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The Fidelity of the Fossil Record: Using Preservational Characteristics of Fossils within an Assemblage to Interpret the Relative State of Spatial and Temporal Fidelity
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This exercise introduces students to the concept of temporal and spatial fidelity, to the different types of fossil assemblages, and how the taphonomic characteristics of an assemblage can be used to assess the relative state of fidelity. The exercise is suitable when introducing the discipline of taphonomy, typically covered near the beginning of a course in paleontology or paleobiology.

Because most universities lack appropriate collections of fossils, particularly collections from assemblages with unusual states of preservation, this exercise provides digital images of fossils from a Middle Devonian obrution deposit (or smothered assemblage) found within thin bedded limestones of the Hamilton Group of western New York State.

Students are asked to make predictions concerning the relative states of preservation likely to be found in life assemblages (biocoenoses) and death assemblages (thanatocoenoses and taphocoenoses). A biocoenosis is an assemblage that contains virtually all of the species that existed when the community was alive. A thanatocoenosis is a death assemblage where all the fossils represented existed within the community, but not all community members are present as fossils (species are missing). Finally, a taphocoenosis is an assemblage where not all species present in the community are represented as fossils, and not all the fossil species within the assemblage lived in the community (i.e., there is temporal or spatial mixing). Students are then presented with a PowerPoint presentation of the Hamilton Group strata, the limestones possessing the unusual fossil assemblage, and finally images of fossils with their preservational characteristics highlighted. The slides are annotated to provide observational descriptions and not interpretations. The exercise works best with students working in small groups with each group supplied with a laptop containing the PowerPoint presentation. Finally, each group is asked to interpret the assemblage type represented (bio-, thanato-, or taphocoenosis) and present a cogent argument citing supportive preservational evidence. (Because the assemblage is created through obrution, the assemblage is correctly interpreted as a thanatocoenosis â the fossils present were found within the community with many individuals preserved in life position and with behaviors represented; not all species in the community, however, are preserved as fossils.)

If time allows, students could be asked to make predictions concerning the preservational characteristics expected for each assemblage type in advance of the exercise. (A table is attached that I use to help frame their predictions.) Their interpretation and evidential argument could be written up as a short essay. I've asked students to do this individually and other times as a collaborative writing assignment for the group.

Once the correct assemblage interpretation is revealed to the students, they could be asked to speculate about the mechanism leading to this style of preservation (i.e., recognizing it as an obrution deposit). A few figures are provided that are helpful in explaining obrution.

The following files are uploaded as supportive teaching materials:
1. Discussion Assemblage Types.doc: Notes to guide a discussion to acquire predictions for taphonomic characteristics for each assemblage type.
2. Fossil Assemblages Exercise.ppt: PowerPoint presentation that describes the unknown fossil assemblage.
3. Exercise Assemblage Fidelity Assignment.doc: The handout provided students describing the exercise.
4. Obrution Deposits.ppt: PowerPoint presentation explaining obrution deposits.

Subject:
Archaeology
Geology
Physical Science
Social Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Homework/Assignment
Provider:
Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College
Provider Set:
Teach the Earth
Author:
Michael Savarese
Date Added:
01/20/2023
Fighting Mortality
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Educational Use
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This 5-day unit will teach students about patterns/trends in mortality as they look at what is causing health issues around the world and local health disparities within their own city. Students will explore factors that influence mortality and how local and global communities are improving their health. Students will ultimately analyze the health indicators within their own community and pick a “Healthy People 2030” objective to help achieve through civic action.

Subject:
Social Science
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
Pulitzer Center
Author:
Michael Mettenburg
Date Added:
08/20/2021
Filtering: Extracting What We Want from What We Have
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Educational Use
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Filtering is the process of removing or separating the unwanted part of a mixture. In signal processing, filtering is specifically used to remove or extract part of a signal, and this can be accomplished using an analog circuit or a digital device (such as a computer). In this lesson, students learn the impact filtering can have on different types of signals, the concepts of frequency and spectrum, and the connections these topics have to real-world signals such as musical signals. Students also learn the roles that these concepts play in designing different types of filters. The lesson content prepares students for the associated activity in which they use an online demo and a variety of filters to identify the message in a distress signal heavily corrupted by noise.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Dehui Yang
Kyle R. Feaster
Michael B. Wakin
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Filtering: Removing Noise from a Distress Signal
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Educational Use
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Students learn the basic principles of filtering as well as how to apply digital filters to extract part of an audio signal by using an interactive online demo website. They apply this knowledge in order to isolate a voice recording from a heavily noise-contaminated sound wave. After completing the associated lesson, expect students to be able to attempt (and many successfully finish) this activity with minimal help from the instructor.

