Introduction
Upton Sinclair once said: It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it. Lets see where our elected officials stand on the issue of climate change and, just as important, where they get their campaign contributions. Is there a relationship between our elected officials position on climate change and the amount of money they get from the fossil fuel industry? Correlation is not causation but we may find some interesting results!

Assignment
First, choose a member of the House of Representatives or senator from one of the following energy-producing states: Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, or Wyoming at https://www.house.gov/representatives or https://www.senate.gov. Then go to the League of Conservation Voters scorecard webpage at http://scorecard.lcv.org. Click on your state and find your elected official. What is their 2019 score? What is their lifetime score? Next, click on their name. Now, select any three climate-change issues (Under Issues). In your own words, briefly describe the bill (click on Vote Name) and how your representative voted. Was it a pro-environment vote? Record your answers.

Now for the fun part!

Visit the Center for Responsive Politics at https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/. Go to Current members and find your representative or senator. Explore the information you find after clicking the Industries and Contributors tabs. Do you find contributions from the fossil fuel industries? How about utilities like American Electric Power? If so, how much are they getting? Are specific coal, oil, and gas companies mentioned as Top Industries when it comes to 2019-2020 (House) or 2015-2020 (Senate) contributions? You may have to scroll down to find some of this information. Is there a link between how your representative or senator voted on the issues and where they get their money? You tell me! Write a one-page (single-spaced, typed, 12-point, Times New Roman font, one-inch margins on all sides) paper summarizing your findings. Dont forget to proofread your work carefully!

Population Pyramid Assessment
Assignment

MID-TERM PAPER

Research activity

Select one country and assess its population pyramids for this year, and 20 years before and after. Take screenshots of the pyramids to include in your essay. Use those pyramids to assess and reflect on “Population pyramids: Powerful predictors of the future” regarding changes and shifts in your country’s population and the potential for overpopulation. Consider which stage of the demographic transition your country is in. Additionally, you are also required one outside source that addresses birth rate, death rate, life expectancy or migration rate for your selected country.

Items you should note:

The population pyramids and their shape, compared to Figures 3.18 and 3.19 (73-74)

A discussion of demographic transition for your country

A discussion of an additional population statistic from an outside source.

Be sure to record correctly formatted citations for each source you access.

Writing Activity

Using your acquired outside sources and textbook, construct a cited essay of 500-750 words that describes the potential for overpopulation for your country using the data and ideas you have gathered and assessed. Your researched information should be cited, and quoted material should not exceed 15% of the paper.

A literature review is a synthesis of chosen evidence and resources on a topic of interest. Your assignment is to select a topic of interest and complete a literature review. You are expected to select a minimum of 5 articles. Your review should be between 6-8 pages (not including title and reference page). It is imperative that  APA (6th edition) formatting is utilized.

Essential Steps of the Literature Review:

Define the research problem/topic
Determine key terms
Select primary sources of evidence
Read and synthesize evidence
Write a synthesis of findings that compares and contrasts findings

Components of a Literature Review

Introduction

The introduction serves the purpose of presenting the problem and briefly explaining the significance of the topic. You should also share your search strategy with the reader.

Body of Literature Review

The body synthesizes the findings from the studies reviewed. You will first complete an annotated bibliography of each reference. For each study, you should briefly explain the purpose, procedures for data collection, and major findings. Be sure to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each study.

Discussion

The discussion section is your opportunity to compare and contrast the evidence you reviewed. How is one better than the other?  How do studies compare or contrast with each other? This is where you draw conclusions based on the available literature.

Reference Page

List all sources utilized to complete the literature review. If it is cited in the body of your writing it should be listed in the reference list. APA 6th edition should be strictly adhered to. Utilize the Writing Center if needed http://student.barry.edu/writingcenter/

Title
Describe what main result you would anticipate seeing in the paper, based on the title alone in as much detail as possible. Its ok if this differs from what is actually found in the paper.

Abstract
The first sentence of this abstract usually sets up a large, motivating context for the paper. This is the main reason that the authors believe you should consider their work important or the overall context into which the authors believe the work will fit. Restate this context in your own words.

The next sentence usually narrows down the motivating context to a specific area of research and implies an experimental question. Can you state the question or hypothesis in your own words? You can keep moving through the abstract and come back to this if you feel stuck.

Next, the abstract will usually state the main experimental approach (experimental design). Try to summarize the approach in your own words. You could also make a flowchart of the experimental design. Also try to state a hypothesis that could be addressed by the design used. 

What was the main result of the paper? How does it relate to the hypothesis you came up with above?

In the next bit of the abstract, the authors propose some specific mechanisms for the change in the baboons culture. What are they?

Figures
The main results of the paper are summarized in the figures. For each figure, please take a look and try to summarize (in a few sentences) the main result that is being conveyed (your notes from our class discussions will be helpful!). If you are thorough enough, you may summarize the figure as a whole. It might also be useful to address each panel individually if you need help organizing your thoughts.

Finally, given your analysis of the abstract, do you think that the results conveyed in the figures actually addressed the goals that the authors stated? What might you have done differently? What else might you want to see or what would you do in a future study (what kind of data would you want to see next)?

Because it draws from other fields such as bio-statistics and social sciences, epidemiology is described as being interdisciplinary. From which aspects of other disciplines do you feel epidemiology borrows? In what ways does epidemiology differ from those disciplines? When responding to your classmates, provide additional connections between epidemiology and other disciplines. Support your response with specific examples.

(1) Answer the posted “Five Questions about Light”.

(2) Write a 1-page essay on one (just one; pick your favorite!) of the topics , (a) “Light Pollution”, or (b) “Radiation from Mobile Phones: Dangerous or Not?”. As usual, cite on a separate page the references you consulted. In either essay stick to what can be said about the respective topic from a scientific point of view. You may express your personal opinion but only at the very end.

If you pick Topic (a): Describe what is meant by light pollution, what adverse effects it causes and why, and what can/should/will be done to reduce the problem. (Btw and FYI, to raise awareness of the issue, many cities worldwide are involved in “Dark Skies” night, with all but the most essential lights everywhere turned off!

If you pick Topic (b): The issue of potential dangers of the radiation emitted by mobile phones is a highly politicized and emotionally charged topic. Try to de-mystify it by separating facts from speculation as best as you can. (Hint: that’s not always easy!) Start with the website of the National Cancer Institute but also look up and discuss the opposing view.

3 pages with references