SCIENCE PROGRAMS AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE

Students learn science best by formulating and testing their own hypotheses, using methods capable of producing convincing evidence. This is true at the elementary level, where students become interested in further study by encountering science as discovery rather than rote facts. It is even more important at advanced levels, where students are most likely to become interested in science careers by working as fully involved junior colleagues with professionally active faculty on research projects that develop new science. The ability to conduct competitive research at Williams helps to attract talented scientists as faculty and keeps them current, so that the diverse range of science courses reflects new results and perspectives. For faculty to involve students in research, to produce publishable results, to compete for research funding, to teach effectively in a formal classroom setting, and to continually bring modern ideas into course laboratories, requires substantial support in the way of modern facilities, instrumentation, supplies and technical support. Williams College long ago recognized this need. With the construction of the Bronfman Science Center in the nineteen sixties, we established the kind of facilities and support programs recommended by studies such as the 1986 National Science Board Task Committee on Undergraduate Science and Engineering Education. As our science buildings have been upgraded to provide modern facilities for teaching and student-faculty research, the model of the entire science division as a programmatic unit has flourished. Funds for major equipment, for individual student-faculty research projects, and for stipend support of students doing research with faculty are coordinated on a division-wide basis by the Science Executive Committee and the Divisional Research Funding Committee. By working together, we are able to share not only facilities and equipment, but also ideas and enthusiasm, and so provide a “critical mass” of activity that might not be possible within an individual department at a small institution.

About fourteen years ago, Williams College affirmed its commitment to training future scientists by establishing a mechanism for identifying applicants with an expressed interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in science. Since that time, about 15% of each incoming class have expressed interest in careers in science. The high quality of the College’s science programs has maintained this interest and nearly all of those students continue in science. Thus, in the past decade Williams College has become a leader in the training of future scientists with more than 50 students going on to Ph.D. programs in science each year. The quality of this training is evidenced by the number of National Science Foundation (NSF) Predoctoral Fellowships awarded to Williams graduates in the past nine years. During that time, Williams has ranked first among predominantly undergraduate institutions, averaging about 10 NSF Fellowships per year. We attribute this success to an energetic science faculty dedicated to excellence in teaching and to the numerous research opportunities available to Williams students at advanced as well as introductory levels. It has long been recognized that a positive undergraduate research experience is the single most important inspiration for future scientists. As documented later in this report, more than 200 students were engaged in research with Williams faculty this year. More than 80 students conducted independent research projects during the academic year and 140 students were engaged in full-time research with Williams science faculty during the summer. Dozens of Williams students participated in conferences where they presented the results of their research, and many Williams students co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Concurrent with the increased student involvement in science, Williams has attracted talented and vibrant science faculty engaged in competitive research and dedicated to teaching undergraduates. As a result, the number of external grants awarded to support faculty research or curricular innovations has increased significantly. With 34 active NSF grants this past year, Williams College ranks first among undergraduate institutions in the number of NSF grants awarded to science faculty. The large number of individual faculty grants, together with grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Essel Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Keck Foundation, and other sources, have enabled us to purchase and maintain sophisticated equipment for teaching and research. Emphasizing close student-faculty interactions, the opportunities in undergraduate science education at Williams are exciting, diverse, and progressive.

After years of careful planning by science faculty, construction of a $47 million science facility, which unifies all science departments in a single complex surrounding a central science library, was completed in Fall 2000. The new Science Center, as the complex is now called, will ensure Williams’ place as a leader in undergraduate science education as we enter the next century. To celebrate the opening of the Science Center, the College awarded honorary degrees to eight distinguished scientists, selected by each of the science departments, during a special convocation ceremony in September. During an extended weekend that included convocation and the dedication of the Science Center, each of the honored scientists presented lectures to standing-room-only audiences in the new Wege Auditorium. To accommodate the large numbers in attendance, the lectures were broadcast in three additional lecture halls in the Science Center. The convocation address, entitled “The Wellspring of Discovery,” was given by Rita Rossi Colwell, Director of the National Science Foundation and a pioneer in the fields of biotechnology and marine science. The other speakers included:

Thomas R. Cech “Tricks Performed by RNA, With and Without Proteins”
Nobel Laureate, President of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and discoverer of the catalytic properties of RNA.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell “Tick, Tick, Tick Pulsating Star, How We Wonder What You Are”
Discoverer of pulsars—one of the most important discoveries in astronomy in the past century.

