Developing a Research Question

To start off this next project I will be analyzing a single source on the topic of controversial issues in the field of engineering. The controversy can be anything within the field, so for this post I will be researching for controversial topics and listing them here. Using the list, I will form four questions regarding the topics. And finally, analyzing the topics and looking more into the questions, I will choose a topic to research for my project.

geralt. "Question Mark Note Man Person Comic Headache." 2014 via pixabay. Public Domain Dedication.

Some of the most controversial topics in engineering today surround the methods of genetic engineering and geoengineering. I have deeply analyzed the debate on whether genetic modifications to human embryos is ethical or not in many of my previous posts. The ideas surrounding modified genetic germlines have recently been frowned upon, especially when it comes to changing the human genome. When it comes to the methods used in geoengineering, the effects could be positive and negative as disputed by many following the subject.

One source I found on geoengineering was written by a journalist from The Washington Post. The article is formatted as an interview script. The journalist, Brad Plumer, introduces the idea of cooling the earth using geoengineering. He interviews climate scientist David Keith, who supports the idea. Unlike Keith, many people do not agree that geoengineering can be a safe method to solving the world's climate change problem.

The second source I found is an article also about climate change, but dissimilar to the post from The Washington Post, this source is more reliable in that it tunes in to both side of the argument. David Keith is again referenced in this article but in a much smaller aspect - adding his opinions for a few ongoing paragraphs. The issue of climate change has been long debated and has had multiple controversies stemming from it. What can be done to stop the crisis of global warming?

A third source highlights the debate on whether green genetic engineering is sustainable. It has been an ongoing controversy among many, especially supporters of the Non-GMO Project. The Project aims to "preserve and build sources of non-GMO products" as stated on their website for their mission.

And finally, the fourth source I've found was published by OuterPlaces.com on the topic of genetic engineering. Again the debate heats up as more and more events occur with the use of genetic engineering. People worldwide have been either up in arms or rising in support over each event that takes place. The article asks whether the methods of genetic modification are protected under the first amendment, almost implying that the processes may not even be legal. Janey Tracey of Outer Planets highlights both sides of the debate.


Here are a few research questions regarding these newly found sources:

1. Is geoengineering a solution to our world's climate crisis?

2. If people are talking about and giving possible solutions to solving world climate change, then why aren't these methods being used?

3. Is genetic engineering legal with regards to law, more specifically the First Amendment?

4. Do humans have a future using strictly green genetic engineering as a food source?

These questions all pose an important topic that can be discussed widely in open dialogue. The world is already taking a stance on each subject, but it is still just the beginning of an ongoing debate. Should companies be allowed to use geoengineering to harness the earth's fuels? One such way that is extremely controversial is the use of "fracking," a method to gathering the ground's natural gases. Or should we as a nation turn towards genetically modified food products for a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle? These are questions that still remain out in the open. People are stubborn with their views, and in my next project I will be able to analyze those opinions.