Monday morning: Feb 28

Hey!  It's not freezing cold this morning!

I haven't heard from either Dr. Strickland or Dr. Koetsier.  But I only sent it Friday, so they probably won't respond right away.

I have, however, heard back from Amy Vecchione about the interview.  Thursdays work best, and I'm usually free all Thursday!  This one will work really well.

I've also decided to interview someone who has little knowledge of the ocean on a biological standpoint.  That way, I get an average person's ideas to use in the video.  I'd probably interview someone who has a passion for the water, but no more knowledge than you or I.

We'll see how it goes.

Primary Research Proposal (500-ish Wd)

In my last post, I talked about the interviews I’m hoping to do.  So far, neither Richard M. Strickland nor Peter Koetsier have responded to my requests.  I hope I hear from them within the next week.  Otherwise, I won’t know what to do.

In my interviews, I’m hoping to ask a few overall questions to start things off.  Then I will transition to more specific questions.  There are two main points to ocean research I wish to cover: the technology and the effect.  I’ll explain what I mean by each of these.

In “the technology,” I’ll ask his or her opinion of things like, the Bathysphere, the Bathyscaphe, Alvin, remote submersibles, and the Poseidon Undersea Resort.  They have a huge impact on ocean research, but what kind of impact do they have?

This leads us to “the effect.”  This point is that many of these tools we use to explore or experience the unknown may be actually harming it.  I really mean, did the Bathysphere open a new way to explore or did it doom the environment of the deep?  What kind of effect would an undersea resort have on the fragile ecosystem of a coral reef?  These questions could spawn numerous others as the interview progresses.

These ocean research sections could be very broad questions.  Things like:

1. What is exploration to you?
2. What, in your opinion, leads people to explore very dangerous places, like the deep ocean?
3. The mystery of the ocean has intrigued people throughout history.  Where does this interest come from?
etc.

These can be tough questions to answer.  I don’t want to go too hard on them, but I also want useful, strong answers.

I’ll give a brief description of the first submersible, the Bathysphere, and how it worked.  Then I’ll ask:

1. What do you think of Beebe and Barton, who, despite the danger and limitations of their Bathysphere, dove into the ocean and made that first dive?

2. What kind of lesson can we learn from them?

Then I might move on to Piccard, who dove to the Mariana trench and ask about that.

All this ocean research has led to great advancements in submersible technology.  Specialized acrylics that can withstand huge amounts of pressure and breathing tanks, like scuba technology, have made it possible for your average person to explore the ocean.  They have also led to things like undersea resorts.

This would be more specific and the controversial topic of my interview.

1. Can the Poseidon Undersea Resort harm the coral reef on which it is built?
2. As our underwater technology increases, do you believe more resorts will open underwater?
3. If their number increases, the cost will most likely drop, making it more available to average people.  How can we protect the environment when everyone is free to scuba wherever they please with no surveillance?
4. Or, will the ocean become overly regulated and protected to prevent harm to the environment.
5. If you had the funds, would you stay in the Poseidon Undersea Resort?  Why or why not?

These questions are very specific to the fragile coral reefs, not deep-sea research.  There is a relationship between the two, though, and who’s to say we won’t eventually build a resort at the bottom of the deep-ocean.  If we do, what will happen to the world down there?

I'm hoping to ask more questions, but not all to one person.  That way, I won't over-question a person.

Interview update

It's official.  I just emailed Richard M. Strickland, Ph.D. in Oceanography at University of Washington.  I'm asking him for an email interview, since it would be most beneficial to me.  In addition, I've emailed Peter Koetsier, who has a Ph.D. in aquatic ecology and is a professor at BSU.  We'll see how these turn out.

I'm also interviewing Amy Vecchione, the biology research librarian at BSU.  She agreed right away to a filmed interview, so it sounds like this little documentary might be possible!

All I have to do now is write questions to ask.... hmm......

Friday Before Class: Feb 25

It's too cold to roam across campus to the library.  There's a thin blanket of snow covering every surface, and it's begun snowing again.  I can't say I don't enjoy the snow, but really, I wish it would decide whether it's winter or spring already!

