Issues in Science & Technology Outcomes Assignments Resources Grading Florida Gulf Coast University
  Click here to see the IDS 3143 Portal- see past issues students examined in previous semesters.

My students and I have selected these substantiative current issues in Science and Technology, and will show you the results of our efforts on these pages.  Students worked individually or in groups to examine these important current issues using critical thinking skills.  The students in the class are demonstrating their ability to model those skills and show evidence of improving their ability to use the Student Learning Outcomes.

We hope you enjoy the material, and please let us know what you think!

This Fall of 2012 students'  issues include:

Mercedes Zambrano The prophylatic use of antibiotics in chickens should be banned
Richard Adenys Nuclear weapons should take a back seat in war
Richard Illsey Mining of cadmium for solar technology is worth the environmental impact
Ian Jackson The US Govt should not enact internet censorship laws (that deter the spread of ideas)
Theresa Effinger China should be allowed to place restrictions on the exportation and exploration of rare earth elements
Tessa Schumacher Social media is a good tool for marketing
Cheryl Larva Golden Rice: A magical solution to a global problem or a wasted investment?
Mireille Gruppo The NMFS needs to stop killing california sea lions and focus on the REAL issue of why the salmon population is declining
Jackie Rainer The Navy shouldn't use SONAR in areas marine mammals congregate
Sarah Neat Echinacea is a valid treatment to reduce symptoms of the common cold
Joshua Graham HGH should be allowed in Minor/Major league baseball organizations
Andrew Corke Dentists should practice mercury-free and mercury-safe dentistry
Justin Kline Google Glass should not be made available to the public the way it is now
Kinti Snider Children are especially sensitive to pesticide exposure from foods they consume (such as fruits and vegetables) which can cause developmental damage therefore pestice exposure to children from foods should be limited
Kirsten Jacobs Children with ADHD should be treated in ways other than with the use of drugs
Bryana Jacobelli Eye Movement Desentization therapy is best-suited to treat childhood trauma or abuse
Talissa Soto  Social media is negatively affecting face-to-face communication and people should limit their use of these media outlets
Garrett Farmer Non-ethanol fuel should continue to be made available at regular fueling stations.
Nicholas Idler Hydraulic Fracturing should be regulated to prevent damage to the environment and the atmosphere.
Brooke Jones Children with learning disabilities, who have impairments in processing speed, should receive subject-based treatment versus processing speed-based treatment.
Brandon Martin High School courses teaching students how to interpret information from online sources should be required
Anthony Watson Carbon nanofibers used for drug delivery has adverse effects on peoples health to the extend that its use should be heavily regulated
Kyle Kauffman/Rachel Goldman Society is too dependent on SSRI's for treating depression
Tara Swift

 

We should tax the sale of unhealthy foods

 

Welcome!

Have you ever wondered how much your childhood experiences shape who you become? 

Were you a curious youngster?  I sure was!  I remember taking camping trips with the family in our Plymouth station wagon.  The car was always full (unless you also have 9 other siblings you can only imagine how full).  Of course, when I was real young I NEVER got a window seat.  Dad had us play the typical road games- all our eyes closed and competing to see who could come closest to estimating when we went a mile.  And there were the math games- ‘Count in base 4’.  That will keep you busy for a while on a thousands of  mile road trip through Mexico!  In between games, and sing-a-longs I would ask questions.  Especially when I was older and had been bequeathed a window seat, the questions were endless.  Why is that tree shaped like that?  What kind of animal is that?  It is no wonder I became a scientist; I have an insatiable curiosity. 

 I get to continue to feed that curiosity by ‘teaching’ this class.  Each of you gets to select your own questions and fill your curious mind about issues in Science and Technology!  I get the benefit of learning about all of it, and so do your fellow students

Let’s get started and have some fun!

Download Syllabus

Here is a 10 minute You tube video called

 Skewed views of science that summarizes what science is and why I so enjoy this class- I hope you do too!

Did you know?  A five minute video about how fast information is growing.

Nora E. Demers, Ph.D.,

Comparative Immunology and Interdisciplinary Studies
Associate Professor
Biology and Interdisciplinary Studies

Office:
Whitaker 218

Office Hours:

T/R 11:00-12:15W 1:00-2:00 and by appointment

Just send a note, stop by or give me a call to make an appointment.  

