Marquee Science & Technology Courses

A successful example of cross-

disciplinary course developmentJordan Goodman Robert BriberDepartment of Physics Material Science & Eng.CMPS Engineering

February 2010

National need for an understanding of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Cannot be addressed only by educating future scientistsThe problem is deeper, more systemic, and solutions must extend to improved education for non-science majors. Non-scientists are called on to make decisions based on science

Discussion in the early spring of 07UG Dean Donna Hamilton, Jim Gates, and JGDonna was concerned that many of our best students on campus never took science

Many would “AP” out of science when they came inMany would be in majors like Business where more science wouldn’t be required

Donna organized a group (~15) of interested people who meet in the spring of 07

Call for Proposals from Undergraduate Studies:Signature program that:

Engages senior facultyCreatively addresses the challenge

“Teach” the process of scienceElucidate how science addresses world problems

Satisfies General Education (CORE) expectationsHas departmental and college support

Deans picked from proposalsEngage 100+ students

How does science attack problems to which the answer is not known

Most (virtually all) science courses we teach are about subjects that the answers are knownControversy is only presented historically and often parenthetically Conclusions are offered as if any reasonable person would have figure it out themselves

Even subjects like relativityWhat role can technology play in society?

Summer 2007 – full day workshopFall 2007-PresentThe Faculty became a Learning

Community Met regularly over lunchReviewed and discussed best practicesShared ideas for engaging students in process of scienceAgreed upon common attributes of coursesDeveloped learning goals and assessment measuresMet with advisors to foster full course enrollment

The Marquee Faculty Research-Active Tenured Faculty Interdisciplinary (3 colleges and 7 disciplines)

NEW AREC 200: The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem: Intersection of Science, Economics and Policy —

Douglas Parker and Douglas Lipton – Life Sciences

At the completion of a Marquee Course in Science and Technology students will be able to: Look at complex questions and identify the science in the

question and how it impacts and is impacted by political, social, economic, and ethical dimensions

Understand the limits of scientific knowledge Critically evaluate science arguments Ask good questions Find information using various sources and evaluate the veracity

of the information Communicate scientific ideas effectively Relate science to a personal situation

Marquee Course Learning Goals

At the completion of a Marquee Course in Science and Technology students will be able to: Look at complex questions (e.g. global warming, medical technology,

biodiversity) and identify the science in the question and how it impacts and is impacted by political, social, economic, and ethical dimensions

Critically evaluate science arguments (e.g. those that are made in a news article, a student presentation, on a TV show, presented to a lay person by a physician etc)

Marquee Course Assessment

First CORE courses offered by College of Engineering !

Updated Enrollment Data

Mentoring Teaching Assistants

TA involvement and buy-in is essentialThis is a different kind of TA assignmentThis time hand selected TAsThis was an excellent way for them to learnWe are working on creating a Marquee TA program

Learn physics of energy in the context of the global energy crisis and the real world

PhysicsBiologyEconomicsPolitics

Energy conceptsPopulation and growth

Fossil FuelsGlobal warmingEnergy sources

Possible outcomes/solutions

PHYS 105Physics for Decision Makers:

The Global Energy Crisis

Engaging the Students

Assigned seating in lecture according to discussion groupThink, pair, share works only if they are willing to talk to each otherMoved Honors students

Keep it currentHomework included reading George Will article in the Washington Post and letters that followed (Nov 09)Visit campus Co-generation plantHonors section will do congressional visitsDiscussion of current events

SciencePolitics

Read & Discuss the IPCC reportDiscuss the East Anglia E-mails

Guest speakersCampus Conservation ManagerHouse Science Committee StafferScience Journalist

Example from student project - McKeldin Library

McKeldin LibraryAverage daytime energy use: 200-250 KWH

Average nighttime energy use: 150-200 KWH

Daytime Running Lights – DRLsAre they worth the energy they

consume?

