Report (50 points)
 

• Tell the class about a biotechnology-related article in the popular press or on the Internet.
  • The summary should be written in your own words and should be about 300 words in length. Note that cutting and pasting text from the article you are reviewing is not allowed.
  • Examples of topics
    • New advance in biotechnology
    • New application of biotechnology
    • A social or ethical concern about biotechnology

      
       

1. Your report will be submitted to the ClassNet discussion forum under the topic "Biotechnology in the News Assignment". Here are instructions for doing that:
    
   • Write and edit the report using a word processing program such as MS Word or Word Perfect.
   • At the end of each paragraph insert the text "<P>" without the quotes.
   • Copy the report and past it into the "Message" block of the ClassNet message submission form.
   • Complete the rest of the form in the usual manner
   • Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the button labeled "HTML" under the heading "Formatting options for message:"
   • Finish submitting the message in the usual way.
   • See Frequently Asked Questions for more information about submitting messages to the ClassNet discussion forum.
   • Make sure you include references!!!!

Discussion (50 points)

1. Post questions or comments about 5 other reports during the semester.
2. Respond to questions about your report.
3. All discussion will take place using the ClassNet discussion forum.
4. To post a comment, question or response, click on the button labeled "Reply" at the end of the message you are responding to.

 Total Points: 100 points

There will be two or three reports posted per week. This is an individual project. Although you may work together if you wish, each person will post one report in their own name. Reports that are late will be deducted 10 points per day late. Response/discussion posts are not due until Sunday, May 10, at 12 noon CDT, but it's a good idea to post discussions throughout the semester.

Your due date was randomly determined. If you're planning on being out-of-town when your report is due, contact Jim Cheaney at least 3 weeks in advance.

Due Dates	Students

 HINTS: This is a good chance to go Net-surfing. There are many outlets to find out about Biotechnology developments. Try news organizations (such as CNN), or the home pages of journals (such as Science, Science News, or even Time or U.S. News & World Report). If you prefer print media, check out Science, Nature, Science News (which provides summaries and can refer you to the original source), news magazines, or even the Des Moines Register or Iowa State Daily. Keep an ear on CNN or other broadcast news media. If you hear about an interesting biotech development on IRC or some other BBS chat system, ask whoever posted it about where to find more details. If you're interested in posting about a specific topic in biotechnology, trying searching for it using a search engine, such as Yahoo.