Research project

Each student will complete a research project on some aspect of the coupled climate and human system. As part of the class homework, we will build a 'limits to growth' system dynamics archetype based on the climate system.  For your research project, you will identify some other process or component of the Earth system that you would like to add to this model.  Your final project will include a presentation of your model and results in the last week of class.

1. Project proposal. Identify the component or process that you would like to investigate and model, i.e., the component that you'd like to add to the 'limits to growth' archetype.  Examples of potential components include some aspect of the economy, geoengineering solutions to climate change, human behavioral responses to climate change, etc.   You will submit a project proposal (500 word limit) describing your proposed project.  I need to approve your project prior to your beginning to work on it. The project proposal will count as a homework grade.

2. Project presentation.  A 10 minute presentation that describes your project, including both  a description of the Stella model you develop and results from this model.  The presentations should be done electronically using powerpoint, keynote, or similar software.  In the presentation, you should give an introduction to the research project, providing sufficient background to understand the context and goals of the project, the model and methods used, some results, and finally some discussion/interpretation of the results.  Results should include graphs and/or tables from runs of your model.

Important: Practice giving your presentation ~5 times before giving it to the class!

3. Project paper.  A research paper on your project. The paper will be formatted as a scientific paper with the following sections: An Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References Cited.  The paper should be 10 pages long (excluding figures, tables, and references), double spaced, and use a 12 point, Times New Roman font with pages formatted with 1 inch margins on all sides. Each figure and/or table should be numbered consecutively with a corresponding description/caption. The Introduction should provide background on the question that you are addressing:  Why does it matter?  How does it relate to and mediate the 'limits to growth' archetype?  The Methods should describe the structure of your Stella model as well as how you analyzed your model.  The Results should describe what we learned from your model, for example, how your model behaved with respect to key state variables.  The Discussion should synthesize the meaning of the results into a broader context, for example, by updating the state of knowledge conveyed in the Introduction with what was learned from the model.  Finally, the References Cited section should include all supporting references that are cited in your paper, in alphabetical order, following a Harvard format.