Final Project
HSCI 3306_Environmental Health
General Instructions for Final Project:
For the final project, you will either work alone (Note: graduate students have to work
alone) or in a team of up to 6 members to complete it. The first step is to determine if you will be
working alone or in a team. If you are working alone, please send me an email stating that you will
e working alone at XXXXXXXXXX. If you want to work in a team, sign up for one of the
teams on Blackboard. The teams have a six-person limit. Make sure to sign up for a team that has
group members. If by the end of the week, if you are signed in a team where you are the only
member, then it is assumed you will be completing the final project on your own as an
individual. Once determined if you will be completing the final project on your own or in a team,
you all need to choose an environmental health topic of importance to the US-Mexico border
egions and included in Healthy People 2020 objectives. Find the objectives and potential topics
of interest by visiting: (https:
health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data
owse-
objectives/environmental-health). Once you have chosen, completion method and a topic,
submit your project information by completing the form in APPENDIX 1.
The final project assignment will consist of a reflective paper based on a literature
eview. The final version of the reflective paper is due on 6/30/22 11:59 PM MT via Blackboard,
and it will be score from 0-100 and worth 40% of the final grade. The Final Project is mandatory
and cannot be substituted.
Writing Assignment: Reflection Paper Based on Literature Review
Group or Individual Term Paper Guide and Scoring
Students, individually or as a team, will be required to complete a review paper based on
at least ten (10) peer-reviewed journal articles on an environmental health topic of importance to
the US-Mexico border regions and included in Healthy People 2030 objectives. The review paper
will also require a pathway diagram representing the factors and health outcomes of the topic. To
complete the literature review and reflective paper, students will search from resources available
at UTEP’s li
ary or other valid academic resources. Please contact UTEP’s li
ary if you need
help in accessing resources. Selected research articles should have been published after 2015.
Take note that a reflective paper is not a summary of the papers you have read.
Purpose: The purpose of performing this activity is to give students the opportunity to
ead some of the latest research on a topic of personal interest in the area of
Environmental Health. This information will allow the student to become more aware of
what is happening in the field and allow them to use the knowledge about research design
in this area.
What is a reflection paper? A reflection paper is your chance to add your thoughts and
analysis to what you have read and experienced. It is meant to illustrate your
understanding of the material and how it affects your ideas and possible practice in
the future.
Procedure:
For this project, you and your colleagues will be writing a reflective paper based on
a literature review. The project paper must be based on your reflections after reviewing
scientific, scholarly literature published after 2015. The topic must be based on one well-defined
aspect of environmental health of importance to the US-Mexico border regions and
mailto: XXXXXXXXXX
https:
health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data
owse-objectives/environmental-health
https:
health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data
owse-objectives/environmental-health
included in Healthy People 2030 objective. An example can be such as exploring the
question: “Is {exposure} a risk factor for {disease/condition} in
{population}?” or the question, “Is {intervention} effective in treating
{disease/condition} in {population}?”
You will need to use a clear and comprehensive systematic search strategy to identify
ALL relevant primary research articles published on the topic from XXXXXXXXXX, so the
scope of the paper must be relatively na
ow. Additionally, you must carefully follow APA
formatting rules, so you will need to get familiarized with this writing style. For starters,
you can visit www.apa.org, although UTEP’s li
ary has plenty of resources on it
, including the Li
ary’s Writing Center, which you can schedule visits to get advice. Just
in case you need further help, contact our college-assigned li
arian Harvey Castellano,
oom 213 at the Li
ary building (email: XXXXXXXXXX).
The paper will require a structured abstract of XXXXXXXXXXwords, a body-of-text which
should include the following sections: introduction, background information, reflective
discussion, and conclusion), a minimum of 10 references (at least 8 of which must be
journal articles), and one pathway diagram of the environmental health topic selected.
MUST FOLLOW AND COMPLY APA STYLE & FORMATTING RULES. USE
AS MANY PAGES AS NEEDED.
The student or group of students will be required to search and select ten (10) references
for review from resources available at UTEP’s li
ary. Articles should have been
published after 2015.
1. The student or team must decide on a topic to review. The topic should be related to a
egional environmental health issue pertaining to Healthy People 2039 and the US-
Mexico border regions. Make use of the following resources to make a decision:
a. Websites:
i. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency https:
www.epa.gov
ii. Occupational Health and Safety Administration:
http:
www.osha.gov/index.html
iii. National Institutes of Health: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services: http:
www.niehs.nih.gov/
iv. Healthy People 2030: https:
health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-
data
owse-objectives/environmental-health
. UTEP´s LIBRARY RESOURCES:
i. Health Promotion Libguide: https:
libguides.utep.edu/healthpromotion
2. Fill in and upload the “Topic Proposal” form in APPENDIX 1 form by the scheduled
deadline. If the proposal is not turned in on the scheduled date, a 50%-point deduction
will apply to the final paper score.
