Each student will complete a research project. This project is meant to give you hands-on practice in using numerical models to study a scientific problem. Examples of appropriate topics include (but are not limited to) developing a simple model, modifying a more complex existing model, or designing an experiment that uses different parameter settings or physics options.
For many students this project will be related to their thesis research, but your project must not be one that you also will submit (or have submitted) for another class. Your choice of topic is open as long as you adhere to these general requirements.
Students are welcome to work together on a project as long as each student's role and products are clearly identifiable. This could even include the entire class working together on one large project.
The project is structured in a way similar to your thesis research or a real-world research project. It will include these steps:
All materials for each step must be submitted in two forms: a printed hard copy, and as a single Adobe PDF file to wxpred@gmail.com. I will make remarks on the printed copy and return it to you. I will keep the Adobe PDF as a reference for any questions you might ask about your project.
These components of the class project are described below.
A few weeks into the course you will submit a proposal of a few pages describing plans for your project. The proposal will help you to structure your thoughts on your goals and procedures. The proposal will describe what you plan to do, why you are doing it, how you intend to go about it, what results you expect to find, and your timeline for completing the stages of your project. An important part of the proposal is a thorough review of prior work on the same or related topics appearing in the scientific literature.
I will give comments and suggestions on your report, in particular whether your project can reasonably be done within the time you have available.
Due date: Tuesday, September 9.
Submit a progress report that summarizes your work to date. Include the methods you have used, any problems you have encountered and how you resolved them, and preliminary results. You do not need to give conclusions at this point.
Due date: Thursday, October 23.
A written report will describe how you conducted your project, what results you found, and your interpretation of your findings. It should be structured like a manuscript to be submitted to a professional journal, with an abstract, double-spaced text, and figures at the end with explanatory captions. You can use the format specified for either American Geophysical Union journals or American Meteorological Society journals. The report is not to exceed 20 double-spaced pages. Figures and tables do not count as part of the page limit.
Due date: Thursday, November 20.
You will present your findings orally in class during the last week of the course (December 9 and 11). The format will be similar to a professional conference such as AGU or AMS, i.e., 12 minutes for your presentation followed by a few minutes for discussion and changeover to the next speaker (15 minutes total). These presentations will be open to attendance by students and faculty.