Post 3: Criteria to Evaluate Scientific Papers

Validating a scientific paper can be difficult.  I personally put a lot of trust in the paper before I read it based on the premise that I don't believe someone would write a scientific paper to fool people.  However, after this activity I realize I should evaluate scientific papers before I fully trust them.  Below are a few criteria one can use to validate a paper:

• Are the sources legitimate
• Are the references experts
• Can the experiments be replicated
• Is their hypothesis clearly stated and analyzed
• Is the data presented in an easy way for the reader to understand
• Information is non-biased

Post 2: Presentation on Penny Weights

At the beginning of this project I thought it was somewhat fishy that we had to put together a presentation about how to determine the weight of a penny and it had to be at least 7 minutes long.  I had a feeling that all the history and nonsense we put into the presentation was pointless but I was unsure how else we were going to make a 7 minute presentation about a simple topic.  We did put some scientific reasoning to solve the answer but we went about creating the presentation the wrong way.  I should have stuck with my gut feeling and try to think outside the box to make a much better presentation.

After listening to the other presentations I could tell that all the other groups were going about making the presentation the same way as us.  Some groups added a few different quirks but for the most part all the presentations were the same.  There didn't seem to be a group that stood out amongst the rest.  There also seemed to be a lack in scientific evidence to solve the problem which is odd since we are all science majors.  This could have been improved upon along with thinking outside the box to create a more entertaining presentation

Post 1: PDP Ideas

There are numerous areas to be included in a PDP.  I have put together some important sections to include in a PDP.  Making a detailed PDP can be very rewarding in the future so great attention should be given in creating one.

• Your Life Purpose
• Your Dreams
• Short, Medium, and Long Term Goals
• Your Ideal Self
• Mistakes and Lessons
• Success and Milestones

A general timeline of goals is a great way to put your goals into perspective.  Just writing down goals is not good enough.  You should have a general timeline and try to follow it as close as possible.