Overview
Find a current article (no older than 2023) from one of the sources below that is related to Biology class content. Class content includes genetics, evolution, genomics, cancer, gene therapy, forensics, IVF, etc. – be sure you’re choosing something directly relevant to class topics, and make sure it provides new information beyond what we’ve already covered. Note:
This needs to be a full article, at least 700 - 1000 words long, not a short blurb. Longer is fine. (That word count is for the main text of the article only, not the links/titles/captions/ads/etc. Cut/paste to get a word count before submitting.)
Create a 5-minute presentation about the article, supported by 8-10 slides. Do enough background research to fully understand what you’re presenting o Slide 1: Article title, author, and source o Two slides: Scientific background that we need in order to fully understand the article contents. (For instance, if the article is about disease in Tasmanian Devils, tell us what a Tasmanian Devil is, where it lives, show us what it looks like, etc.) Keep track of your sources; you’ll be citing them. o Two or three slides: Present the article to us. What are the main ideas? What is new, that prompted the article to be written? What are the implications of the research being presented? Support with interesting images. (Not too much text; bullet points are OK) o One slide – Cite your sources (include the article you’re presenting on, as well as what you used for background research.) At least 2 outside sources should be used, and can include scientific articles, .org, and .edu websites. (If you use Wikipedia that’s ok, but have at least 2 other sources in addition.) o Last slide – a true/false or multiple choice question about the article contents.
Grading will be based on the scientific content of the presentation (an accurate explanation of the article and background on relevant concepts), the organization of the presentation (logically sequenced, easily understandable), the creativity and quality of the presentation (interesting images that support the ideas being presented, no typos, good grammar, readable text, sources cited, good question at the end), and ability to answer questions about the article and topic (evidence of critical thinking, understanding of material). Remember – your presentation should entice people to want to read this article
Sources for articles; 5 options:
•New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/section/science
•Knowable Magazine: https://knowablemagazine.org/living-world
• The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/
• The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/tag/science
• The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/