FOR 421/521
Term Project

50 points

PROJECT OPTIONS
PROJECT PROPOSAL
GUIDELINES FOR THE PROJECT PAPER
GUIDELINES FOR THE PROJECT PRESENTATION
EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS FROM PREVIOUS TERMS

PRESENTATION ORDER

---

PROJECT OPTIONS
There are two options for the class project:

1. Conduct a project involving spatial analysis of forest landscapes; write a short paper on the project, present the results in class, and turn in a hardcopy of the paper. Work in 2 person teams if you wish. Discuss potential projects with the class instructors as early in the term as possible.
2. Write a paper (12-16 pages double-spaced) concerning a topic on spatial analysis of forest landscapes and present the paper in class.  Papers are not done in teams.

The project option is strongly encouraged.  The process of conducting a term project is possibly the most valuable learning component of the course.

PROJECT PROPOSAL
Please turn in a short proposal (no more than 2 pages, double spaced) on what you are planning to do for your class project (or paper). In your proposal, include a title, your names, and briefly describe the problem, the objective(s) or hypothesis(es), the location and size of your study area, the data, methods, and expected results. It is a good idea to keep your GIS file sizes small. You have some options for GIS data:

1. Use GIS from data providers (see Laboratory Databases) or
2. Obtain GIS data from outside class (see Additional Data ).

If you are doing a research paper, the proposal should indicate why the topic of interest is important and some potential sources of information (such as journal articles).

GUIDELINES FOR PROJECT PAPER

Introduction

• Define the "problem".
• State hypothesis(es) for your project (or objectives)

Methods

• Steps in analysis (describe how someone would repeat what you have done).
• What data and software were used.
• Assumptions and rationale for analysis(es).

Results

• Present results, summary statistics, and maps of results.

Discussion

• Were there any surprises?
• Recommendations.
• Limitations of your methods/results.

Papers should be 4-5 pages in length (excluding any figures or tables), double-spaced, and written in a general manuscript style. Details of the style are not important but be consistent. Points will be deducted for scant or superfluous writing. Please use figures and tables where appropriate. There are no extensions for the due date of final papers. See the late policy on the Syllabus for late penalties and unusual circumstances.

GUIDELINES FOR THE PROJECT PRESENTATION

Presentations will be 15 minutes with a few minutes following for questions.  Please practice ahead of time.

Prepare your presentations in PowerPoint and save it to your class project directory.  Remember, the class project directories are not secure.  It is a good idea to save your presentation in another secure directory or a CD if you wish to keep it since class project directories are cleared some time after the end of the quarter.

At a minimum, you should have the following in your presentation:

• Title and Authors
• Objectives
• Study Area
• Methods
• Results and Discussion (may be separate slides)
• Final images/maps

Please indicate if you would allow your presentation to be added to the class web page.

EXAMPLES FROM PREVIOUS TERMS

Return to FOR 421 / 521 home