Back to UTF News and Postings
Thursday, September 27; Subject: Schedule! and use wikis!
Hi Team 5,
It's been a whole week since my last email!
Upcoming Schedule:
Friday Sept 28- All teams at 26-100 - BE ON TIME!
Talk by Paul Rago from NOAA, on "Technical challenges and tradeoffs of managing
multispecies fisheries in the Northeast US".
Friday Sept 28- Alumni Mentor Dinner, 4-6 PM - Terrascope Room
There will be food. You know you want food.
There will be alumni mentors from previous years around. They are awesome.
Seriously. Paul Rago will also be available to talk about his presentation.
Saturday-Sunday, Sept 29-30
Library assignment due on Saturday.
Small meetings to prepare for Wednesday's presentation.
Monday October 1 - Teams 3, 4, 5 in 36-155
Building 36 is next to building 32. It will be much easier to hear one another,
etc.
Wednesday October 3 - Everyone at 32-123
Groups 1 and 2 presenting (That's you!), GIS assignment to be handed in during class.
Friday October 5 - Everyone at 32-123
Group 3 presenting
Wikis: (Wikis.mit.edu)
Try to get used to putting things up and using and commenting the wiki. I have
used wikis in several different contexts and they make sharing and editing
documents much easier, and I can try to help you out if you have questions.
From now on, I will be posting all of my team emails to the Wiki for easy
reference.
The wikis are easier to use if you set up a structure to them; either each
person with their own page(s) that they update, or different sections that each
person posts similar materials to (one page for current solution, one page for
recommended references, etc.). Anyone motivated should set this up for the
team; I won't be doing it for you. It is highly likely that the UTFs/staff
will be looking at the wikis to judge your individual participation, so get in
the habit of posting things. More details on this as they are decided.
If you have pages or test pages you want deleted, either shoot me an email with
the page title and location or change the page title to "Delete this" or
something.
Good luck and see you all tomorrow,
Kristin
Wednesday, September 19; Subject: Friday - Wikis
Hi Team 5 and Team 6,
Friday's meeting will be in the Terrascope Room (16-168) at 3 PM. Please be on
time and bring a laptop if you have one so you can follow along. The
combination is 5-4-3 if it's not open.
If you have not attended a GIS help session, your last chance to do so is Friday
from 7-9, in 37-312 (Windows cluster). The GIS homework is due Friday, September
28th, emailed to dsheehan@mit.edu in PDF or Word Format. I believe the Library
HW is due Saturday, the 29th (someone please correct me if I'm mistaken). If
you don't have a copy of either assignment, ask one of your teammates.
If you purchased "Cod" as an e-book online, take your printed receipt to the
Terrascope office, across the Terrascope Room, to be reimbursed. The staff
tends to come in early and leave early, and may not be present during lunch, so
try to get there before 4 PM on a given day.
Cool article I came across on Yahoo! - It's a plan to help protect Hawaii's
coral reefs.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_on_sc/debris_monitoring
Below is the description of the mini projects, also listed on the syllabus page
of the website (http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2011/syllabus-class.html). Note
that the use of Powerpoint is encouraged, and you should focus on solutions.
The topics are purposely open-ended to encourage creative solutions.
-Kristin, Leif, and Aubrey
------------------------------------
At the end of this week you will have all been exposed to working as a team,
discussing the cod fishery and its history, learning to acquire and interpret
GIS data, and how to use MIT?s library system.
So, to demonstrate to your fellow students, the UTF?s, and Sam, just how much
you have learned we would like to have you form three composite teams and work
together next week to evaluate the following statements (irregardless of
whether you agree). Obviously you will all be using the same or at least
similar data but your interpretations will be different.
For this assignment, ignore your regular team topics and instead focus on
working towards a solution inside your new group.
GROUP A (teams 3, 4, 5): Closed areas for Maritime Canada and New England are an
important tool for creating a sustainable cod fishery.
