Ageing Society | AI and
Ageing Society | AI and Data | Clean Growth | Future Mobility Research project ideas Project brief In this project you will choose one of the research questions below and write a balanced report in response: • How does loneliness impact on health? • If people are living and working longer, how will that impact on the future of jobs and careers? • Will new battery technology solve the energy crisis? • Can data and artificial intelligence beat cancer? You should start by researching the theme and making a note of the key issues. Next decide how you could approach the research question and where you could look for evidence to support your theory. Make a list of all the sources of information available to you on the topic. This might include news articles, professional journals, public opinion polls, policy documents, case studies and interviews with professionals. Decide which sources you will choose to look at in your investigation and why. Consider how you will record your findings in a logical way. If you decide to use case studies in your research, you will need to decide how you will select them. If you are looking at articles you might decide if they are generally positive or negative first before analysing the evidence. If you have access to public opinion polls, try to look at the raw data. You could investigate what people think compared with their background or demographics. You could carry out your own survey to find out what people of different ages and backgrounds think. You should plan and carry out your own interview with an expert professional. This could be a professional working in a related job or a researcher at a university. Things to think about • Who will benefit most from new technology, will anyone lose out? • Are there any ethical considerations? • What evidence is used to support the ideas in the articles you have read? • What problems did you face? • If you had more time, how could you extend the project further? • What are the implications of your findings to the real world? Useful resources Ask your teacher to help you find an expert mentor: • stem.org.uk/stemambassadors Articles: • wired.co.uk • newscientist.com • askforevidence.org/help/evid ence Public opinion surveys: • ipsosmori.com • yougov.co.uk Health and safety To avoid any accidents, make sure you stick to the following health and safety guidelines before getting started: • find out if any of the materials, equipment or methods are hazardous using science.cleapss.org.uk/Resou rces/Student-Safety- Sheets/ • assess the risks (think about what could go wrong and how serious it might be); • if you collect your own data from surveys or interviews, make sure you get permission to use it in your project report; • decide what you need to do to reduce any risks (such as wearing personal protective equipment, knowing how to deal with emergencies and so on); • make sure your teacher agrees with your plan and risk assessment. 18
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