Research Questions, Fire & Water wk. 1
Name:
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(Thus. am, 4 Oct. 2013)
Workshop teammate
Each individual should download or print a copy of this workshop to write on.
Read the paragraphs below out loud together (take turns).
This quarter, as we study evidence regarding climate change and consequences of global
warming, you will be researching solution options. Perhaps you have some ideas in mind
already. More solar and wind power, less coal and gas? Better transportation systems? Green
buildings? Geo-engineering of Earth, oceans, or space? Soon you will be reading more about
ideas like these. If you doubt that Earth’s climate is warming, consider solutions to related
problems you can agree on at this point – for example, increases in extreme weather events. For
example, Olympia’s city planners are trying to figure out how to protect our sewer system from
rising waters in the Sound. Farmers and homeowners are trying to figure out how to handle
dryer summers and wetter winters. Maybe you are concerned about worsening floods and fires
in other locations? As you learn, you will articulate questions. Questions motivate research.
Your research will not be merely a book report on what other people have already found out
about solutions that interest you. Instead, you will actively investigate open questions, learn
more in the process, and possibly contribute new knowledge to the field. As we read in Finkel’s
chapter, the best and most engaging learning is inquiry-based learning.
Today’s workshop will help you articulate an interesting question to guide your research.
This should be an open question, one you don’t know the answer to – ideally a unique question
that nobody knows the answer to yet. It should not be a question to which you can look up an
answer (or that would be just a book report). It might be a local question, such as “Is there
enough water flow anywhere on campus to support a micro-hydro energy system?” Your
research inquiry this quarter could be the foundation of active investigations in a future quarter.
1 minute each: Everyone BRIEFLY state a climate change solution option that interests
you. Make note of people who share your interest. (25 minutes)
1. Choose a classmate to do this workshop with. They may have a different interest. Read the
paragraphs above aloud to each other, if we have not already done so in class.
2. (15 min. total) Describe to your classmate the solution option you are thinking of.
(Keep track of time. Give each other a 3-minute notice. Stop at 5 minutes).
Then listen to your classmate for 3-5 minutes.
Concisely describe the solution option you are interested in, below:
3. Discuss with your classmate (for 5 minutes) questions about this solution option that you
might want to investigate. Try to think of something that you might actually be able to
experiment with and do calculations on, someday. Listen to your classmate for 5 minutes.
Then list your best candidate research questions below (15 minutes total).
A.
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B.
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C.
?
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Write up your research questions about your solution option, and post them on Moodle
week 1 as directed for tomorrow.
What motivates your interest in these questions?
Why are they important?
Next week, you will develop hypotheses about your research questions. Then, in library
workshops, you will start looking for sources that might address your questions and
hypotheses.
Why wait for the library workshops? You could go ahead and start looking for articles now, if
you like. Perhaps you would like to make your Brief Report on a new development in this area?
EXAMPLE of a Research topic  Question (We’ll have a Hypothesis Workshop next week…)
Possible solution to global warming: I want to make biodiesel out of blue-green algae.
I hear it’s great stuff.
Question 1: Can biodiesel be made from blue-green algae, efficiently and cost-effectively?
Under what circumstances?
Question 2: If biodiesel can be made from blue-green algae, can this process reduce global
warming? Under what circumstances?
Looking ahead to Hypotheses:
Hypothesis A for Question 1:
grown in my bathtub.
Yes, I can easily make biodiesel in my kitchen, from algae
Hypothesis 1B: Yes, I can make biodiesel from algae, but I will need special grow lights, special
chemicals, and great care at all stages of the process. We could use the recipe published by
Energy Systems 08-09, and work at TESC’s Organic Farmhouse Lab and Biodiesel-making
facility
Hypothesis 1C: Yes, biodiesel can be made from algae, but only in highly specialized labs by
professionals.
Hypothesis 1D: Biodiesel cannot be made from algae in significant quantities at a reasonable
cost. It is way too difficult, inefficient, and expensive.
H1N (Null hypothesis): Biodiesel cannot be made from algae at all. That’s a myth.
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Research Hypotheses, Fire & Water wk. 2
Name:
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

(Thus. am, 11 Oct. 2013)
Workshop teammate
Each individual should download or print a copy of this workshop to write on.
Access a copy of your Research Questions workshop, posted last week.
Read the paragraphs below out loud together as you proceed.
Last week you developed three candidate research questions. You may be thinking of other
possibilities at this point, and that’s ok. Goals of this workshop are to refine your research
questions, develop hypotheses for them, and think about the significance of your inquiry.
