Interdisciplinary Science Program:

ISP is designed to provide a challenging program for top students specifically interested in the sciences. There are two main goals: one, to expose top students to research early in their college careers…

…this is exceptional! Research as a first-year student! With such an early start, some students have continued with their research for 3 ½ years, published in the professional literature and presented at international meetings.

 …and two, to provide a forum in which science students can think about issues of science and society.

 The two-year program is open to a select group of students who possess exceptional scientific aptitude, who are strongly motivated to succeed academically, and who are especially eager to study the sciences and mathematics within the context of a liberal arts education. Although the program was designed for science majors, it is compatible with any major on campus.

 Designed and supported by faculty in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics, ISP was started more than 20 years ago. The core of the ISP consists of three courses.  During the first semester, ISP students enroll in the ISP seminar, which takes the place of the first-year seminar.  This class examines how science is done and discusses interdisciplinary topics such as the process of discovery, publishing, and ethics in science. Skills in writing and critical reading are emphasized, and students are exposed to a wide range of ideas and readings from a broad array of scientific disciplines.

 In the second semester, the cornerstone of the program, each student chooses a faculty member with whom to do independent research. Students receive a full course credit for the semester they spend doing research, and in addition, students meet as a group once a week, continue to work on scientific writing, and at the end of the semester, present a poster at the College’s annual Science Symposium.

 The third and final course in the program is normally taken in the sophomore year. Students choose from a list of courses in the social sciences and humanities that deal with issues of science and society. In the past, this list has included such courses as: Medical Anthropology, Philosophy of Science, Health and Human Rights, Law and Environmental Policy, and many others.