EES1132/EESD21 Final Project
Deadlines: October 29 and November 26 and December 10, 2024
Introduction
The primary goal of this project is to allow you to independently apply your new data analysis skills to a climate change or geophysics problem of your choice. You are expected to use several of the methods learned in class to ask and answer a research question using climate or other geophysical data and to tell a coherent and interesting story.
Project Components (Total Marks: 100)
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1. Project Proposal + Goal-Setting (Oct. 29, 2024)
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10 marks
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2. Class Presentation with peer-feedback (Nov. 26, 2024)
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10 marks
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3. Project Report (Dec. 10, 2024)
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80 marks
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1. Project Proposal + Goal-Setting
The first phase of the project is to choose a topic, find the data and write up a project proposal. Your proposal along with a your project goals and timeline (~4-5 pages, double-spaced) are due October 26, 2024. Please discuss your topic with Prof. Mirza before the deadline. One of the key evaluation criteria of the project proposal is feasibility. This means that you must find the data you require to complete your project as part of your proposal. Don’t delay trying to find your data!
A rubric for the proposal is included in a separate document. Submit your proposal via Quercus by 23:59 ET on October 29st, 2024.
2. In Class Presentations
During the final class, November 26, 2024, we will hold an in-person presentation session. During the presentation session (5 Minutes), we will all get a chance to view and give feedback on each other’s work.
Specifically, you will create a presentation that describes your research question (s), identify the data you are using, present preliminary analysis including at least one figure, and outline the next steps you will take to complete your project. You will be required to complete a peer evaluation form for each presentation you view as part of your class participation grade.
A rubric for the presentation is included in a separate document. Submit your recorded presentation via Quercus by 11:59 ET on November 26th, 2024.
3. Project Report
Write up your analysis in the style of a scientific journal article (Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions), maximum of 20-pages (double-spaced), 5 figures and 2 tables. Note that one figure can have multiple panels. A journal article of this length is what is known as a letter. Look at the journal Geophysical Research Letters, for some examples. The deadline for the final report is December 10, 2024.
A rubric for the report is included in a separate document. Submit your report via Quercus by 23:59 ET on December 10th, 2024.
Final Note
A successful project does not necessarily mean that you find a novel, robust statistical result that supports your hypothesis - your analysis might not support your hypothesis at all and that’sok. A successful project is one that clearly states a plausible research question and hypothesis, addresses the question/hypothesis using the most relevant data and most appropriate statistical methods (within the scope of this course) and thoughtfully interprets the results, e.g. discussing underlying assumptions, confounding variables, data quality/quantity, etc.