Strengthening the Sciences at Whitman
From the President
The sciences have been a central part of a liberal arts education at least since Plato's Academy. "Let no one unversed in geometry enter here," said one of the signs posted above that academy's doors.
By geometry the ancient Greeks meant not only the understanding of the earth, distances, angles, radii, and so on but also the study of how to understand the universe we live in, the air we breathe, and how we live and learn.
Science and the scientific method have always been about asking important and curious questions, proposing hypotheses, gathering data, making and measuring observations, and searching to determine which tentative hypothesis is most compelling.
We live in an age of remarkable scientific investigations and break- throughs. We have lived through a major revolution in physics and computer technologies. We are plainly in the midst of genetics and molecular biology transformations, and enormously rewarding work is being done in astro-physics, geology, and the study of how the mind functions.
We face solutions to daunting challenges such as cancer, heart disease and AIDS, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, malnutrition, learning disorders, global warming, environmental degradation and toxic waste. Grappling with these threats requires the broad understanding and imagination of liberally educated people, both nonscientists and highly skilled research scientists. Liberal arts colleges such as Whitman provide an ideal environment for educating scientists and students with science literacy.
Whitman College's board of trustees recently approved the construction of a new science building to be built alongside our existing science buildings that were put up in 1964 and 1981. This 35,000-square-foot building will be located on the west side of the existing science complex and connect to it. This will cost about $13 million and will be followed by a $6 to $7 million renovation and upgrade of our existing older science facilities.
This high priority initiative is absolutely needed to ensure Whitman's ability to offer first-rate science courses and to meet the growing demand for science majors.
The number of science majors has increased dramatically. Interest in fields such as biology, geology, and environmental studies has more than doubled in this last generation. The number of women and minorities majoring in the sciences is also impressive these days, and students have more options. They can major in biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, environmental studies, and pre-medical studies; minor in astronomy and computer science; and major in chemistry-biology and other interdisciplinary fields.
Science students at Whitman take part in an array of hands-on laboratory experiences even in introductory courses. Science majors take part in a rigorous academic program that emphasizes critical thinking as well as the value of creative, independent research experiences. Almost all of Whitman's science majors complete an original research project as part of their major. And scores of our top science students in recent years have held summer research fellowships and served as research assistants with our science faculty members.
To provide students with a broad range of experiences, faculty encourage students to pursue research opportunities during the summer. In addition to working on Whitman-based projects, our students go to locations such as Mt. Desert Island Biological Lab, Stanford's Hopkins Marine Station in Monterey, California, Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs, the University of Sevilla in Spain, the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Whitman students also have opportunities to present research results at professional conferences, an infrequent occurrence for undergraduates at larger universities. Recent student presentations were made to members of
the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Congress, to the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Albuquerque, at the 33rd International Congress of Physiological Sciences in St. Petersburg, Russia, and at a Gordon Research Conference in Oxford, England, among others.
Publishing in scientific journals provides an important learning experience for Whitman students. Work coauthored by faculty and students has appeared in such publications as the Journal of Experimental Zoology, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Biochemical Pharmacology, American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Geochemical Education, and Environmental Science and Technology.
Faculty-student research at Whitman has attracted generous support
from the American Chemical Society, NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Battelle Memorial Institute, Research Corporation, Kresge Foundation, J. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the W. M. Keck Foundation, and from Stanley Rall, '67.
In addition to collaborating with Whitman faculty, many Whitman students extend their research by working with scientists at university, government and private laboratories. Dozens of students participate in summer internships at such institutions as Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, the Mayo Clinic, Harvard University, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Battelle Labs, Advanced Cell Technology, Immunex, and ICOS.
Our faculty have been doing a tremendous job. We have added a handful
of new professorships in biophysics, neurobiology, genetics, geology, and elsewhere, and we are creating new courses and research internships nearly every semester.
The ultimate success of these efforts to strengthen our science program will, as always, depend on the support and generosity of large numbers of our alumni and friends who are able to assist us. Please see the article on the following pages, and please also call us if you want more specific information about any aspect of this top priority science initiative.
