Students access the ice core data archived at Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory. They select a core (Greenland, Antarctica, Quelcaya), pose a working hypothesis regarding the data, import the data in an Excel-readable format, and examine the data to determine correlations between variables and cause/effect as recorded in leads and lags. They generate a written and graphical analysis of the data and, in the next lab period, discuss the similarities and differences among their group outputs in terms of demonstrated correlations, assumptions required, effects of latitude, and any other item that arises.

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The transgressive coastal sequence, as a fundamental concept in stratigraphy, will be explored by the students in a hands-on activity based on a set of high-resolution seismic profiles collected in the shoreface off Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia. Small groups of 2-3 students will identify primary surfaces, such as the ravinement surface and sequence boundaries, and major sedimentary facies, such as offshore shoals, flood-tidal deltas, and tidal inlets, in a set of shore-parallel and shore-perpendicular lines. The exercise begins with factors controlling relative sea level and leads into accommodation space and preservation potential.

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This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important aspects of the task and its potential use.

In this exercise, students use whole-rock major- and trace-element compositions of igneous rocks from a variety of tectonic settings and locations to explore the importance of plate setting in determining magma compositions. Students are split into groups and assigned different tectonic settings to examine and compare with other groups. Datasets are obtained from the GEOROC database, imported into Excel spreadsheets, and graphed to learn how igneous rock compositions are a function of plate tectonic setting.

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In this exercise, students are split into groups to gather whole-rock geochemical data (major-, trace-, and rare-earth elements) from the GEOROC database for igneous rocks sampled from four different plate tectonic settings: mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, oceanic islands, and oceanic plateaus. Each group is assigned a different plate tectonic setting and collects three datasets from different locations for their tectonic setting. Geochemical data is graphed as major-element variation and REE diagrams to quantify igneous diversity both within the same tectonic setting and between different tectonic settings. The main goal of this exercise is to demonstrate that igneous rock compositions are a strong function of plate tectonic setting.

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Students will examine data on the number of immigrants in the United States, to create bar graphs and line graphs with appropriate scales. Students will then compare and analyze their graphs to draw conclusions about the data.

Students will examine population density maps of the United States during the 1800s. They will learn about the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to make and evaluate predictions about the changes in population density that resulted from this event, identifying shifts in boundaries and in areas of population density, and drawing conclusions. Students will then write a paragraph summarizing the impact of the Louisiana Purchase on the United States.

A toddler wading pool or similar tank is filled with common sand (available from home improvement stores in bags) to a depth of 15-20 cm. The sand is saturated with a slow inflow and outflow to a floor drain. A 2-inch PVC slotted screen section is buried in the sand near the center of the tank with a capped end at the bottom. Small (1 cm diameter or similar) slotted or perforated PVC or copper tubing are placed as piezometers in the sand at short distances (e.g., 10-20 cm) from the pumping "well." A fountain pump capable of discharging up to 100-150 ml/min is placed within the "well" with adequate discharge tubing to conduct the water to a drain. A stopcock is placed in the tubing to control flow. Alternatively, if the tank of sand is on a very sturdy table, a simple siphon with tubing can be used as a pump. Drawdown is determined by the difference between a pre-pumping level measurement from the top of the "piezometers" and subsequent measurements made in the same "piezometer" at times after pumping starts. Water levels may be measured using chalked wooden rods. Alternatively, a small cork with a slender wooded food skewer marked in millimeter increments can be placed in each piezometers and the students can watch the change in level of the markings relative to the top of the "piezometer." Flow is repeatedly measured using a graduated cylinder. At the start of the test, students or teams of students are assigned to either take water level measurements at a specific piezometer or to measure and control the flow rate. The data are collected on a logarithmically increasing time interval for about an hour. The flow and drawdown data are analyzed by various means (Theis curve, Jacob straight-line method, Bolton curves, etc.) either manually or using AQTESOLV or similar software. Though the drawdowns are small, the data have provided quite reasonable estimates of hydraulic conductivity for the sand.

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This intention of this unit plan is to introduce high school students to linear regression in the context of a real-world issue – income inequality. By examining various types of graphs, students will alerted to the fact that income is unevenly distributed on both a domestic and global scale. They will come up with quantitative variables that might contribute to income inequality and research the variables that interest them in depth. They will use graphing calculator technology to obtain a linear regression equation that describes the relationship between their variable of interest and the level of income inequality in a location, as measured by the Gini coefficient. Specifically, they will assess the linearity of the relationship between their variable of interest and the Gini coefficient by interpreting the correlation coefficient for the scatterplot of their data and examining a plot of residuals. Their ultimate goal will be to come up with a proposal for alleviating income inequality based on their findings.

