2- Artificial Intelligence

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SCIE 1114 Term Paper Instructions
Topic:
From the following list of unresolved questions in science, choose ONE topic that interests you.
1. Can AI make ethical decisions autonomously?
2. Does feedback from clouds amplify and/or stabilize the global atmospheric temperature? (Study
based on numerical simulations)
3. Is it safe to apply biosolids to agricultural lands?
4. Do studies in animals demonstrate that gene-editing technologies, like CRISPRCas9, are safe and
could therefore be used in humans?
5. Are the risks with nuclear fission lower than risks associated with other energy from fossil fuels?
6. What is the cause of the decline in the stock of salmon in the Fraser River?
Considerations for your paper:
Write a compelling argument that addresses the question of your choice. Your argument must take a position
on, that is, make a debatable claim about, your topic. It must be supported convincingly with relevant reasons
and evidence. Some of the topics on the list have social and ethical implications; many questions in science
do. However, natural science methods alone cannot answer social and ethical questions. If your topic has
social or ethical dimensions, you must limit the scope of your research and paper to those aspects of the
question that can be answered using the methods of natural science.
Your argument must rest upon evidence presented in the primary and secondary peer- reviewed scientific
literature. You must cite at least 5 different scientific articles.
Your paper will be submitted to Turnitin to determine how much of it is your original writing and which
passages you may have copied from previously published sources. Your paper must receive a Similarity Score
from Turnitin that is lower than 10 %. Papers with similarity scores higher than 10 % will receive a grade of
0. (References and properly cited quotations are automatically excluded by Turnitin.)
Guidelines for your paper:
• Your paper must include a descriptive title, your name and student number, and the word count.
• The suggested length of your paper is 1000–1250 words. References are not included in this count.
• Your paper must have minimum three paragraphs.
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• Your paper must be typed using a 12-point font. It must be double-spaced.
• Your bibliography must be given on its own page. References must be formatted using the APA style.
• You should include headings and subheadings to enhance clarity. For example, Introduction, thematic
sub-headings describing reason/argument, Conclusion and References.
• For deadline, check D2L. Late submissions will not be graded and automatically receive a zero.
• Your outline, draft, and final paper should be submitted by uploading to the appropriate folder on
Brightspace.
• The draft will be reviewed by your peers.
Learning outcomes:
In successfully writing your three essays, you fulfill the following learning outcomes for this course:
• Write an evidence-based paper that makes an argument about a current unresolved scientific research
question.
• Create a logically consistent argument in own your words, including claim, reason, evidence,
counterarguments, and warrants, if necessary.
• Use an outline to organize a scientific argument with claim, reasons, supporting evidence,
counterarguments, and warrants, if necessary.
• Organize writing into paragraphs.
• Paraphrase a text, and distinguish between paraphrasing, quoting and plagiarizing.
• Gather evidence and restate it in your own words for use in your writing.
• Give constructive feedback and demonstrate openness to feedback.
• Defend the validity of argument by evaluating evidence from a variety of disciplines.
• Identify scientific evidence in different contexts.
• Communicate whether or not evidence is valid and reliable.
• Recognize that scientific knowledge has limits.
• Recognize and use appropriate scholarly sources and cite them correctly.
• Incorporate and respond to feedback in written work.