3. Each group must conduct a literature review using at least ten valid reference sources
from peer-reviewed professional journals available at UTEP’s li
ary. Articles should
have been published after 2015.
4. Write an original reflection paper based on your findings. The paper should be at least
nine pages in length – not including the title page & reference section; Times New
Roman font, size 12, double-spaced. The report must contain the following sections:
• Cover page (1-page)
• Abstract (1-page)
• Introduction (1-page)
http:
www.apa.org
mailto: XXXXXXXXXX
http:
www.epa.gov
http:
www.osha.gov/index.html
http:
www.niehs.nih.gov
https:
health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data
owse-objectives/environmental-health
https:
health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data
owse-objectives/environmental-health
https:
libguides.utep.edu/healthpromotion
• Summary of reviewed literature (3-pages)
• Reflective discussion (2 pages)
• Conclusions (1-page)
• Pathway Diagram (1-page)
• References (as many as needed)
• Use APA format style to write the paper and cite your references.
• If you include pictures, it is highly recommended that picture quality is sufficient
• to provide the relevant information.
SEE AN EXAMPLE OF REFLECTION PAPER IN APPENDIX 2 (PLEASE
NOTE IT DOES NOT INCLUDE PATHWAY DIAGRAM, BUT YOU MUST
INCLUDE IT IN YOUR SUBMISSION).
What are the challenges?
• The scope must be VERY na
ow since your references must encompass ALL new
findings about the topic from relevant primary research articles published from 2015-
2022.
• Since some articles may need to be acquired through interli
ary loan, it is important to
select a topic and search strategy as soon as possible.
To succeed:
• Selecting a focused, na
ow topic
• Defining a clear and comprehensive systematic search strategy
• Reading the full text of ALL relevant articles
• Creating a clear data extraction table for inclusion in the manuscript
• Following all formatting rules
Final Project timeline:
Step Outcome Due Date
1 Fill and upload topic selection form 6/8/22 11:59 PM MT
2 Upload a draft version of the paper 6/26/22 11:59 PM MT
3 Upload the complete final version of the paper 6/30/22 11:59 PM MT
PENALTY FOR NOT TURNING IN TOPIC PROPOSAL
FORM BY DEADLINE. -50% POINTS
PENALTY FOR NOT TURNING IN FULL PAPER BY
DEADLINE. -50% POINTS
PENALTY FOR NOT TURNING IN POWER
POINT SLIDE PRESENTATION BY DEADLINE. -50% POINTS
Recommendations for coordinating the completion of the Final Project with teammates
In order to complete the Final Project, you must communicate well with your teammates.
It is recommended that you share and discuss methods of communication, such as whether you all
prefer to do all through email, organize phone calls, or video conferencing. Decide whether to meet
weekly and set times to work together. If you need assistance meeting virtually, I may help set a
video conference with your team members so that you may have an opportunity to meet. Ultimately
you will have to communicate to make sure that you complete the assignment in a timely manner.
Final Project
HSCI 3306_Environmental Health
APPENDIX 1:
Reflective Paper Based on Literature Review
Topic Proposal Form
Instructions: Fill out the form and submit it by uploading it into the appropriate
assignment section on the Blackboard Learn platform. Use additional pages as necessary.
Group number (leave blank if you do not know the group number):
Group members:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Environmental Health Selected Topic:
Research question to be explored:
How does this topic & question go beyond what will be covered during the course?
Does your topic address any Healthy people 2020 objectives? Which ones?
Importance
elevance
elationship to US-Mexico border region population:
Proposed outline:
List of names of potential journal sources:
Running head: CLIMATE CHANGE AND MENTAL HEALTH 1
Climate Change and Mental Health: A Reflection Paper Based on Literature Review
University of Texas at El Paso
Gilberto Perez
CLIMATE CHANGE AND MENTAL HEALTH 2
Abstract
Climate change, climate change related disasters, and mental health disorder are not
only a rising environmental health concern but also a public health concern. There are
no preventative measures being taken to address the impact of climate change on
mental health disorders (e.g. anxiety, stress, PTSD, depression, etc.). Nonetheless,
there is clear evidence suggesting the co
elation between the two. There is a call for
intervention strategies that specifically target people who have experienced a climate
change disaster and those who are at increased risk. In order to implement a
preventative or intervention strategy