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. Along 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 twelve years ago, Williams College
confirmed 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 eight 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.
The College’s commitment to science
was further confirmed when the President and Board of Trustees
approved an expansion and renovation of all of the science facilities
in 1994. After years of careful planning by science faculty,
construction of a $47 million science facility, which links existing
science buildings with a new laboratory wing and unifies all science
departments in a single complex surrounding a central science
library, is well underway and scheduled for completion in Fall 2000.
We have recently completed the first phase of the project which
includes new laboratories for teaching and research in the new Morley
Science Laboratories building and a portion of the Schow Science
Library. Work is currently underway to complete the library and
renovate and connect the Thompson Laboratories and Bronfman Science
Center. The project is the largest in the history of the College and
will ensure Williams’ place as a leader in undergraduate
science education as we enter the next century.
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 23 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.
Freshman & Sophomore Discovery Courses
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.
ASTR 106: Observational Astronomy
This course, meant for non-majors, focuses on
the most basic aspects of astronomy and is observing-intensive,
taking full advantage of various telescopes housed on the Williams
College observing deck. Topics covered include the constellations and
night sky in general, planets, the moon, the sun, stars and galaxies.
Study of these topics requires a mix of both day and night class
sessions during which students are required to make observations at
the telescopes. Student observations are recorded in drawings, notes,
and computer printouts of images.
Observing takes place on all class dates on
which the sky is clear. On those days when the sky is cloudy, we do
in-class exercises or discuss topics in astronomy, such as the
results from the Hubble Space Telescope.
CHEM 106 & 108: Concepts of Chemistry, Special & Advanced
Laboratory Sections
While covering the same lecture material as
other introductory chemistry classes, a special, enriched laboratory
program includes activities that more closely resemble the
unpredictable nature and immediacy of true chemical research.
Students synthesize, isolate, and characterize a series of
organic/inorganic complexes in a series of closely related
experiments using modern analysis techniques in a flexible laboratory
format.
ENVI 102: Introduction to Environmental Science
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.
Gretchen Meyer (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.
GEOS 105: Geology Outdoors
And introduction to geology through student
field projects and small discussion sessions. The mountains, lakes,
rivers and valleys of the Williamstown area provide unusual
opportunities for learning geology in the field. Emphasis is placed
on learning through active participation in field projects reinforced
by group discussion sessions on related readings in geology.
Following several group projects introducing the techniques of field
geology, small teams are formed to work on independent research
projects.
PHYS 016: Confronting the Mysterious
Every day we encounter claims of
extra-scientific phenomena such as telepathy, ESP, UFOs, astrology,
faith healing, dowsing, and crop circles. Are they real? Should you
invest money in cold fusion research or a device that liberates
energy from the vacuum? Can one travel faster-than-light or backward
in time? How does one go about answering these types of questions?
This course will study the scientific methods used to access evidence
for phenomena that extend beyond the present boundaries of science.
Readings will include works by Carl Sagan and The Amazing Randi, a
professional magician who uses his special expertise to examine
claims of psychic phenomena.
Essel Foundation Grant for Neuroscience
In May of 1992, the college received a grant of
$1,050,000 from Connie and Steve Lieber (class of ‘47) to
support research in the neurosciences. The primary intent of the
award is to involve students in state-of-the-art neuroscience
research. During the summer of 1998, 10 Williams students were
selected as Essel fellows. These students spent the summer working in
individual faculty laboratories. Most of them continued their
research as either honors thesis or independent study students during
the 1998-99 academic year.
The Essel foundation grant also greatly
facilitated the implementation of expanded laboratory exercises in
the Introduction to Neuroscience course. In conjunction with the
Hughes Foundation Grant and support from the college, a new
neuroscience teaching laboratory has been established. Funds were
also provided to support two full-time technicians to assist in
running this laboratory. The establishment of the laboratory has
allowed students in the introductory course to gain hands-on
laboratory experience in neuroscience that is not generally available
to beginning students. It has also allowed a greater number of
students to participate in advanced research.
