“Science is Everywhere” Essay

A popular expression around our science department is that “science is everywhere.” To me, this means wherever you might be, in a boat, riding a bike, paddling on a boogie-board, or even sitting serenely under an oak tree, you can look at your world with a scientific perspective and appreciate the science surrounding you.

The essay I’d like for you to consider and write will be based on something you did this summer that could be explained with a scientific perspective and supported by some fact-finding. I’d like for this essay to be written in three paragraphs with a total word count between 350-500. The first paragraph (remember paragraphs have a topic sentence with supporting sentences) could be thought of as introductory. It tells the reader the circumstances and surroundings where you made the observation that you will describe in scientific detail in the remaining two paragraphs of the essay. The second paragraph contains the actual research information that you will uncover online or in reference books. The third and final paragraph concludes your essay and recaps (or summarizes) the first and second paragraphs. You tell your reader what you’re going to write about; you write about it; and finally you tell your reader what they just read.

For example, a sentence in introductory paragraph one might be similar to this.

As I watched the mosquitoes land on my arm and start to probe my skin, I wondered how these little pesky insects could ever make such an itchy sore.

You might go on in the second paragraph to describe the female mosquito’s modified hypodermic-like proboscis. You might decide to find out about all the different species of mosquito, like the Anopheles mosquito that carries malaria in certain tropical regions around the world. At the end of your essay please list the website(s) or books you used to support your science observation.

Be creative and take this research-based essay in the direction that most interests you.

Title… At the top your page, include a catchy title. This title should not be too lengthy, but is intended to ensnare your reader, tipping them off as to what they’ll soon be reading. For example, The Day I Smashed Seven Mosquitoes in one Slap of my Hand

Paragraph one… Is an introductory paragraph, setting up the circumstances and surroundings from which you made your science observation. It sets-up and poses a question sparked from your initial observation. This paragraph is obviously more personal than the second or third paragraphs.

Paragraph two… This contains the bulk of the scientific information or explanations. The information you discover online or in reference books is contained in this paragraph. This is probably your longest paragraph.

Paragraph three… Is the concluding paragraph, partially personal but may contain additional science information. This paragraph readdresses the introductory paragraph and draws your essay to a grand finale.

References… Skip a few lines and tell your reader where you found your supportive science information.