BONUS+POSTER+ASSIGNMENT

= EXPAND & SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE  = DATE ASSIGNED: 17-2-2012 FINAL DATE :1 March 2012

This is an opportunity to be creative, to learn to use scientific resources, and share your research with the class. Take this chance in the Biology course to increase your grades! Your Bonus assignment will be a poster and a 5 minute presentation about your poster in the class. This assignment is an opportunity to explore a topic in biology that interests you (preferably something you took or taking in Biology class). Remember to have fun with it!

You should send me a proposal for your presentation just before you start. Include a paragraph describing your topic and the main points you plan to cover on your poster and a list of at least 3 preliminary references. Your poster must: **AWARD** The poster and presentation count for (1-2) EXTRA On both Criterion A and B.  You will be graded on the following: Some advice: **Some suggested topics in no particular order:**
 * Be interesting.
 * Be 36"X36" or larger *
 * Include graphics (photos &/or diagrams) as well as text.
 * Be readable from about 4 feet away
 * Thoroughly relate the central concepts of your topic clearly and simply to someone who looks at it for 5 or 10 minutes. Include major scientific controversies, breakthroughs, or mysteries
 * Address a lay audience of your peers, not a convention of neurosurgeons
 * Be directly relevant to the course, focusing on form and function, organ systems, &/or comparative anatomy and physiology
 * In addition include a title, your name, and a list of at least four bibliographic references in MLA format.
 * Academic rigor: Do you explain your subject thoroughly? Is your material superficial or in depth? Did you include any scientific controversies or recent scientific breakthroughs? Did you examine any available primary literature? Is your material appropriate for a college level course or just a high school bio course?
 * Organization and presentation: Can someone examine your poster for 5 or 10 minutes and glean the key points? Is your poster neat and readable or clutters and confusing? Did you pare down the material to easily understood parts or did you try to cram all the information onto the small space? Is it fascinating and easy to look at or is it boring and overwhelming?
 * Applicability to course concepts: Does your poster address a topic that might be included in Biology or would your topic be more appropriate for another class? Have you included too much irrelevant detail at the expense of the relevant information?
 * Start early so you have time to refine your text and carefully assemble your poster.
 * Have someone at the Writing Center read your text before you commit it to a large format printer or glue onto poster board; they may help you catch typos, trim extraneous material, help you redirect to address the assignment, etc..
 * Choose your topic carefully. Do a preliminary literature search to see if there is any information out there available.
 * Ask for help from a librarian to conduct literature searches if you aren't locating what you need.

1. The role science has played in treating cancer 2. How can science help someone to break the habit of smoking 3.Poster under the theme “the use of DNA technology in bush meat trading” 4. The role that science has played in giving normal sight to people with visual impairment 5. Using a named dietary supplement, write about the benefits and limitations of taking a dietary supplement in place of, or in addition to, a natural food source and the role science has played in developing such products that contain medicinal properties but are not necessarily regulated drugs 6. Poster under the theme “with the use of cosmetics, one can stay forever young” 7. The role should science play in the genetic engineering of food crops to make them more nutritious and accessible to people in need? 8. Many consumer snack items, once thought of as being unhealthy, are now labelled with such titles as “sugar-free”, “reduced-fat”, “low calorie” and “no trans-fat”. What role has science played in designing snack foods to be healthier and does the substitution of unwanted products with chemical substitutes really make it a better alternative? 9. Evaluate the role of science in treating people with HIV/AIDS. 10. Exam the use of infant formula instead of breast milk to feed new born babies. 11. The role has science played in the prevention of skin cancer caused by prolonged exposure to the sun’s UVA/UVB rays. 12. The role of science in using stem cells to treat patients with a congenital disease.

**Rubric for Assignment**

**//Rank the following on a scale of 1-10 (10 being perfect and 1 being poorly done//****).** _ The poster's purpose is clear, that is, it has a definite argument: it makes a statement or claim about its topic, and supports the statement or claim with reasons. _ The argument is obvious to the poster's intended audience. _ There has clearly been thought given to how the poster looks so that its look supports the poster's purpose. _ The poster uses pictures or other visual strategies that are unambiguous and easy for its intended to understand. _ The poster uses words that are unambiguous and easy for its audience to understand. _ Pictures used in the poster are clearly relevant to the poster's purpose. _ The poster makes thoughtful and tied-to-its-purpose use of contrast, typefaces, color, etc. _ The poster uses strategies the audience can relate to, such as humor. _ The poster maker has tried to make a crisp, professionally produced poster. _ All verbal text is appropriately spelled and uses appropriate grammar.