ECON 310 NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMICS Writing Assignment

Spring 2011

Compute the fuel consumption and emissions for various sized container vessels, operated at typical speeds ranging from 22 to 28 knots. You will be assigned a particular sized vessels on which to base your calculations. Select an appropriate route, and compute the total fuel consumption and emissions. Assume first the ship operates using high-pressure steam turbines, and next diesel piston engines. For comparison, compute the fuel consumption and emissions over the same distance for carrying the equivalent number of containers by truck or by train. Assume the truck is a standard tractor-trailer carrying two TEU containers, and that the train carries 100 TEU.

Your first deliverable will be a microtheme, which consists of the title, your name, the proposed thesis statement of your finished paper, and the numbered topic sentences for each paragraph. Your microtheme should have five-to-seven topic sentences, which means the finished paper should have the same number of body paragraphs.

Your finished paper is the second deliverable, and it should have your title, name, and the start of your text on the first page. The thesis statement from your microtheme should be the last sentence of the introduction paragraph. Each body paragraph should start with one of your topic sentences from the microtheme. Finally, add a conclusion. The paper should include a table or graph showing comparative fuel consumption as a function of cruising speed, and in comparison to trucks and trains.

The introduction should explain the overall plan of the paper so the reader knows what to expect and where to look for parts of special interest. Indicate your data sources, a bibliography, and footnotes or endnotes.

The third deliverable is a presentation poster illustrating your findings, which you will use for the undergraduate research expo.