Subject:
Applied Science
Career and Technical Education
Electronic Technology
Engineering
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Ayoade Adekola
Chris Light
Connor McKay
Dehui Yang
Kyle R. Feaster
Michael B. Wakin
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Floppy Heart Valves
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Educational Use
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Students are presented with an engineering challenge that asks them to develop a material and model that can be used to test the properties of aortic valves without using real specimens. Developing material that is similar to human heart valves makes testing easier for biomedical engineers because they can test new devices or ideas on the model valve instead of real heart valves, which can be difficult to obtain for research. To meet the challenge, students are presented with a variety of background information, are asked to research the topic to learn more specific information pertaining to the challenge, and design and build a (prototype) product. After students test their products and make modifications as needed, they convey background and product information in the form of portfolios and presentations to the potential buyer.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Health, Medicine and Nursing
Material Type:
Full Course
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Michael Duplessis
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Form vs. Function
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Educational Use
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Students model and design the sound environment for a room. They analyze the sound performance of different materials that represent wallpaper, thick curtains, and sound-absorbing panels. Then, referring to the results of their analysis, they design another room based on certain specifications, and test their designs.

Subject:
Applied Science
Architecture and Design
Engineering
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
TeachEngineering
Provider Set:
TeachEngineering
Author:
Janet Yowell
Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Michael Bendewald
Date Added:
10/14/2015
Foundation and Leadership Public Schools, College Access Reader: Geometry - Lesson Plans and Exams
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CC BY-NC-SA
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A structured geometry program teacher edition of daily lesson plans and teacher supports to accompany the College Access Reader: Geometry student edition.

Subject:
Geometry
Mathematics
Material Type:
Textbook
Provider:
CK-12 Foundation
Provider Set:
CK-12 FlexBook
Author:
Fauteux, Michael
Zapata, Rosamaria
Date Added:
05/18/2011
Fracture Mechanics: An Engineering Primer
Unrestricted Use
CC BY
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In this second edition, which is the result of numerous revisions, updates, and additions, the authors cover the basic concepts of fracture mechanics for both the linear elastic and elastic-plastic regimes. The fracture mechanics parameters K, G, J and CTOD are treated in a basic manner along with the test methods to determine critical values. The development of failure assessment based on elastic-plastic fracture mechanics is reflected in a comprehensive treatment.

Three chapters are devoted to the fracture mechanics characterisation of crack growth. Fatigue crack growth is extensively treated, and attention is paid to the important topic of the initiation and growth of short fatigue cracks. Furthermore, sustained load fracture and dynamic crack growth are discussed, including various test techniques, e.g., the determination of the crack arrest toughness.

Finally, there are two chapters dealing with mechanisms of fracture and the ways in which actual material behaviour influences the fracture mechanics characterisation of crack growth.

This textbook is intended primarily for engineering students. It will be useful to practising engineers as well, since it provides the background to several test and design methods and to criteria for material selection.

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Material Type:
Textbook
Provider:
Delft University of Technology
Author:
Jan Zuidema
Michael Janssen
Russell Wanhill
Date Added:
02/13/2024
Freshman Organic Chemistry II
Conditional Remix & Share Permitted
CC BY-NC-SA
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This is a continuation of Freshman Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 125a), the introductory course on current theories of structure and mechanism in organic chemistry for students with excellent preparation in chemistry and physics. This semester treats simple and complex reaction mechanisms, spectroscopy, organic synthesis, and some molecules of nature.

Subject:
Chemistry
Physical Science
Material Type:
Full Course
Provider:
Yale University
Provider Set:
Open Yale Courses
Author:
J. Michael McBride
Date Added:
04/30/2012
Friction
Unrestricted Use
CC BY
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Learn how friction causes a material to heat up and melt. Rub two objects together and they heat up. When one reaches the melting temperature, particles break free as the material melts away.

Subject:
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Simulation
Provider:
University of Colorado Boulder
Provider Set:
PhET Interactive Simulations
Author:
Carl Wieman
Danielle Harlow
Michael Dubson
Mindy Gratny
Wendy Adams
Date Added:
06/01/2004
Friction (AR)
Unrestricted Use
CC BY
Rating
0.0 stars

Learn how friction causes a material to heat up and melt. Rub two objects together and they heat up. When one reaches the melting temperature, particles break free as the material melts away. Arabic Language.

Subject:
Physical Science
Physics
Material Type:
Simulation
Provider:
University of Colorado Boulder
Provider Set:
PhET Interactive Simulations
Author:
Carl Wieman
Danielle Harlow
Michael Dubson
Mindy Gratny
Wendy Adams
Date Added:
06/02/2008
From Meteorology to Mitigation: Understanding Global Warming
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CC BY-NC-SA
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Human-caused climate change represents one of the great environmental challenges of our time. As it is inextricably linked with issues of energy policy, a familiarity with the fundamentals of climate change is critical for those looking to careers in the energy field. To appreciate the societal, environmental, and economic implications of policies governing greenhouse gas emissions, one must understand the basic underlying science. METEO 469 serves to lay down the fundamental scientific principles behind climate change and global warming. A firm grounding in the science is then used as a launching point for exploring issues involving climate change impacts and mitigation.

