Smith and Sciences - Doing it RIGHT!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
21

<p>I wonder if Smith will be able to spark off my interest in science again. After taking sciences for my A levels, I told myself and everyone else around me that I will never ever do sciences again, despite doing fairly well in them. After reading all your posts, I think I might just give it another shot at Smith.</p>

<p>Many people will be shocked if I end up majoring in a science. But i guess that people around me are used to being shocked by my decisions - wanting to attend a women college is one of them;)</p>

22

<p>Blur, the point of the first-year of college is to explore your options. If you're like most first-years at LACs, you'll find more interesting courses than you can take. Sample several disciplines so you can make an informed decision. If science is a possibility for you, even a slim one, make sure you take at least one math and one science your first semester. Since the sciences are so demanding in terms of a specific course of study, you need to start early. After one semester, you'll have a good idea of whether you want to continue in that field.</p>

23

<p>Yup, that's what I plan to do. Thanks for the advice MWFN:)</p>

24

<p>Blur, if anyone can spark your interest in sciences, it will be Smith. However, I find that most students are sometimes drawn to a particular subject because they had one outstanding prof in any particular area. Sometimes, that is the stimulation that you need and want the most. That's what is great about LAC's, they do encourage students to pursue interests outside of their comfort zone, and do a great job at it. Have fun, experiment, and MWFN is correct; if you think you might be interested in sciences, check with your advisor before choosing courses. You don't want to start out behind the proverbial eight ball. Good luck.</p>

25

<p>
[quote]
Experimental Methods in Neuroscience: An Undergraduate Neuroscience Laboratory Course for Teaching Ethical Issues, Laboratory Techniques, Experimental Design, and Analysis (by AC Hall & ME Harrington)
AC Hall & ME Harrington
10/30/2003</p>

<p>We have developed and recently taught a 200 level undergraduate course entitled, ‘Experimental Methods in Neuroscience’. This is a required course in an increasingly popular Neuroscience major at Smith College. Students are introduced initially to issues of animal ethics and experimentation, and are familiarized with our Animal Care Facility. Using an open field and rotarod apparatus, and the elevated plus and Barnes mazes, they conduct behavioral testing of two strains of mice, C57/BL/6J and 129S1/SvImJ, known to exhibit distinct behavioral traits. The group then employs histological techniques to prepare brain sections for observing neuroanatomical variation between strains (for example, 129S1/SvImJ mice are occasionally acallosal). In the final laboratory exercise, they assay the acetylcholinesterase activity in fore- and hindbrains from each strain.
The experiments enable the students to gain confidence in collecting data, compiling large data sets, handling spreadsheets and graphing, applying appropriate statistics, and writing accurate and concise scientific reports in journal article format. The course concludes with pairs of students conducting self-designed independent projects using the acquired behavioral, histological or neurochemical techniques.
Experimental Methods in Neuroscience is proving particularly successful as it is relatively straightforward for students to design interesting experiments, gain experience in neuroscience experimentation without excessive use of animals, gather substantial data sets, and develop skills in scientific report writing and presentation at an early stage in their neuroscience curricula. Furthermore, the course has emerged as a centralizing focus for our neuroscience program and is suitable for transfer to and adaptation by other institutions.

[/quote]

<a href="http://www.funjournal.org/downloads/HallA1.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.funjournal.org/downloads/HallA1.pdf&lt;/a>
As included in the Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (JUNE). Smith just seems to be at the cutting edge of teaching sciences. The neuroscience program only began in 1997, a proverbial "newbie" by educational standards, yet has already made a name for itself in this area. Same thing is happening with their engineering program. BTW, it is the first of it's kind in the country.
BTW, the incoming President for the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) organization, which comprises of neuroscience profs from all over the country, is our own Dr. Mary Harrington.</p>

26

<p>
[quote]
Applications to shelter a Chapter of Nu Rho Psi, the National Honor Society in Neuroscience are now being accepted.</p>

<p>SfN-Atlanta Alert! All those interested in the organizational aspects of NuRhoPsi should plan on attending the FUN Business Meeting on Monday, October 16, 2006, 7:00–8:30 a.m. at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel, Madrid / Trinidad Rooms (continental breakfast provided). </p>

<p>Colleges or universities with large undergraduate neuroscience programs, majors or minors, are encouraged to shelter a chapter of Nu Rho Psi. Alternatively, colleges or universities that are geographically close to one another may chose to apply for a charter as a Cooperative Chapter consisting of members from more than one school. In this case, multiple schools should be listed in the chapter application and charter. </p>

<p>The purpose of Nu Rho Psi shall be to:
encourage professional interest and excellence in scholarship, particularly in neuroscience;
award recognition to students who have achieved such excellence in scholarship;
advance the discipline of neuroscience; encourage intellectual and social interaction between students, faculty, and professionals in neuroscience and related fields;
promote career development in neuroscience and related fields;
increase public awareness of neuroscience and its benefits for the individual and society; and
encourage service to the community.
During the initial period of colonization, the Executive Committee of FUN will serve as the National Council of Nu Rho Psi and will review all applications to shelter a Nu Rho Psi Chapter.</p>

<p>Applications for establishing a new chapter will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year. However, to receive feedback regarding the status of applications prior to the end of the spring academic semester, institutions are encouraged to have all materials submitted no later than March 1, 2007. Application materials may be obtained at the FUN website (<a href="http://www.funfaculty.org/NuRhoPsi/)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.funfaculty.org/NuRhoPsi/)&lt;/a>. </p>

<p>Representatives of institutions interested in establishing a Nu Rho Psi Chapter are encouraged to attend the Annual FUN Business meeting, the FUN Poster Session and Social, or to stop by the FUN Booth at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Atlanta. </p>

<p>For further information regarding Nu Rho Psi or the application process, contact:</p>

<p>Mary Harington, Ph.D.
NuRhoPsi
Smith College
Psychology - Clark Science Center
Northampton, MA 01063 USA
<a href="mailto:mharring@smith.edu">mharring@smith.edu</a>

[/quote]

Smith takes the lead!!!!</p>

27

<p>Blur, my D took a variety of classes, with about five majors noted as "possible," and winnowed them down to Government & Math. (That itself is a story...at the beginning of junior year in hs, she was looking forward to taking only one math course in college...Stats.) Funny thing is, her Econ prof during sophomore year started making noises that she wished D would do an Econ major. Well, you can't triple major and in any event there wasn't enough room left in her schedule if she kept to her junior year Away plans...but she's now going to grab some more Econ classes and is looking at doing a Masters in Econ.</p>

<p>As they say in Math, it's a recursive kind of experience.</p>

28

<p>It is wonderful to know of people who major in things that they never thought they would ever major in. I am looking forward to the possibility of me becoming one of those 'people'. </p>

<p>TheDad, your D sounds like a wonderful lady! How are the advanced math classes like at Smith? I am considering a major in math.</p>

29

<p>blur, I'm also a math major, and the advanced math classes are hard. But the math faculty is amazing as a rule (I've only come across one exception thus far). </p>

<p>And I'll add that when I started at Smith I was going to major in English or Anthropology, and now I'm a math major who might minor in computer science (only because I keep taking cs classes to fill up room in my schedule).</p>

30

<p>That's the beauty of LAC's! ;)</p>

31

<p>Blur, I don't have a standard to compare Smith's math classes to as far as rigor goes, though D's experience certainly seems challenging enough. My own experiences were eons ago and heavily tilted towards applied (engineering major at one time), whereas D's inclinations are heavily towards the pure and at least one of her classes didn't exist even 20 years ago.</p>

<p>However, I'll echo Borgin about the profs. D has had only one that was merely "good" and that prof is no longer there. Collectively they seem to be a very smart, inspiring, and accessible group. Math is a fairly small department (it's a virtual certainty that D and Borgin know each other, forex) and if you can't find one prof to talk to you at any given moment, another will usually be around and happy to. Plus, as near as I can make out, some students virtually live in the Math lab and there's a fair amount of camaraderie.</p>