During the past year, the extended visits of
two prominent neuroscientists were funded by the grant. The Essel
award will continue to fund these programs 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.
Hughes Grant (Howard Hughes Medical
Institute)
Following its generous award of $900,000 from
the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in 1996, Williams College
continued its expansion and improvement of its science curriculum,
programs and facilities. This grant is part of $45.4 million awarded
by HHMI to help fifty-two colleges and universities strengthen their
undergraduate education programs in the biological sciences. This
current grant will allow for continued expansion and improvement of
initiatives started under previous HHMI support. The College received
$900,000 from the institute in 1991, and $500,000 in 1993. “These
grants are highly competitive, and we are fortunate to have received
support from HHMI,” said Steven Zottoli, the director of the
Hughes Grants at Williams and the Howard B. Schow ’50 Professor
of Biology.
Williams will use some of the funding to
purchase equipment for laboratories in introductory biology and
biochemistry and in intermediate and upper level courses in the
biological sciences. The equipment will be used to accommodate
increased enrollment in the introductory level course and to initiate
new laboratory exercises in the upper level ones.
Among previously established programs to be
continued and augmented is the Williams-town Elementary School
outreach program, in which the elementary school and the college
collaborate on science programs for elementary school students, and
Williams students serve as science assistants in elementary school
classrooms. The current grant allowed the college to strengthen this
program by purchasing and networking computers for the elementary
school. The networking provides elementary school teachers and
students with greater access to Williams faculty, students, and
libraries.
The grant also allows the college to
continue its summer outreach program for Berkshire County high school
students. This month-long program brings three to five local students
to Williams each summer to study with Williams faculty. It enables
the college to expand its summer lab opportunities for Williams
students. The new grant allows for additional stipends that have been
used to increase the number of women and minority students
participating. A Minority Research Training Program has been
established with the objective of exposing minority students to
research during their first and second summers at Williams. It allows
approximately four students to spend one month working in the
laboratory of a Williams faculty member.
A new initiative made possible by the grant
provides opportunities for teachers from both Williamstown Elementary
School and Mt. Greylock Regional High School, Williamstown, MA to
further their education and to participate in workshops designed to
match their science curricular needs. The grant has helped expand
Williams’ science curriculum to include visits from
distinguished scientists working in high-profile and high-interest
areas. These speakers present lectures, participate in panels or
conduct workshops to both science majors and non-majors. Zottoli says
that such visits are important because “undergraduate
institutions have a responsibility to ensure that all students are
scientifically literate so that, as citizens, they can make informed
decisions on scientific-social issues.”
Kresge Foundation Equipment Grant
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 is setting aside endowment funds for the
depreciation and eventual replacement of items purchased under the
grant.
To date, the College has purchased and is
maintaining a 24 inch optical telescope, an atomic absorption
spectrophotometer with a graphite furnace, 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. These expensive pieces of core equipment are heavily
used by faculty and students, especially in collaborative research
projects.
SMALL
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 two 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 1999, there were 16 students working in algebraic geometry,
commutative algebra, ergodic theory, geometry, and knot
theory.
Major Programs
Departments offer major programs in Astronomy,
Astrophysics, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology,
Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. There are coordinate programs
in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, and Science and
Technology Studies, and courses are offered in Environmental Studies
and in the History of Science. Students can also design
interdepartmental majors through the contract major program. Within
departments and programs, faculty advisors help students to select
individualized major programs that reflect each student’s
interests, yet satisfy prerequisites for graduate study, medical
school or other postgraduate plans.
All Williams students are required to take
at least three semester courses in mathematics or science. More than
a dozen courses are offered to help provide non-specialists with a
broad introduction to particular scientific areas.
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 to do 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 studies in physics complete 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 the
midst of a renaissance 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 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, including BIMO 406, Topics in Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology, 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
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, and CHEM 115, AIDS: The Disease and Search for a
Cure.