Donald Knuth “Dancing Links”
Author of “The Art of Computer Programming” and a leading figure in the development of computer science as a distinct discipline.

Edward R. Tufte “Visual Explanations”
Preeminent authority on the visual display of data and author of “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” and “Envisioning Information.”

George A. Miller “Ambiguous Words”
Author of classic papers on how the human mind makes sense of the world, including

“The Magical Number Seven”

Daniel E. Kleppner ’53 “Two Hundred Years of Quantum Physics”
Co-inventor of the hydrogen maser and leader in the fields of atomic physics and high precision measurements.

William B.F. Ryan ’61 “The Catastrophic Flooding of the Black Sea: Any Resonance to the Story of Noah?”
Developer of advanced instrumentation for the study of the seabed

Seven years ago Williams College was awarded a five-year grant from the Ford Foundation Initiative for Undergraduate Science Education to support the development of “discovery” courses in the sciences. Although the grant has expired, most of these special introductory science courses (described below) have become integral parts of our curriculum. Designed to excite the interest of beginning students through hands-on experiences, the discovery courses are typically taught in a manner that requires students to take a greater responsibility for their own education. They are expected to make observations, formulate hypotheses, gather data, conduct analyses, and evaluate outcomes without the faculty providing them with the anticipated results in advance. The great success of these courses has led to the incorporation of the discovery approach to teaching science in upper-level courses as well.

While covering the same lecture material as other introductory chemistry classes, a special, enriched laboratory program includes activities, which more closely resemble the unpredictable nature and immediacy of true chemical research. Students synthesize, isolate and characterize a family of unknown material in a series of related experiments constituting an integrated, semester-long investigation.

Taught by a biologist, chemist, and a geologist; the lectures, readings, laboratories and discussions in this course concentrate on integrating basic aspects of each of these disciplines as they apply to the analysis of environmental problems. Laboratory work includes botanical and geological observations in the field and the use of sophisticated instruments to perform chemical and biologic measurements in the laboratory.

Henry Art (Biology), Birgit Koehler (Chemistry) and David DeSimone (Geoscience), were the instructors in the spring. The course focused on the research site on Ford Glen Brook in the Hopkins Memorial Forest for field and lab investigations.

An introduction to geology through student field projects. The mountains, lakes, rivers, and valleys of the Williamstown area provide unusual opportunities for learning geology in the field. Student projects will include the study of streams as active agents of erosion and deposition, the effects of glaciation on the New England landscape, and the history of mountain building in the Appalachians. Following several group projects introducing the techniques of field geology, students will pursue independent projects on subjects of particular interest to them.

In July 1999, the college received a continuing grant of $750,000 from Connie and Steve Lieber, Class of ’47, to support research in neuroscience. The primary intent of this award, which began in 1992, is to involve students in state-of-the-art neuroscience research. During the summer of 2000, eleven Williams students were selected as Essel fellows. These students spent the summer working on research projects with individual faculty members. Most continued their research with either honors theses or independent study work during the 1999-2000 academic year.

The Essel Foundation grant also greatly facilitated the laboratory exercises in both the Introduction to Neuroscience course and the upper-level Neurobiology course. The new neuroscience laboratory in the Morley Science Center, established in conjunction with the Hughes Foundation Grant and with additional support from the college, has allowed students in the introductory course to gain a substantial amount of hands-on laboratory experience in neuroscience at a level beyond that usually provided to beginning undergraduates. It has also allowed a greater number of students to participate in advanced research. Essel funding was also used to support two full-time positions to assist in running the neuroscience laboratories. Dr. Noah Sandstrom of the Psychology Department doubles as the Senior Essel Fellow, and Dave Walfish (’00) served as the Junior Essel Fellow.

The grant also funded a visit from a promising young neuroscientist, Dr Grae Davis (Williams '90); not only did he provide an account of his research findings, but he also provided inspiration for current students. The Essel award will continue to fund this program as well as additional endeavors, such as summer research support for faculty, and support for student research during the academic year. The Neuroscience Program is very fortunate to have such generous support for this rapidly growing area of science.

