John Conklin (Sociology)
College Life and Film is a new course that examines higher education in the United States through the lens of feature films about college life. Students learn to evaluate film and will become more active viewers of the medium while using the films as resources to think about undergraduate life since World War I.

Mark Cronin-Golomb (biomedical engineering)
In a revision of BME 100: Design of Medical Instrumentation, a required course for the new major in biomedical engineering, students are introduced to computer interfaced medical instrumentation and simple biomedical signal analysis through case studies, labs and design projects. Student teams design a biomedical instrument and offer it for critical analysis by their peers.

Mark Hernandez (romance languages)
A redesigned Spanish 191: Issues in 20th Century Mexican Literature and Culture explores key social and cultural issues in Mexico as manifested in literature, film, music, and the visual arts. The course looks at the country after the Mexican Revolution, the “Mexican Miracle”, and the re-imagining of the nation after 1968.

Jonathan Kenny (chemistry)
An expansion of an existing Windows on Research to four semesters provides students with the opportunity to do research in chemistry-related fields. The new course promotes critical thinking skills by asking teams of students to apply their knowledge of chemical principles and concepts to real-world problems.

Mitch McVey (biology)
A revision of Biology 105: Molecular Biology, analyzes how molecular biology techniques are applied to address current outstanding research questions. Students develop the necessary analytical skills, including experiment design, data analysis, and
the construction of arguments based on empirical evidence, to discuss and critique primary research articles.

Blaine Pfeifer (chemical and biological engineering)
Engineering 69 is redesigned to incorporate field trips to local chemical and biological engineering companies. The instructor and representatives from the companies work together to pose engineering problems for the students to consider before their visits to the companies. Students’ analytical skills and teamwork abilities are honed as they attempt to find solutions that the companies could implement.

Deborah Schildkraut (political science)
Political Science 103: Political Science Research Methods is revised to enhance the critical thinking skills of political science majors by encouraging students to critically assess research that uses sophisticated methodological tools. Students learn to collect and analyze social science data, and they become better equipped to evaluate and critique the vast amounts of data analysis and presentation encountered by civically engaged citizens.

Past Program Participants:

2007  |  2006  |  2005  |  2004  |  2003  |  2002  |  2001  |  2000  |  1999

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