Individual Research Project

OBJECTIVES: - To do basic individual research, report preparation, and presentation

- To learn about Green/Sustainable technology

- To learn about the drivers of the new technology

- To learn about the impact of the technology on all stakeholders

DESCRIPTION: Students are to individually prepare a written report (worth 20%) and presentation (worth 5%).

Students are to pick and research a *sustainable or green technology Topic: Solar Energy.

and prepare a report and presentation based on the format/rubric below while answering the following questions.

*Sustainable or green technology can be anything ( Solar Energy) - however, using the definitions and methods in the class, you need to back up the WHY it is sustainable in the research section.

Critical analysis is required - how does it fit and how does it not? What can be done better?

Please ensure with your chosen topic, that you can answer ALL sections of this report. Broad topics are difficult to research thoroughly and will not be granted high marks.

STRUCTURE: -

Cover Page: Title, date, author, instructor,

course - Table of contents - Executive Summary: A summary of the whole project - Introduction (Problem statement (and importance of sustainability efforts in the field))

- Research (thorough and correct analysis, critical analysis required)

- Introduction to the technology - what does it do - what industries and what companies use it?

- Outline the drivers of why the technology was developed/Mega trends leading to the development of the technology.

These drivers create needs for companies and innovations

- Chapter 1 - Why is the technology green or sustainable? Use concepts from the lecture (i.e., eco-effective, eco-efficient, triple bottom line, cradle to approaches, etc.)

- What impact (i.e., advantages/changes/challenges does this technology bring to all stakeholders involved? I.e. Who are both primary stakeholders (these include shareholders, managers, employees, customers, and suppliers) and secondary stakeholders (those who are indirectly impacted by an organization or who indirectly impact an organization) and how does the tech impact them?

Stakeholder theory argues that value should be created for all stakeholders, not just the shareholder. Ie comment on value creation for the triple bottom line. - Was (and if, how was or was not) Design for Environment involved in the product design?

Do Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Chapter 3 - Conclusion - Draw conclusions based on your overall research. How sustainable is it? What future developments in this area are required and why?

- References EVALUATION CRITERIA

- REPORT (TOTAL 20%) Consider the following when constructing your report: 6-12 pages (not including cover page, table of contents, and references) - Format (10%) - Typed, one-and-a-half line-spaced - 1% - Font Size 12 pt. - 1% - Times New Roman - 1% - Layout (1-inch margin, page numbers, orientation) - 1% - List of references in correct APA format (including in-text citations) - 6% - Content (80%) Thorough, complete, accurate, and correct analysis (must use critical thinking and analysis in the research sections) - Cover Page - 2% - Table of Contents - 2% - Executive Summary - 2% - Introduction - 4% - Research (70%) - What is the technology? - 10% - Drivers//Mega trends leading to the development of the technology - 10% - Why is the technology considered sustainable? - 10% - Stakeholder Impact - 10% - Life Cycle Assessment and DfE - 20% - Conclusion & future developments - 10% - Professionalism/Writing (10%) - either a 0, 5, or 10% - Keep it neat, to the point, structured, and professional - Use of organization and style (paragraphs, bullet points, report style) - Quality of sentence structure (punctuation, grammar, spelling) - Usage of proper words, conciseness, and smoothness of writing - Is the main objective and key takeaways highlighted as a reader? EVALUATION CRITERIA - PRESENTATION (TOTAL 5%) Consider the following when constructing your PowerPoint Slides Format (10%) - Use diagrams, charts, and graphs as they are powerful visual tools - Do NOT overcrowd slides with many words and bullet points. Eliminate all unnecessary words. Use six words x six slides in a slide - Use topic headings instead of complete sentences - Use color and motion strategically Content (20%) - Cover Page - 1 slide - Introduction - 1 slide - Research - 5 slides - At a minimum, the presentation must include an introduction to the technology - what it is and its relevance to sustainability. Other information is at the discretion of the student in order to discuss the most relevant material (enough information that the audience walks away learning something new). For example, if design for environment is a key part of the technology then it is worth discussing, but that may not be the case. If you learn that the technology is in fact not as sustainable as you thought (ie severe ethical or social concerns) then it is worth it to discuss that. - References - 1 Slide Time (10%) - 1 minute per slide of content (Max 5 minutes). You will be timed. Communication (30%) - Clarity of voice - Make notes with your talk, highlight key areas of slides - Leave time for questions Flow/Professionalism (30%) - Are key points highlighted? - How is the flow? Is the correct amount of time spent on certain sections? Or are important pieces rushed etc. This is where you will be marked on WHAT you choose to discuss in your slides to keep the presentation short and precise. - Does the audience walk away understanding the objectives of the presentation? - Professionalism: do you look like you care? Preparedness level