Williams College has received 2.3 million dollars in support of a number of science initiatives from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) since 1991. These funds have provided summer research opportunities for Williams students, have helped strengthen the curriculum through the purchase of equipment and the support of laboratory development, and have funded elementary and high school outreach programs. Williams College has recently been awarded a new four-year grant of $800,000 from the HHMI. This grant will allow the strengthening of some existing programs as well as the initiation of others. “These grants are highly competitive, and we are fortunate to receive continued support from the HHMI,” reports Steven Zottoli, the director of the HHMI grants at Williams and the Schow Professor of Biology.

The new grant will allow the college to continue support of Williams College students to conduct original research in faculty laboratories on campus during the summer. In addition, funds are available to allow students to attend scientific meetings to present their results. A new initiative will provide the opportunity for six students to spend eight weeks at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA participating in courses, meeting various scientists, and conducting original research.

The Williamstown Elementary School outreach program that was initiated in 1996 will be continued and augmented. In addition, we will be initiating a similar program at the Brayton Elementary School in North Adams. Williams College students are placed in elementary classrooms and computer laboratories to help teachers in the development and implementation of their science curriculum. In addition, the grant supports a summer science camp for elementary school students and their teachers and a technology camp for elementary school teachers.

A summer outreach program for Berkshire County high school students was initiated in 1991. This month-long program continues to bring four high school students to Williams College each summer to study with Williams faculty and students.

In 1990, Williams was awarded a grant from the Kresge Foundation to replace and update major items of scientific equipment and instrumentation. This three-part grant is being used not only to purchase new equipment, but to support maintenance contracts and the repair of instruments as well. One aspect of the grant is that the College sets aside endowment funds for the depreciation and eventual replacement of items purchased under the grant.

The College has purchased and is maintaining a 24 inch optical telescope, a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, a transmission electron microscope, an ultraviolet/visible/near infrared spectrophotometer, and an x-ray diffraction instrument with these funds. In conjunction with funds awarded through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant, the Kresge grant was also used to purchase a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer. In addition, endowment funds were used this year to replace earlier models of both an atomic absorption spectrometer and an ion chromatograph. These expensive pieces of core equipment are heavily used by faculty and students, especially in collaborative research projects.

SMALL is a special summer research program in Mathematics funded by the National Science Foundation and the Bronfman Science Center. Anywhere from 15 to 25 students split into groups of three to five, and work on solving open research problems. Each group has a single faculty advisor. In the past, students have published their results in mathematics research journals and given talks at a variety of math conferences around the country. In the summer of 2001, there will be a total of 17 students working in commutative algebra, number theory, ergodic theory, geometry, and knot theory.

The Astronomy Department offers courses for anyone who is interested in studying and learning about the universe, and who would like to be able to follow new astronomical discoveries as they are made. Students can choose between broad non-mathematical survey courses and a more technical introductory course designed for those planning further study in astronomy or another science. As part of the astronomy observing program, all students in the introductory courses use the 24-inch telescope and other telescopes and instruments on the observing deck to study a variety of astronomical objects. The Astronomy major is designed for students with a serious intellectual interest in learning about many aspects of modern astronomy, but who might not have planned to undertake physics and math in the more intensive astrophysics major. The Astronomy major emphasizes understanding the observed properties of the physical systems that comprise the known universe, from the Sun and solar system to the evolution of stars and star clusters, to the Milky Way Galaxy, to external galaxies and clusters of galaxies, out to quasars and active galaxies. Students considering a major in astronomy, or a double major including astronomy, should consult with members of the Department about appropriate beginning courses. The Astrophysics major is designed primarily for students who plan graduate study in astronomy, astrophysics or a related field. The major emphasizes the structure of the universe and its constituents in terms of physical processes. Majors in astrophysics usually begin their program with ASTR 111 Introduction to Astrophysics as well as basic physics courses. Intermediate and advanced level seminars introduce astrophysics majors to current research topics in astronomy, while parallel study of physics completes their preparation for graduate work in astronomy or employment in a related field. Independent research, extensive use of the observational and image processing computer facilities, field work at remote observatories or on eclipse expeditions and close working relationships with faculty are hallmarks of the Astronomy and Astrophysics majors.

The Biological Sciences are in a constant state of flux that is reforming our entire view of living systems. Significant breakthroughs are occurring at all levels; from the theoretical to the practical, from health related fields to environmental studies, from animal behavior to molecular biology and biochemistry. In response to these needs, the Biology curriculum has been designed not only to keep pace with new developments in the field, but also to afford students as broad a base as possible for understanding the principles governing life processes. Four courses BIOL 101: The Cell; BIOL 102: The Organism; BIOL 202: Genetics; and a 400 level senior seminar are required for the major. In addition, five electives may be selected from a wide range of courses including those in cellular biology, immunology, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology, physiology, neurophysiology, ecology and animal behavior. Every course emphasizes the latest concepts and introduces techniques and instrumentation used in modern biological research. Although the Biology major is specifically designed to provide a balanced curriculum in the broader context of the liberal arts for any interested student, it is also an excellent preparation for graduate studies in medicine and life sciences.

