 hours of night and 26 nests (37.14%) were produced within the last 4 1/2 hours of
night (Figure 2). Thirty-one percent of the variability of nest time was attributed to the first hour of night (r2 =
0.3197) (Figure 2). If the population was evenly distributed among each time frame, 35 nests (50%) would have
been produced within the first and last 41/2 hours of night.
A pattern was also found between the 1st and 4th nests of four different turtles. The mean difference
between nest times and high tide for the 1st nests was 2:46 hrs. ± 0:50 SD and the mean difference between nest
times and high tide for the 4th nests was 0:50 hrs. ± 0:41 SD (Table 1). The greatest mean difference between nest
times and high tide for consecutive nests occurred from nest #2, 3:06 hrs. ± 0:28 SD to nest #3, 1:09 hrs. ± 0:36
SD (Table 1). One individual turtle (RRC886) consistently nested 1 hour closer to high tide with each nesting
event (Figure 3).
Discussion
A relationship was found between nesting times of turtles and high tide. The major findings of this study
was that 38% of the variability of nesting times was attributed to high tide (r 2 = 0.3866) (Figure 1). The nesting
behavior of loggerhead sea turtles may be determined by tide phases, this relationship may be due to several
factors; energy exertion, predation, nest erosion and flooding. Many barrier islands of Georgia experience a tide
range of 6 to 9 feet. Nests that are located closer to the ocean have a greater possibility of becoming flooded or
eroded, ultimately leading to egg loss (Wood and Bjorndal 2000). Nesting at low tide requires a turtle to crawl a
10
much farther distance to suitable nesting areas. By nesting at high tide, a turtle will exert less energy crawling to a
suitable nesting area, therefore having more energy to dig a nest, lay eggs, and return to the ocean. Barrier islands
of Georgia are home to a number of predators including raccoons, feral hogs, and armadillos. These predators eat
turtle eggs and hatchlings. So nesting at high tide reduces the time spent to produce a nest and reduces the
possibility of predators locating a nest.
During this study 10 nests (14.29%) were produced within 1 hour of high tide (Figure 1). This
percentage was lower than the anticipated percentage because the majority of nests expected to be produced near
high tide. However nests that are washed over or eroded by a high tide could become unproductive or die (Wood
and Bjorndal 2000). This might explain the low percentage of nests produced within 1 hour of high tide. During
the 2 hour time frame 22 nests (31.43%) were produced, which was the highest nest percentage of the 6 different
time frames (Figure 1). So it is possible that turtles nested within the 2 hours time frame to decrease the
likelihood of nests being washed over.
Forty-four nests (62.86%) were produced within the 1 st 41/2 hours of night and 26 nests (37.14%) were
produced within the last 41/2 hours of night (Figure 2). This indicates that the majority of turtles prefer nesting
during the early hours of the night. The possible reasoning behind this is that turtles wait for the dark cover of
night to lay eggs (Fritts and Hoffman 1982), so when they sense darkness, it is crucial to lay eggs before the
sunrise to decrease the chance of being detected by predators.
Analyses of the difference between nesting times of 4 different turtles and high tide revealed that there is
a notable pattern among nesting times and high tide of repeat nesters. The average difference between nesting
times and high tide for the 1st nests of these 4 individuals was greater than the difference for the 4 th nests (Table
1). This indicates that by the 4th nesting event of these individuals, they were nesting significantly closer to high
tide. So perhaps these individual turtles are becoming more experienced with each nesting event; specifically one
turtle (RRC886), nested about 1 hour closer to high tide with each nesting event (Figure 3). This is the first
evidence I have see of loggerhead sea turtles consistently changing nesting times relative to tidal phase.
Future study of this topic would include looking at different variables that may be attributed to nesting
times among a consistent group of (repeat nesting) individuals. I would like to look at a larger group/sample size
of individuals to determine if certain individuals are consistently nesting within a specific time related to high
tide. I would also like to observe these individuals to determine if they are consistently nesting above or below the
11
high tide line and if the height of the tide at which they exit the water is related to with whether or not the turtle
will nest above or below the high tide line.
Literature Cited
Bolten, A.B., K.A. Bjorndal, H.R. Martins, T. Dellinger, M.J. Biscotto, S.E. Encalada, and B.W. Bowen. 1998.
Transatlantic developmental migrations of loggerhead sea turtles demonstrated by mtDNA sequence
analysis. Ecological Applications 8:1-7.
Bowen, B., J.C. Avise, J.I. Richardson, A.B. Meylan, D. Margaritoulis, and S.R. Hopkins-Murhpy. 1993.
Population structure of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and
Mediterranean Sea. Conservation Biology 7:834-844
Crouse, D.T., L.B. Crowder, and H. Caswell. 1987. A stage-based population model for loggerhead sea turtles
and implications for conservation. Ecology 68:1412-1423.
Crowder, L.B., D.T. Crouse, S.S. Heppell, and T.H. Martin. 1994. Predicting the impact of turtle excluder devices
on loggerhead sea turtle populations. Ecological Applications 4:437-445.
Fritts, T.H. and W. Hoffman. 1982. Diurnal nesting of marine turtles in southern Brevard County, Florida. Journal
of Herpetology. 16:84-88.
Hays, G.C. and J.R. Speakman. 1991. Reproductive investment and optimum clutch size of loggerhead sea
turtles. Journal of Animal Ecology 60:455-462.
Johnson, S.A., K.A. Bjorndal, and A.B. Bolten. 1996. Effects of organized turtle watches on loggerhead (Caretta
caretta) nesting behavior and hatchling production in Florida. Conservation Biology 10:570-577.
Wood, D.W. and K.A. Bjorndal. 2000. Relation of temperature, moisture, salinity, and slope to nest site selection
in loggerhead sea turtles. Copeia 2000:119.
12
Table 1. The difference between nest times of 4 different turtles and high tide
Tag #
RRC999
SSX917
TTG664
RRC886
Mean
Nest # 1
3:36
2:03
2:04
3:24
2:46 ± 0:50 SD
Nest # 2
3:07
3:23
3:29
2:25
3:06 ± 0:28 SD
Nest # 3
1:43
0:20
1:05
1:29
1:09 ± 0:36 SD
Nest # 4
1:38
1:05
0:02
0:35
0:50 ± 0:41 SD
13
Figure 1. The number of nests produced within each hour before or after high tide.
14
Figure 2. The number of nests produced within each hour after dusk.
15
Figure 3. The difference between nesting times and high tide of 4 different turtles and each of their 4 nests.
16