I need a ROUGH DRAFT powerpoint research topic on the question below

My research question for this powerpoint is: How does the Varroa Destructor parasite cause death and decline in Apis Mellifera population specifically with the larvae?

This is a ROUGH DRAFT powerpoint for my project coming up. It needs some research on my research question and to answer the questions below, but not an aggressive amount of research since it is a rough draft. I need it to be 8 slides, here are the details about the slides and the questions that need to be answered: Was the research question clearly established? Is a title given on the presentation related to the topic? Did the author provide the correct number and type of sources within the reference section? (There should be at least 5 PEER REVIEWED) Did the introduction/background give enough background with relevant citations for the topic present? Was the question fully addressed in the context of honey bee biology? Were PEER REVIEWED figures used to support the content? Were you able to summarize your findings? Was the presentation designed well?

YouTube Video Project
This project helps fulfill the following learning outcomes for the course:
•
•
Describe the basic principles of the scientific process
Interpret technical and scientific writing by writing/presenting scientific summaries
Depending on the selected topic, the project would also be covered by any of the other Learning Outcomes of
the course.
Overall Project Description
The student is responsible for making a research video presentation that focuses on honey bee biology, with
emphasis on studying the model organism Apis mellifera or products made by Apis mellifera (e.g. honey,
propolis, etc). The goal is to create a research video presentation that goes into great detail on a very specific
research topic. The video should not be a broad summary that describes in little detail the basic biology of
honey bee (as that is already covered in the course) but cover in depth important research experiments that
support and answer the stated research question using peer-reviewed sources. The overall project is broken
up into 4 different assignments:
A. Topic Submission (10pt)
B. Peer-Review Quiz (20pt)
C. Peer Feedback (20pt)
D. YouTube video submission (180pt)
Purpose
This is a 300-level science course but with no lab component. Instead of a lab report, the student will create a
research presentation that will fulfill Bloom’s Taxonomy of Higher-Order Thinking Skills that is appropriate for
this course. Over the semester, the student will be able to utilize their basic understanding and recollection of
the scientific method and honey bee biology and analyze and evaluate science papers to create a video
presentation answering a research question that has been studied. These skillsets are developed by taking
exams, watching lecture videos, and engaging in group discussion.
Topic Submission
Prior to spending a lot of time and energy into producing a research presentation, the topic should be vetted.
For many students, this can be daunting when they are first learning about honey bee biology and may not
have a specific question yet.
This assignment was created to help the student narrow the topic to a specific research question. For
example:
•
•
•
Start with something that you might be curious about. Look at the syllabus of the course topics.
Use Google Scholar to see what might pique your interest.
Use search terms like “Apis mellifera” + “xyz” (putting quotes around search terms tells Google to
return items that specifically have those terms.
The exercise forces you to further narrow the question to a specific question. Now, what if you want to change
your question? That’s fine! By then, the assignment will have helped you figure out how to come up with
another question that is also specific.
What is a research question? In order to present a research presentation, you need to first come up with a
research question. Refer to the Scientific Method—Make observations, do background research, then
formulate a question. A research question is very focused and specific. It is a question that can be supported
by research. Granted, you will not be doing the literal research to answer your research question, as one does
in the Scientific Method. But others have—present their findings and the experiments done to answer your
research question.
Warning!! Students often fall into these hypothetical scenarios as questions—but they make for very poor
research presentations. For example, “What happens to humanity if bees were gone?” is a horrible research
question to try to present on. Consider the experiment that a scientist would have to perform or data
observed to collect data. Is this easily done? Are there published papers doing this? Is this even feasible? (The
answer is generally ‘no’ for these hypothetical situations. That should warn the student that this is not a good
topic.)
One suggestion I often give is: read a research paper. Can you identify the actual research question? HINT!
The video research presentation is a lot like presenting a research paper. The paper is focused, has data to
support answering a specific question, the title is very specific that summarizes the results, etc.
