DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Preliminary Research Plan
Part I:
1. What specific areas within the field will be investigated researched or studied?

    I have been studying the terrapin turtle to create a curriculum for the National Aquarium. I have been compiling information from databases along with websites. I have also used my first hand knowledge. My mentor received a terrapin turtle, and I have been collecting data weekly. Once the curriculum is complete, I will be researching endangered tropical fish species. I will take endangered species of fish and put them in a tank to be able to understand the importance of water temperature, acidity, coral and algae. From these two projects I will be able to have a better understanding of fresh water life and salt water sea life.

2. How will knowledge or ability in the field be acquired, developed, and demonstrated through the year?
     
    I will be acquiring my knowledge of the terrapin turtle through books, magazines articles, databases and websites. I will also be acquiring information through scientists and my own personal experiences. I will develop my research by taking notes, asking questions and creating graphs and pictures. Also, to develop this information, I have contacted the people below. I will then take the information I have gained and write a synthesis paper and complete a final project. One final project will be my curriculum, for the turtle. And my final project for the tropical fish will be a model of a coral reef.

Willem M Roosenburg , Associate Professor 
Department of Biological Sciences
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701

Maryland Sea Grant
4321 Hartwick Road
Suite 300
College Park, MD 20740

Maryland Environmental Service
259 Najoles Road
Millersville, Maryland 21108

E. Gordon Grau, Director
University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program
2525 Correa Road, HIG 238
Honolulu, HI 96822

3. What will be the products or outcomes of the year of study?
   
    After a year of study I will have completed a curriculum for the National Aquarium concerning the terrapin turtle. I will also have completed a synthesis paper about my studies on the terrapin turtle and tropical fish. And by the end of the year I will have completed a fish tank that shows the importance of maintaining a balanced environment in a coral reef. This will help me and others understand why climate change is a severe problem.

4. What proven need will be addressed? What real problem will be solved? What questions will be researched?
   
    Concerning the turtle, I will be addressing the low number of terrapin turtles in the Chesapeake Bay. Terrapin turtles once were on the endangered species list. They are no longer on that list but still have low numbers due to crab pots killing turtles. I will also be answering the question: What is the importance of maintaining a habitat? This question will address both the turtle and the tropical fish.

5. Who is the intended audience of the project? Who other than the student, will learn or benefit as a result of the work? To whom will the outcomes be communicated? For whom is the product or result intended?
   
    The intended audience of my terrapin turtle project is elementary and middle school students who attend the National Aquarium and Lime Kiln Middle School. Students will be able to understand why gathering information and studying turtles is important to their environment along with our environment. In the case of the tropical fish, my intended audience would be a marine science or biology class that is learning the correlations between humans and animals.

6. Will the audience be local, state or national?

    I hope to present my turtle studies on a local level because it concerns the Chesapeake Bay. I hope to present my tropical fish project on a national level.

7. How will the product and outcomes be communicated to or performed for the selected audience? What will be the outlet vehicle?

    My curriculum project will be communicated in the form of a lesson plan. Teachers at the National Aquarium will be able to take the worksheets and activities I created a teach an elementary/middle school student the information at hand. My tropical fish tank will be shown to a science class and compared with current ocean conditions.

8.  What resources will be required for the project (human, print, organizations, media)?

    Resources such as the Internet, books, databases and scientist will be required for my research.
9. What are the special considerations of the project? (cost, materials, equipment, transportation, special permission/distribution)

    For my project will need all the equipment required to take care of fish. I will also need special bindings for the final presentation of my curriculum. I will be able to obtain most of these materials from my mentor.


Part II:

By the end of November I will have:
All the information I need to create a curriculum
Created a power point expressing my project intentions
Presented my current research
Contacted several turtle specialist

By the end of December I will have:
Begun to put together my curriculum
Collected most of the information on my pet terrapin
Begun thinking about my tropical fish project

By the end of January I will have:
Started my outline for my synthesis paper
Completed my curriculum and sent it off
Collected the equipment for my tropical fish project
Continued to collect information on the pet terrapin

By the end of February I will have:
Completed my rough draft of my synthesis paper
Contacted scientist who study tropical fish
Decided which fish I would like to put in my tank and purchased them


By the end of March I will have:
Started my final paper and finished it
Received my tropical fish and begun studying them
Started brainstorming ideas for my final fish project
Met with scientist and discussed my tropical fish

By the end of April I will have:
Planned my final fish project and begun constructing it
Arranged to present to an authentic audience

By the end of May I will have:
Presented my final project to an authentic audience

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.