Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Patents and the Deodar Cedar

Introduction:
For many cultures, the spiritual and the "real" world are closely connected, sometimes interchangeable. Great emphasis is placed on the natural world in connection to some culture's belief systems. In India, for example, the Hindu's call the deodar cedar the "wood of the gods." This mighty tree has been revered for centuries upon centuries. The ancient Hindu sages would go high up in the Himalayas into the deodar forests and practice complicated meditation rituals. The deodar cedar is certainly mentioned in many ancient Hindu legends. While the deodar cedar is valued for its deep-rooted religious significance, the tree has always had many practical uses. The deodar cedar has been used for centuries in ancient medicine, incense (which plays a large role in Indian culture and religion), and in construction materials from past times, even widely used today.

Task:
In this webquest, you will play the role of an aspiring inventor, contracted by the United States Agency, the NTCBF (New Technologies to Create a Better Future) organization, to come up with a new invention. They want you to use something that can be grown and cultivated in various regions of the United States, so new jobs can be created in the production of this new marketable product. What better way than to use the deodar cedar, which can grow in the mountain ranges of both the western and eastern part of the United States, to use as a base material for a new invention?! You will investigate several websites relating to the deodar cedar and answer questions about the tree, its cultural significance and diverse practical applications in the economic world. You will need to come up with a new and practical use for the deodar cedar in order to secure a patent from the United States' Patent Office. As a final product, you will need to create a short PowerPoint presentation (7-10 slides) outlining your new invention/use of the deodar cedar to present to your boss at the NTCBF National Summit meeting in just a few short weeks. The question guiding your work is, What can I learn from the deodar cedar's history as a religious icon along with its diverse practical uses to create a use for the deodar cedar in America that will create jobs and ultimately uplift our economy?

Process:
You will need to read materials on the web pages listed below. For each page, you should answer the supporting questions listed below the link to the web page. After you have read materials on all the web pages and answered all the questions, you should prepare your PowerPoint presentation to your bosses at the NTCBF. Your report should be a minimum of seven slides to act as a visual aid when presenting your 3-5 minute presentation to your bosses. The presentation should include the following elements:

  1. Your name and the title of your presentation
  2. A listing of all your sources
  3. A summary of the information in each source. Use the answers to your questions to write your summaries.
  4. A specific use for the deodar cedar in the creation and/or production of a marketable product. BE SPECIFIC. Remember, you are applying for a patent that will be used to create new jobs in our tough economy. A lot is depending on you! (And your job depends on it!) You should show how the deodar cedar has had and continues to have many diverse practical applications in the economic sense. You could also include how large of a role this product has played in other countries through its combined cultural, practical, and religious significance, in order to validate your future new use of the tree in the United States.

Webpage #1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara
  • Questions -
    • Why is the deodar cedar called the "wood of the gods" in Hindu culture?
    • Where has the deodar cedar already been cultivated in the United States?
  • Questions -
    • How did the British use the deodar cedar when they colonized India?
    • What properties make the deodar cedar such a widely used tree in building purposes?
Webpage #3 - http://www.fao.org/docrep/V5350e/V5350e12.htm
  • Question -
    • What are four products the deodar cedar is used to make?
Webpage #4 - http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/373-devadaru
  • Questions -
    • What are some of the medicinal uses of the deodar cedar?
    • How is the deodar cedar used in medical research?
Evaluation:


 RUBRIC
Beginning
1
Developing
2
Accomplished
3
Exemplary
4
Score

Content Accuracy
Content in the final presentation is mostly inaccurate and does not include information from all the web pages.

Content in the final presentation is mostly accurate but limited and/or does not include information from all the web pages.
Content in the final presentation is accurate, but does not include information from all the web pages.
Content in the final presentation is completely accurate and does include information from all the web pages.

Structure and Format
Presentation length and slides do not meet the outlined requirements.
Either presentation length OR # of slides do not meet the outlined requirements.
Presentation length and # of slides meets the outlined requirements.
Presentation length and # of slides goes above and beyond outlined requirements.

Quality
The presentation fails to engage the viewers and does not connect the information in a clear and concise manner.
The presentation connects the information but fails to engage the viewer in a clear and concise manner.
The presentation adequately connects the information and engages the viewer in a clear and concise manner.
The presentation connects the information and engages the viewer in an exceptional manner.

Creativity of Deodar Cedar Use
The use of the deodar cedar is not specific/or is not given.
The use of the deodar cedar is not a “new” use for patent purposes.
The use of the deodar cedar is a “new” use for patent purposes.
The use of the deodar cedar is highly creative and sparks the viewers’ interest.


Conclusion:
This webquest focuses on the deodar cedar and the diverse practical applications of the tree in the economic sense.  Not only does this tree have great economic value, the tree has held great significance in the culture and religion of the Hindu's.  For centuries, this tree has played a pivotal role in various facets of societies throughout the world.  One can use the knowledge gained from the many wide ranging uses of the deodar cedar to perhaps think creatively about how we can use our natural resources to create new and revolutionary products.  However, we must also be aware that many cultivated and natural resources are over-processed and risk becoming extinct.  So, as inventors, naturalists, economists, or whatever you want to be, keep in mind that our natural resources only exist as long as we take care of them!  We have a dual responsibility to our future generations: one, to secure a better future by creating new technologies and products that uplift society; two, to manage these precious resources so they can still be enjoyed by all in the decades and centuries to come!

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