Identifying Peer-reviewed Material Quiz
Students often falter at identifying peer-reviewed sources. Failure to successfully incorporate adequate peerreviewed material in the presentation can result in significant lost points. Why is this so important? Peerreviewed means the paper and science was vetted by experts in their respective fields and found the
statements made and science done to be sound. This is a science course. Using peer-reviewed sources is
standard practice in scientific writing and research. Arguably, your ability to identify credible sources of
research can be applied outside of Ento320. This is a powerful skill to have.
Draft Submission for Feedback
We will use Peerceptiv as a tool to provide feedback on classmate projects for Ento 320-700 and Ento 320500.
The more complete the draft, the better the feedback. The purpose of this aspect of the project is to finetune
what you are working on and hopefully receive valuable feedback. Too often, last minute drafts and projects
score poorly—this helps avoid that scenario.
The draft doesn’t have to be complete, but you will need to provide a skeleton of the presentation. Even
seeing the flow of information and train of thought can be useful in getting the final product made.
1) Submission must have an Intro, Question, 3 content slides, Conclusion and Significance slide (in
that order).
a) Final product will have more fleshed-out details and slides, but this is the skeleton that you
should work with.
2) All slides do not have to be complete, but of that skeleton, you will need to provide the research
question and some data. If you can’t provide that by the time this draft is due…that should be a
warning sign to you!
3) Feel free to put space savers on your slide
a) For example: “This slide will have data that shows xyz.” Or “This slide will introduce Apis
mellifera.”
4) The assignment will require the student to post their project draft and to leave feedback on 3 other
student’s drafts.
5) All reviews are anonymous. All submissions are anonymous.
Final Project Submission
After going through the process of picking a topic, figuring out a research question, getting data together to
answer the research question, putting together a draft, getting feedback on the draft…now you must
assemble and finalize your video presentation.
Requirements for the video presentation:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use a presentation program, such as Google Slides or PowerPoint, to clearly display the research
content. Check out the downloadable PowerPoint Template you can use!
Record a video presentation that is 6-8 minutes long (penalties applied if too short or too long). Check
out the supporting document on suggested free programs to record a presentation.
The video must cover a topic not discussed in great detail in the course. Remember, we are going
deeper than just a summary of the lecture. We are looking at research on a specific topic.
The research subject should involve and relate to Apis mellifera biology
o Not A. cerena, not A. dorsata, not A. laboriosa etc. This can result in a failing project grade.
The video must be uploaded to a streamable site (such as YouTube).
The video must be accessible by the instructor (if video is inaccessible, this can result in lost points). I
can’t grade a video if I can’t see it.
You must have a video submitted.
A minimum of 5 peer-reviewed sources are needed for this presentation.
The presentation should include the following, in this order:
o 1) Title Slide
 Title should summarize the presentation findings
 Not be vague
 Not be a question
 Avoid terms like “Effect” “Benefit” Be explicit and state what the effects or benefits are
o 2) Introduction/Background Slide(s)
 Describes the model organism-Why should we care about Apis mellifera? Explicitly state
and describe the genus and species, using proper nomenclature and style
 Provide enough background to set up the research Question
• For example, if you are talking about pesticides…which one? How does it work?
You want to provide enough background to make the question relevant.
 All information must be cited (penalties applied if not)
o 3) Research Question Slide
 Clearly state what the research question after the introduction/background is provided.
o 4) Content/Results Slides
 Have 3 figures from peer-reviewed sources that support the title and answers the
research question.
 Hint: Summary figures and diagrams that do not have data will poorly support the
topic
 Describe the experiment done so viewers understand the significance of the data
 All figures must be cited properly, using a reference style consistent with the reference
section
 Less is more
• For example, use bullet points
o 5) Conclusion Slide
 Summarize the results in 3 or 4 sentences, a sentence from each major piece of
evidence/experiment discussed in the content section.
o 6) Significance Slide
 What is the long-term impact of this finding? What is the implication to honey bee
biology or honey bee management?
 Do not confuse the order of Conclusion and Significance Slides
o 7) Reference Slide
 List references. Pick a reference and citation style and be consistent.
 Remember there is a difference between in text citation and references list.
