Week 10 (not 9, spring break): wrapping up rain garden memo (due Feb. 27 for a grade)
Good morning at a nearly balmy 35o
Two craft lessons to present. First up? Signal phrase details that alert the reader to the ethos of sources. You can use signal phrases with both formation citation and information citaiton llike the curated referral links we practice in this memo. We also consider location within sentences and paragraphs; in other words, where do we place signal phrases in sentences and paragraphs.
Bookending with signal phrases at the location of the referral link information.
Aliquam scelerisque eget felis sit amet tincidunt. The Low Impact Development Center, founded by rain garden inventor Larry Coffman, roin laoreet tempus sem nec placerat. Duis ut feugiat dolor. Quisque nec pharetra tellus. Phasellus vitae nulla eu ante consequat iaculis. Nullam quis imperdiet tellus, nec bibendum magna. Access these helpful LID exhibits here on the technical specifications page. Aenean iaculis suscipit elit, vel volutpat augue pharetra sed. Ut justo ipsum, accumsan sed massa et, viverra aliquam velit. Curabitur mauris elit, consequat quis pretium at, viverra porta nunc. Donec tristique, leo facilisis pharetra ultrices, according to the PG County Bioretention Manuel, felis ex blandit lectus, tempus molestie lectus nulla eget velit. Quisque ut sem ex. Cras quis accumsan metus, in gravida leo. Maecenas quis efficitur felis, sed maximus elit. The Bioretention Manual, 2007 version, is available for download as a PDF here. Caution: 267+ pages.
Both the "bioretention" and "rain garden" Wikipedia entries provide excellent overview of rain gardens and the storm water problem. Sed gravida ullamcorper urna eu feugiat. Vestibulum non eros maximus, consequat odio non, rhoncus est. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Sed sit amet condimentum quam. Duis vitae libero ullamcorper erat lacinia mollis eget ac massa. In addition, Chesapeake Bay Program pages at the U.S EPA site provide numbers on pollutants remitted: Mauris iaculis mollis leo et varius. Morbi gravida, ex vel ornare dapibus, elit sem interdum elit, vel egestas elit purus eget purus. Duis orci ante, placerat a urna efficitur, placerat feugiat turpis. Find the EPA CBP article; cost saving summary linked here. Ut auctor mauris vel erat facilisis accumsan. Morbi posuere turpis a quam congue elementum. Quisque aliquam scelerisque eros quis eleifend.
Recall that I expect one curated link in both the classfying and illustrating paragraphs. You also need at least one formal curated citation for Davis and the evaluation paragraph.
Link to AI assisted writing: signal phrases, sources, with links as optimal all help you take the generic AI writing/responses into a professional level. Your judgement matters. You also are less like to be accused of plagiarism and/or intellectual property theft.
Second writing craft idea: Oxford comma is the preferred punctuation convention in both formal scientifc writing/technical writing and is highly advised in less formal science/technical contexts. We will look at Friday's long post for a few highlights on using this formal comma convention. Here is a short Googld dco on science-focused examples of Oxford commas.
Joke to remember Oxford comma (widespread but popularized by Lynn Truss of the (iinfamouse) grammar guide Eats, Shoots and Leaves The linked Wikipedia page explains.
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.
'Why?' asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
'Well, I'm a panda', he says, at the door. 'Look it up.'
The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."
Important take away from the stasis theory posted above (large format; you can copy/paste to a document for you to retain. As well for examination, you can look at this jpg in another browser.
Marybeth Shea
Wednesday and again with the balmy 38o. !
(Look at the superscript exclamation point hanging up there. Technology is great 'cept when not.)
What are we doing, anyway? This clip helps. Also, here is a checklist for you, in Google Sheet format.
Ok, the stasis theory document is worth looking at again. If this feels overwhelming because is relatively new to you, just skim and remember that you already know a version of stasis theory: the scientific method.
- Conjecture maps to inquiry questions, which are often broad buy lead to hypothesis generation with the goal to develop a study design.
- Definitions (stable science knowledge that informs how you place the question into a
- specific study design (many types in science, by discipline)
- methods and technology (seven treatments with PCR analysis at end of experiment with data/tissue/fluid gathering.
- Causal analysis (even if we tend to say correlation) Some causal analysis is definitional within the field but science is looking always for new ways to understand causality, including for the predictive work of modeling.
- Value is related to evaluation: is this work worthy? Do the stats test support our inferences? Is the knowledge gained publishable? With this work withstand peer scrutiny within the disciplines.
- Is the knowledge actionable in terms of diagnosis, biomarker, monitoring variable, and other ways we use knowledge? Think tecne, techne from Greek, to me for use. To apply. Technology!
- Is the knowledge more knowledge-for-knowledge-sake focused? Math, physics, etc.
- Policy knits forth from value work. Examples help:
- PSA biomarkers are now standard protocol (policy) for prostate cancer monitoring.
- Annual mammogram.
- Vaccine and booster schedules
- New knowledge about lipid status in blood for cardiovascular risk; i.e. CRP and the even newer Lp(a measures.
BLUF = bottom line up front (cousin to TLDR): Your rain garden memo is primarily a definition memo. You do not need to go full bore into Causal Analysis stasis (TBD in class) but do a brief eValu-ation para with Davis. We also note here than rain gardens are good. About Policy, resist the temptation to recommend rain gardens to Jane, for the state, and for the world.
I am reviewing all the ER Review Tasks. Well done! I want to remind people about rethinking their sentences a bit, with focus on subject-verb location. Let's review these writing craft skills concerning sentences given to you earlier for self study. Hint: method of my "madness" is looping and gradual release of knowledge. What I hope is that this process happens: I present, you read/skim, we loop back, which is a kind of strategic repetition, we look again, with emphasis of application. In other words, now we use the sentence strategy to revise our rain garden memos, just before we turn in for a grade.
Reviewing, today in class with you -- these three one-page handouts.
And, we have a song for this assignment. Kermit knows all about rain gardens, basically a Terp tech.
Marybeth Shea
Happy Friday.
You have a new type of ER Writing Task open now. "Parking lot" means you have a week to do this work. Generally for me, I wan you to be:
- ON TIME for each other in ER Tasks, where I set up the Friday Writing Task to Monday Reviewing Task pattern to support students as busy writers. This set of strict deadlines CONTRASTS with
- PARKING LOT ER Writing Tasks where you post to ER for me to comment/grade. You have a week. Note, we do NOT have a Monday ER Reviewing Task when we turn in for a grade to a Parking lot Writing Task.
Am available 9-9:50 and 11-11:50 via Google Meet link.
OPTIONAL for this weekend. Here is the conjecture + audience/context/purpose (question from Stasis step 1) to guide your preliminary research. Our boss reports that the rain garden memo helped her with her meeting. We are in discussions now to propose a comprehensive rain garden plan for all state owned properties in Maryland. Huzzah. Now, what is the rework for good work? MORE WORK. Governor Moore asks, "According to science, what IS the better disposable hot beverage cup? Styrofoam is cheaper, so we inherited that choice from the last (Republican) state administration. I do believe in saving money for all Marylanders; however, I think I want to use paper cups. What do your researchers say, Jane?"
Jane wants two problems to be address in a short but sourced problem-solution memo. First, we need to answer Governor Moore. Next, Jane also wants a coffee cup policy for the office that is "green." OK, that is the content for your invention. Here is rough working arrangement (paragraphs) from stasis theory and other frames, including context (classifying, typically) :
POLITE OPENING -- in first person -- with your recommendation that previews your final policy paragraph
STASIS 1, CONJECTURE PARAGRAPH Problem description of 1) the carbon foot print of both cups (paper and Styrofoam); 2) water quality problem associated with both cups. Hint: we do not recycle plastic and paper in ways that address this material waste problem for both cups.
Try to get a size of the scale of this waste (energy and materials stuff to be tossed) at national and international levels.
STASIS 2, DEFINITION--> What are the cup choices? Reusables (glass, metal, ceramic) and two disposables (Styrofoam and paper). Climate change is the problem associated most with energy efficiency goals. Fate of aquatic plastic is most associated with plastic into waterways (newer problem with emerging implications for ocean health, oxygen balances with photo synthesizing micro organisms, food chain disruption for fish, and now? Human health effects.
STASIS 3, CAUSE/EFFECT See how the systemic problem in STASIS 2 look at causal chains of depletion (energy use) and pollution (tossing stuff).
If you want, you can begin researching this question (using concepts from this outline above to develop your prompts) . I expect you will use AI in some way, to jump start your thinking. Keep notes. We will share in ER as we did for assignment 1. Your time is valuable and I would say spend 20 minutes or so. You can also wait until next week for class discussion to inform your work. You choose, based on your busy schedules. I also say, get some rest and enjoyment this weekend to.
Now, to another optional weekend option. You can look at what I did with Google's Notebook AI resource here at this link. Basically, you can see my work (the sources I chose) and the ways Notebook summarized stasis theory for me. Look at the FAQ summary for one. See other summary notes that this AI did for me. Finally, listen to the fake -- I am stunned -- podcast that will teach you about stasis theory while you walk or go to the gym. Access this way, in the "Studio" portion.