 Check out the example at the end, for guidance.
In the next few weeks, you will focus on one good, specific question, and at least three plausible
hypotheses. Library research workshops will help you dig deeper into your inquiry.
We can also work together to develop a specific plan for testing your hypotheses.
Finish as much of this workshop as you can in class, and the rest of it by tomorrow.
 Post your work on Moodle Week 2 as directed by tomorrow.
1. Pair up with someone new (strongly recommended – get some new feedback).
2. (15 min.) Review your research questions from last week. Discuss them with your
teammate (5 min. for each person’s set of questions). Which one question seems most
interesting or potentially fruitful to you? Do you want to reword it? Write your best question:
?
3. (20 min.) Next, articulate three hypotheses that might possibly answer your question. If
you think you already know the answer, that’s your primary hypothesis. Come up with several
very different, plausible guesses. Then discuss your hypotheses with your teammate.
A.
Your primary hypothesis:
B.
An alternative hypothesis:
C.
Another alternative hypothesis, if you can think of one:
N.
Null hypothesis:
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Hypothesis is singular: I have a hypothesis about that question. What’s your hypothesis?
Hypotheses is plural: There are a lot of hypotheses about the roles of clouds in climate change.
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Then think about the importance of your question/inquiry, and what the consequences of each
hypothesis might be. See the example at the end for guidance.
4. What motivates your inquiry? Why is it particularly interesting to you? (5 min)
5. Why is your inquiry important to a larger audience (or why should it be)? (5 min)
6. What are consequences of each of your hypotheses? (H – restate briefly first)
H1A (Question 1 – Hypothesis A)
Consequences 1A
H1B:
Consequences 1B
H1C:
Consequences 1C
H1N:
Consequences 1N
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(15 min)
7. Repeat the above for your other two questions. Discuss them with your teammate, and give
feedback on his/her questions and hypotheses. Be open to modifying your questions, as a
possible outcome of your discussion. Generate three hypotheses for each question, again.
Question 2
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H2A: Your primary hypothesis:
H2B: An alternative hypothesis:
H2C: Another alternative hypothesis, if you can think of one:
H2N: A null hypothesis:
Question 3
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H3A: Your primary hypothesis:
H3B: An alternative hypothesis:
H3C: Another alternative hypothesis, if you can think of one:
H3N: A null hypothesis:
7. Which question seems like the best candidate for a deeper inquiry? Why?
8. Each individual write up your own “Research Hypotheses” workshop, due tomorrow on
Moodle. Feel free to fine-tune your questions / hypotheses.
 Show your work on all 3 questions and their hypotheses
 Fully develop your discussion of motivation, importance, and consequences for your
best question and hypotheses
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EXAMPLE of a research question, hypotheses, and analysis of importance:
Question: What caused the cooler springs recently in the Pacific Northwest (PNW)? Corollary:
Does this mean that we are experiencing Global Cooling, not Global Warming?
Motivation: My calves were born in colder weather than usual, a couple of years in a row (at
the same time as usual, in spring). Farmers notice that sort of thing. But scientific studies say
that global temperatures are increasing. What gives?
Importance of the question: Whether cooling or heating is global or local, we need to
understand its causes and patterns. Will it get hotter or colder? Will the pattern continue or
change? On what timescale? When should I breed my cows next year, so calves are born in
optimal conditions?
1. Primary hypothesis: Global Warming is false, and Global Cooling is responsible for the
PNW’s cooler springs lately. (How?)
2a. Alternate hypothesis: Neither Global Warming not Global Cooling is happening. Locally,
we’ve just had a couple of cooler springs. (Why?)
2b. Alternate hypothesis: Global Warming is happening, but the local cooling has been stronger
in recent springs. (How? Why?)
3a. Null hypothesis: Temperatures are too difficult to measure reliably, to say anything
definitive about global or local patterns in warming or cooling.
3b. Null hypothesis: The farmer’s observations are biased or incorrect. There has been no local
cooling in the last couple of springs.
Importance/consequences of the hypotheses:
If Hypothesis 1 is likely, and the cooling is global, then our approach to the issue of so-called
Global Warming should be modified, and could save us a lot of expense and trouble. We’d also
like to understand the mechanism and patterns of Global Cooling, so we can prepare accordingly.
