After I dusted off my Thompson Handbook and began reading, I remembered how hard it is to follow this book. I know we’ve all said it before, but man, it’s like kryptonite. However, I got through it and gained some useful knowledge.
For the majority of information needed for our project (group 6), we will need to read and summarize research and reports. The topics we are covering (green technologies) have a lot of data on them , and some with pretty extensive research. For example, the use of energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs and their savings, or tankless water heaters and their benefits. We are not trying to propose new technology, rather explain how certain types have specific benefits to the consumer and or environment. The majority of this data is already out there in reports and company websites, we (the group and I) just need to collect it and sort out what we want.
Since “green technologies” are relatively new and currently gaining popularity, there is a lot of information on the internet. I would say all the information used in our white paper will come from the web. The internet is the most up to date resource and it’s relatively easy to search. There is no way I’m going to waste time looking for books in the library on our topic, would probably come out empty handed anyways. The white paper we are going to create will be primarily products that are already on the market, with up to date, factual data. Like I said above, some of this data will be from company websites, which can be considered a credible source. We will be avoiding the DIY blog research, unless we can find something to back it up.
Overall, our plan is to find as much research/reports as we need from credible sources. Based on our topic, this will be from companies or other entities (businesses, universities, cities) so we will know our data is sound.
Resources
Our group is also doing green energy and like you, I also came to the conclusion the internet was going to be our best source on information. Most books in the libraries will be too outdated for such new technology. One other thing you could try is using Purdue’s online catalogs and journals through the library website. These will more than likely contain some pretty new articles on new and immerging technologies, some undoubtedly being sustainable energy. The Thompson Handbook has many of the journals and catalogs listed by content so you know which ones to search through. The plus side to this is that they are normally pretty reliable and accurate.
Please incorporate the reading
You have provided an overview of your research plan here. However, please also incorporate information about how the TH reading for this week might help you accomplish your research goals (because this is a Reading Response). You mention TH at the beginning, but you don't apply anything specific from it. These responses are our main way to ensure that students are keeping up with the reading material.
Also, this is a fine general statement: "Overall, our plan is to find as much research/reports as we need from credible sources. Based on our topic, this will be from companies or other entities (businesses, universities, cities) so we will know our data is sound." However, it would be much stronger with specifics, such as a particular entity or even a particular source.
research will be cake
After reading your research response, I agree to everything you have stated. You made some excellent points about the popularity of green technology and how it will be beneficial in conducting research since it's a growing trend. Isaac make a good suggestion about using the Purdue online catalogs and journals to help find new technology articles. I've have used the Purdue online catalogs from the library website to help assist me in finding emerging technology in 3-D virtual sets. To help find collective information about energy efficient on green technology, most of the manufactures of those green products will have information on their websites.
Series of Tubes!
I have to agree with your research methods on your green technologies. Our group will not be using the library (or any book for that matter!) for our research. No book in a library will cover our topic and if it does it will be horribly out of date. The curse and blessing of today’s technology. We will be doing all of our research on the series of tubes. They will aid us in research as someone has already done what we are doing. Not a white paper (though I’m sure the company made one) but the steps to learn a new piece of software.
Credible Sources
Group 8 is in a similar situation as your group in regards to the topics being covered and how we want to present them. We all agreed that it won’t be difficult at all to find information on our topics(wind, solar, water, nuclear power). What will be a challenge is finding sources that we know are credible. We also want to make sure those sources are well known enough so that the reader is familiar and we won’t have to introduce and explain the source beyond a name or short description.
Another aspect of our research will be how current it is. Energy is changing so much each year that we need to make sure that we compare different technologies and energy uses from the same year. Obviously, energy consumption and production is drastically different today than 5 years ago.
Energy, energy, energy...
This might be the fifth comment I have posted tonight on an energy project. My group is also covering some of the recent popular energy topics. But I think one of the reasons we all proposed this subject is because of the great deal of information available to us. I also find that the internet is probably the most valuable resource for energy topics. Not only is there a large amount of information, but it is the most recent. And like you suggest, energy is a rapidly growing topic. And for our white paper project, it is important to use information that is up to date.
Green White Papers?
I didn’t really think of green energy as a possibility for the white paper project. I do kind of like this idea however. I think that there should be a good amount of information since there is a wave of “Going Green” right now. What type of green energy you chose will really decide how much you can find on the topic. I’m sure that there are some types that have quite a bit of information and statistics since people are really pushing this “green” idea. Some statistics on how much of an impact the shift in technology could have may be a little difficult though.
-Chris
Pro's and Con's
I like how you said you "are not trying to propose new technology, rather explain how certain types have specific benefits to the consumer and or environment." I think you should really stick to this. You want to remain unbiased and informative in your case. By doing this the consumer will get more out of the document and not go away feeling like they were possibly just persuaded. This also means you will have to use very credible sources and cold hard facts. You may also want to consider nay cons that these technologies might also have. This way your audience will see both sides of the story.
You mention that you are
You mention that you are going to “collect data and sort out what you want.” After coming to a realization about my own topic, I would like to offer a word of warning in regards to sorting out information. Our subject also has tons of data available and it will be difficult to sort out what is important and what is not in an unbiased manner. I suppose the best idea I have is to keep in mind that something may seem unimportant to me, but may be very important to the next user. I will try to practice this when writing my paper, this may be a good idea for you also.
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