The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to explore living systems in molecular terms. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are dynamic fields that lie at the interface between biology and chemistry. Current applications range from the diagnosis and treatment of disease to enzyme chemistry, developmental biology, and the engineering of new crop plants. After completing the introductory biology and chemistry courses and organic chemistry, a student would normally take core courses in the program: BIMO 321, Biochemistry I - Structure and Function of Biological Molecules, and BIMO 322, Biochemistry II - Metabolism. These courses, taken in conjunction with courses in genetics and molecular genetics, establish a solid background in biochemistry and molecular biology. The advanced courses and electives available from the Chemistry and Biology Department offerings encourage students’ exploration of individual interests in a wide variety of topics. Completion of the BIMO Program provides exceptional preparation for graduate study in all aspects of biochemistry, molecular biology, and the medical sciences.

Through a variety of individual courses and sequential programs, the Chemistry Department provides an opportunity for students to explore chemistry, an area of important achievement for knowledge about ourselves, and the world around us. For those who elect to major in chemistry, the introductory courses, CHEM 101-102, Concepts of Chemistry (or CHEM 103-104 for those who qualify) are followed by intermediate and advanced courses in organic, inorganic, physical and biochemistry. These provide a thorough preparation for graduate study in chemistry, chemical engineering, biochemistry, environmental science, medicine and the medical sciences. Advanced independent study courses focus on the knowledge learned earlier and provide the opportunity to conduct original research in a specific field. For those who elect to explore the science of chemistry while majoring in other areas, the Chemistry Department offers a variety of courses that introduce the fundamentals of chemistry in a context designed to provide students with an enriching understanding of our natural world. Non-majors may investigate chemistry through the following courses: CHEM 113, Chemistry and Crime: From Sherlock Holmes to Modern Forensic Science; CHEM 115, AIDS: The Disease and Search for a Cure; CHEM 119, Chemistry for the Consumer in the Twenty-first Century; and CHEM 121, Fighting Disease: The Evolution and Operation of Human Medicines.

Computers play an enormously important role in our society. The Computer Science Department seeks to provide students with an understanding of the principles underlying computer science that will enable them to understand and participate in exciting developments in this young field. The department recognizes that students’ interests in computer science vary widely, and attempts to meet these varying interests through 1) its major program; 2) a selection of courses intended primarily for those who are interested in a brief introduction to computer science or who seek to develop some specific expertise in computing for applications in some other discipline; and 3) recommendations for possible sequences of courses for the non-major who wants a more extensive introduction to computer science. Macintosh computers and powerful UNIX workstations, connected via an Ethernet network, enhance computing opportunities for students at all levels. The first course for majors and others intending to take more than a single computer science course is CSCI 134, Introduction to Computer Science. Upper level courses include computer organization, algorithm design, computer graphics, principles of programming languages, artificial intelligence, theory of computing, parallel processing, networks, operating systems, software engineering and compiler design. The computer science major is designed to provide preparation for advance study of computer science and high level career opportunities, as well as imply a deeper appreciation of current knowledge and the challenges of computer science. For those students interested in learning more about important new ideas and developments in computer science, but who are not necessarily interested in developing extensive programming skills, the department offers three courses. CSCI 109 introduces students to the techniques of computer graphics, CSCI 108 provides an introduction to the field of Artificial Intelligence, and CSCI 105 presents an introduction to the technology behind the World Wide Web.

The academic Program in Environmental Studies commenced soon after the establishment of the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams in 1967. The ENVI Program allows students to major in traditional departments while taking a diverse series of courses in an integrated, interdisciplinary examination of the environment. The program is designed so that students will grow to realize the complexity of issues and perspectives and to appreciate that many of the environmental issues lack distinct, sharp-edged boundaries. The goal is to aid students in becoming well-informed, environmentally-literate citizens of the planet who have the capacity to become active participants in their communities ranging from the local to the global scale. To this end, the program is designed to develop abilities to think in interdisciplinary ways and to use holistic-synthetic approaches in solving problems while incorporating the knowledge and experiences they have gained by majoring in other departments at the College.

