The Project: Preliminary Information

Projects will be presented in presentation or poster form (your choice) the last week of class

Requirements:

If you choose an observational study, you must log 4 hours observation time (one can be preliminary). You will create an ethogram, and from that create a time budget.

If you choose an experimental study, there is no specific time requirement but you must repeat your experiment at least 3 times.

In both cases, you must present your data in a visual diplay (graph).

Summarize a related paper from a primary literature journal (see below) or popular science magazine, such as Scientific American, Science or Discover. "Related" means the article addresses the species you chose, OR the behavioral aspect you chose. It does not need to address both.

Preparation (ie, this weekend and beyond):

Decide on your group size

Choose a species

Come up with at least two ideas for your project to discuss with me

Search in the literature for a your article*

*The library has a few periodical databases that you may find useful: PubMed, Academic Search Premier, and ProQuest. They have some full text articles available, but most are simply abstracts. Find a few titles that sound interesting and read the abstracts. If you find some articles that sound interesting for which the full text is not available, first talk to a librarian. He/she may be able to point you immediately to a source. Otherwise, do a google search for that exact title, or the first few words of it. Alternatively, you could choose an article that might not be your first choice, but for which the full text is available.

Finally, ask me if I have any articles that might be useful for you, if you are having trouble finding me.

And remember, you can always talk to me at any point to make sure you are on the right track.