Arranged by: Donald T. Arquiza

Knapsack on back -Away we go
Baguio here we come
To the mountains an adventure
With birds, yellow tails and
Blue Tanager to the pinnacle we are
Overlooking the mountains,

with birds of wide spread wings
Man- O- War birds float on the flow of the unmoving wind
Blows to glide to the trees
A flock of birds, Boobies all float on a breeze
Free but hunted in that special place -so sad
The future is to hope that some of this beauty
Remains to be enjoyed by those who are not yet born.

O’ Wetlands! How I mourn for you,
Death is close at hand,
I am called many names,
Estuarine, mangrove swamp, marsh, bottomlands
And surrounded by mangrove forests,
With oysters stuck to my roots,
Fishes live and depend on me, to feed spawn and grow,
Crabs have homes, tunnels of holes around me,
Turtles pay a visit every year to lay,
And birds of green, little blue and yellow night herons
Reflect upon me.

I also help to protect you, I take in carbon and
Release oxygen for you to breathe
I function like a strainer and a sieve to filter pollutants
From the sea, making it safe for you to swim
I hear two thousand a new millennium
Will I be here for my eco-system and other sisters to survive and flourish?
I am now threatened. I have been cut I am bleeding
Garbage is dumped in and around me I cannot breathe
Filth- Sewage flows into me- I will become sick

Development hotels and airports are building around us
We are dying. Who are the powers that be? Does anyone care?
Will we be saved? Is it already too late?
I hope that we can be saved,
Because in saving us the benefits and gains are so rich,
That we can become millionaires together with MOTHER EARTH

Magical the sea – Within holds many secrets
Compelled by the gentle waves
A walk to become one with
The moon, skies and stars
My eyes open wide
An astonishing sight
A magnificent humongous shell
Is crawling toward me
I stand still, thrilled by
This captivating sight-
A leather back sea turtle
Come home to lay her eggs
This extraordinary beautiful night
What a sight – The memory is imprinted
Never to escape from my life

Nature no secrets she has-
Man and his technology
With his inventions to kill
Another spices extinct.
For I was alone- hunted till death
Earth’s creatures, open for invasion
Laws defiled -Speed and scent
Their weapons to escape
But with a frightening feeling
She no longer exists
My little ones will starve
No visions, they continue to invade
Are they never to learn?

The world is aging.

We have eyed the changes in climate;

Global warming,

The unpredictable attacks of natural calamity, and

The effects of these.

Are we not concerned of this?

Why blame the nature when it strikes in anger?

Why twist the story by considering ourselves as the victims, and not as the suspects?

Yes, we are.

We are victims of our own greed, of our own deed.

Who is to be blamed?

The title page is the first page of the paper and includes the title of the paper and the author’s name.  The title should be as short as possible and as long as necessary to communicate to the reader the question being answered in the paper.

The title is a statement of the problem and gives insight as to what the report is about. If you have a properly stated question, you can reword it as a statement and use it as a title. See “Writing Proposals“. If an organism is used, include its scientific name in the title. Remember that the Title Page is a separate page and requires its own format.

Abstract

An abstract is a short summary of the paper.  This section includes only the essence of the other sections.  It should be as brief as possible, telling the reader what question/problem being investigated, the methods used in the experiment, what was found (result), and conclusions (findings) drawn.  The abstract is often placed after the title page.  In this way, the reader should have an idea about the investigation without reading the entire paper.

Basically, an abstract is a one-paragraph summary of the entire paper, not exceeding 250 words. The abstract is composed after the entire paper is completed.  An abstract is composed after the entire paper is completed so that it accurately reflects the content of the paper.  It is better to reword the abstract in more common language.

I. Introduction

The introduction has two functions:

1. Provides context and background for the investigation.
2. States the question asked and the hypothesis tested in the study.

II. Review of Related Literature

Review of related literature is very important in writing a scientific paper.  A literature review is designed to identify related research, to set the current research project within a conceptual and theoretical context.  It gives an overview of what has been studied, who the key writers are, what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses, what questions are being asked, and what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful.  As such, it reports on other findings.

III. Materials and Methods

This section describes the details about the experiment so that it can be performed by others.  The information in this section should not be a list of steps.  The procedure is written concisely, but in paragraph form using the past tense.  The way the independent variable was varied, the numbers of replications, the control treatments, and the method of measuring the dependent variable(s) are all included.

IV. Results

The results section consists of at least three components:

1. One or more paragraphs that describe the results
2. Figures (graphs, diagrams, pictures)
3. Data tables

V. Discussion

This is where the results of the experiment are analyzed and interpreted. The conclusion is clearly states in this section. The word “prove” is not used in the conclusions; the results will support, verify, or confirm the hypothesis, or they will negate, refute, or contradict the hypothesis.  The word “prove” is not appropriate in scientific writing.