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
SUN 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 organizations, algorithm design,
computer graphics, principles of programming languages, artificial
intelligence, theory of computing, operating systems 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 simply 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 two courses. CSCI 109 introduces students to the techniques of
computer graphics used for special effects in film, visualization in
the sciences and the creation of artistic images. CSCI 108 provides a
similar introduction to the field of Artificial Intelligence, while
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 2425-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.
On 14-16 June 1999, the CES, jointly with
Smith College, hosted a Workshop on the Integration of
Community-based Environmental Issues into the Undergraduate
Curriculum. The conference focused on issues surrounding the PCB
contamination of sites in Pittsfield, MA and was sponsored by the New
England Consortium for Undergraduate Science Education in cooperation
with the Northeastern Environmental Studies Group.
During 1998-1999 Professors Art and Fox
continued their collaboration of using remote sensing and Geographic
Information Systems to study vegetation and landscape changes in the
Hopkins Memorial Forest. With Professor David Dethier on sabbatical
leave in 1998-1999, Professor Joan Edwards assumed the directorship
of the Hopkins Memorial Forest and Assistant Professor Gretchen Meyer
supervised activities in the Environmental Science Laboratory.
The CES completed a study of educational and
research uses of the Hopkins Memorial Forest. One of the study’s
recommendations to the Williams administration has resulted in the
hiring of Drew Jones as the Manager of the Hopkins Memorial Forest. A
new trail map and brochure on the Hopkins Memorial Forest was
published in September 1998 and is available from the CES or BSC.
During the summer of 1999, Harin “Liang” Tantongsirisak ’00
and Professor Henry Art, Director of the CES, undertook a project
sponsored by the Mellon Foundation to design a new www site for the
Hopkins Memorial Forest. The new web page can be visited at
http://www.williams.edu/hmf/
The Geosciences major is designed to
provide an understanding of the physical and biological evolution of
the earth. Forces within the earth are responsible for the
development of mountain ranges and ocean basins. Waves, rivers,
glaciers and wind have shaped 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; GEOS 104, Oceanography. A special course limited
to twelve first-year students, GEOS 105, Geology Outdoors,
presents geology through field work 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
166, Climates Through Time; 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 those concentrating 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 and actuarial
science, and teaching. The major requires calculus, a course in
applied/discrete mathematics, 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 thirteen 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, SCTS focuses more
on current ethical, economic, social and political implications.
Although many of us acknowledge that science and technology have
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 or 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.
Winter Study Science Offerings
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 1999 WSP science offerings are
given below:
ASTR 012: Leadership in Astronomy: From Copernicus to Hubble and
the Age of the Universe (Same as Leadership Studies 012)
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.
Readings include Rocky Kolb’s Blind
Watchers of the Sky: The People and Ideas that Shaped our View of the
Universe, about the early astronomers, and Gale E. Christenson’s
biography, Edwin Hubble: Mariner of the Nebulae. Videos will
include parts of Tom Hank’s From the Earth to the Moon.
Visiting speakers will join Professor Pasachoff in describing the
contributions of historical and current figures.
BIOL 018: The Science of Sports
Have you ever wondered: What makes a curveball
curve? How does the body convert food into energy for muscles? Why is
a tennis serve faster than a baseball pitch? How do they measure the
speed of a fastball? How does an outfielder know where a fly ball
will land? What makes muscles work? Why do the clap-skates make speed
skaters faster? How do they light up the puck in NHL TV coverage?
What’s going on when we swim? What determines our reaction
time? Why are sprinters so much faster than marathoners? Can a piece
of tape over the bridge of the nose really increase performance? How
significant are statistics given in basketball or baseball telecasts?
Why do we sweat?
Science provides answers to questions like
these through a few powerful principles. That’s what this
course is about.
SPEC 011: Science for Kids (Sponsored by Chemistry)
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. Students,
working in groups of two to four, spend the first three weeks of
Winter Study planning the two hour 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.
