The main objective of the second essay is to provide you with the opportunity to survey the current literature and explore why scientists use model organisms.
1. Choose a model organism that is an animal: Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish or mouse. You may also use Aplysia.
2. Do some research on why we use model organisms and why these particular creatures are good model organisms. Try searching .
3. Get on the web, or go to a university library, and look at a few journals. MCCC is limited. There are also links to journals on my biolinks page. In addition, PUBMED, is a NIH index of all published articles -
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMedan is a great place to start.
4. Look at a few papers that utilize your model organism. Find something that interests you. Try to read the paper and get the main idea. One problem with the current literature is that it is quite advanced - expect to be overwhelmed when you read the paper! (I am!!!) This is normal, but you still learn.
5. Structure of the essay:
A. Length: 2 typed pages (2 ½ maximum) with a standard font size of 11 or 12 (this is 10 point) and 1 inch top, bottom, left and right margins and double spaced. Do not single space or I will return the paper to you - any deviations from the format will automatically be returned to you for correction and a penalty of 2 points per day. Do not go over the length limit!
B. Pay particular attention to sentence and paragraph structure, as well as overall organization. Have someone proofread the paper before you submit. No plastic covers allowed - just staple it! C. Be sure you put everything in your own words D. There should be 2 or 3 detailed paragraphs on the features of this model organism and why it is used in research. Include things life cycles, ploidy, genetics, genome data etc.
E. There should be 2-3 paragraphs on the specific research paper you chose to discuss. Why did you choose it? Again, try to get the main point and don't get overwhelmed with minute details!
F. Remember, every statement (or groups of statements) in the essay but be cited / referenced. Whatever reference system you use, be consistent!
G. Do not use quotations - paraphrase all content and cite it in the references. Quotes will be penalized by one letter grade.
H. There should be a conclusion paragraph.
6. Hand it the paper hard copy. Also, submit a copy of the abstract / summary of your paper. You can staple it to the end of your paper.