Transcript No Slide Title

Group Projects
Class of 2009
Logistics
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Information Sources
Group Project Guidelines
Located in Services section of the Bren website
Updates to the Guidelines should be completed by Corlei by the
middle of Spring Qtr.
Past Reports and Briefs
http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/research/group_projects.asp
Brief Template and Example
http://www.services/students/index.html
2nd year Presentations this Wed April 2nd, 3pm
Double Tree Resort
Your 2nd year Peers
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Administration
Group Project Committee (08-09)
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Christina Tague, Group Project Chair
John Melack
Cathie Ramus
Corlei Prieto
 Staff Group Project Coordinator
 Your first point of contact for all matters related to group
projects
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Registration
You should be registered in 401A (Tague) for spr 08
If not, do this before end of week or you’ll need an
approval code
401B (fall 08) & 401C (win 09)
Multiple sections; register in the one with your
advisor
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Meetings
Meet at least once/week
Students are responsible for scheduling meetings and securing
meeting space (not advisors)
Bonsai Room & Visitor Center are designated group project
meeting spaces
Visitor Center available during business hours
Bonsai currently only available during business hours but will be
available at all hours as soon as the electronic key pad is installed
Students reserve rooms for group project meetings in these
spaces using Corp Time
Instructions
http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/services/student/StudentSchedulingofRooms_000.htm
Designate a CT scheduler for the group
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Meetings (cont.)
Be good peers…
Check availability before scheduling
Never schedule on top of an existing reservation
Always remove reservations if you won’t be using the room
and remove it as soon as you know
Staff will not schedule group project meetings in other
rooms unless it is a special stakeholder meeting (in this
case send email to scheduling@bren)
Please use scheduling@bren to reserve any media (i.e.
video projectors, conference phone etc) and do so
reasonably well in advance
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Money Matters
Each group gets $1,300 plus up to $200 for printing
Includes all costs including poster and briefs
Printing allocations made to individual group members
Can “buy” more printing
Appoint a financial manager (FM) by Thursday 4/10 and
inform Mike Best (mbest@bren) via email (group
nickname & manager name and email)
Mike will arrange meetings with each manager (perhaps
groups of managers) and educate them about financial
matters
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
$$$
FMs should study information about finances in handbook
Get to know the Bren School’s Financial Staff
Connie Fourqurean (connie) = purchasing
Frank Soares (fsoares) = travel and payroll
Mike (mbest) = extramural and gift funds, proposals,
financial statements, questions, problems, training
Each group gets a copy code and a phone authorization
code
Optional voice mail available for monthly fee
Purchase orders must be used if they are acceptable by
vendor
Otherwise payment is made up front by group member
and then original receipt submitted for reimbursement
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
External Funds
While obtaining additional funding may be desirable, we
generally don’t pick projects that can’t be done on the
base budget provided by the School or funding
promised by the client.
At the beginning of the project get funding commitments
of clients firmed up (working with advisor and
appropriate Bren School staff)
You are not encouraged to spend a lot of time trying to
raise funds at the expense of doing the project!
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Contracts/Grants
Contract/grant = money give to University for a specific
deliverable(s)
Proposal to funding organization is written (with Mike
Best’s coordination)
Must be faculty principle investigator (PI); PI ultimately
responsible
Proposal must have budget, budget justification, clearly
articulated deliverables, start and end date
Must be approved by the Office of Research before
submission (takes at least 1 week)
ONLY the Office or Research can accept contract and grant
money; you can’t do this on your own!
OVERHEAD RATE = 50%!!!!
i.e. $100 yields only $50 of real capital
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Gifts are Best!!!
Donor writes check to UC Regents stating that it is a gift
Can be no deliverables; no signed paperwork; can be
general stipulations… “to support research about alien
life on Mars”
All gifts coordinated by Jennifer Deacon (jennifer@bren)
Most federal agencies and many other public agencies can
not make gifts
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
The Golden Rule
If you want the gold, you have to speak
with Jennifer first
Do not under any circumstances, even if faculty tell you to,
talk to anyone about a giving a gift without first talking
with Jennifer Deacon!!!