This module includes 10 topics related to finding, evaluating, and presenting scientific information related to climate change or other interdisciplinary topics.

The ultimate goal is for students to prepare a paper and present it to their colleagues as though they were giving it at typical professional meeting such as American Geophysical Union, Geological Society of America, or American Quaternary Association. However, the technical level of the talk should be at a level that the class will understand and enjoy.

The topic should demonstrate scientific method rather than being merely descriptive or primarily applied science/technology. Students should use current literature. The presentation will be more interesting if the subject is somewhat controversial. The final product should demonstrate that the student understands and has gained the skills presented in all 10 topics.

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Much of statistics is based upon using data from a random sample that is representative of the population at large. From that sample mean, we can infer things about the greater population mean. We'll explain.

Microstudies in Public Administration and Public Affairs

Short Description:
A collection of small-scale research projects in matters of public administration and public affairs, carried out by graduate students in the Programs of Public Affairs, University of Utah.

Long Description:
Unbeknownst to them, graduate students enrolled in Dr. David Carter’s Fall 2020 section of Research Design embarked on an experiment in research instruction. Working in groups of two-to-four, they conceived of, designed, and executed public affairs “microstudies”—small-scale research projects focused on tailored questions of public policy and public administration. This book presents the result of this experiment: seven diverse research projects on topics including public transit ridership, telework, and K-12 education modes during the COVID-19 pandemic; reproductive healthcare policy impacts; municipal climate change plans; environmental (in)justice, and; the workforce experiences of those with invisible disabilities. The studies are diverse in epistemological underpinnings and research methods—ranging from critical and interpretivist qualitative investigations to quantitative analysis of secondary data—but are united in their collective attention to research design fidelity and concern for findings with “public” relevance.

Word Count: 44542

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More Microstudies in Public Administration and Public Affairs

Short Description:
A collection of small-scale research projects in matters of public administration and public affairs, carried out by graduate students in the Programs of Public Affairs, University of Utah.

Long Description:
Public affairs graduate students enrolled in Dr. David Carter’s fall 2021 Research Design course once again embarked on a somewhat unorthodox curriculum, executing complete research projects from start to finish in 15 weeks. The result was seven microstudies that tackle prescient topics with both practical and scholarly importance, including: consumers’ motivations regarding sustainable product purchases, American support for U.S. policy towards the United Nations, the impact of contemporary “critical race theory” debates on teachers and education, wildfire causes and consequences across jurisdictions, the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on single mothers, and the affect of state policies on queer youth. The studies are diverse in epistemological underpinnings and research methods—ranging from critical and interpretivist qualitative investigations to quantitative analysis of secondary data—but are united in their collective attention to research design fidelity and concern for findings with “public” relevance.

Word Count: 32795

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This resource consists of a Java applet and expository text. The applet allows the user to construct a histogram by clicking on a number line to generate the sample data. The class width can be varied and various summary statistics can be displayed.

Introductory statistics courses prepare students to think statistically but cover relatively few statistical methods. Building on the basic statistical thinking emphasized in an introductory course, a second course in statistics at the undergraduate level can explore a large number of statistical methods. This text covers more advanced graphical summaries, One-Way ANOVA with pair-wise comparisons, Two-Way ANOVA, Chi-square testing, and simple and multiple linear regression models. Models with interactions are discussed in the Two-Way ANOVA and multiple linear regression setting with categorical explanatory variables. Randomization-based inferences are used to introduce new parametric distributions and to enhance understanding of what evidence against the null hypothesis “looks like”. Throughout, the use of the statistical software R via Rstudio is emphasized with all useful code and data sets provided within the text. This is Version 3.0 of the book.

This lesson unit is intended to help teachers assess how well students are able to: interpret data and evaluate statistical summaries; and critique someone elseŐs interpretations of data and evaluations of statistical summaries. The lesson also introduces students to the dangers of misapplying simple statistics in real-world contexts, and illustrates some of the common abuses of statistics and charts found in the media.

Using web-accessed climate data, students will examine the latitudinal distribution of CO2 and explain how (and why) that has changed over (recent) time. They will then work in groups of two or three to download, graph, and interpret carbon dioxide concentration data from one individual location (different groups will be assigned a different site). Each student will complete a series of questions to ensure their understanding of the concepts outlined above.

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