Today

1. Today • Efficient reading exercise (~25 min) • Thesis statement & 5 refs (due today on paper – put name on it and pass to Carrie now, revision due on Catalyst 2/2/2012) (~25 min) • Science in the media intro & start assignment (due in 1 week) (30 min)

2. Deep reading recap • Realize experts are not speed readers; they need to struggle with texts to understand meaning Deep reading takes time (think as you go; interact with text) • Form visual images to represent content • Connect to emotions • Recall past experiences that relate to reading • Predict what will happen next • Ask questions • Think about the use of language • Adjust reading strategies for different purposes. Not every text requires deep reading. (Ended here last time)

3. Fast, efficient reading Brainstorm approaches

4. Recap Structure of a paper or report • Title/Authorship • Abstract: describe basic questions, approach, implications. The “take home” message • Introduction: central research question and background literature • Methods: describe research methods • Results: present data • Discussion: present interpretation • Conclusions: interpretation, broad implications, future • Works cited/Back matter

5. Important to answer questions as you go Write these down: • What is the main question? • What is the approach/method? • Main result or observation? • Main outcome/interpretation? (check) • Implications? (star) With practice it gets easier to judge. What are some strategies for efficient reading?

6. Methane Oxidation at Deepwater (1) The Deepwater Horizon blowout in June 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico has provided a site for studying a number of marine processes in situ that would not otherwise have been possible. The release of massive amounts of methane from the wellhead resembles rare but potentially dangerous massive outgassing events from natural seeps or gas hydrates along the ocean floor. Kessler et al. (p. 312, published online 6 January) surveyed waters during the leak and after the wellhead was sealed and found that bacteria degraded all of the methane released from the well within ~120 days of the initial blowout—and within only ~40 days once the well was sealed. The presence of low oxygen anomalies in the water column and a shifted bacterial community structure toward methanotrophy suggests that the ecological response to such large events can be faster and more efficient than anticipated. 11 minutes for: (2) Abstract (3) The rest of the paper

7. Important to answer questions as you go • What is the main question? • What is the approach/method? • Main result or observation? • Main outcome/interpretation? (check) • Implications? (star) What strategies for efficient reading worked? It gets easier with practice.

8. What makes a strong thesis statement? • The point is persuasion: convince your reader of your point of view • After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you'll make in the rest of your paper. • The thesis statement needs to be a statement. Do not pose as a question (too open-ended, and doesn’t tell your reader the specifics he/she needs to navigate your paper and evaluate whether or not you’ve convinced him/her of something) • Be specific. Thesis should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence • Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you discuss in the paper • Great thesis statements are easily identifiable, plausible, novel, sophisticated, insightful, crystal clear. See handout & The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill and Purdue Online Writing Lab

9. Thesis statements

10. What makes a strong thesis statement? • A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand. There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement. • Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers. • 2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion. If you merely state an observation, your reader won’t be able to tell the point of the statement and will probably stop reading. • 3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea. If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. • Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

11. What makes a strong thesis statement? • A strong thesis statement is specific. A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. World hunger has many causes and effects. • “World hunger” can’t be discussed thoroughly in seven to ten pages. Second, “many causes and effects” is vague. • Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable. • This is a strong thesis statement because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic, and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.

12. Work on your working thesis statement • Look at your own statement and revise in light of what we just talked about (2 min). • Get together with groups • Share thesis statements/topics with group • Tweak thesis topics to work for the group • If time, work on revised thesis statements • Carrie and Kate will circulate to help out • Meet with Kate or Carrie in office hours or via email if you want more feedback • Catalyst: thesis statement and refs 2/2/2012

13. Science in the media • Important, but often overlooked aspect of geoscience communication • Work on persuasive writing and thesis statements • Think about audience and write about writing Assignment adapted from project at Monash University developed by RosGleadow

14. Science in the media: Why should scientists communicate? • Funding • Culture • Reporting • Managers • Business • Education • Interest • Tax payers • Responsibility? Duty? • Often think of communicating in academic or business world (papers, reports, talks, letters) • But what about the public sphere?

16. Science in the media assignment • Hand out assignment. • Get started. • Touch base on Thursday. Due one week from today.