 No reference style will result in lost points. I cannot interpret URLs.
o Once finished, submit to Canvas:
 A link to the video from a streaming site
 A pdf of the presentation which includes the references.
Technical considerations for the presentation
Recording a presentation has never been easier! All students should have access to Zoom. Recording can be as
simple as recording your presentation (screen share, then record to cloud or locally to collect an .mp4)! I do
not restrict students on what programs they want to use. But consider the viewer—always check back on your
work after recording before final submission.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Is the presentation easy to see in YouTube? Sometimes recording aspect ratios are too small, and your
figure may be awesome, but now too small to see!
How does the audio sound? If you can’t hear yourself well, I can’t either.
Please do NOT use your cell phone and record your laptop/computer…. this never comes out well.
Use the programs already on your computer for screen recording. Nobody enjoys a vertical, shaky
hand recording.
Please do NOT simply record yourself staring at the computer. I need to see the presentation. If you
do not wish to be seen, you are not required to be in the presentation.
Audio is necessary for grading this presentation. Please contact me if you need accommodations. A
common solution used in the past has been text to speech functions.
Consider writing a script ahead of time. This could cut down in editing time, help you avoid reading off
the screen, and help take out fillers such as “um.”
What is considered good research evidence?
When you establish your research question, consider what are pieces of evidence that will answer and support
your question? The more specific your research question is, the easier in identifying what pieces of data is
“good”. When you are reading a research paper, identify the research question. Then ask, “Does the data in
this paper support that question?” That’s how you need to approach your research question.
Hint: A research paper will have a very specific research question and supporting data. A good presentation at
the end of the day is a lot like presenting a research paper.
Sometimes, you want to include some really cool data and experiments that is sort of related to your project.
But that’s the downside of only doing 6-8 minute available! You will have to triage and figure out what are
your strongest pieces of evidence!
When I grade the presentations, I see what the question is, and then I look at the data. I view Figure 1, 2 and 3
as 3 pieces of evidence. They need to be strong enough to stand on their own to be a contributing piece of
information. You can have more than 3 figures (and tables count as a ‘figure’), but remember, there is a time
limit.
Other important considerations for the final presentation
As stated, the video should have a minimum of 3 figures (tables or graphs) from peer-reviewed sources that
support the content of the presentation.
1. Here is an example of data from a specific experiment.
a. Also note: there are resolution differences from the image on the left vs the right.
Figure 1: Figure 2 from Alburaki et al 2019. The left graph is a little pixelated, but still legible. TIP: If you zoom in on the pdf before
snipping, you can get better resolution (see right figure). Also note, no figure legend is copied. That’s your job—to present the
figures, data, and explain the significance of the results as it answers your question.
2. A summary figure that shows an experimental schematic or flow chart is not sufficient. See example:
(Disayathanoowat et al., 2020)
(Alburaki, Smith, Adamczyk, & Karim, 2019)
Figure 2: Schematic of an experimental design. This is not data. This just shows the reader how the experiment was set up.
Also, note how I cited each figure. These figures can be useful to the viewer if it helps describe the experimental design of the
data that you will be showing as well. But do not rely solely on this figure as data.
3. A table from a meta-analysis paper is not sufficient. See example:
Table 1: Table from a meta-analysis paper. Meta-analysis paper authors review existing literature. They are important, but do
not provide evidence that can directly support the topic. Instead, you can use these as tools to find papers that are relevant to
your topic (see the reference column?). (Malone & Pham-DeléGue, 2001). Also note how hard these types of tables are to
read—consider the aesthetics of your presentation and as a viewer, how it would appear.
4. As stated, all figures need to be cited in the presentation so it’s clear that these figures came from a
peer-reviewed source.
• Exception: Supporting figures in the introduction doesn’t have to be from a peer-reviewed
source, but must be cited
• For example, you may want to show images of bees, but they may not necessarily come from a
peer-reviewed source. The intro section would be appropriate for this.
• The peer-reviewed figures are your evidence. Remember, this is a research presentation so
research should be shown!