My topic's proving to be a tough one.  As I'm search for sources and people to interview, it's becoming apparent that this topic isn't all that common.  I thought about interviewing a marine biologist professor, but I can't find any!  Can you believe it?  Boise State doesn't seem to have a department for it.  Sure, there's a biology department, but not, as far as I can tell, a marine biology department.  I tried searching for oceanography or something related to that, but Boise State lacks this department too.  I'm running out of tangible sources, and I can't find anyone to interview on the specific field!  Why did I choose such a tough topic?

Ballenger: On Surveys

I mentioned briefly a survey in the last post ("On Interviews"), but I really haven't gone into detail.  I guess, it would be best to survey peoples opinion of the Poseidon Undersea Resort.  It's a very controversial subject that could lead to many other topics.

I really like how Ballenger organized this section.  He warns that it might be impossible to avoid either an interview or survey for some outside opinions on the subject.  They are very personal methods of getting information on your topic.

He then moves to describing different methods of getting good, thought-provoking questions together for a survey.  It's really important to ask useful questions in an un-biased way.  Then he talks about the different methods of gathering participants for a survey.

It's as if this section is a manual on survey taking or something like that.

Ballenger is a really good author when it comes to a potentially boring topic.  So far, I've found his book resourceful on all stages of research.  His book is really an invaluable resource.  I hope I can remember all that I've learned in the semesters to come.

Ballenger: On Interviews

I had an idea for my site.  It popped into my head during class yesterday.  If I filmed my interviews (and surveys), I could put together a really fun introduction video.  The video wouldn't be difficult to put together since I already have all the equipment I might need.  All it would take would be enough footage to build an interesting intro.  This might mean interviewing many subjects and doing some special effects with my equipment.

Now to the actual comment.  Ballenger's section in chapter 2 on interviews was short and to the point, exactly what I like.  It did not take me long to read through, and already, I'm getting ideas of possible interviewees.  I'm not ambitious enough to get an interview with Robert Ballard, the famous deep-sea explorer of the 1960s to 80s.  It would be interesting to interview a oceanographer or marine biologist.  There might be someone on campus, among the faculty, perhaps, who could help.  They wouldn't necessarily know everything about the technology, but they would definitely help me find the answers to, "What's been discovered in recent years."

I could also ask their opinions of things like the Poseidon Undersea Resort and how they believe these places will effect the environment.  A great conversation could start just by bringing up this topic.

I think I'd prefer doing interviews as primary research, since it might be tough surveying people with this topic.  It could still be beneficial to survey, and I probably will, but probably not as a primary research.

Source Update: Thurs Feb 17

In my first draft, I decided last minute I needed a source for Space exploration.  After all, how can I write a paper on modern exploration and not mention outer space, if only briefly.  The article I found is entitled "Technology Needs for Future Space Exploration," perfect for my paper.  It was written by Kumar Krishen, the senior scientist/lead technologist and leads the Technology Transfer Office at NASA Johnson Space Center, so if anyone knows about what technology they use to explore, it's him.  I only used this article for a couple paragraphs in my paper, but it helped affirm the point that in the future, if technology has advanced adequately, they are theorizing a lunar colony and a human Mars mission.  Can you imagine seeing people set foot on Mars for the first time?  It'll be like the first lunar landing in 1969, only more exciting since it's another planet, not just a moon.

Another source I've found is called "Lights in the Deep."  This one talks about the bioluminescence of underwater creatures.  Where there is absolutely no light, some creatures, like anglerfish and copepods, contain a certain bacteria within them that produce a natural light.  This fascinating ability can help catch prey, defend against attack, attract a mate, and perhaps even communicate.  This may or may not be useful in my paper.  I actually didn't use this source in my exploratory essay, since it really didn't have much to do with exploration (more specialized), but I may use it for my other paper.  What will happen when light becomes more common in the deep?  Will animals start to adapt away from bioluminescence?