Active fundraising by students without Jennifer’s guidance
is not appropriate
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Summer Internships
If internships promised, identify one group member to be
the summer internship coordinator (IC)
Decide EARLY who is going to do the internships
IC works with Dave Parker for help coordinating
internships
“Hiring” should be done through the external organization
if at all possible
If this is not possible, we need to try to get a gift from the
organization and dispense to students as a fellowship
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Nicknames
 BACIPS
 CATALINA
 COPPER
 TNC
 MPA
 MEXICO
 PIUTE
 COFAN
 SEALEVEL
 DECKERS
 YARDI
 LIMONEIRA
 ANTELOPE
 ZURICH
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Work Stations
One computer for each group in Commons
Computer assignment map in Services/Group Projects
Exception: TMP Deckers and Mexico will be in BH 2027
until we create more stations in Commons (although
that probably won’t be during your time here)
Obtain keys from Frank Soares
Move-in date = April 25th
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Computer Resources
Each group must appoint
Web Manager (IM)
Data Manager (DM)
Inform compute team (request@bren) by Thursday 4/10
Compute staff will hold a mandatory training meeting for
DMs and IMs in the near future
Much to learn about computing related to group projects
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Website
Each group must create (by end of spring quarter) and
maintain a web site:
At a minimum the following is required:
Names and email of all group members
Group email address
Names and email of advisor(s)
Final project proposal (completed at the end of spring)
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Grading
Grades
Letter grade assigned for 401A by Tague
IP (In Progress) grade at end 401B
Letter grade assigned at end of 401C by advisor
Letter grade replaces previous IP grade
B or better required
Separate grades
often the whole group gets the same grade but this is not
required
Written Evaluation
Advisor should provide one at the end of all fall
Demand this!
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Evaluation Criteria
401A
Tague will outline in her class
401B & C
Understanding of relevant published literature
Critical perspective on quality and shortcomings of prior work
Understanding of both social and natural science dimensions of the
issues
Originality of analysis, problem formulation and scope of work
Relationships with outside advisors and stakeholders
Resourcefulness
Punctuality
Communication skills
Participation
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Final Approval
Approval Signature
Advisor must approve final report with signature or you
can’t be recommended for a MESM degree
Signature and grade may be withheld until report is
acceptable
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Peer Evaluations
Peer Evaluations
S (08) submitted to Tague & faculty advisor
F (08) & W (09) submitted to faculty advisor
If you don’t identify probs., they can’t be
solved
These are taken into account in assigning grades
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Faculty Evaluations
401A reviewed at the end of spring
Advisor Evaluations
End of Project
Extremely important that every group member
participates and provides thorough and
informative feedback
Why not end of spr & fall?
Past students recommended against this because
many uncomfortable doing so mid-project and when
it is difficult to be anonymous
Communicate serious mid-project advisor issues to
Corlei, anonymously if need be
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Faculty Advisors
Monitor progress, provide technical assistance/expertise,
and evaluate project and assign grades
Project leadership and mgmt and the quality of the final
products is YOUR responsibility
NOT project managers, more like a consultant
Attend a regular meeting
Provide advice but generally reactive
No two advisors alike
Expect variability in engagement, expectations,
responsiveness, and feedback
May be quite hands off
All expect you to take charge
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Faculty Advisors
Use them.. but you need to ask…don’t wait for them to
come to you
Turn around time needs vary but you should NEVER expect
under 1 week
Schedule initial meeting with advisor NOW and explore
how they will interact with you
Think about putting it in writing
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
External Advisors
Groups are expected to obtain the counsel of outside advisors
who may have interest in the projects, data, or deliverables
You are responsible for identifying them, developing professional
relationships with them and maintaining professional contact
Interact with them with absolutely the highest standards of
professionalism
Don’t have a meeting without an agenda
Prepare minutes
Send thank you notes
Meet deadlines and keep promises
Never share negativity
ACKNOWEDLEGE them frequently, privately and publicly (if they
welcome this)
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Structure of the Group
Democracy vs. efficient organization
This is a situation where democracy is overrated
Someone needs to be in charge or chaos will rule
My advice: designate a project manager!!!
Give manager authority to be the ultimate decisionmaker (not tyrant)
Rotate role?
Must designate a financial manager, data manager, and
web manager
May want to create other roles as well (get advise from
2nd years)
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Problems
Primary responsibility for problem solving lies with
students
Avoid complaining; propose solutions
It’s possible you’ll have slackers or pseudo-slackers
Involve advisor after thorough efforts by the group to
solve problems
If serious unresolvable problems (this is rare), go to Corlei
and/or John; they will involve group project committee
if appropriate
Written documentation essential if administrative solution
ultimately required
PS There is an campus ombuds office:
http://www.ombuds.ucsb.edu/index.html
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Use of Human Subjects
MUST follow very strict procedures and may need to obtain
approval from the human subjects committee if human
subjects will be used in research
This even applies to CONDUCTING SURVEYS!!!
