General Biology Final Project

General Biology Final Project Guidelines
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of a well-researched presentation about a specific topic in biology/biotechnology. The world of technology is deeply connected to our everyday lives and well-being. Many topics are controversial and often are tried in the media without a balanced, evidence-based perspective.

For example, currently, there is controversy regarding stem cell research, the genetic modification of foods, DNA profiling, and more. For your summative assessment, you will develop a detailed presentation on one of these technologies. In your presentation, you will apply the biological concepts that you have explored throughout the term to your selected topic. You will also discuss ways in which these concepts and techniques impact us. In the process of developing your presentation, you will also utilize academic skills such as collecting and evaluating sources, critical thinking, constructing and developing independent ideas, argument development, creating effective presentations, and the application of principles to novel settings. These academic skills will continue to be useful throughout your academic coursework and on your career path ahead.

To develop the ability to logically assess the scientific foundations of a controversial topic in biology to form and present an informed opinion, you will create a presentation that includes a technical overview of the topic and gives a summary of the arguments for and against the topic with supporting evidence. The project is supported by four bechmarks, which will be submitted towards the end of the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These
benchmarks will be submitted in Modules 7, 8, 9 and 10. The final project will be submitted in Module 11.
In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
✓ Illustrate how a technology works and how is it applied to biological organisms.
✓ Critically analyze the biological processes or concepts that are essential to life
✓ Communicate the importance of a technology in identifying solutions to biological problems.
✓ Compare and contrast attitudes about the use of technology regionally, nationally and internationally.
✓ Evaluate the regulatory policies impacting technology- its use and applications.
✓ Draw basic connections between real-world biological concepts and technologies in developing personal and ethical perspectives

Major decisions are being made today about biological issues that affect all of us as consumers and citizens. To understand these issues and make informed, scientifically literate choices about your health and about the world around you, you will explore a specific, controversial topic in biology for the final project. You will select one of the topic from the list provided below. You will create a presentation that includes a technical overview of your specific technology, a summary of the arguments for and against the potential use of that technology (with supporting evidence), and an overview of the current attitudes about the topic in the The United States and around the world. You should use a minimum of five credible sources of information including academic journals, your textbook, and government and academic websites. Avoid websites such Wikipedia and Ask.com—these are not considered to be reliable sources. Your final presentation should
be at least 12–15 slides in length, with supporting images or diagrams. Include a title slide and a slide with all references correctly cited using APA format at the end.

Presentation Resources: Your final presentation will be submitted in PowerPoint or another presentation format such as Google Slides or Prezi. You can also
visit https://www.openoffice.org to download the program named Impress. It allows you to create a PowerPoint presentation with a free, compatible program through OpenOffice. A free Word program is also available at this web address
Writing Resources: References and additional formatting should be done in APA format. More information on formatting can be found at the Purdue Online Writing Lab website. For this project, the use of reliable academic resources is important to ensure the presentation of accurate and timely material. Academic resources include your textbook, journal articles, and government websites. Please avoid the use of sites like Wikipedia and Ask.com, as they are not considered
academically reliable. Choose one topic/ technology from the list below to explore for your final project:

✓ Germline therapy
✓ Synthetic organisms
✓ CRISPR
✓ Biological control of disease vectors
✓ Designer Babies
✓ Organism Cloning
✓ DNA Profiling
✓ Genomic data ownership and privacy
✓ Gene Silencing
✓ Stem Cell Research and Treatments
✓ Transposons: Mechanisms & applications
✓ Terminator technology
✓ Riboswitches
✓ Topics from the field of biohacking (propose and get approved first!)
✓ Creation of Biological weapons
✓ Personalized medicine
✓ Human enhancement technologies: by gene therapy, drugs and
other methods
✓ Assisted reproductive technologies
✓ mRNA vaccines
✓ Next-generation sequencing technologies
✓ Biofuels

In summary, from the list of provided technologies, select one that is of personal or professional significance to you. You may also propose your own technology and obtain instructor approval to research that topic. After selecting, perform research on that biotechnology and construct a project that uses scientific information to explain it and to evaluate its impact. Analyze scientific articles and develop questions about the technology, leading to a greater understanding of the complex relationship between technology and society. Reflect on ethical dimensions of current topics in biology and biotechnology, and develop well-informed, scientifically literate opinions about their application towards health and the environment

I. Technical Overview: Provide background information including a technical overview of the topic in general so the average person would understand. Specifically,
address:
a) What is the biological basis of the technology or process? How does it work? What are the steps?
b) What is the purpose of the technology or process?
c) How is the technology applied to the real world? Is it currently being used? In what capacity?
d) What are the scientific unknowns or uncertainties about the topic?

II. Summary of the Benefits: Summarize research that supports the use of the technology you have chosen. If you were to argue for the support of the topic, what
information would you provide to educate people on the topic? Specifically, for this section
a) Provide facts about the benefits of the technology, avoiding personal bias. Support your response with specific, real-world examples.
b) How does it (or how could it) enhance life, particularly human life?

III. Summary of the arguments against the topic: Summarize research that refutes the use of the technology you have chosen. If you were to argue against the
topic, what information would you provide to educate people on the topic? Specifically, for this section
a) Provide facts about the pitfalls of the technology, avoiding personal bias. If possible, provide specific, real world examples.
b) How does it (or how could it) negatively affect life particularly human life

IV. Perspectives: Provide a general overview of the current perspectives surrounding your topic. To get started, consult reliable news sources (e.g., CNN, New York
Times, BBC your local news) and search for your topic. Specifically, answer
a) What are the current attitudes in the media?
b) Are there new rules or laws or changes to regulations being considered for this technology in the United States? If there are none in the works, describe the key
regulatory controls on the technology now.
c) Briefly describe at least two current areas of scientific research surrounding your topic.
d) Explain an ethical issue surrounding your topic (e.g., human health concerns, religious objections) without bias

V. Personal reflections: Provide a brief summary of your perspectives on the topic. Specifically,
a) What led you to choose this topic?
b) Did your perspective on the topic change as you progressed through the research?
c) Based on your research, how can negative impacts be minimized while promoting the application of the positive outcomes of this topic?
d) How can education improve awareness and attention to your topic?
e) Identify potential solutions for your topic. How can your technology be improved, remediated, and its issue mitigated?

Guidelines for Submission: Your final course project should be a minimum of 12-15 slides in length, incorporating at least two pictures, diagrams, graphs, or other visual information. You must include both a cover slide and a reference slide. APA format citations for references and visual information should be used.

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