"Submarine fans at all sea-level stands: Tectono-morphologic and climatic controls on terrigenous sediment delivery to the deep sea" is another article I found.  This one is about the changes in geological features on the sea floor.  It may be useful to understand what the ocean floor might look like.  And as we explore the underwater structures more, our knowledge of the geology will increase, so it is a positive thing to continue to explore.

These three sources are not extremely useful to my paper, but it's always good to get more than enough sources on a topic just in case I need them. 

Reading assignment for Friday Feb. 11

It was difficult for me to see how the 80s research paper was a research paper.  It seemed more like a dull summary of Torii's research effort.  During the paper, it was unclear what she was trying to say.  There were no questions and nothing new was discovered.  I'm sorry to sound harsh, but the paper had very little structure to it and simply rambled about one source she found and moved on to another.  On the first page, the author references a book, "After reading my book, I know that the eighties had a depressing nature to them..." (pg. 1), but she never tells us what book she read.  Right off the back, her sources are unclear.  She writes on and on about different unimportant issues that have nothing to do with the topic, which is unknown until the conclusion.

If I had to review this paper, the first thing I'd have the author do is set this paper aside as a first draft, which is how it seems to me.  Then I'd have her write out the topic and main points of each paragraph and how they connect with the paper's topic.  This should ultimately change the structure of the paper and help the flow of thoughts.  The author should attempt to express her thoughts more clearly and in a concise way, otherwise, the reader (me) is bored.

I'd have to say that the paper lacked an interesting enough topic to keep a reader interested.  It may have been too broad to research properly.  The author should have chosen one particular direction to focus her research, not go back and forth within her paper.  The fact that she can't decide in the final draft makes this sound like research notes.  There are several simple grammar mistakes that could distract a reader from the authors point as well.


The "F-word" paper.... hmm.... first porn now this??  At least this paper was short.  I don't think I could have read this sort of paper if it lasted 7 to 8 pages.  I'm trying to think objectively about this paper, the structure not the content.  In my opinion, this didn't seem thought out.  It seemed like the author just wanted to state her opinion of the f-word rather than explore the actual word.  She only uses one source, that I can recall: a dictionary.  That doesn't seem like enough sources for a paper this controversial.

I'd improve the paper by changing the topic.

Source update: Tue Feb 8

I found a great article entitled, "Deep-sea Exploration: Earth's Final Frontier."  It is a short article that summarizes deep ocean research from its beginning thousands of years ago to its present.  There is also some useful information telling why we have interest in deep-sea exploration.

I think the fact that we were able to chart the underwater topography as early as the 1870s is amazing (pg. 15).   It wasn't until the 1930s that explorers were able to sink to a depth of over 3,000 feet (pg. 15), and it took another 30 years to touch the Marianas Trench, which is 35,800 feet below sea level.

Since then, explorers have continued to research the ocean depth.  With every dive they discover new creatures and sometimes new ecosystems.  One of the most famous submersible is named Alvin.  This submersible brought a crew of explorers to the wreck sight of the Titanic in 1986, a ship that hadn't been seen by humans for over 70 years, (The Eternal Darkness– Robert D. Ballard pg. 262) and in more recent years brought a film crew to the ocean depths to film "Blue Planet" (Blue Planet: "The Deep"; narr. David Attenborough).

It is no surprise that new technology has led to new discovery.  In addition, the deep ocean has become more accessible to humans.  For now, at least, it is far too dangerous and expensive for an average human to dive to those depths, but what will happen when technology has advanced far enough to make it easy to dive that deep?  How will the sea floor be protected when anyone can get there?  What will happen when things like the Poseidon Undersea Resort open in the deep ocean?

The Poseidon Undersea Resort is one of the first true seafloor resorts.  Located off the tropical island of Fiji, it allows guests a completely underwater vacation, where one has a beautiful view of the coral reef from one's bedroom.  This resort was set to open in 2009 and will cost $30,000 per couple for a week of amazing experiences (www.poseidonresorts.com).

This resort is only the first.  It won't be healthy for the ocean when people, who do not care to protect it, begin visiting these places.  No doubt as they become more common, it will be less expensive to visit.  I don't know exactly how I feel about this resort.  On the one hand, I think it would be an amazing experience to see these places for myself, but is it worth destroying the environment?

