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I. GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PAPER
This assignment is based upon a toxicological report published in the Long Beach Press Telegram that outlines the contaminants and potential health risks associated
with 24 sites in and around the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors.
A link to the site map is provided.
Your research paper will be based upon some of the primary literature, technical reports and analyses used to generate this newspaper article. Each student will be
assigned one of the 24 sites in the South Bay region and you will be required to write a scientific report indicating, how the pollutants were analyzed, identified and
quantified and an assessment of the environmental impact and the risk it poses to the ecosystem and to human health. You should also recommend at strategy to
minimize impact and remediate the situation. Although you are expected to draw heavily upon information supplied in the class and in the literature, it is important to
note that the content of the paper should be your own work. You will receive no credit for simply making a précis of the technical reports used to generate the
newspaper article.
Sources of Contamination in the various zip-codes on the map can be obtained by using the search engine available at the EPA website.
STEP 1: LITERATURE SEARCH AND COLLATION.
Your site of contamination, the xenobiotic compounds present at that site and target organisms will be selected for you. To assist you in this assignment, a list of
suitable journals on aquatic toxicology and environmental impact that are currently available in the university library will be provided. However, you should not
restrict yourself to materials on campus and are expected to identify other sources of information on your topic. You should aim to collect a number of current
articles pertinent to the topic (10-15 primary articles). There are a number of scientific databases in the reference section of the library and the internet is also a
valuable resource for locating relevant articles.
STEP 2: FIRST DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPER.
After having read the articles, you should prepare the first draft of your research paper. A suggested outline for your paper is provided below;
1) Abstract (200 word précis of your research paper)
2) Introduction (reviewing the current literature on the site and contaminants that have been allocated )
3) Statement of the problem (a brief presentation of the pollutants, the degree of pollution, the protocols used for analysis, quantification and
assessment of toxicity)
4) Toxicological Impact Statement (This section should describe the potential toxicity of the different pollutants at the site. It should discuss the
molecular mode of impact and the mechanistic basis for any cellular, biochemical, physiological or behavioral effects that could occur with the
chemicals present at the site. Any antagonistic or synergistic effects that could be expected from these chemicals should also be discussed. Include
any other tests that need to be conducted to study effect or mode of action or interaction. These tests/experiments should provide a rational approach
for examining the toxicological problem and should be described at a conceptual level rather than in great detail.
5) Mitigation Procedures (Proposed action for remediation to minimize environmental impact and risk to human health. A discussion of how the
effects of remediation could be monitored to show success)
6) References (use conventional methods of citation to list the various sources of information referred to in the text of your manuscript; i.e. author,
title, journal etc.)
The first draft of your paper is due 6th April. Your assignment must be typed and should not exceed 10 pages (Biol. 490 students) or 15 pages (Biol. 590 students)
of doubly spaced text when complete. Please supply two copies. You will not be graded on the first draft of the paper.
It is critical that you submit your manuscript on time since it has to be critiqued by a colleague in class and the exchange of assignments has to be synchronous.
Students handing in their assignments late will forfeit 10% of the final mark of the research paper/day. It is therefore in your interest to meet this deadline.
STEP 3: CRITIQUE OF RESEARCH PAPER.
One of two copies of your paper will be forwarded to a fellow student for critical peer review. I will attempt to match up the topics so that you are critiquing a paper
comparable to your own. This critique will provide everyone with an opportunity to evaluate another paper and to have feedback on their own paper prior to
submitting a final version which is due May 16th. You will be graded on the thoughtfulness and rigor of your critique on your colleagues paper. Please submit your
critique and hand back the copy of your colleagues paper by 20th April.
STEP 4: FINAL VERSION OF PAPER.
The final version of paper should be handed to me in class on the 16th May on the date of your final exam. It should be double spaced and must not exceed 10 or
15 pages in length (490 and 590 students respectively). Diagrams, photographs, graphs and tables are strongly encouraged if they can help to exemplify, simplify or
clarify particular aspects of the project.
Some critical deadlines relating to the research paper to which you should pay particular attention to are listed below.:
6th April: First draft of research paper due
20th April: Critique of first draft due
16th May: Final exam and final version of research paper due.
Please be sure to take advantage of my office hours if you have questions concerning the research paper or any other aspect of the course.
Click on the Icon Below to Access Previous Student Oral Presentations of Various Toxins commonly found in the Southern California Coastal
Region.
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