The CES maintains and operates the 2450-acre Hopkins Memorial Forest and its Rosenburg Center field station, 1.5 miles from campus. The Environmental Science Laboratory in the new Morley Science Laboratory is a joint venture between the CES and the science division at Williams.

During 2000-2001 Professors Art and Fox continued their collaboration of using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to study vegetation and landscape changes in the Hopkins Memorial Forest. Professors Henry Art and David Dethier taught a course in Remote Sensing and GIS in the new GIS laboratory located in 007 Schow Science Library. Professor Joan Edwards continued as director of the Hopkins Memorial Forest and Professor David Dethier supervised activities in the Environmental Science Laboratory.

Professor Art continued to teach the Environmental Planning and the Senior Tutorial in Ecology during 2000-2001. For the past three years he has been serving as the Director of the Center for Environmental Studies and will be going on a yearlong sabbatical on 1 July 2001. During 2000 he published an article: Art, H.W. 2000, The Finest Fragments. New England Wild Flower 4: 26-27. During the past year, he gave a colloquium on land-use impacts on biotic succession of the Hopkins Memorial Forest at Trinity College and seminars native plant distributions to the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Biology Department at UMASS-Boston

The Geoscience major is designed to provide an understanding of the physical and biological evolution of the earth and its surrounding ocean and atmosphere. Internal forces drive the development of mountain ranges and ocean basins. Waves, rivers, glaciers and wind shape the surface of the earth, providing the landscapes we see today. Fossils encased in sedimentary rocks supply evidence for the evolution of life and record the history of the earth. Four introductory courses open to all students include GEOS 101, Biodiversity in Geologic Time, GEOS 102, An Unfinished Planet; GEOS 103, Environmental Geology and the Earth’s Surface; and GEOS 104, Oceanography. A special course limited to twelve fist-year students, GEOS 105, Geology Outdoors, presents geology through fieldwork and small group discussions. Courses in the major are designed to provide a foundation for a professional career in the earth sciences, a background for commercial activity such as the marketing of energy or mineral resources, or simply an appreciation of our human heritage and physical environment as part of a liberal arts education. Students often choose electives so as to concentrate in a particular field: for example, environmental geology, oceanography, stratigraphy and sedimentation, or petrology and structural geology. In addition, GEO 200, Weather and Climate Change; GEOS 206, Geological Sources of Energy; and GEOS 208, Water and the Environment, offer surveys of these areas for both non-majors and majors, and especially for students interested in environmental studies.

History of Science, fundamentally an interdisciplinary subject, traces the historical development of the social relations between science and society as well as the development and mutual influence of scientific concepts. The “external” approach emphasizes the relations between science and society, attempting to relate changes and developments in each to the other. The “internal” approach concerns primarily the ways in which technical ideas, concepts, techniques, and problems in science developed and influenced each other. Courses offered in the History of Science Program introduce students who do not major in a science to the content and power of the scientific and technological ideas and forces which have in the past transformed western civilization and which are today transforming cultures the world over. Science majors are introduced to the historical richness and variety of scientific activity, as well as to how that activity reflects upon the changing nature of science itself and upon science’s relationship to society as a whole.

The major program in Mathematics is designed to meet two goals: introducing some of the central ideas in a variety of areas in mathematics, and developing problem-solving ability by teaching students to combine creative thinking with rigorous reasoning. The math major includes special recommendations to students interested in applied mathematics or other sciences, engineering, graduate school in mathematics, statistics, actuarial science, and teaching. The major requires calculus, a course in applied/discrete mathematics or statistics, three core courses in algebra and analysis, electives, a senior seminar, and participation in the undergraduate colloquium.

Neuroscience is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field concerned with understanding the relationship between brain, mind, and behavior. The interdisciplinary nature of the field is apparent when surveying those who call themselves neuroscientists. Among these are anatomists, physiologists, chemists, psychologists, philosophers, computer scientists, linguists, and ethnologists. Combining this wide range of disciplines and areas of research for the study of a single remarkably complex organ, the brain, requires a unique interdisciplinary approach. The Neuroscience Program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore this approach. It consists of five courses, including an introductory course, three electives, and a senior course. In addition, students are required to take two courses, BIOL 101, and PSYC 101, as prerequisites to the program. NSCI 201, Introduction to Neuroscience, is the basic course and provides the background for other neuroscience courses. Ideally, this will be taken in the first or second year. Either BIOL 101 or PSYC 101 serves as the prerequisite. Electives are designed to provide in-depth coverage including laboratory experience in specific areas of neuroscience. At least one elective course is required in Biology Group A and in Psychology Group B. The third elective course may also come from Group A or Group B, or may be selected from offerings in other departments. NSCI 401, Topics in Neuroscience, is designed to provide an integrative culminating experience. Most students will take this course in the senior year.

