Bruce started off class with an interactive class exercise on searching for data within a meta data repository (the one the students had experience contributing to earlier in the semester).


Students searched by tag, date, latitude/longitude, and free text to find interesting results depending on data characteristics.


Bruce reinforced the concept of standardization and conformance to facilitate the creation of scalable meta data repositories and pointed out some successful projects whereby citizen scientist efforts were coordinated nationally.

Rob went over an example of using backward mapping to write a paper. Start off with Big Aha's (what was significant in the findings that wasn't obvious at the start). Then ask yourself what you need to know to be able to make those conclusions (put those into the discussion and implications, mapping one to one). Then go back to the observations and results that were necessary to support a discussion. What data (and methods) do you need in order to be able to show those results. Then go back to the introduction and purpose of the whole report. The abstract should then represent the paper in a short paragraph-length text.

Rob gave details for an example report on the potential impact of dredging the spit in the Narrow River.

Lucie pointed out the importance of being precise in a methodology so that others who want to perform the work similarly can do so (replicability is an important component of evidence-based science).

Chris pointed out that the data and methods sections were written very precisely in a well-respected scientist he worked with when just starting out on campus.

Chris started a discussion on tying the tragedy of the commons discussion from Tuesday to the Narrow River analyses being done for the final report.