GROUP B (teams 1, 2, 6): Closed areas for Maritime Canada and New England often
have severe economic consequences related to not only the species they intend
to protect, but also to humans.
GROUP C (teams 7, 8+9, 10): Given what you know about the fishery and how it
changed over time, are there alternative solutions you can propose?
On Wednesday September 26, Friday September 28, and Monday October 1, you?ll
meet with your new groups. On Wednesday October 3 and Friday October 5, the
three groups will give 10-15 minute presentations to the class about your
solution, followed by a class discussion. The presentation must be concise and
well-organized. Use of Powerpoint encouraged.
------------------------------------------------------
Monday, September 17; Subject: Library Session, 3PM
Team 5,
We will have the library session today, Monday, at 3 PM, in 14-0637, one
flight of stairs underneath the DIRC from Wednesday, on the river-side
of the corridor. Please be on time.
Additionally, even though our discussion on "Cod" has taken place
already, it raises a number of important questions that our team is
looking at in particular. If you didn't get a chance to finish or read
the entire book, it would probably be useful to you to read/skim the
last few chapters (not including the recipe chapter at the end),
starting with the Cod Wars of Iceland and Britain, to help you get ideas
rolling before our team meeting on Wednesday.
I will try to speak with the GIS specialist before class and let you
know when the evening session will take place in building 37.
Thanks,
Kristin
Thursday, September 13: Subject: "Cod" tomorrow, 26-322
Hi Team 5,
We are meeting with team 6 and will be discussing "Cod" tomorrow at 3, in room
26-322. Please read it by class tomorrow (it's not a hard read) as it will be
very difficult to have a discussion without having read it. Please be on-time
so that we can get the discussion started.
The two ways to obtain it (I don't think we got the libraries to get it on
E-reserve) are below. If you haven't found it yet, it's probably easiest for
you to buy the ebook online and get reimbursed, as the Central Square library
is probably closed by now.
1) If you are not already a member, join the Minuteman Library Network. the
closest place is the Central Square Branch Library
45 Pearl St., Cambridge, Ma. 02139
(617) 349-4010
cambridge@minlib.net
Once you join, you can download a copy of the book for free.
Enter through <http://www.mln.lib.ma.us/>http://www.mln.lib.ma.us/ and click
on "Home Access"
Then "net library" then enter card #
Then search subject "cod"
Go to this library - you can also check out movies and CDs, and you'll have
access to a huge network of libraries around Massachusetts. Also, Central
Square is a good place to know when you live at MIT.
2) Go to Powells.com-a book seller-search for Cod and you have a choice of
downloading e-copies for $8.50 each--print a receipt, take it to the
Terrascope office and you will be reimbursed.
http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780140275018-0
-Kristin
Tuesday, September 11th; Subject: Your Friendly Neighborhood UTF
Hi Team 5,
For the next week and a half, we will be meeting in a number of rooms.
The powerpoint from class yesterday with the dates is a little
confusing, so I've listed it again below. Directions to each location
are at the bottom of the email.
Wednesday: GIS in the DIRC, 14N-132
Friday: Cod book discussion in Walker, 50-340
Monday: Libraries in 14-0637
Wednesday: Team meeting in Walker, 50-340
Friday: Wikis in the Terrascope Room, 16-168
These are the people who should be on this team list:
Xi Chen
Justin Chin
Danielle Whited
Somani Patnaik
Sunshine Zhou
Alex Jordan
Alex Piotrowski
Connie Lu
Your UTF: Kristin Uhmeyer
Each team has an email address of mission2010-teamX@mit.edu, where X is
the teams 1-10 (not 01-10). To contact all the students in the class,
the address is mission2010-students@mit.edu (this address also includes
Professor Bowring, the course administrator Maria Shkolnik, the UTFs and
the Grad TA Mariela).