If Hypothesis 2a is likely, and the PNW cooling is a local effect, then understanding its origins
and patterns would be useful for prediction and planning, e.g. for farmers and other people
paying heating bills. Meanwhile, the rest of the world can relax and continue business as usual.
If Hypothesis 2b is likely, then we need to continue efforts to understand, slow, and adapt to
Global Warming. At the same time, people in the PNW need to understand the cause of our
regional cooling so we can prepare for its effects. Is it periodic? Will it get worse or will it
abate? Can we do anything about it?
If Hypothesis 3a is likely, then is the farmer’s best bet is to trust her own observations and
compare notes with other locals living close to the land?
If Hypothesis 3b is likely, then does anybody care about this research project?
N.B. – This project will be researched by a large interdisciplinary team. Let’s call it the
PNoPCoS, or Pacific Northwest Panel on Cool Springs.
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Library Research & Annotated Bibliography, Fire & Water wk. 3 (Thus.am, 18 Oct. 2013)
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Everyone should print or download a copy of this workshop
Access your Questions & Hypotheses workshop, posted last week
Read the introductory paragraphs aloud together, as usual
By now, you have chosen a question for your research inquiry, and you’ve come up with at least
3 good hypotheses to address your question. You have articulated your motivation for the
research inquiry, its importance, and the potential consequences of each hypothesis.
You are probably eager to start investigating your question, testing your hypotheses, digging
deeper into your inquiry. In the process, you may find that your question (and hypotheses) shift
or refocus, or even jump channel like a living river. That’s ok. That is sometimes part of the
research process. If you find your focus shifting, then acknowledge that process, and take the
time to articulate your new question and hypotheses (with the help of a classmate).
Today, Librarian Paul McMillan will show us some cool research tools. Many of our library
resources are available electronically, and there are some good resources available in hardcopy.
Try out various options.
Focus on academic resources, e.g. peer reviewed articles. If you also find yourself drawn to
less reliable sources, e.g. webpages, be sure to reference those as well. Reference every source
you use in your writing, as soon as you use it, by (Author, page) or footnote – e.g. at the end of
each sentence that contains information that is not common knowledge (that is not known by
everyone in our class).

Participate in Dr. McMillan’s workshop. Take notes. Find articles for your research!
 Your individual assignment, to be posted to Moodle week 3 (by tomorrow as
usual), is an ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY of at least 4 resources potentially
useful for your research inquiry.
0. Restate your best Question & Hypotheses at this point. Teammate?
1. REFERENCE the complete citation of each article, in any consistent
format, for example: Author(s), Year, “Title,” Journal, Volume, page(s)
2. SUMMARIZE the content of the article in your own words. Describe the
approach, the highlights, the conclusion… in one short paragraph.
3. EVALUATE the reliability of the article (does it come from a peerreviewed journal like Nature, a respected yet non-peer-reviewed magazine
such as Scientific American, or a fluffy pop mag like Discover?)
4. EVALUATE the usefulness of the article for your investigation – to what
extent does it address your question or hypotheses?
Global warming workshop at 1:00 this afternoon in Sem2
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Citation & Plagiarism, Fire & Water wk. 4 (Thus.am, 25 Oct. 2013)
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Everyone should print or download a copy of this workshop
Access the Annotated Bibliography workshop that you posted last week
Last week you started finding articles and other resources with information about your research
inquiry. This week Andrea Seabert-Olsen will help ensure that you know how to cite your
sources properly, and write in your own words, so that there will be no misunderstandings about
appropriate acknowledgments or plagiarism.
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Participate in today’s citation and plagiarism workshop.
After Ms. Seabert-Olsen’s workshop,
 Take the plagiarism quiz at ___URL___
o Have the results of the quiz sent to your seminar faculty.
Now that you have started reading sources about your research inquiry, you are ready to start
writing about it.

Write one page about what you have learned about your research question so far,
referencing your sources appropriately.
o Which of your hypotheses appears most likely?
o What new or outstanding questions do you have about your research, given what
you have learned so far?
o What do you see as next steps in your inquiry?
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Remember to cite your source at the end of each sentence that contains new information.
o If you find yourself citing the same source, sentence after sentence, it is likely that
you are paraphrasing. This is a dangerous practice, verging on plagiarism. The
solution is NOT to omit references.
o Instead of paraphrasing from a given source, consider how to synthesize your
understanding from diverse sources. You want to learn how to put ideas together.
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Post your 1-page FirstResearchEssay to Moodle week 4 by ___.
Everyone remember to come to the science workshop at 1:00 this afternoon.
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