Please review the Office of Research site about this:
http://www.research.ucsb.edu/compliance/index.sht
Process can take a bit of time so don't wait till the last
minute to tackle
It's potentially a very big deal not to be in compliance
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Deliverables
See Group Project Guidelines for Specific
Deadlines and Timelines
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Spring 2008
Draft Project Proposal
Date provided by Tague
Final Project Proposal
Date provided by Tague but certainly before proposal review
meeting
Any other deliverables required by Tague
Proposal Review Meeting
Before the end of the quarter
Peer Evaluations
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Proposal Review
Purpose: to gain critical feedback and use this to finalize
proposal
Groups are responsible for scheduling, organizing,
conducting, and documenting
Meeting must include:
All group members
Faculty advisor
At least one other Bren faculty member (two is even better)
At least two external (i.e. non-Bren) advisors from on or off
campus
Schedule well in advance
Provide proposal at least one week in advance
Run as a formal meeting
Recommendation: summary memo
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Fall 2008
Progress review meeting (mid-quarter)
Report one group’s progress to your advisors, stakeholders, etc.
Purpose is to obtain feedback intended to strengthen their
research agenda.
Presentation should cover the following
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Clearly stated project objectives
Importance of research
Plan for executing research
Expected results
Progress so far
Written Progress Report (by end of quarter)
NOT a revised version of the spring proposal!
Focus on progress and changes since spring and a plan for
finalization
Peer Evaluations (end of quarter)
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Winter 2009
Project Defense
Middle of quarter
Research should be completed and preliminary recommendations
and conclusions formulated
Scheduled by GPC; everyone invited to come
Two independent reviewers arranged to attend
20-25 minute presentation; 15-20 minutes questions
Critical evaluation of work must like a thesis defense.
Expect probing questions and criticism which will likely result in
some revisions to draft report
Presentation should not be a glossy overview; it should focus on
content, substance and methodology
Feedback should be considered in finalizing project
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Winter 2008 (cont)
Final report
High quality draft due mid-quarter; expect multiple iterations
Due at end of quarter; deadline is FIRM
Electronic & hard copy with original signature page to GPC
Formatting requirements detailed in guidelines
Abstract and acknowledgements for presentation program
Brief
4 page summary of highlights with graphics
Template on web
Electronic copy to GPC & several (50-100) hard copies for
distribution
Poster
(4x3 – 4x6); lamination not required but recommended
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Public Presentation
Date TBA; Group projects officially end winter quarter so it could be
as early as the end of finals week; likely the first week of spring
quarter
Not the same as defense talk because different audience
Don’t “dumb down” but tailor it to a diverse audience more
interested in substance and findings and less in details of
methods
Opportunity to videotaped practice session in advance
One presenter (recommended); no more than two
All members seated up front as part of panel for questions
Everyone wears formal business dress
Hint: This does not = flip flops; Dr Seuss ties, etc.
Approximately 25 minutes including 7 minutes for questions
Poster session & reception follows
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
What you need to start doing
IMMEDIATELY
READ the Group Project guidelines
Schedule meetings
Define roles and email relevant parties
Start developing your group; learn about each other; do
something together
Educate yourself about your project
Collect papers and reports and read about your project
You can’t get started and you can’t do a good job if you don’t
know the current state of knowledge
Get clients funding commitments firmed up (working with advisor
and appropriate Bren staff)
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Helpful Resources
Writing skills
Writing Center (writing@bren)
Individual and group tutoring
Research skills
Janet Martorana (martoran@library)
Librarian assigned to Bren
Holds weekly office hours here at Bren
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
What’s to be avoided?
Vague objectives
Scope too broad… or too narrow
More often than not this thing gets too big
Procrastination and/or uneven work distribution
Expect at least 12 hours/week of work
Don’t waste spring quarter; BIG MISTAKE
No one in charge
Poor understanding of “state of knowledge”
Unfocused or biased recommendations
Poor/unprofessional interactions
Having group project become all or overly consuming and not
taking advantage of all the other important learning
opportunities at Bren
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Cautions
The work belongs to ALL group members
Everyone must be listed as authors in all presentations and
publications even if you’ve adapted it
Make sure references to others work/data/models are
thoroughly referenced
There may be problems sharing datasets or products with
outside clients because of licensing agreements; explore
this well in advance with Jason.
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB
Conclusion
This may or may not be extremely challenging (more likely
may)
You may or may not have issues with group members,
advisor of clients
This is one of the best preparations possible for your future
career (ask any alum or employer)
You will face the same sorts of challenges (and harder) in
your job; appreciate the opportunity to practice now
This is an educational experience—”a practice not a
perfect”
Relish the process as well as the product
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB