In EMR16, students design their own wine or chocolate-tasting experiment in order to use the principles of experimental design and data analysis.
Students are actually given money to purchase chocolate or wine (depending on their age). They then have to come up with an experimental design. They can form their own sampling procedure, such as choosing from their friends or people on the street. In the case of chocolate-tasting, they ask questions like, "Can you distinguish whether it is dark chocolate?", "Can you taste what country it's from?", or "If you eat a lemon first, are you less able to taste the chocolate?"
Students then analyze their results using ANOVA, which they learn in class.
This activity was used in a previous offering of the course (Stat105), and was covered by the Crimson. To read the article, which provides more information about the activity, click here.