Phone: 
(239) 590-7211
Fax:
(239) 590-7200

ndemers@fgcu.edu
   

Are you curious about topics that affect the world today? Is the rapid increase in technology exciting yet distressing? Have you ever heard of "fracking", environmental endocrine dirsuptors or the effect of sonar on marine mammals?
This class is a way to find out more about these issues and others!

I encourage you to  work with others on similar topics. Take advantage of this opportunity to work as a member of a highly functional group of your design and control.

WARNING: This class is not for the light-hearted- those wanting an "easy A" are strongly encouraged to look elsewhere!  You will be challenged  at least as much as your most rigorous disciplinary course.  I believe that IDS courses are where you should synthesize and apply your disciplinary experience to interdisciplinary issues that our community faces.  If you do not desire this sort of rigorous and challenging exercise, then please do us both a favor and enroll in a different section of IDS 3303.

I look forward to meeting an enthusiastic group of undergraduates at every class session.

Cheating, dishonesty, and plagiarism will not be tolerated and may result in failure of the assignment and/or course.

 If you are at all unclear on the conventions or expectations on academy regarding providing proper citation to your research sources, then please take a moment to review these articles on plagiarism "How to Avoid Plagiarism"; "Avoiding Plagiarism"

Disability Accommodations Services

Florida Gulf Coast University, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the university’s guiding principles, will provide classroom and academic accommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you need to request an accommodation in this class due to a disability, or you suspect that your academic performance is affected by a disability, please contact the Office of Adaptive Services. The Office of Adaptive Services is located in Howard Hall 137. The phone number is 239-590-7956 or TTY 239-590-7930

Fall 2012: IDS 3143

CRN 81374: Debunking Myths

Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 - 1:45  

Holmes Engineering 202

This course is part of the Collegium of Integrated Learning and is required for the B.A. in Liberal Studies. Students and faculty will work together to investigate selected contemporary science/technology issues and problems and how they have developed across time.

Individually and in teams, students will develop "intellectual histories" of an issue or problem and take a stance on an issue. These "histories" will require building an integrated context by examining issues through the perspectives and methods of knowing in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Organized in interdisciplinary ways and problem-based, the course will stress engaged learning.

Students will be expected to formulate their own interpretations and responses to the issues. Consequently, success in the course will rely heavily on critical, creative, systematic, and collaborative thinking and the sophisticated use of communication, information, and technological skills.  

Students will also be expected to identify and use a wide variety of resources available through the library and world wide web.

I will be corresponding with you through your student email account. It is very important for you to have your student email activated. If you need assistance with this, please review the instructions for activating, forwarding, and getting help with your email.
 

Some current issues that you may want to consider exploring:

Are alternative cancer therapies (nutraceuticals) effective, or just a way for unregulated comapnies to make a fortune? See CsCl for example

Rachel Carson and the legacy of Silent Spring (the Guardian May 26, 2012)

Biofuels from food crops, linked with Global warming.

Hunger Games: The rich world is causing famines it claims to be preventing (Monbiot

blog Aug 13, 2012)

Warm seawater forces Conn. nuclear plant shutdown (Aug 13, 2012) (another outcome of Global Climate change?)

Commercial Space Transportation (NASA's portal)

Florida hopes to fill its skies with unmanned aircraft

Fracking for Natural Gas-- National Geographic Special report

Gasland the movie

PCB's, BPA and other plastics as endocrine disruptors

Nanotech Particles Pose Serious DNA Risks to Humans and the Environment

Pesticides in food the Big Ag side of the story or the Environmental Working Group issue-- Foodnews.org

Assessing Children’s Dietary Pesticide Exposure – Direct Measurement of Pesticide Residues in 24-Hour Duplicate Food Samples

Drugs in our waterways

Should the EPA be exempting 'green power' facilities from legal requirements for Agency review?

BIG WETLANDS LOSSES PLOTTED FOR GREEN POWER — Corps Prepares Broad Exemptions for Solar, Wind, Geothermal & Tidal Facilities

(Nationwide Permits limit or eliminate review by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service).

Here are some more recent Science and Technology 'issues':

UF study: Mercury causes birds to turn homosexual The head researcher says the study has no relevance to human sexuality.

Government statement on Vitamin D questionable

Documentaries of interest regaring this year's issues:

Split Estate

Gasland

 

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Click here to see the IDS 3143 Portal- see past issues students examined in previous semesters.

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Do not reproduce without permission.
Last updated November 19, 2012