Get an idea of what you want to study or learn about.

Ideas should come from things in your areas of interest.

A hobby might lead you to a good topic.

What is going on in the world that you would like to know more about?

Most importantly, pick a question or problem that is not too broad and that can be answered through scientific investigation.

Research Your Topic

Go to the library or internet to learn more about your topic.

Always ask Why or What if….

Look for unexplained or unexpected results.

Talk to professionals in the field.

Organize everything you have learned about your topic.

Narrow your thinking by focusing on a particular idea.

Formulate research questions or specific objectives.

Choose a topic that not only interests you, but can be done in the amount of time you have.

Identify your ‘testable question’.

Develop a timeline to manage your time efficiently.

Certain projects will require more time because they need prior approval from the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Allow plenty of time to experiment and collect data.

You will also need time to write a paper.

Plan Your Data Collection

Give careful thought to experimental design / research design.

Once you have a feasible project idea, write a research plan.

Make sure that you include sufficient samples that are statistically valid.

Experimental design should also include a list of materials.

Once finished with the experimental design (called ‘procedure’)  or research design, all students are required to fill out the appropriate forms.

Consult with Your Adult Sponsor and Get Approvals

You are required to discuss your research plan with an Adult Sponsor and obtain a signature of approval.

In reviewing your research plan, you should determine if additional forms and prior approval are needed.

Conduct Your Data Gathering/ Experiment

During experimentation, keep detailed notes of each and every experiment, measurement and observation in a log book.

Do not rely on memory. Besides,

judges love logbooks!

Use data tables or charts to record your quantitative data.

Analyze Your Results

When you complete your experiments, examine and organize your findings.

Use appropriate graphs to make ‘pictures’ of your data.

Identify patterns from the graphs.

Did your experiments/ procedure give you the expected results? Why or why not?

Was your experiment preformed with the exact same steps each time?

Are there other explanations that you had not considered or observed?

Were there experimental errors in your data taking, experimental design or observations?

Analyze your data using the statistics that you can understand and explain their meaning.

Draw Conclusions

Did the variable(s) tested cause a change when compared to the standard you are using?

What patterns do you see from your graph analysis that exist between your

variables?

Which variables are important?

Did you collect enough data?

Do you need to conduct more experimentation?

Were there sources of error that may have caused these differences?

Think of practical applications that can be made from this research. How could this project be used in the real world?

Explain how you would improve the experiment and what would you do differently.

Elements of a Successful Project

Project Data Book:

A project data book is your most treasured piece of work.

Accurate and detailed notes make a logical and winning project.

Research Paper:

a) Title Page and Table of Contents

b) Introduction

c) Materials and Methods

d) Results

e) Discussion

f)  Conclusions

g)  Acknowledgment

h) References/Bibliography

Three common reference styles

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

http://apastyle.apa.org/

http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

MLA (Modern Language Association) Format

http://www.mla.org/style

http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

Chicago Manual of Style

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php

Research Proposal

a) Title Page and Table of Contents

b) Introduction

c) Materials and Methods

h) References/Bibliography (later after library research)

Abstract

Head-louse infestation or head lice (referred to colloquially in British, Irish, and Australian English as nits) is a human medical condition caused by the colonization of the hair and the skin by the parasitic insect Pediculus humanus capitis. Having seen the head lice infestation remains stubbornly prevalent, the researchers decided to conduct the study in order to compare the pediculocidal effect of the prepared solution (Hagonoi leaves extract and the pulverized crab shell) and the commercialized shampoo (marked as brand X). This led the researchers to formulate treatment that can be more effective but less expensive.

Methodology

Conclusion

It is concluded that the prepared solution from the Hagonoi leaves extract and the pulverized Crab Shell is more effective in killing human head lice. In addition, the more the solution is, the more fatal it becomes.

Recommendations

The following actions are hereby recommended by the researchers upon further exploration on the study:

1. Focus on the substance content in the Hagonoi leaves extract and pulverized crab shell solution that made them successful in killing the human head lice.

2. Further experimentation on the biocidal effect of Hagonoi (Chromolaena odorata).

3. Conduct research on the same title of the study and apply them directly to the human scalp in order to identify the corrosiveness of the solution.

(From: How To Collect and Preserve Insects, by Kathleen R. Methven, Michael R. Jeffords, Richard A. Weinzierl, and Kathryn C. McGiffen.  Illinois Natural History Survey Special Publication 17.  Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820; telephone (217) 333-6880.)