5. The title of the presentation should be a single sentence summarizing the presentation findings.
• “The Waggle Dance” is not a good title because it is vague.
• “The effect of the Waggle Dance on foraging” is also vague. What is the effect?
• “Apis mellifera uses the Johnston’s Organ to detect orientation during foraging flights.” is
better.
6. Accompanying the video in final submission, is a pdf of the presentation which includes the references.
• References should be formatted. Style is up to you. But simply providing a URL is not sufficient. I
need to see a minimum: Author, title, journal source, year.
• Make sure you are providing accurate information. For example: Research Gate is not the name of
a journal. Shibboleth Authentication Required is not the name of a journal. Elsevier is not the name
of a journal.
7. A minimum of 5 peer-reviewed references for the entire presentation are required (points will be
taken off for using non-peer reviewed sources. Please go to the “How To” section of the course to
understand what qualifies as a Peer-reviewed source.)
• Unacceptable references include: blog websites, extension websites, Wikipedia, Pesticide company
websites, my lectures.
• Textbooks, chapters, and thesis are not peer-reviewed sources.
8. References are not the same as citations. Citations are done in text while references are provided at
the end of a document or presentation. Noticed how I cited all figures and tables in these instructions.
Those are citations. To find the references, look for the full references at the end of the document.
Check the rubric. Always check the rubric. There, one can see what I will be
looking for and what points might be taken off.
Common issues and misconceptions:
•
•
•
Entomological Society of America official common name for Apis mellifera is honey bee (2 words. In
Europe, it’s one word. We spell it the American way!)
Africanized honey bees are a hybrid. They do not have an official subspecies name. They are NOT the
same as African honey bees which is Apis mellifera scutellata. You may come across resources that
confuse this distinction.
Genus and species are ALWAYS italicized (even in the reference section and title). Species is ALWAYS
lower case and genus will ALWAYS be capitalized. Points will be deducted for this.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mad honey is often produced by the Himalayan honey bees (Apis laboriosa) but can be made by Apis
mellifera. If you choose to study this topic, make sure to check your sources!
Same problem when studying bees/hornet interactions. Most are studied using A. cerena and not A.
mellifera. Be careful!
Native bees are not honey bees in the US. If you are reading a research paper that is looking at native
bee populations in the US, they are NOT talking about Apis mellifera. They may look at both native and
non-native bees, but make sure you are researching and showing data specific to European honey
bees.
Make sure to distinguish honey bees as Western European Honey Bees (so as not to be confused with
Eastern Asian Honey Bees).
Apitherapy is a popular topic but many resources online are not well researched or have claims that
are simply made up. Be vigilant and highly critical of your references as there is good research being
done, but hard to find amongst the quackery.
No quotes in scientific presentations! Paraphrase with your own words.
References used in these instructions:
1. Example of what NOT to do:
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/2/264/htm
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Effects-of-transgene-products-on-honey-bees-(Apis-Malone-PhamDel%C3%A8gue/0a86d147fb0f76abfb1275c19d8aec28da6b0589
Microorganisms 2020, 8(2), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8020264
2. Example of what references would look like formatted (this is APA style. Choose a style of your choice.)
Alburaki, M., Smith, K. D., Adamczyk, J., & Karim, S. (2019). Interplay between Selenium, selenoprotein genes, and
oxidative stress in honey bee Apis mellifera L. Journal of Insect Physiology, 117, 103891.
doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.103891
Disayathanoowat, T., Li, H., Supapimon, N., Suwannarach, N., Lumyong, S., Chantawannakul, P., & Guo, J. (2020).
Different Dynamics of Bacterial and Fungal Communities in Hive-Stored Bee Bread and Their Possible Roles: A
Case Study from Two Commercial Honey Bees in China. Microorganisms, 8(2), 264.
doi:10.3390/microorganisms8020264
Malone, L. A., & Pham-DeléGue, M.-H. (2001). Effects of transgene products on honey bees (Apis mellifera) and
bumblebees (Bombus sp.). Apidologie, 32(4), 287-304. doi:10.1051/apido:2001130