The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 15, Ed. 1 Friday, January 14, 1994 Page: 4 of 16
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4 FRIDAY, JANUARY 14,1994 THE RICE THRESHER
OPINION
Natural Sciences should inspire, not turn away students
Chris
Thomas
My editor has requested that, since
I am writing for a university paper, I
should try to limit my topics to those
that are more generally appropriate
for the intended audience.
Because of this, 1 will not speculate
on the Second Coming, nor will I di-
vulge personal insights into the Brit-
EDGE
ish royal family, Elvis* shocking re-
turn to play basketball for the Bulls or
even address the success of the newly
revamped Ford Mustang. Unless I
change my mind.
Instead, I would like to look at the
status of the Foundation Courses —
Natural Sciences, Social Science and
Humanities. As these courses vary
widely in terms of scope, intention
and application, I have decided to un-
dertake a three-week look at these
courses.
I begin with the only course I have
not been required to take by virtue of
being an SE.
Introduction to Natural Sciences
has historically been unappreciated
by both staff and students.
Students feel that the course work
is too difficult, too boring, not rel-
evant, not taught well and, in general,
not worth their time. Professors have
had to deal with uninterested students
and cope with teaching a very large
amount of the scientific discipline in a
relatively short amount of time, on top
of having to develop a course that
takes into account the limited back-
grounds of the students taking the
course.
In addition, we have seen setbacks
to the program because of events be-
yond anyone's control. Scandals of
mass cheating, reports of inappropri-
ate behavior, offensive remarks and a
general hostility between students and
professors do nothing to foster sup-
port for the program on either side.
On top of that, students continue to
hear rumors of tendencies in the past
to reserve the Natural Sciences class
for the science professors with the
worst teacher evaluations. The end
result is a further separation of SE's
and academs.
The course is being taught to
academs without the hope that some
might be inspired to become scien-
tists.
Incoming-freshman classes are
skewed toward science and engineer-
6 Who knows how much
of the new wave of
postmodern relativism has
stemmed from former
supporters of science...
ing majors with the anticipation that a
certain percentage of them will switch
to humanities majors. Very rarely will
you see an English major switch to
study mechanical engineering.
Abandoning the program would
be the simplest solution. President
Gillis might consider ending former
President Rupjp's experiment with the
foundation courses. In the long run
though, this would hurt the research
community as a whole. Even though
the students of NSCI won't be spend-
ing their time in laboratories or strug-
gling with the finer detailsof quantum
mechanics, they will hold important
roles that will directly affect the scien-
tific community.
Academs are very different from
typical science students. They are as-
piring artists and philosophers, play-
ing some part in determining the in-
teractions of society as a whole with
the technological world.
< They areeconomistsand business-
men who will someday rely heavily on
the development of technologies for
profit and growth.
They are future politicians and
bureaucrats who will have a signifi-
cant part to play in funding research
for future projects.
The teaching of an introduction-to-
science course should take into ac-
count the interests and thought pro-
cesses of academs, in order that they
might receive the maximum benefit
from their study. NSCI should teach
students to appreciate and resp>ect
science, not to hate it with a passion.
Who knows how much of the new
wave of postmodern relativism that
has recently swept the social sciences
and humanities — which insists that
Western science is only one rhetoric
among many equally valid ones—has
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stemmed from former supporters of
science who became disenchanted
with the religious-like obfuscation with
which scientists sometimes shroud
their discipline.
In these times of environmental
"awareness" and technological
pseudo-savvy, the most important
thing that scientists must do to pre-
serve their relevance is to convince
non-scientists of the reality of their
work: its scope, its importance and its
simplicity.
Simplicity? How can science be
simple? Objection to this statement
would most likely come from scien-
tists who use the myth of science
being difficult to boost their self-im-
portance. Discoveries are made be-
cause scientists begin research with a
notion of how the world should be, by
investigating every possibility dili-
... who became
disenchanted with the
religious-like obfuscation
with which scientists
sometimes shroud their
discipline. '
gently and objectively and in accept-
ing the possibility that impossible
things aren't necessarily impossible.
Teaching science as little more than
data and calculations requiring eso-
teric knowledge and mathematical
genius fails to illuminate others of the
joy and pleasure that is derived from
scientific investigation.
I suggest teaching a science sur-
vey class concerned less with cover-
ing the entire gamut of scientific en-
deavor (without tough math, at that)
in a short amount of time.
Not only is this a great disrespect
to the body of knowledge as a whole,
it makes students numb with the whirl-
wind of topics ranging from evolution
to Einstein's relativity.
Imagine a NSCI course that takes
into account the diversity of scientific
disciplines and the diverse interests
of the academs taking the class. Inves-
tigate the philosophy of science and
the deeper asp)ects of the scientific
method.
Consider the mathematics of mu-
sic, the geometry and design inherent
to architecture — of more than build-
ings — molecules, organisms, rock-
ets, computers and much more.
Teach the history of science, in-
cluding the motive for doing research
in addition to the social, political and
economic consequences of develop>-
ing specific technologies. Consider
teaching in tandem, science and hu-
manities professors workingtogether.
On and on these ideas can be devel-
oped.
Let introductory science courses
be applicable to all. Diversify the num-
berofteachersforthecourse,in much
the sameway that humanities courses
are taught Allow for the personal lives
of the professors to illustrate to the
students what it is like to be a scientist
Spend less time grumbling aboutalien-
ation and more time cultivating inspi-
ration.
We need to let Natural Science be
a bit more naturaL
Next week: Onward to Humanities!
Chris Thomas is a Sid Richardson
College senior.
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Howley, Peter & Epperson, Kraettli. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 15, Ed. 1 Friday, January 14, 1994, newspaper, January 14, 1994; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245857/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.