Science Forward 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Science Forward 2025
Macaulay Honors College Seminar 3
Meeting Time & Location: HNR3 Monday & Wednesday 9:30 \u2013 10:45 am NAC 4\/210
Instructor: Hildegaard Link P.E PhD
(hildegaardl@earthlink.net) (cell \u2013 646 896 4053)
Office Hours: via email, zoom or by appointment in person
Instructional Technology Fellow: Jean H. Park, PhD jean.park@mhc.cuny.edu
Open Lab site: https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/groups\/science-forward-2025-link\/
*** THE SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE ARE WORKING DOCUMENTS THAT CHANGE BASED ON STUDENT INTERESTS, CURRENT EVENTS, AND HOW FAST WE WORK THROUGH TOPICS.
PLEASE REFER TO THE WEB SITE FOR THE MOST UPDATED VERSION OF THE SYLLABUS & SCHEDULE \u2013PRINTED VERSIONS MAY BE OUT OF DATE!
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MOST CURRENT SCHEDULE ***
<\/pre>\n\n\n\nCourse Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Science Forward will explore the elements of Science Sense in the context of contemporary research and urgent scientific issues impacting New York City. The focus of this class will be climate. We will investigate emerging climate science in the context of New York City, gathering our own data where possible and using publically available data where available. This course will involve field work, data processing and use of on-line tools where possible. It will also involve reading, communicating and data presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We will consider temperature and urban micro-climates, land\/water interfaces and extreme weather, precipitation patterns, urban infrastructure and surface water quality and the role of vegetation in modulating urban climate. This class will require students to get out of their comfort zones both working with data and communicating results. Your first field trip will be the Bio Blitz. The Bio Blitz this year will be in Brooklyn Bridge Park, September 13 & 14 sign up here https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/bioblitz\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a culture, we face the dual challenges of doing \u201cgood\u201d science and sharing it so others can use it. It is not enough to state our credentials and our methods, we also need to share our work and our passion so that our efforts are integrated into the larger culture. The 1985 \u201cBodmer report\u201d notes \u201cScience affects many, if not most, policy issues of national and international importance. It also affects a wide range of personal activities, from health and diet to holidays and sport. . . . Science and technology therefore should be major considerations in public policy. Whether they actually are depends on how far (a)<\/strong> the decision-makers and their advisers, and (b)<\/strong> the public to whom they are ultimately responsible, understand the scientific and technological aspects of each issue . . It also depends on the willingness and the ability of the scientific community to explain these aspects publicly \u201c (https:\/\/royalsociety.org\/~\/media\/Royal_Society_Content\/policy\/publications\/1985\/10700.pdf<\/a>) Doing \u201cGood Science\u201d calls the question of Scientific integrity. Current financial and political pressures reinforce the importance of commitment to science based on reproduceable research and un-altered data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to developing a firm grasp \u201cScience Sense\u201d, students will build science communication skills that will enable them to share their knowledge with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Class Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to complete the required assignments before coming to class and think about the parts you find most interesting or most challenging. If you are prepared for class in this way, then we can use class time to address the most difficult aspects of the material and work together to apply the knowledge you have gained. Group work will give you the opportunity to build collaboration skills finding ways to work with people you have little in common with. Our group projects will emphasize personal accountability in a team setting, fair distribution of tasks and effective communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Class Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to complete the required assignments before coming to class and think about the parts you find most interesting or most challenging. If you are prepared for class in this way, then we can use class time to address the most difficult aspects of the material and work together to apply the knowledge you have gained. Group work will give you the opportunity to build collaboration skills finding ways to work with people you have little in common with. Our group projects will emphasize personal accountability in a team setting, fair distribution of tasks and effective communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Student Learning Outcomes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Students will hone their Science Sense during this course, specifically students will:<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Acquire a proper sense of scale and be able to make order of magnitude estimates with reasonable assumptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Understand and get experience with measurement and data collection through activities in the field (including a BioBlitz common event) and be able to create and communicate their results using graphs and basic statistics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Become familiar with proper experimental design and the practice of scientific inquiry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Understand that science makes progress and changes through time based upon newly available evidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Practice their critical thinking skills and employ reasonable skepticism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Learn how to communicate science to different audiences.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The first two months of class, September and October, we will spend looking at climate issues in New York City. We will consider the NYC climate from an experiential perspective, engage topical scholarship, generate a research question, design an experiment and collect data for each of 4 topics. For each topic small groups of 2 or 3 students will prepare a 2-minute talk on a topical article they have read and present data they have gathered that is relevant to the question. The first class meeting of the module will introduce a topic and create a small group reading project that will be completed in the intervening days and explored fully in the following class meeting. In this way, a given topic will be explored both in and outside of the classroom setting, and both individually and through group work. During the second week of the module we will discuss data sources, design data collection methods and collect data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of October, students will submit their own questions on the climate topics in NYC and form final project groups focused on shared interests. Groups may contain up to 4 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
November and December will be dedicated to data analysis and presentation and science communication. We will work with various data analysis and presentation tools and models and develop a comfort level with descriptive statistics and data mapping. Analytical methods will be presented in class and groups will use these methods to analyze their data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attendance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attendance is mandatory at all class meetings (including one 5-hour shift at the BioBlitz and one session of the end of semester poster conference). Attendance and lateness will be recorded in every class meeting. Because participation in small group projects makes up a very large grade component in the class, you will suffer a grade deduction for each unexcused absence and more than two unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. Absences can be excused for religious observances if notification is sent at least a week ahead of time. If you are sick and cannot come to class, you must have a note from Student Health Services or your doctor for it to be excused and you need to tell me you won\u2019t be in class. In all cases of absence, you MUST contact me to get a make-up assignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Academic Integrity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
