Transcript Slide 1
Interdisciplinary Initiatives
at
Washington & Lee University
Helen I’Anson
Biology & Neuroscience
HHMI Program Director
HHMI aims:
To increase bioscience student competency in
sophisticated quantitative and computational analysis,
and in collaborative interdisciplinary approaches to
problem-solving.
Curricular and Faculty Development goals:
• to increase interdisciplinary connections by promoting faculty course
exchange teams
• to encourage the development of new interdisciplinary courses to be offered in
W&L’s new 4-week Spring Term
• to encourage development of new courses during 12-week semesters that
promote inquiry-based learning and incorporate interdisciplinary approaches
• to fund faculty to organize on-campus workshops or to attend courses/workshops
to acquire new pedagogy/methodologies.
Faculty Course Exchange Teams:
Exchange between Introductory Physics (Dr. Irina Mazilu, Physics-Engineering) and
Introductory Biology (Dr. Bill Hamilton, Biology/Environmental Studies)
Physics modules:
The dynamics of the vertebrate skeletal system to introduce torque and rotational
motion
The circulatory system to illustrate fluid dynamics
Biology modules:
Laws of thermodynamics in metabolism
Pressure/volume relationships and arterial blood flow
Introduction to fluid dynamics related to atherosclerosis
Faculty Course Exchange Teams:
Exchange between CSCI 121: Scientific Computing (Dr. Simon Levy, Computer
Science/ Neuroscience) and Biol 301: Statistics for Biology and Medicine (Dr. David
Marsh, Biology/Neuroscience).
Biology module:
Computational statistics to include:
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re-sampling: code writing for bootstrapping and permutation methods.
introduction to Bayes theorem and Bayes networks/hierarchical models.
Computer Science module:
Statistical applications of computation to include:
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simple computer algorithms for hypothesis testing and experimental design
simulation methods to perform basic statistical analyses
independent projects focused on statistical analysis
Faculty Course Exchange Teams:
Exchange between Calculus I (Dr. Katherine Crowley, Mathematics) and Introductory
Biology (Dr. Larry Hurd, Biology/Environmental Studies).
Joint Math/Biology module – radioactive decay (fossil deposits), and carbon dating
(organic remains of organisms)
• News story, grape vines from a 6000 year old winery, introduces use of calculus to
date organic material.
• Implications of radiocarbon dating in biology – how radiocarbon dating led to a more
accurate understanding of moa extinction.
• Journal articles read to investigate the history of radiocarbon dating and its
limitations, and to critique authors’ conclusions.
Development of new Spring Term interdisciplinary courses:
• 2009 – revised spring term at W&L
• From 6-week Spring Term with a two course student load to a 4-week
Spring Term where students take one course only.
• HHMI impact – science faculty felt encouraged to design courses that were
intensive, innovative, and often research-oriented, and/or interdisciplinary.
• Outcome – exciting courses that were funded directly or indirectly by HHMI
(* on next slide) or dove-tailed with HHMI curricular goals
New Spring Term courses designed and implemented
over the past two years:
* Environmental Biology: Endangered Plants of the Appalachians (Bio 101)
Physics and Perception of Music (Phys 102)
* Disorder & Chaos (Chem 106)
Science of Cooking (Chem 155)
* Dynamic Systems Modeling and the Global Climate (Chem 165)
* Research Preparation in the Biosciences (Bio 200)
* Introduction to Robotics (CSCI 250)
iPhone course (CSCI 251)
* Research Questions in Genomics (Bio 323)
* Environmental Modeling and Conservation Strategies (Bio 325)
Plant Functional Ecology – Yellowstone Restoration Ecology (Bio 332)
* Science in Art: Technical Examination of 17th-Century Dutch Paintings (Arth 356)
Courses impact approximately 170 students per year.
Courses in 12-week semesters incorporating inquiry-based learning and
interdisciplinary approaches :
* CSCI 102: Introduction to Computational Modeling (CSCI 102)
Science in Art (Chem 156)
* Human Biology & Nutrition (Bio 165)
* Cell Biology (Bio 211)
* Bioengineering & Bio-inspired Design (Engn/Biol 267)
Experimental Botany: Global Climate Change (Bio 330)
* Developmental Biology (Bio 365)
Clinical Trials (Bio 395B)
Courses impact approximately 100 students per year.
Courses/workshops for faculty to acquire new pedagogy and/or
methodologies:
On-campus workshops:
• Shodor Computational Teaching Workshop
– 7 new or modified courses, 4 courses with new modules (150 students/year)
• NSF Workshop – 8 grant submissions, 5 funded
• Applications of Statistical Mechanics To Far-from-Equilibrium and Biological
Systems Workshop
– 47 student & faculty participants from 3 colleges/universities
• Computational Chemistry for Chemistry Educators Workshop
– faculty from 13 colleges/universities to attend
Courses/workshops for faculty to acquire new pedagogy and/or
methodologies:
Off-campus workshops:
• The Xenopus Cell and Developmental Biology workshop
• NeuroSterology workshop
• Vensim and system dynamics advanced modeling
• Genomics Education Partnership
• Applications of HPC, Grids, and Parallel Computing to Science Education
• ACS Summer Teaching and Learning Workshop
• Red Hat Certified Engineer Rapid Track workshop
• Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis workshop
Impact: 9 faculty & approximately 450 students per year