Framework

Home Research

These questions will help guide you in constructing a research project. Examples are given

2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. How do these levels fluctuate over the course of a year? 3. Does the amount of green space in a neighborhood impact this level? || Convention || 3. Exceeds 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. Levels of green space in an area are positively correlated with its income, which is negatively correlated with the presence of heavy industries. 3. Levels of green space are relatively static over the course of a year. 4. Local concentrations of carbon dioxide have a measurable impact on local air temperatures. || Connection || 3. Exceeds 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. The carbon dioxide being detected is generated as carbon dioxide directly and is not the breakdown product of an intermediate gas such as methane. || Evidence || 3. Exceeds 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. Humidity (percent relative humidity) 3. Temperature (Celsius) 4. Wind velocity (meters per second and heading) 5. GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, time) 6. Area of zip code (square kilometers) 7. Area of green space in zip code (square kilometers) || Convention || 3. Exceeds 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. +/- 0.1 % 3. +/- 0.1 degrees Celsius 4. +/- 0.1 m/s (speed), +/- 1 degree (heading) 5. +/- 1 arcsecond (latitude and longitude), +/- 0.001 seconds (time) 6. +/- 0.1 square kilometers 7. +/- 0.1 square kilometers || Convention || 3. Exceeds 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. Daily average of carbon dioxide levels (ppm) 3. Percentage of a zip code's land which is green space (%) 4. The daily average temperature (degrees Celsius) || Evidence || 3. Exceeds 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet || 2. Meets 1. Approaches 0. Does not meet ||
 * Research Question || Examples || Habit of Mind || Score ||
 * What is my field of interest? || 1. Geospatial variations in the Earth's atmosphere. || Perspective || 3. Exceeds
 * Within this field, what phenomenon do I want to study? || 1. Geospatial variations in the levels of carbon dioxide in the air. || Perspective || 3. Exceeds
 * What questions do I have about this phenomenon? || 1. Which areas in Los Angeles have the highest consistent levels of carbon dioxide in air?
 * What has been done with regards to this hypothesis in the past? || 1. http://vulcan.project.asu.edu/GEarth/index.html || Convention || 3. Exceeds
 * From these questions, what is my testable hypothesis? || 1. Is there a statistically significant and direct negative correlation between the percentage of a zip code's land which is green space and the levels of carbon dioxide in the air at 1 meter above the surface? || Connection || 3. Exceeds
 * What set of theories and models will you use in your investigation? || 1. Land plants are a significant sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide.
 * What assumptions are being made using these models? || 1. Carbon dioxide levels will vary significantly enough between zip codes as to have a detectable difference.
 * What are your measured variables? || 1. Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide in parts per million (ppm)
 * What are instrumentation limits? || 1. +/- 5ppm
 * What are your calculated variables? || 1. Rates of change in carbon dioxide levels (ppm/s)
 * From your collected data, is there a statistically defensible pattern? || 1. When the average daily concentrations for carbon dioxide for a set of 50 zip codes in Los Angeles were compared with the percentage of green space for each of those zip codes there was found to be a correlation coefficient of 0.43 assuming a linear model. However, other factors such as surface albedo were not taken into account and may have contributed a more significantly to the observed variations in temperature. || Evidence || 3. Exceeds