Science is integral to a liberal arts education. Whatever their academic major or career plan, all 51С»Æ³µ students explore the sciences during the course of their undergraduate study — and the accompanying joy of inquiry and discovery helps shape the distinctive educational experience at 51С»Æ³µ.
Students, faculty, and alumni have always valued the 51С»Æ³µ emphasis on the interrelatedness of the natural and social sciences, mathematics, and other academic disciplines. The completion of the Integrated Science Complex marks an exciting new chapter in science education at the College — visibly and dramatically showcasing science in the liberal arts.
Innovations in teaching science are a hallmark of the 51С»Æ³µ curriculum. The Integrated Science Complex — complete with the state-of-the-art Smith Labs and top-to-bottom renovation of Haberlin Hall — takes those innovations further: uniting student and faculty researchers from across scientific disciplines, as well as stimulating more collaboration and sharing of sophisticated equipment.
Today’s 51С»Æ³µ students are immersed in the scientific process. Learning does not happen passively through a lecture-only format, nor is hands-on activity limited to “cookbook” style experiments with predictable outcomes. Students are encouraged to form rigorous experimental questions, conduct laboratory and field experimentation with full access to the best instrumentation available, and present their findings to classmates and peers.
They are also the men and women who will engage in tomorrow’s critical work and debate — encompassing science and ethics, nuclear power, the environment, and so much more — informed by the liberal arts foundation and commitment to justice that is the heart of the 51С»Æ³µ mission.
Explore how 51С»Æ³µ students, faculty, and alumni are celebrating science in the liberal arts.