TOPICS FOR FOCUS DISCIPLINE RESEARCH PROJECTS

The topics for the Focus Discipline Research Project are as follows:

• PSYCHOLOGY: Discuss the psychological and physiological aspects and factors involved in human memory. You should discuss both normal memory as well as memory disorders such as amnesia and Alzheimer's disease.

• COMPUTER SCIENCE: Research recent developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence, particularly concerning the COG project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). What is the purpose of the COG project? How does the COG project fit into the field of human-computer interaction?

• BUSINESS: Discuss how sales and marketing strategies have changed as a result of developing technology. What changes have occurred in advertising with the development of computer technology? How has developing technology expanded the marketplace for both businesses and consumers?

• BIOLOGY: Research in genetics has produced many important discoveries such as the structure and function of DNA. In the past several years a large project, known as the Human Genome Project, has been undertaken to try to determine the details of the complete set of human genes. Describe the Human Genome Project, and explain some of the important issues involved in it.

• ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: Research the science of Plate Tectonics. Explain the role of plate tectonics in earthquakes. Define the two different types of faults and explain why some earthquakes are more destructive than others. Choose 2 earthquakes, one caused by a slip-slide fault and the other caused by a thrust fault. Compare and contrast the consequences of each.