Ballenger Chapter 4

This chapter is great for a guideline.  It really comes in handy to have a source that will walk you step by step through the drafting process of your paper, which is what this does.  Not only does it help you quote, summarize, and paraphrase, but it makes sure you know how to then cite the source, which can be really confusing.

I'm afraid I may not have thorough enough sources to cover a topic on modern technology, but I certainly have enough for deep-sea exploration.  I've been debating on using the topic of new discoveries for my exploratory essay.  It's such a fascinating topic to begin with.  Just imagine what kinds of things are discovered during film documentaries like, "Blue Planet"or "Planet Earth," which both have an entire episode on deep ocean, the creatures, and the technology.  It may be a good source to watch these films.

Ballenger is such an easy read.  He has helped so much so far and especially in this chapter.  While reading him, my mind automatically tries to apply them to my own paper.  I find myself wondering how I can make my topic interesting?  Do I have enough questions and sources to answer them?  I don't even know what kinds of discoveries are being made right now.  I just saw something on a news video that a prehistoric shark, thought to be long extinct, was found (alive) swimming around in Japanese waters.  Amazing!  What else is being found?

Friday Before Class

I'm sitting at the library, sources in hand.

Just to list them so far:

"Back to the Bottom," an article in Nature by Robert Cooke.  This article is short but talks about the new submarines a company in Massachusetts is developing.

Enabling Ocean Research in the 21st Century is a book that explains modern observatories underwater in an attempt to further our understanding of the oceans.

The Eternal Darkness, by Robert D. Ballard, tells the history of deep ocean exploration from the first submarine to remote submarines of the modern world.  Robert D. Ballard was one of the explorers who discovered the Titanic's wreck.

There are three other books I've been looking at as well.  They are more exploration encyclopedias than deep-sea exploration books.

New Spaces of Exploration: Geographies of Discovery in the Twentieth Century


Explorers: The Most Exciting Voyages of Discovery


World Explorers and Discovery


I'm trying to find more articles, but I get mostly articles on either deep-sea animals (which wouldn't be bad) or oil drilling (not what I want).

"Family Guy"

Let's see, where to begin....

I've never watched "Family Guy," nor do I plan to.  Sorry to those fans out there but I, like the author's first opinion, still think it's a bit too crude for me.

This exploratory essay was different than the others.  It seemed more like a biography of the show or something like that.  The author tells a story of the birth and growth of a television series.  I like the way she writes it; though, I'm not quite sure what she's exploring.

Is she exploring the show or some deeper meaning within it?  Is she exploring the controversy involved within the show?

I believe it might be that she's striving to open her reader's eyes to the true meaning to "Family Guy."  She states it quite clearly in her conclusion, "... [I]t's important not to lose sight of what's truly unfunny in real life–– even as we appreciate what is hilarious in fiction." (266)  It's a satire of our culture–– no wonder it's crude.

Even though I've never seen the show or have a desire to see it, I still enjoyed the essay.  She writes very smoothly and comprehensively.  There is plenty of humor and she raises many interesting questions not only about the show but about our society.  Her intro grabs the reader right away, "While slouching in front of the television..." (257)  How could that opening not interest a reader?  It's this sort of opening I will strive for in my own paper.

"The Art of Summarizing"

Over the past week, we've talked a lot about ways of quoting and paraphrasing.  Summarizing is another form of writing down someone else's words, but, rather than quoting specifically or paraphrasing something, it is a way to briefly state another person's thoughts on a subject.  Often summarizing can be difficult, since it does not hold the power of quoting and can occasionally get dry or boring to our readers, when expressed in a dull way, of course.

This passage from They Say, I Say is a good guide to summarizing in an interesting way.  It warns us that we could potentially bore our reader, and it gives us guidelines for more interesting summarizing.

