HONORS SEMINAR: INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY

Winter Quarter, 1999

Daniel L. Cox

Physics and Geology 407

FIRST DAY ACTIVITIES

Introduction

• Logistics about the instructor (where to reach me, class webpage, etc.)
• Motivations for teamwork (productive way to complete large tasks--examples from physics and elsewhere; way industry proceeds now; important to future work and life.)
• Contrast of merits of teamwork with merits of individual work.

First Team Activity

1. Split into groups of two (for odd number of students, teacher picks out the odd person out).
2. Each person introduces themselves to the other (name,where from, year, major, why in class).
3. Students form larger 4-person teams.
4. Each person introduces not themselves, but their partner, to the 4 person group.

Second Team Activity

Primary Sources:

• Each of the above teams is given a factual paragraph on a piece of paper. Only one person in the team reads it.
• They fold it up, write a 2-3 sentence synopsis, and hand that to the next person.
• This person repeats the process with this note, and gives to the next person. This continues until the original reader gets the last person's note.
• Then the group compares the various versions.
• Discussion is then opened to the larger room--
• Merits of primary sources
• Where are they? (Discuss internet, library, interviews, etc.)
• How does context play a role?
• Value of scholarly journals?

Third Team Activity

• Give each group a 1-2 page summary of a Silicon Valley company (different one for each group).
• From this information, and any they might separately infer or guess, they should construct a map on white paper of ALL relevant inputs to the company process and ALL relevant outputs from the company process.
• After cycling through once or twice, report to the larger room about the exercise.

Fourth Activity

Group Discussion

Apply teamwork to course logistics--given goals below:

Phase 1: Teams do basic research about topics relevant to the goal ofassessing Industrial Ecology for Silicon Valley. Preliminary report.

Phase 2: Teams do integrative synthesis from basic research data to reach conclusions about feasibility and form of Industrial Ecology for Silicon Valley. Reports to Class.

Phase 3: Teams prepare public reports in one of three areas:

1. Convocation Poster Session
2. Convocation 'Seminar' Session
3. 'Document,' 'Web Page,' Film, or whatever summarizes class findings.

Expected throughout the class:

1. Biweekly self evaluation/journal reports via email to instructor.
2. Weekly team reports (in-class questioning) for instructor.
3. Two reports per phase to other teams for peer assessment/feedback.

Team assignments for the first night:

Half the teams work on drawing up a course timeline--after each team comes up with a framework, all the teams doing this get together to hash out an appropriate timeline and reach a binding consensus.

 

Half the teams work out an evaluation scheme--this must include some mix of peer/instructor/self assessment. After each small team reaches a framework, they get together with the other grading teams to come to a binding final consensus.

In each case, instructor will meet with larger group combines to discuss consensus vs. majority rules.

Final team exercise:

• Get back to four person teams.
• Scavenger hunt is handed out, and each team decides who will look for what items.
• Teacher motivates scavenger hunt as a way to: get started on research skills, begin to get grounded in issues of industrial ecology, provide gist for brainstorming session in next meeting to set up teams for Phase 1.
• Each student must be prepared to critically discuss the content of the items found in the scavenger hunt with their teams, and to brainstorm on the Phase 1 groups in the larger class.