32

<p>The math department is very friendly and the students really support each other. I minored in a self-designed field which included a lot of math classes--and yes, I was one of those people who picked Smith because there were no required math classes!-- and had several good friends at who were math majors. To give you a taste of what they're doing now:
* (physics double major) just finished architecture/engineering dual master's program at Berkeley
* PhD candidate in biostat at Harvard
* (gov double major) working for a Congressional committee
* (econ double major) actuary for major insurance company</p>

<p>So there's a lot you can do with a math degree! And the flexibility that a LAC offers is really awesome--there's just so much to learn, and it's possible to dabble in a lot of different things. Over the time I was there, though I always knew I'd be a gov major, I considered minors in math, stats, religion, classics, and Spanish.</p>

33

<p>I can't say that D planned this all in out in advance but the Math/Government with some Econ courses is looking very attractive in terms of career options. </p>

<p>For the Mathies in the crowd, she's currently in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. Yesterday was the "shopping" deadline and she registered for Topology, Combinatorics, and Modern Algebra. Combinatorics is a Hungarian strength in general. Modern Algebra is a signature course of this particular program. Many of the classes in this program use graduate-level textbooks and D says the pace is fast. Received wisdom is that while the courses themselves are hard, the grading isn't so bad. </p>

<p>In addition, she's taking Hungarian II (Hungarian I was a two-week intensive all-day class...but the Math classes are in English) and a fun elective, History and Mathematics, otherwise generally known as HAM. I wonder if there's a connection between HAM and the Mayo Clinic....</p>

<p>Stacy, D's other potential majors included Classics, Biology, and (I think) History. There are just so many attractive options at Smith.</p>

34

<p>The Smith math department sounds great! I guess I should take what I read on ratemyprofessor.com with a pinch of salt. Thanks, for all the replies!</p>

35

<p>Remember that ratings of professors, colleges, and other things are often done voluntarily more by someone who is ****ed than someone who is happy. Thus, absent any sort of large-scale or formal gathering of data, there's a high likelihood that such data will be skewed. Fwiw.</p>

<p>I use anecdotal negative information as a point to probe when reviewing other info; I seldom accept its validity on its own. Sometimes the anecdotal accounts will turn out to be correct. Other times a deeper inquiry will reveal sour grapes or even warring camps. (Cf., "Tastes great!" vs. "Less filling!")</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I'm blanking on the names of the Math profs that D is high on. Wait a sec...Ruth Haas is one and she's the department chair. Jim Henle is another. D has worked for Joe O'Rourke and likes him very much. I've heard good things about Nick Horton but I forget whether that was from D or others. The one prof she had that she felt "Eh!" about is no longer there; D felt this prof was better suited to doing research with grad students than teaching undergrads...at Smith you gotta love the undergrads.</p>

36

<p>Ruth Haas is very nice - I dropped one of her classes and she still treats me well. I love Nick Horton. His focus is in statistics, and I took intro stats because I loved him for linear algebra (which I believe TheDad's D took with me). The bad prof I had was unfortunately last semester. One of my favorites is Cat McCune, whom I took calc II from my first semester, and I kind of wish she was teaching advanced calculus this semester.</p>

<p>I also took calculus III at UMass, where the experience was much different than Smith as there were only about four women in my section, and only two of us showed up regularly, and when it was time for exams more than one section met in a lecture hall to take it, which was very different from the more hands-off approach Smith allows for exams (I've had a lot of take-homes at Smith, and most of my other math exams have been self-scheduled). It was definitely different to be taught by a graduate student rather than a professor. The class wasn't bad, it was just different, and I'm glad I had to take it off-campus in order to fit it in my schedule last spring.</p>

<p>Joe O'Rourke mostly sticks to teaching computer science classes, but a cs major friend of mine loved his computer graphics class and now she wants to go into computer animation - she took a J-Term class at Hampshire taught by a former Pixar employee.</p>