GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS FOR TERM PAPER TOPICS NATS104 SPRING, 2008

Todd Engelder

• Biodiversity: How many species are there on Earth, where is diversity greatest, and why should we care? What is the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem stability? What are consequences of reduced diversity for humans?
• Drug Resistant Bacteria: How do drug resistant bacteria develop? Discuss approaches to reduce DRB's impact on human health. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now a more common infection in the human population. Discuss why this is the case, and strategies to combat it.
• Endangered Species: Discuss both sides (ecological and economic) of the reintroduction the Mexican Gray Wolf in Arizona and New Mexico.
• Environmental Impact: Fire Discuss fire's role in forested ecosystems and how past and current fire management has shaped today's forests, including the threat of devastating fires.
• Epidemics: Research the Spanish Flu epidemic 1918-1920. Discuss origin of the disease, its spread, the number of cases, and why efforts to control the epidemic were not been effective. Could a flu epidemic of this magnitude happen again?
• Exotic species: One of the most recent dangerous aquatic species to be concerned about are "snake heads." What problems do they create and why are they particularly likely to spread?

Kevin Jones

• Exotic species: Biologists note with alarm the discovery of zebra mussels in the Colorado River. How did they get there, what problems do they create in other areas they have invaded?
• Extinction: What was the relative timing of the arrival in Europe of anatomically modern humans and the extinction of the Neanderthals, and what was the causal connection between the two events?
• Extinction: What was the relative timing of the arrival in the New World of humans and the extinction of most species of large (over 100 lbs adult weight) animals, and what was the causal connection between the two events?
• Extraterrestrial Life: What is life and where might it be found besides planet Earth? Evaluate the likelihood of finding life on other planets and moons in the solar system. What earth-organisms would this life resemble most closely?
• Global Warming: Compare and contrast the effects of recent summer heat waves in Arizona and in Europe (most notably France in 2003). Where were the temperatures highest above normal temperatures? Where were the death tolls highest and economic impacts greatest? Why?
• Global Warming: What were the primary factors affecting global temperature during the past 200 years? Compare the effects from anthropogenic greenhouse gas production with effects from natural factors, such as volcanic eruptions and changes in the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth. What has been the history of temperature change over the last 200 years, and what is predicted for this century (2000 - 2100).

Amanda Reynolds

• Human Biology: What is human growth hormone (HGH), why is its use spreading, and what dangers does it pose?
• Human Evolution: What are the oldest human (human family) fossils, where, when and by whom were they found, and how do they relate to the genus Homo?
• Parasitism: There are many organisms that live on humans. Most are beneficial or benign. Describe two and discuss how and when they may become pathogenic (i.e. Candida albicans, Epstein Barr virus, human polyomavirus, intestinal bacterial microflora, etc.).
• Infectious disease: Research tuberculosis. Discuss origin of the disease, its spread, historic trends in the number of cases, and why efforts to control current and past epidemics have or have-not been effective. Discuss current strategies for vaccine development and disease treatment. Is drug-resistance an issue?
• On every food item there is a label of percent daily values (dv), based on 2000 calorie diet. Describe the nutritional system of the Institute of Medicine of the USA National Academy (IOM) and how the DV relates to the average person. http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3708.aspx http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html#dvs
• Marine Biology: What is "coral bleaching", why is it a problem, and what is its likely cause?
• Marine Biology: What is happening to the Arctic ice pack, what is the impact of this change on arctic animals, and what is it's likely cause?
• Population Growth: Compare recent trends in population growth in Nigeria, Czech Republic and Pakistan.
• The Mars HiRISE camera (hirise.lpl.arizona.edu) provided evidence of water on Mars. Now, the Phoenix mission (foreleast.lpl.arizona.edu/pdf/water_and_life.pdf) will do more. How does the presence of water affect the likelihood that we will find life on Mars?
• What is an ecological footprint? The average American's is 9.6 gha. By 2050, the human population is projected to reach approximately 9 billion. What's the maximum ecological footprint that an average person on the planet can have in 2050? Describe what this type of lifestyle would be. www.earthday.net/footprint/ http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=footprint_overview http://assets.panda.org/downloads/living_planet_report.pdf
• STUDENTS NOT PAIRED BY TOPIC