You are expected to follow both CCNY guidelines regarding academic integrity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(available here: http:\/\/www.ccny.cuny.edu\/about\/upload\/academic_integrity.pdf<\/a>) and the guidelines put forth in the Macaulay Honors Pledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(available here: http:\/\/macaulay.cuny.edu\/community\/handbook\/policies\/honors-integrity\/<\/a>). Plagiarizing the work of others will not be tolerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You are expected to be familiar with these policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assignments and Grading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your success in science forward will be assessed in two primary ways: a participation component and a research\/writing component. Participation refers to your performance during in-class discussions and group work *including presentations and data collection assignments*. The presentations will be summaries of topical articles, you will read articles and create summaries in small groups – the rubric for the article summaries is posted on the web site. You and your group will prepare one article summary every 4 days of class. Data collection will also be done in small groups and will involve either field work as in the first two class modules or finding publically available data and posting the data into our class online data repository. Article summaries and data gathering will be material for a semester-long group research project, for which written work will be submitted at various stages of the research process. You are expected to complete all assignments on time. Your final grade in this course will be a letter grade, although individual assignments will usually be graded on a number scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grading Breakdown and Descriptions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Participation \u2013 15%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
You are expected to attend every seminar and arrive on time. Participation includes attending every class, arriving on time to class, being actively engaged with the material we are discussing, and contributing to group work. Your participation will be judged by the group work you present in class, by the material you load onto the class website and by my observations of you during class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A note on attendance: If you have an excused absence, you will not lose any participation points for that day. However, participation points will be subtracted for being late to class or missing class without an acceptable excuse. You may make up some lost points for missing group work by doing BOTH of the following: 1) letting me know before class that you are unable to attend AND 2) requesting a make-up assignment and completing it on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You are also required to attend two common events: the BioBlitz<\/strong> and the end of semester Seminar 3<\/strong> Poster Conference<\/strong>. The BioBlitz is a species diversity survey where students are teamed with scientists to find as many species as they can, which will occur in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn on September 13-14, 2025. Each student will attend one 5-hour shift at a time of their choosing. The Poster Conference is where you will present your semester research project. Students are required to attend one session of this conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weekly assignments 50 %<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
10 weekly low stakes assignments \u2013 5 points each<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your weekly preparation for class will involve either a reading, summarization and presentation assignment or a data collection assignment. Often this will involve finding a scientific paper or new article on a topic that interests you, summarizing that published work and presenting that summary to the class. The rubric for reading summaries is in the course materials section of the website in the \u201cResources References and Tools<\/strong>\u201d section. Data collection assignments will be posted to the \u201cPost\u201d<\/strong> section of our class site under the \u201cdata\u201d<\/strong> subheading prior to the start of class on the date they are due.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research Project \u2013 35%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
You and your group will formulate a research question and test it using one of the data sets we have gathered. You can use BioBlitz data and\/or additional data that you download or collect during the semester. There will be multiple opportunities to work on parts of this process during class., You will also need to work with your group outside of class on designing and executing your analysis and preparing your presentation. You will present a draft of your poster in class and present your work for peer review. You will receive a list of comments and recommendations which you will incorporate into your poster and resubmit for approval on 12\/1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A breakdown of the different steps of the research project that will be submitted during the semester is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research Question \u2013 5%<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Groups for the research project will be determined by areas of interest. Please submit your possible questions to me via our OpenLab site on 10\/15<\/strong>. Please title the assignment \u201cResearch Question Ideas\u201d. You will then be assigned a group and work with your group to think about the available data and devise your research question. Your group will have the opportunity to meet and plan during class, and you should also find a time to meet outside of class to continue your discussion and finalize your research question. Each group member should find one scientific article that is relevant to the research topic. Your group will send your research question and citations for your articles via our OpenLab site \u2013 each group member must submit an email listing all group member names. Please submit your group question to me via Open Lab site by 10\/20. Again each group member must submit the group question.<\/strong> Please title the assignment \u201cProposed Research Question\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Annotated Bibliography \u2013 5%<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An annotated bibliography lists citations and provides a summary of the content of those citations. Your annotated bibliography should include at least 8 references, of which at least 6 must be from the primary literature (peer-reviewed journals). Please submit your annotated bibliography to me via Open Lab on 10\/27<\/strong>. Each group member must submit the bibliography separately. Please title the assignment \u201cAnnotated Bibliography\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project Proposal: Experimental design, data sources & time line\u2013 10%<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For your project proposal, you will flesh out your research question by providing background information, describing your hypothesis, planned methods and a time line<\/u><\/em> in a research proposal. Please submit your proposal to me via Open Lab 10\/30. <\/strong>Each group member must submit the project proposal separately. Please title the assignment \u201cProject Proposal\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poster Presentation \u2013 15%<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final output of your research project is a research poster to be presented at the end of semester Poster Conference. You will submit a draft on 12\/1<\/strong>. Each group member must submit the poster separately. You can select a day for your <\/strong>final poster presentation on December 6 thru Sunday December 10 during the Seminar 3 Poster Conference<\/strong>. You will need to sign up for the poster conference. https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/steam\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Science Forward Fall 2025 – Schedule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Module 1 – Deconstructing Science – September<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- The Nature of Science and the Critique<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
History of Science<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Milestones & turning points<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Philosophy of Science<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Influential thinkers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Science, Ethics & Society<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are ethics?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ways of knowing<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.2 The Process of Scientific Inquiry<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Questions, hypotheses, theorems etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experiment design, data collection & bias<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data analysis & interpretation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
finding what you are looking for & seeing what you are NOT looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Engaging the unexpected<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sharing: science communication<\/p>\n\n\n\n
September 13 & 14: bio blitz<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
i load data onto the collection site<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
ii – what’s your experience – 2 minute in class presentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What is vegetation in your nabe like?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Can you formulate a question? How would you find the answer?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Module 2 – Urban Climate – October<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2.1 Climate\/Temperature\/UHI\/ urban micro-climates & Meet GIS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>Assignments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>1- read UHI articles-2 minute in class presentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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- discover GIS post a map\n
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- GIS add your data to a map<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
4 – feel temperature identify temperature 1-5 scale on a map,<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
post map to the e-portfolio site<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
be prepared to discuss<\/a>– What did you notice? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Are you curious about anything?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- \u2013<\/strong> post field data to Class website<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>2.2 Vegetation & Urban Climate & Discover GIS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Assignments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>1 – Read Urban Forestry articles – 2 minute in-class presentations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>September 15 & 16: bio blitz<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> load data onto the Open Lab site<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>2 – what’s your experience – 2 minute in-class presentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> What is vegetation in your nabe like?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> Can you formulate a question? How would you find the answer?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>2.3 Land water interfaces & extreme weather & Use GIS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>Assignments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> 1 – Readings on land water interfaces and extreme weather \u2013<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2 minute in-class presentations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> 2 – what is YOUR experience? \u2013 formulate a question,<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
propose a way to find the answer \u2013 2 minute in-class presentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
find some data relevant to the question<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
post data to the data section of the e-portfolio site<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s your question? <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>data, where did you find it?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
How would you find the answer?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>2.4 Precipitation, urban form and surface water quality \u2013 Manipulate GIS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>Assignment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>1 – Readings on urban surfaces & surface water quality \u2013<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2 minute in-class presentations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>2 \u2013 formulate a question, propose an analytical method find<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
data- where is it & what to do with it<\/a> – 2 minute in class presentations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> load data into website<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Guest Speakers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Module 3 – Communicating Science \/Communicating Climate \u2013 November & December<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>3.1 Data! \u2013 Using the Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
analyzing data\/presenting data\/visualizing data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a> maps and scale -QGis &\/or google maps<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>statistics and graphs<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>models and on-line tools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>coastal vulnerability software NFIPS<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>UHI software<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Itrees<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> 3.2 Posters! \u2013 Create with GIS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Creating your poster \u2013 elements of the poster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Talking about your poster \u2013<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Who are you talking to?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How can you change-up your chat based on your audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Important dates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Tuesday, August 26, First day of Fall 2024 classes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Monday, September 1 College Closed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last day to add or swap a course<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Monday \u2013 Wednesday Sept 22 \u2013 Sept 24 no classes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Wednesday, October 1 thru Thursday October 2 No Classes Scheduled (College Open)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Monday, October 13 College Closed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Tuesday, October 14 classes follow a Monday schedule<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Monday, October 20 No Classes scheduled<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Friday October 24 classes follow a Monday schedule <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Wednesday, November 6 Last day to withdraw from a course with a \u201cW\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
grade<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Thursday November 27 thru Friday November 28 College Closed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Tuesday \u2013 Monday December 16-22 Final Exam period<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Monday December 22 end of fall 2025 term<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Friday December 26 Final grade submission deadline<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The full academic calendar, including many other important dates, is available on the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Office of the Registrar\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Science Forward 2025 Science Forward 2025Macaulay Honors College Seminar 3Meeting Time & Location: HNR3 Monday & Wednesday 9:30 \u2013 10:45 am NAC 4\/210Instructor: Hildegaard Link P.E PhD (hildegaardl@earthlink.net) (cell \u2013 646 896 4053)Office Hours: via email, zoom or by appointment in personInstructional Technology Fellow: Jean H. Park, PhD jean.park@mhc.cuny.eduOpen Lab site: https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/groups\/science-forward-2025-link\/ *** THE SYLLABUS … Continue reading Syllabus<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6850","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6851,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6850\/revisions\/6851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/science-forward-2025-link\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}