Team 5 decided yesterday that we would discuss who might be looking at
which more in-depth topics tomorrow, Wednesday. We won't have a lot of
time for much beyond the GIS session, so be prepared to get that sorted
out quickly and efficiently. Our team meeting is not until Wednesday of
next week, and then the group presentations of about 5 minutes will
start the following week, so start thinking about how you as a group
want to make that presentation. Alex, feel free to email the list with
your notes from yesterday to get everyone started.
For our book discussion on cod, please try to read or skim most of the
book before our class on Friday. We will NOT be getting hard copies, so
refer to Mariela's email on 9/8 on how to obtain it. I believe it is
also on e-reserve with the libraries. If you need help, let me know and
I'll try to help you figure out how to get it, as I will be reading it
as well.
While doing your preliminary research, check out some of the sources
already listed on the Mission 2011 website
(http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2011/links-class.html) - it's a great
starting point. Howard Silver, one of our librarians, has also sent an
email today (9/11) about our ref-works account for the team. We'll
probably be learning more about it with the librarians, but try to keep
track of what sources you look at in whatever way works best for you
right now. Get used to the idea of going beyond Google or Google Scholar
and looking through the libraries at the incredible wealth of
information the population of MIT has at its fingertips beyond just a
www/ address. The libraries of MIT, in all of their myriad incarnations,
are one of the great things about being an MIT student that you couldn't
get just sitting around at home, and should not be dismissed lightly.
One last note - Mission and Terrascope are somewhat notorious for having
relatively light work loads in the beginning of the semester, and quite
heavy work loads in the weeks before the final presentation. You can
spread the work out by doing a lot of research even starting now, and
keeping good notes or annotations on what you find. This will make your
lives much easier a few weeks down the line. Additionally, do not expect
to accomplish everything in the class time you have been given, even
though there are no P-sets due. The wiki format should help you keep on
top of your work, and how much each person is doing. Know that the rest
of your team and the Mission2011 staff will eventually be looking at
your wiki page to assess what work you have been doing. Finally, I'm
here as a resource and not as your taskmaker, and you should ALL feel
free to take ownership and lead, and set yourself and your team members
tasks. It's part of your tasks in the class to figure out how to work as
a team in this way. Additionally, outside of class I can be a source of
information or advice about something or if you want an upperclassman's
perspective on something.
My email is uhmeyer@mit.edu, and my cell # is 978-500-8486; one of these
should usually get hold of me fairly quickly. Try to put something
Mission-y in the subject line so I know to read it right away.
See you all tomorrow in the DIRC!
----------------------
Directions:
***Tomorrow we will be meeting for the GIS session in DIRC 14N-132.
Building 14 is the building with both the Hayden Sciences and Humanities
Library, and the Lewis Music Library. Building 14 really a cluster of
four different buildings with a courtyard, each labeled one of North,
South, East, or West. The DIRC room can be easily reached in two ways:
---By heading east from building 2 into the corridor between buildings 2
and 14. Pass the music rooms (Killian Hall) and the entrance to Hayden
on your right, and the DIRC will be on your left opposite the courtyard.
You've gone too far if you get to the Lewis Music Library on your right.
---Enter building 14 on the east side, to the west of Walker, where we
have held the last 2 classes. The door I'm talking about has both a ramp
and set of stairs, and straight in is the Lewis Music Library. Make a
right, the DIRC will be on your right across from the courtyard.
***Both the Friday meeting of this week and next Wednesday's meeting
will be in Walker, where we have had the last two classes.
***Next Monday will be in the basement of building 14. Walk down the
stairs on either side of the 14N building; the classroom will be on the
"river side" (south) of the hallway in the middle between the sets of
stairs.
***Finally, next Friday we will meet in the Terrascope room. Hopefully,
you all know where this is by now, but building 16 is just south of the
Stata Center and to the northeast off the infinite corridor. Building 16
is home to most of the learning communities and the earth systems
initiative. There is a combination for the door, but for this particular
class it should be open. If you don't know where it is, tell me after
class one day and we can walk over.