The major program in Physics serves as preparation for further work in pure or applied physics, other sciences, engineering, medical research, science teaching and writing, and other careers requiring insight into the fundamental principles of nature. Physics students experiment with the phenomena by which the physical world is known, and the mathematical techniques and theories that make sense of it. They become well grounded in the fundamentals of the discipline: classical mechanics, electrodynamics and optics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics. In addition, many students take special courses on such topics as condensed matter physics and electronics. Typically, about half of our physics majors do senior honors projects, in which the student works together with a faculty member in either experimental or theoretical research.

The fourteen regular faculty members of the Psychology Department offer a wide variety of curricular and research opportunities to both major and non-major students. Courses are grouped into the areas of behavioral neuroscience, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, and health psychology. After completing PSYC 101, Introductory Psychology, majors follow a sequence of preparation in the PSYC 200 level, advanced PSYC 300 level courses, and a senior seminar. A variety of research opportunities are offered through independent study, senior thesis work and the Bronfman Summer Science Program. The psychology major provides sound preparation for graduate study in both academic and professional fields of psychology and is increasingly relevant to careers in business, law, and medicine.

Science and Technology Studies (STS) is an interdisciplinary program concerned with science and technology and their relationship to society. Relatively less concerned with distant historical development and philosophical understanding of the ideas and institutions of science and technology, Science and Technology Studies focus more on current ethical, economic, social and political implications. Although many of us acknowledge that science and technology has played a major role in shaping modern industrial societies, few of us, including scientists and engineers, possess any critical or informed understanding of how that process has occurred. We do not have much knowledge of the complex technical and social interactions that direct change in either science or society. The STS program is intended to help students interested in these questions create a coherent course of study from a broad range of perspectives provided in the curriculum. Courses examine the history of philosophy of science and technology, the sociology and psychology of science, the economics of research and development and technological change, science and public policy, technology assessment, technology and the environment, scientometrics and ethical value issues. To complete the requirements of the program, students must complete six courses. The introductory course and senior seminar are required and three elective courses are chosen from the list of designated electives. Students may choose to concentrate their electives in a single area such as Technology, American Studies, Philosophy, History of Science, Economics, Environment, Current Science or Current Technology, but are encouraged to take at least one elective in History, History of Science or Philosophy. The sixth course necessary to complete the program is one semester of laboratory or field science in addition to the College's three-course science requirement.

The January Winter Study Period (WSP) at Williams offers a unique opportunity for concentrated study and research in science. It is particularly valuable for senior thesis research students who are able to devote their full time for a month to their developing projects. Many departments also offer research opportunities to sophomores and juniors during WSP. Projects of lesser complexity than senior thesis projects also are undertaken, often with guidance from more experienced students as well as the supervising faculty member. In addition, the science departments offer many interesting and unusual opportunities to students regardless of whether they intend a science major. Full descriptions of science WSP offerings can be found in the Williams College Bulletin. A few highlights of the 2001 WSP science offerings are given below:

Progress in understanding our Universe has undergone major steps as the result of sweeping new ideas introduced by major scientists. Copernicus, in his book of 1543, shook the foundations of ancient science; Tycho, a few decades later, revolutionized the idea of observing the heavens; and Kepler, in 1603-1618, completed the Copernican Revolution by removing the ancient idea that perfect circles were necessary for orbits. Halley and Newton, starting in the 1680’s, led the world to comprehend the universality of gravity and linked comets with planets in obeying the law of gravity. In this century, Shapley moved the Sun out of its central place in the Universe and Hubble, in the 1920’s, found that our galaxy was only one out of many and that the Universe is expanding all around us. In addition to studying the contributions of these leaders, we will see how Hubble’s law of the expanding Universe is being studied as a Key Project of the Hubble Space Telescope and how astronomers hope to soon know accurately the cosmic distance scale and the age of the universe. We will consider the role of NASA, the space shuttle, and astronaut/astronomers in shaping the scientific goals.

