Final Project Assignment: How does evolution inform important questions for society today? (How would society be less able to solve a current problem if the information presented in a recent research article were unavailable?)

General areas (examples of "societal-level" issues): evolution of human disease organisms or our defenses; evolutionary responses of agricultural species or their pests; future evolutionary flexibility as a concern in the conservation of biodiversity.

Proposal: Locate one paper published since January, 2006, that addresses a specific question relevant to one of the general areas.

Write a one-paragraph proposal citing this primary reference, a statement of the subject of the research presented, and why the paper is appropriate for the topic you have selected. The proposal is due November 13, 2007.

Paper: Write a summary of the research article, with a discussion of how the paper complements other research on the topic (you will need to read at least two other papers or a review article). The summary of the focal paper should take no more than one-half of your final project paper; the rest should be devoted to comparison with other work or suggestions (and justification) for future research. You should be very explicit about how the research might inform societal decisions, through policy or individual behavior. The final paper should be about 6 – 9 pages in length. This paper is due on December 11, by 4:00 pm.