Sample lecture topic

Energy Usage by Daytime Running Lights

How do we figure it out?Then figure out how many cars there areEstimate how many hours DRLs would be on per carEstimate how much power 1 pair usesPut it together and get the energy usageCompare this to their benefits

Energy Usage by Daytime Running Lights

How many cars are there in the US?300 Million People (adults and children)

How many families?1. 50 Million2. 75 Million 3. 100 Million4. 150 Million5. 200 Million

Energy Usage by Daytime Running Lights

How many cars are there in the US?(100 Million families)

How many cars/family?1. 0.52. 13. 1.54. 25. 2.5

Energy Usage by Daytime Running Lights

(after some more class work)So we use 3 x 109 kWh extra electrical power in our cars

A gallon of gas contains about 130 MJ/gal or 36 kWh/gal

The car engine is about 30% efficient so we get 10kWh/gal

3 x 109 kWh extra electrical power means 3 x 108 (300 million) gallons of gas/yr on DRLs

At $2.50 a gallon - $750M year and 5 Billion pounds of CO2

Benefit of Daytime Running LightsStudies show anywhere from 7%-18% reduction

in daytime accidents from use of DRLs (mostly head-on left-turns)6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. The financial cost of these crashes is more than $230 BillionIf there is a only a 5% reduction in crashes because of DRLs then you save ~$10 Billion per year 30,000 fatalities each year – 5% saves 1,500 lives (at $5M each -> $7.5B)

Another lecture topic

Students were asked:Why the trend?

“People mistake weather for climate”“The economy has displaced global warming from the news”“It’s the scientists fault for not being definitive enough”

Why, since this is a scientific question, do the responses break down on party lines?

“Dems want green industries”“Republicans want to protect big business”They get their news from different sources

What are students expectations?

Students just want me to tell them “the answer”

What makes them think I know it?

Why should they believe it if I told them one?

Student Comments (about the class) “The topics are current so it makes for a really interesting

class and it is really well-developed.” “This is a great class that everyone should be required to

take.” “…the course was awesome!!! I really dont like science at all

but I loved this class!!” “I absolutely loved this class! I'm so glad that it was offered

this year, and I would recommend it to almost anyone. The material covered was very interesting and very relevant. The class was kept engaging by clicker questions, occasional experiments or fun tasks, and discussions about interesting issues”

“Very interesting course but too many group assignments. ... I did however learn a lot and the course covers a lot of extremely relevant material to the world today. “

ENMA 150 Materials of Civilization

• Materials have played such an important role that scholars have named periods of history after them, including the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

• This cover the basic concepts of the field of materials science and outline the role materials have played through history.

ENMA 150 Materials of Civilization

• Students do experiments with materials• …

ENMA 150 Materials of Civilization

• Students do Research Poster about materials• Teams of 4 students• Presentation in lobby of Kim Building• Posters cover the following items:

discovery, (unique) properties (both good and bad), composition/structure, applications, future applications/potential.

Possible Topics• The 2007 Nobel Prize in physics was given to Albert Fert

and Peter Gruenberg for the discovery of giant magnetoresistance which is considered one of the first fruits of material property changes that occur at the nanoscale.

• The discovery, properties manufacture and uses of Teflon®.

• The discovery, properties manufacture and uses of Kevlar®.

• The discovery, properties manufacture and uses of synthetic diamonds.

• The discovery, properties manufacture and uses of superconductors.

• The discovery, properties manufacture and uses of carbon nanotubes.

What makes Marquee courses different from most other courses at

the University?•The goals of the courses are independent of the subject matter – they are truly cross-disciplinary•The subject matter doesn’t drive the course•Community involvement in the process

•We meet over lunch for 2-hrs 3 times a semester•We have special sessions for “Marquee TAs”

Community

Community involvement in the process

Senior faculty People used to collaboration Strong institutional support: buy-in from the

colleges Community within the disciplines This community provides innovative ideas and

keeps the focus on the overall educational goals – rather than the subject material

Provides a focus for TAs