To help undergraduates make connections among disciplines so they are able to approach, evaluate, and contribute to the solutions of important global problems, our campus has been focused on interdisciplinary research and education opportunities across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This paper describes…

The authors have developed and implemented a novel general education science course that examines scientific knowledge, laboratory experimentation, and science-related public policy through the lens of feminist science studies. They argue that this approach to teaching general science education is useful for improving science literacy. Goals for…

In the new ecohydrology major at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), students learn about the relationships between hydrologic mechanisms and ecological patterns and processes in watersheds and aquatic systems. The curriculum provides students with the option of meeting the requirements for federal positions as a hydrologist (GS 1315) and is…

Core concepts can be integrated throughout lower-division science and engineering courses by using a series of related, cross-referenced laboratory experiments. Starting with butane combustion in chemistry, the authors expanded the underlying core concepts of energy transfer into laboratories designed for biology, physics, and engineering. This…

Describes the structure and content of a multidisciplinary environmental science course for non-science majors offered at Southern Illinois University. (JR)

Describes a course that focuses on the practice of science as it is done by professionals in specific disciplines and offers opportunities to communicate the connections and relationships among the scientific disciplines. (DDR)

Describes a positive approach toward open-admissions policy taken by a new department in Interdisciplinary Science. The program is built on the strengths of its students and focuses on scientific problems of current importance that can be used to sharpen the student's analytical abilities and develop basic skills and concepts. (Author/EB)

Briefly describes a module on the origin of life formulated for inclusion in introductory biology, geology, and astronomy courses. The authors are preparing a concise monograph on the topic to complement the three-week module. (Author/SK)

Discusses the relevance or validity of an interdisciplinary approach to teaching the history of science. Describes a course in the history of medicine acceptable for college credit either as history or biology. References are cited. (EB)

Describes an introductory college science course for science majors and nonmajors. The course, team taught and interdisciplinary, stresses broad applications and topics of current interest. Presentations and instructors are changed regularly. The laboratory experiences include computer programming, are varied regularly, and allow student selection…

Discusses some of the alternative approaches adopted by the Experimental College-Earth Science Teacher Project at Minot State College in an attempt to attract general education students and transmit the excitement and challenge of science to non-majors. (JR)

Describes the Multidisciplinary Studies program at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth that provides advanced coursework in the sciences without requiring that a student major in a specific science. Focuses on the fields of environmental science, cognitive science, gerontology, and environmental psychology. (JRH)

Describes a college reform effort that includes the development of a college science course for nonscience majors. The main goal of the course is to advocate the interdisciplinary nature of all sciences and to involve the students actively in the discovery process as a way of learning science. (ZWH)

Explains a component of an introductory genetics course that exposes students to bioethical issues and the social responsibilities of scientists. Students engage in discussion in an interdisciplinary format. (DDR)