CSCI 020: Computer Animation
In this course, students will learn the
fundamental issues facing animators in the fast lane of today’s
high-end special effects field through hands-on experience under the
direction of some of the most talented animators in the business, the
Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co., a computer graphics firm
specializing in high-end database construction and human figure
animation. They developed and own a system for the creation of
computer generated actors call “Synthespians” which has
been demonstrated in experimental films “Nestor Extone for
President” (1988) and “Don’t Touch Me”
(1990). They have also worked for PBS and CBS and their feature film
work includes “Honey I Blew Up the Kids,” “The
Pickle,” “Stargate,” “Clear and Present
Danger” and “Judge Dredd.” They have also worked on
special effects attractions for the Luxor Hotel and for Disney Theme
Parks. The course will consist of lectures in which the field of
computer animation will be explored from a historical context, using
videotape to create 3-D animated sequences of their own design. In
addition, students may have an opportunity to participate in the
production of actual projects on an intern level.
GEOS 25: Baja California Field Geology
A traditional "actualistic" approach to geology
is the study of contemporary environments and their ancient
counterparts. This field course is designed to explore modern and
ancient rocky shorelines featuring a wide range of variables between
outer shores with high wave surge and sheltered inner shores. Modern
intertidal environments on both the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the
Baja California peninsula will be visited, as will several examples
of ancient rocky shorelines spanning the Cretaceous to the
Pleistocene. Field experience will emphasize the complex
interrelationships of prevailing winds, ocean currents, patterns of
up welling, and local geography. Participants will meet in San Diego,
California and travel round-trip overland via Mexican Federal Highway
1 from Tijuana in the north to Loreto in the south. The course will
conclude with a group exercise leading to a
geological-paleoecological map of a Pliocene rocky shoreline at El
Mangle near Loreto. This field course is organized as a camping trip
and participants should expect primitive conditions.
MATH 011: Gambling, Game Shows, Money, and Analytical
Reasoning
Have you ever been bothered by the way that
contestants bid on the Price is Right game show? How would you bid?
Where would you drop the Plinko chips? Have you ever wondered what
good strategies are for casino games? In this course, we will develop
reasonable strategies for various games. In addition, we will study
such problems as how to split an inheritance fairly among
beneficiaries, how cities could save money on the cost of garbage
collection, and how airlines could improve their efficiency. If you
love games and you like to save money, this is the course for
you.
PHYS 010: Light and Holography
This course examines the art and science of
holography. It introduces modern optics at a level appropriate for
students majoring outside the sciences, and gives the necessary
theoretical background in lectures and discussion. Demonstrations are
presented and students make several kinds of holograms in the lab.
Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, there are 7
well-equipped holography darkrooms available for student use.
PHYS 014: Building and Cracking Codes: How Will We Protect
Information in the Coming Centuries? (Same as MATH 014)
Living in the early decades of the information
age, we find ourselves depending more and more on codes that protect
messages against either noise or eavesdropping. We begin this course
by studying some of the most widely used codes for both of these
purposes, including linear codes, which in addition to being
mathematically elegant are the most practical codes for error
correction, and the RSA public key cryptographic scheme, popular
nowadays for internet applications. Looking ahead by several decades,
we show how a “quantum computer” could crack any RSA code
in short order, and how quantum cryptographic devices could achieve
security through the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Throughout the
course students will have the opportunity to try their hands at both
designing and cracking codes and cryptographic protocols. The codes
created by students will be tested against noise and eavesdropping,
usually provided or modeled by other students. There will also be
homework assignments in which students will be expected to solve
problems and explain their reasoning.
PSYC 015: Principles of
Psychotherapy
Outlining the principles underlying the “talking
cure”, this course represents the kind of overview of
psychotherapy the instructor wishes he had received as an
undergraduate. Topics covered will include the particular
arrangements for therapy, how they differ from other social
situations, the initiation of therapy, and principles of
transference, counter-transference, personal history investigation
and interpretation. Of particular interest will be to describe how,
during psychotherapy, persons change. By using both imagined therapy
dialogues and published student auto-biographies, efforts will be
made at each stage to illustrate ways in which the general principles
work out in practice. For the course paper, students will be asked to
describe an issue of concern in the student’s own experience
and to imagine how a therapist might collaborate in working on that
issue. At the end of the course the instructor will discuss each
paper individually with each student.