You can preserve and mount insect specimens for your display in one of two basic ways:

1. Dry and pin the specimens (hard-bodied insects such as beetles, flies, wasps, moths, butterflies)
2. Preserve soft-bodied insects, such as caterpillars and aphids, in 70% ethanol (ethyl alcohol, not isopropyl alcohol [rubbing alcohol], should be used)

Pinning Insects

!          Mount insects on pins as soon as possible after collecting and killing.

!          Insects should be displayed on pins made especially for this purpose, not on ordinary straight pins.  The pins can be obtained from your local Extension Office.

!          All insects should be at the same height on the pins so that about 1/4 to 3/8 inch of the pin projects above the insect.  A pinning block with holes drilled 3/8, 3/4, and 1 1/8 inch deep will help.

!          Different insect should be pinned vertically through different body parts:

<                          Bees, wasps and flies: pin through the thorax between the bases of the front wings slightly to the right of the middle of the body.

<                          Stink bugs and other true bugs: pin just to the right of the midline of the scutellum, the large triangle between the bases of the front wings.

<                          Grasshoppers: pin through the back part of the prothorax (the “saddle” behind the head) just to the right of the midline.

<                          Beetles: pin near the front margin of the right wing cover near the midline of the body.

<                          Moths and butterflies: pin through the center of the thorax between the bases of the front wings.

<                          Small insects: glue (clean nail polish, for example) the insect to a triangular point made of stiff paper (such as a notecard). Insert the pin through the wide end of the point, and glue the specimen to the narrow tip of the point.

Labeling Insects for Display

(From: How To Collect and Preserve Insects, by Kathleen R. Methven, Michael R. Jeffords, Richard A. Weinzierl, and Kathryn C. McGiffen.  Illinois Natural History Survey Special Publication 17.  Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820; telephone (217) 333-6880.)

!          Immediately after capturing your insects, you should prepare temporary labels that show the dates and places where the insects were collected, including county, nearby town, and where the insect was collected, (for example, type of plant on which the insect was found, whether it was found in or on the water, whether it was found on a pet, etc.).  You can write other information, such as the insect’s behavior at the time of capture, in a field notebook.

!          When you mount your specimens on pins for display, you must also place permanent labels on the pins.  Cut out labels from your Insect Identification label sheet, 4-H 372.

!          Use a fine-point pen and India ink to write the correct information on the labels.  Print carefully.

!          Each pinned insect should also have two or three labels:

<                          The first essential label, placed directly below the pinned specimen, should include the following information in the order presented:

State (2-letter abbreviation): County

Other locality data (town or distance and direction from nearest town, park, forest, river, etc.)

Date (day, then month [abbreviation is okay], then year [do not abbreviate])

Collector (your name, or the collector’s name)

Additional data (host, habitat, behavior, trapping method, etc.)

<                          The second essential label should include the scientific name of the insect, if known, and/or the common name of the insect.  Also, the individual who determined the identification of the insect can be placed on this label.

<                          If you want to use three labels, the information about the collector and additional data (host, habitat, behavior, trapping method, etc.) should be placed on the second label, and the label with the insect’s identification becomes the third label.

!          The labels should be parallel with the insect, not perpendicular.

There are often additional groups used that are intermediate to the groups listed. These groups often use a prefix of super- (above) or sub- (below) to indicate the position of the new group in the above list. Thus, superfamily groups fall between order and family while subfamily groups fall between family and genus. An insect name is complete if the genus, species and author names are given because of the rules that govern taxonomy. The author is the person who first described the species as new to science.

Terminology, Classification and Use of Scientific Names

No capital letters are used in common names unless they contain a proper noun. Common names are written as two words if the species actually belongs to that classification, e.g., honey bee, or as one word if not within the classification, e.g., sawfly is not in Diptera, the order containing true flies.

Scientific names (genus, species and subspecies) are italicized or underlined with the genus (first) name capitalized. Names of the authors of species follow. These names are in parentheses if the classification of the species has changed since it was described.

In this book approved common names, scientific names and authors used generally follow Stoetzel (1989). Common names are generally in bold letters, although bold insect names in parentheses are not approved common names. Scientific names and order of presentation of taxonomic groups generally follow Borror et al. (1989).

Insects belong to a larger group call Arthropoda which includes all animals with segmented legs, segmented bodies and exoskeletons. The phylum Arthropoda includes: spiders, ticks, mites, centipedes, millipedes, shrimps, lobsters, and many other organisms. Entomology is concerned primarily with the study of two classes belonging to:

• 1. Class Hexapoda or Insecta – (insects)
  2. Class Arachnida – (spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions, and relatives).