Subject:
Applied Science
Atmospheric Science
Career and Technical Education
Ecology
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Life Science
Physical Science
Material Type:
Full Course
Provider:
Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Author:
Brian Gaudet
Michael Mann
Date Added:
10/07/2019
Functional Morphology: Philosophy and Methodology
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CC BY-NC-SA
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Purpose of Exercise: Provide students with an appreciation of the importance of using a rigorous scientific approach to the study of functional morphology. Students are asked to intuitively interpret the function of fossil skeletal morphologies. From this they identify a variety of genuine methodologies used in functional morphology, appreciate the importance of using multiple approaches, and realize how easy it is to generate untested hypotheses of function (i.e., adaptive storytelling).

Materials: Class breaks up into 4 groups of 4 students. Each is presented with a fossil or shell from an invertebrate animal. The shells provided: (1) modern Nautilus, sliced laterally to show the chamber walls; (2) Archimedes bryozoan, just the helically spiraled core of a colony; (3) fossil scaphopod; and (4) fossil gastropod with spines along the apertural lip. Only the group with the gastropod should know the phylogenic affinity of the fossil: tell this group the shell is of a gastropod. The groups with the Archimedes and the scaphopod are asked to interpret the function of the entire shell; they should not be told whether or not the entire skeleton is represented. The Nautilus group is asked to consider the function of the chamber walls. The group with the gastropod is asked to consider the function of just the spines.

Procedure:
1. The groups are asked, based on their intuition, to interpret the function of their shell or structure. (5 mins)
2. Without inquiring about their specific interpretations, the groups are then asked to think about what methodologies, philosophies, or logical approaches were utilized to make functional inferences. (5 mins)
3. Each group reports back.
4. On the board generate a list of the approaches identified. These should reflect many of the formal methods recognized within the discipline. Note how interpretations are tenuous or flawed when based on merely one approach; also note mistaken functions because of wrong assumptions or misapplied methods. (10 mins)
5. Follow this with a short lecture / discussion reviewing the formal methods employed in functional morphology.

The following files are uploaded as supportive teaching materials:
1. Lesson plan with the "conceptual change model" outline.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Subject:
Biology
Life Science
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Provider:
Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College
Provider Set:
Teach the Earth
Author:
Michael Savarese
Date Added:
08/23/2019
Fundamentals of Microwave and RF Design
Conditional Remix & Share Permitted
CC BY-NC
Rating
0.0 stars

The book series Microwave and RF Design is a comprehensive treatment of radio frequency (RF) and microwave design with a modern “systems-first” approach. A strong emphasis on design permeates the series with extensive case studies and design examples. Design is oriented towards cellular communications and microstrip design so that lessons learned can be applied to real-world design tasks. The books in the Microwave and RF Design series are: Radio Systems (Volume 1), Transmission Lines (Volume 2), Networks (Volume 3), Modules (Volume 4), and Amplifiers and Oscillators (Volume 5).

Subject:
Applied Science
Engineering
Material Type:
Textbook
Provider:
North Carolina State University
Author:
Michael Steer
Date Added:
08/29/2019
Fundamentals of Music Theory
Conditional Remix & Share Permitted
CC BY-NC-SA
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0.0 stars

This open e-book is the result of a project funded by a University of Edinburgh Student Experience Grant, Open e-Textbooks for access to music education. The project was a collaboration between Open Educational Resources Service, and staff and student interns from the Reid School of Music. As a proof-of-concept endeavour, the project aimed to explore how effectively we could convert existing course content into convenient and reusable open formats suitable for use by staff and students both within and beyond the University. The resulting e-book presents open licensed educational materials that deal with the building blocks of musical stave (sometimes known as staff) notation, a language designed to communicate about musical ideas which is in use around the world. The resources in this e-book include video lectures and their transcripts, as well as supporting text explanations, examples and illustrations. The materials introduce topics such as the organisation of discrete pitches into scales and intervals, and temporal organisation of musical sounds as duration, in rhythm and metre. These rudiments are presented through an introduction to the elements of five-line stave notation, and through critical discussion of the advantages and limitations served by notational systems in the representation and analysis of musical sounds. This serves as the basis of further explanations, to illustrate musical concepts including key, time signature, harmonisation, cadence and modulation. We anticipate that subsequent versions of this e-book will update and develop the contents and presentation of the materials, following the success of this student-led collaboration.

Subject:
Arts and Humanities
Performing Arts
Material Type:
Textbook
Provider:
University of Edinburgh
Author:
John Kitchen
Michael Edwards
Nikki Moran
Richard Worth
Zack Moir
Date Added:
11/17/2021
Fundamentals of Physical Geography
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PhysicalGeography.net is an educational web portal that focuses on a specific area knowledge known as Physical Geography. Physical Geography is a sub-discipline of two much larger fields of study - Geography and Earth Sciences.

Subject:
Physical Geography
Physical Science
Material Type:
Reading
Provider:
Okanagan University College
Author:
Michael Pidwirny
Date Added:
02/16/2011