I like the idea of summarizing an opposing view.  This would definitely help with disproving the opponent in an argumentative essay.  It would also be helpful to summarizing lengthy articles or discoveries in an exploratory essay.  The author of "Squirrelly" summarizes quite a bit in her paper.  We don't see many quotes, but there are a lot of cited sources.

I hope to use the technique of summarizing in my paper, since there will be a lot of sources to cite, and I can't quote them all.

"Bothersome Beauty of the Pigeon"

Sometimes I believe the most enjoyable exploratory essays are the ones that take a seemingly ordinary topic, like pigeons or squirrels, and turn it into something I would have never expected.

I never really thought about pigeons as elegant, beautiful, or intelligent.  They really just existed to eat whatever scraps people dropped and drop poo on any surface that was exposed, including old buildings and ancient statues.  Living near Philadelphia, we had a ton of pigeons that did just that.

It's interesting to read an essay on a bird that seems so common and ordinary.  Ballenger brings new life to the topic, talking not only about negative views of pigeons but also the amazing facts that give them a "beauty."  I had no idea they were so intelligent.  Movies and indeed our own imaginations portray the pigeon as dopey or dimwitted.  It's hard to believe they have such mental power, described something like the smartest animal for its weight, which isn't saying much since pigeons only weigh 14 ounces (on average).

Ballenger's essay was easy to read, despite his jumping around from country to country.  He seemed to open a lot of discussion ideas or things that could lead to further research, which I thought was a good example of an exploratory essay.  This exploratory essay did not have many quotes.  The main reason for this may be that Ballenger was experiencing things first hand, so he did not need other peoples words, just his own.  I also think that he uses "I" a lot more than the author of "Katrina" or "Polygamy."  This is also because the topic of pigeons is more personal to Ballenger, so he becomes part of the essay.

I wonder how I can use this, and other essays, to help compose my own.  It seems like my essay may lean more toward the "Katrina" "Polygamy" side: topics that are less familiar or humorous, rather than the "Squirrelly" "Pigeon" side: adding interest to a topic that would seem very ordinary with humor and unknown focuses.  I'd like to present a topic that is somewhat familiar to the reader, we all know a bit about deep ocean exploration, but present it with new and unexpected directions.

"Getting Squirrelly"

I really enjoyed reading this students paper on squirrels.  I've always found squirrels to be humorous, and the author plays with this.  She writes with humor and interesting information.

I thought it was interesting that the quotes are used in such a way that I barely noticed the author was quoting.  I guess this could be called a seamless flow from the authors words to someone else's.

This was definitely an exploratory essay, since it seems like we are going through the exploration process along with the author.  She writes this well.

Unlike the Polygamy article, "Getting Squirrelly" did not raise a lot of questions or make me curious.  It was more the humor that kept me reading.

Monday after class: finding a book

Please Note:  This was written monday after school, but my internet failed and I couldn't post it until Wednesday morning at the library.

After class on Monday, I made my way straight to the library.  Nothing was going to stop me from finding a book on deep-sea exploration.  It wouldn't be too difficult, right?  Wrong!

After several hours of searching "Worldcat," traversing every flour several times, searching call numbers that made absolutely no sense, going up and down stairs till my legs were weary, I finally swallowed my pride as a patron of the library and asked someone for help.  He showed me some articles I could use online and gave me directions to a book we were sure would be exactly what I needed.  This led me all the way back up to the fourth floor just to find out the book wasn't what I needed.  Finally, I found a book that I could use.  It was on a second floor shelf across from the "exploration" area I examined not a few hours earlier!

Long explanation just to say that I have found a book I can use as one source, entitled, "The Eternal Darkness: A Personal  History of Deep-sea Exploration," by the man who discovered the Titanic wreck on the bottom of the ocean, Robert D. Ballard.

I'm home now and searching for articles I can use.  One popped out at me.  It's called, "Back to the Bottom," and talks about some very modern technology to travel to the ocean floor.  There are photographs and figures.  The article itself is only a few pages, but it will be a good reference for some of the modern technology used by submarine designers.

In the end, despite some library frustrations, I believe my library visit was both beneficial and informative.  Who knows, I may pop by tomorrow to get some more exercise.