Blog Assignment #2: MLK's Letter and Project Outlook

This week, I got the privilege of reading Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.  I was truly impressed by Dr. King's way with words and his ability to convince others.  The way he used a question and answer approach would leave no doubt in any logical reader's mind that he was fighting for what was right.  The letter gave me a better understanding of why so many people at the time didn't do more to achieve civil rights for everyone.  Dr. King showed me clearly that the "Wait for it to happen" mentality won't accomplish anything, and that justice requires action.

After reading the letter, I looked into a timeline of what happened in the Civil Rights before and after this letter was published.  It appeared that the timing of this letter was somewhat of a turning point in the Civil Rights Movenment.  Before the letter there were many major events that helped end segregation such as the Montgomery bus boycott and Brown vs. Board of Education, but after the letter was released it appeared that action toward equal rights had increased significantly.  Dr. King gave his I Have a Dream Speech, protests increased, and groundbreaking legislation was proposed to get equal rights.  Then by July 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and segregation became outlawed.  Dr. King has had one of the greatest impacts on American society and this letter can be viewed as a timeless piece of work that teaches us to stand up to injustice.

Now onto research project talk!

When it comes to my current research project, I believe there are many interesting articles and pieces of information yet to come.  I would say that I have only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my research, and most of the intriguing information will be found in time.  I hope to find many more viewpoints regarding biofuel production as well as significant information regarding the science behind biofuels. 

I want my research to lead to a project that could give those in the biofuels community an idea of what the average farmer thinks of using their products to produce these fuels.  I also hope my research is able to sway the opinions of farmers on biofuel production, because it is their materials that are being used here and they should have the right to know how useful or useless biofuels really are.
Thanks for reading,
Matthew Willis

Blog Assignment #1: Why biofuels?

As my blog name and post title imply, I am strongly considering researching biofuels for this class's research project.  My interest in this topic relates to my major, Agricultural Business, and my upbringing on our family farm.  In the last 10 years there has been an explosive interest in ethanol and other biofuels in the popular media.  Some coverage is in favor of these fuels, while other coverage finds it wasteful.  Currently, I do not have enough information to decide which of these viewpoints I believe in. 
That's where this project comes in!

With adequate research, I hope to find enough information to help me decide what my stance on biofuel creation is.  Once I find my stance, I would then be able to effectively argue for or against biofuels, and help my fellow agriculturalists make educated decisions regarding biofuel production.

In order to create an unbiased project, I plan on looking at my topic from a multitude of perspectives.   Currently I am hoping to find information that looks at biofuels from economic, scientific, conservative, and liberal viewpoints in particular.  These will help me even out my small family farm perspective. 

For biofuels there would be potential for several scientific artifacts.  Papers or essays explaining the process in depth would help educate other readers efficiently.  Powerpoint presentations would be great for this as well, because it would allow me to include visuals of the creation process.  Presentations or papers could also be used to explain the economic and environmental impacts of biofuels for an audience.  In addition to these, something like a Public Service Announcement could be used to quickly educate others about biofuels in a creative manner.  No matter which artifact style I choose to create, I plan on including information regarding the science behind biofuels as well as their cost effectiveness in creating energy.

Thanks for reading,
Matthew Willis