How To Be Educated Well At School

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One track could be designed as an option for students who are interested in exploring the interfaces between biology, mathematics, computer science, and the physical sciences (Curriculum B).

A more radical change in undergraduate biology proposal appears as Potential Curriculum C below. The key idea is that contemporary biology cannot be taught effectively until students have a sufficiently strong background in chemistry, physics, math, and computer science. Consequently, biology is not taught in the first year, apart from a seminar designed to whet the appetite of students for biological research and stimulate their acquisition of a strong background in the physical sciences. Rather, the first year is devoted to providing students with the requisite background in the physical sciences and mathematics.

It is difficult to teach chemistry, physics, math, and computer science all in the firs different fro t year. To succeed, the content of these courses has to be quite im that of traditional courses in these areas. Also, the notion that an introductory course must occupy two semesters in the same academic year would ...
... have to be put aside. The primary objective of the first year would be to provide students with the physical science knowledge and tools needed to effectively study biology starting in the second year at a level that prepares them for contemporary biological research as it is being carried out today. In the proposed curriculum, Chemistry I and II would introduce students to inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and key aspects of biomolecular interactions. Math I would deal with differential calculus and elementary linear algebra, and Math 11 with integral calculus, probability, and statistics. Computer Science I would teach algorithms, simulation of dynamical systems, string (sequence) comparisons, and clustering; a high-level language such as MATLAB or Mathematics would be used. Physics I would present mechanics, followed by equilibrium statistical physics. Waves, electrostatics, and collective phenomena would be presented in Physics II, followed by signal analysis and processing, basic quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy in Physics III.

The four-semester core biology sequence (Molecular Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Evolutionary Biology Ecology) starting in the sophomore year could be taught with a quantitative emphasis that would draw more heavily than now on the physical sciences, mathematics, and computer science. For example, emergent system properties at all levels of biological organization (e.g., in signal transduction cascades, genetic regulatory circuits, and ecosystems) could be taught making extensive use of quantitative models.

The fourth potential curriculum is intended for students who are especially interested in evolution, ecology, and systematics. It assumes students enter already having taken calculus and calls for specific courses in biostatistics and computer science, essential tools for the study of evolution. Students focusing on evolution may go on to pursue many types of activities, ranging from field research to clinical research. As discussed earlier, the connections between different types of biology are growing stronger just as the connections between different sciences are growing.

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