This course will explore recent progress in genetic, reproductive, and developmental technologies. We'll discuss the science as well as the social controversies associated with genetic screening, gene therapy, fetal and animal tissue transplantation, human embryo manipulation, and assisted-reproduction technologies. What advances capture our imaginations? What ones make us shudder? What are the social, economic, legal, and ethical implications of “designing” our children, transplanting animal organs into humans, or cloning ourselves? We’ll also examine public perceptions of these scientific frontiers as evidenced in newspapers and magazine articles, science fiction films and books, and scientific documentaries. This course will be of interest and accessible to both biology majors and non-majors, first-year students through seniors.

Are you interested in teaching? The aim of this Winter Study Project is to design a series of hands-on science workshops for elementary school children and their parents. Working in groups of two to four students, they spend the first three weeks of Winter Study planning the workshops. This involves deciding on a focus for each workshop based on the interests of the students involved, followed by choosing and designing experiments and presentations that will be suitable for 4th grade children. On the third weekend of Winter Study, we bring elementary school children with their parents to Williams to participate in the workshops.

This course provides practical field experience in paleontology, stratigraphy, and tectonics as focused on the geological history of the Gulf of California. The present-day pattern of tectonics found in the gulf defines the adjacent peninsula as a mobile terrane that progressively shifted northward along a divergent plate boundary during the last 3.5 million years. Prior to that time, however, the protogulf opened by simple extension that involved only east-west expansion comparable to the Basin and Range Province of the American southwest. The Pliocene Epoch (from 5-1.8 million years ago) is a critical time interval during which the regional style of tectonics was altered to its present status. The gulf’s evolution is well represented in Baja California by coastal deposits spanning much of the Pliocene. Large tracts of Pliocene shore deposits (studied by previous research teams from Williams College) show no signs of structural adjustment to this transformation in tectonic regime. Instead, coastal accommodation appears to have occurred at specific loci marked by the development of volcanic centers that are spaced well apart. Participants in this project will learn how to identify fossils, measure stratigraphic sections, and map fault zones in Pliocene sedimentary rocks associated with the Cerro Mencenares volcanic center near Loreto, in Baja California Sur (Mexico).

Participants will assemble in Los Angeles for a group flight to Loreto (Capitol of the Californias), where orientation will take place. The ensuing field course will be organized as a camping expedition to El Mangle on the gulf coast about 25 km north of Loreto. Participants should expect primitive conditions and should be willing to contribute to the duties of communal camp life. The final goal will be accomplished as a group exercise leading to a geological map of Pliocene relationships on the south and east flanks of Cerro Mencenares. Time permitting, other geological localities in Baja California Sur may be visited

Who is the greatest center fielder of all time? Do basketball players get a hot hand? Will women's marathon times eventually equal or exceed men's times? In this course, we address sports questions like these using statistical analyses. Course participants do not need a formal statistical background, since many analyses require only general statistical concepts that can be easily learned in the course. A large part of the course will be devoted to course members' oral presentations of analyses of sports questions of their choosing. Additionally, there will be reading assignments and several short projects.

Electronic instruments are an indispensable part of modern laboratory work throughout the sciences. This course will cover the basics of analog electronic circuits, including transistors and operational amplifiers, and will briefly introduce digital circuits. Students will build and test a variety of circuits chosen to illustrate the kinds of electronic devices and design problems a scientist is apt to encounter. In the last week, students will design and build a final project, or will write a 10-page paper.

This course examines the depiction of mental illness and the therapeutic process on the silver screen. How do films influence our perceptions of normality and abnormality? How do they shape our beliefs about the causes of mental illness, as well as our expectations about the content and process of treatment? Films have the potential to serve a variety of functions, ranging from a form of advocacy for the mentally ill to a mechanism for furthering stigma and intolerance. In this course, we will sample a variety of powerful films (both contemporary and classic) representing multiple perspectives on mental illness. During the first half of the course we will view films as a group, explore their explicit and implicit messages about mental illness, and contrast their media portrayal with empirically based clinical research. In the second half of the course, students will focus their attention on a clinical disorder of personal interest. Students will view two films that pertain to that disorder, and compare the cinematic depiction with more “real-world” clinical manifestations as described in current research literature. Students will present their projects to the larger group during the final week of winter study.