However, some other arthropod classes like Diplopoda (millipedes) and Chilopoda (centipedes) are often considered by entomologists. Even a few non-arthropod groups like snails and slugs (Phylum – Mollusca) are sometimes referred to entomologists.

Class Hexapoda (Insecta) Insect Characteristics

Most adult insects have the following characteristics:

• 1. A body divided into three parts (head, thorax and abdomen)
  2. Three pairs of legs
  3. Usually one pair of antennae and a pair of compound eyes (a few exceptions to these characteristics are found)
  4. Usually two pairs of wings (absent in many insects such as lice, fleas, ants; flies have one pair of wings)

Metamorphosis stages vary from species to species but all relatively follow this pattern. Some develop more slowly than others as in beetles (slow developers ) and ladybugs (fast developers).

Most larva will feed very heavily in their current stage, gaining weight and growing in size. Most often, the larval stage is when the insect will weigh MORE than an adult of the same species. Upon maturity, the voracious appetite once present is no longer, allowing the insect to pursue it’s daily work life.

Insects have varying degrees of defense when in the more vulnerable stages. Larva taste bad to unsuspecting predators, by hiding away in trees and crevices or by becoming difficult to swallow when attacked.

Metamorphosis will usually involve the insect finding a safe place to rest, developing a hard casement or cocoon on the outside of it’s shell, and developing a soft adult insect on the inside. Once the process is complete, the shell or casement breaks open revealing the adult form of the insect. The insect is then ready to reproduce. Before doing so, the insect must take in air or water to ‘fill out’ the new body, and must survive long enough to have it’s new ‘skin’ become hard and develop into an exoskeleton for protection.

If you are an ‘insect hunter’, that is, someone out to enjoy and observe the interesting habits of insects, be sure to take the following three items into consideration:

Habitat: Pay attention to the environments of specific insects. If you’re looking for a certain species of insect, know where to look for them to find them. Gardens are a good source to finding many different species, from spiders to butterflies and bees to wasps. Fields are another good source for crickets and spiders. Forests and swampy areas attract special species as well. Don’t forget that bodies of water are also a good source (mosquitoes and spiders). Be careful when trying to locate insects in areas surrounded by rubble or refuse. You might come across dangerous insects such as the Brown Recluse spider (poisonous) or hidden bee and wasp hives. Perhaps coming across a snake as well is NOT out of the question. Be on your guard!

Time of Day: For most insects, activity will peak at midday, typically when the temperature is at it’s highest (bees and butterflies). Some insects will become more active at dawn or dusk (mosquitoes) but most are busiest at night (spiders).

Equipment (Optional): A magnifying glass or digital camera. A magnifying glass will (naturally) let you view the details of an insect that you would otherwise miss when viewing with the naked eye. A digital camera will allow you to take a snapshot of an insect for further review or research. Though optional, having these two items will take your insect viewing experience to a new and appreciative level.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself when trying to identify an insect that you have found – either outdoors or indoors:

How many legs does it have?
If the answer is 6, you are looking at an insect. if your answer is 8, you are looking at an arachnid.

Does the insect have any wings?
This will tell you if it is a walking insect or a flying insect. Some insects do have wings but they are not suitable for flying long distances.

Does the insect have any antennae or feelers?
If so, do they end in a point or are they ‘knotted’ at the ends?

Are there any moving jaw or mouthparts?
This will tell you a lot about the types of food the insect eats. Spiders will usually have biting pincer-like parts whereas a butterfly will have a straw-like mouth part for sucking (nectar).

Potential Energy = the energy that an object has as the result of its position or state. Some examples of potential energy include: chemical, elastic, gravitational, magnetic…

Kinetic Energy = the energy that appears in the form of an object’s motion. KE = 1/2mv². Some examples of kinetic energy include: sound, electrical, light…

Mechanical Energy = kinetic and potential energy (of lifting, bending, stretching or twisting)

Thermal Energy = the total energy of the particles that make up a mass. Thermal energy is internal.

Heat = is a transfer of energy from one part of a substance to another, or from one object to another, because of a difference in temperature. Heat is a form of energy associated with the motion of atoms or molecules and is capable of being transmitted through solid and fluid media by conduction, through fluid media by convection, and through empty space by radiation. Heat is not contained in a mass; an object contains thermal energy.

Light Energy = Sometimes called radiant energy and is visible to the human eye. It is emitted by moving charged particles. Light sometimes behaves like particles, called photons, and at other times like waves.

Chemical Energy = The potential energy held in the covalent bonds between atoms in a molecule. Food is essentially stored potential energy.

Nuclear Energy = energy that is released when the nuclei of atoms are split (fission) or fused together (fusion).

Electrical Energy = energy that runs our appliances etc…