Detailed instructions and examples of past student work are available for all of the portfolio elements.

Curriculum Vitae: Create a CV that introduces you to the other students. This should be creatively designed and generally in they style of an "academic CV." The CV should include your major, academic address, prior education, relevant courses completed at the University, employment and volunteer experience, publications or presentations that have been made including titles of papers written for courses, languages spoken and other skills, and other information felt to be important. Your CV should NOT include personal photographs, date of birth, age, place of birth, social security numbers, and other information that should not be released to the public. 40 points. (expected time to complete: 2 hours)

Demonstration of Leadership: The course is organized around a series of discussion topics. You are expected to lead one of these “in class” discussions. The topics are listed in the course schedule. As a discussion leader, you will work with the instructor to prepare appropriate materials. The discussion should be organized so that groups can be formed for discussions, some kind of learning activity, or other means of relating topics to the other students. Creativity is encouraged.  The group activity must be based on the literature provided as a reading and at least one other resource article. The additional article must be integrated into the group activity and it must be distributed to the class one week prior to the presentation. A group activity should take about 20 minutes. You must lead at least one group activity in order to receive a B or higher grade. Group activity options are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Each group activity that is led is worth up to 40 points. (expected time to complete: 2 hours)

Digital Poster: Posters are creative visual presentations that address specific research methods, plant species, or cultural practices. Your poster must emphasize the scientific analysis of human cultural interactions with plants and plant environments. You will create your poster using Microsoft PowerPoint and are expected to already be generally familiar with the operation of this software. The content for your poster will come from a published scientific article. This article must be that is approved in advance by the instructor. All posters will become part of the BOT 440 permanent web site.  You must produce at least one digital poster in order to receive a B or higher grade. Each digital poster is worth up to 60 points. (expected time to complete: 3 hours)

Plant Voucher Specimen: A voucher specimen is a representative sample of a plant species that is used for identification and as supporting evidence of information learned during the research process. It is critical that voucher specimens are preserved correctly so that the information they hold is available for long periods of time. As a result, specimens are processed in standardized ways, deposited in internationally recognized herbaria, and referenced within publications as evidence of research. You should produce a set of five mounted and labeled specimens that will be deposited in the University of Hawaii herbarium. Digital photographs of each completed specimens and the accompanying data will be posted in your portfolio. The completed set of five specimens is worth up to 40 points. (expected time to complete: 4 hours)

Informed Consent Forms: Informed consent forms are used in any kind of research in which people are involved. This includes almost all modern ethnobotany research. Informed consent includes two key elements: provision of very clear information about the research to be conducted with the reasonable expectation of what the results will be, and a clear choice by any participant in the project to participate or not, and if not, to receive the same benefits as anyone who chooses to participate. You are expected to produce one example of an informed consent statement package for a project that you could theoretically complete. A written informed consent form of one to three pages is worth up to 40 points. (expected time to complete: 2 hours)

Research Hypotheses: Research hypotheses are the basis for all scientific work, including ethnobotany. Your project will identify one published ethnobotany research article that strongly builds upon a hypothesis. (The same publications may not be used for the method and hypothesis assignments.) You must indicate the hypothesis, how it was tested, and if it was found to be supported or not. A written summary of the research in two paragraphs (using a format to be assigned) is worth up to 40 points. (expected time to complete: 2 hours)

Questionnaires Addressing Hypotheses: Questionnaires are often used in ethnobotanical research as part of a strategy to learn about patterns of human interactions with plants. Questionnaires are particularly useful in providing quantitative data that can be analyzed. You should produce a questionnaire, based on hypotheses, that includes sections on demographics and research questions. There should not be more than 20 questions on a one or two page form. The questionnaire is worth up to 40 points.  (expected time to complete: 2 hours)

Research Methods Addressing Hypotheses: Research methods that properly test hypotheses are the basis for scientific work, including ethnobotany. You need to identify one published ethnobotany research article that uses a clearly reproducible method to address an hypothesis. (The same publications may not be used for the method and hypothesis assignments.) Your report must indicate the hypothesis and elaborate on how the particular method was used to test it. A written summary of the research method in two to four pages is worth up to 100 points. (expected time to complete: 4 hours)

Investigative Research Project: An investigative report consists of an in-depth examination of an ethnobotanical situation or problem. You are expected to pose hypotheses, gather and use scientific data and facts, and demonstrate your understanding of plant biology. You must also tie in your findings and ideas with an accurate use of reference materials. Your project will be judged on its scientific merit ans well as its clarity, organization, and creativity. It is expected that your report will consist of 10-15 pages of clearly written work; data appendixes, figures, and tables may be included on additional pages. You must produce at least one investigative research project in order to receive a B or higher grade. Each investigative research project is worth up to 100 points. You may work together with another student on this project but the number of points earned will be divide equally between the two of you. (expected time to complete: 8 hours)