Students re-examine biology
By Scott Simonson
Emerald Contribute*
Thanks to workshop biology,
students are reading supermar
ket tabloids differently these
days.
As strange as it may seem, a
headline shouting "Half-hu
man, half-fish found in Flori
da" can provide an ideal con
text for discussing how differ
ent types of respiratory systems
get oxygen into the blood
stream.
From the Weekly World
News to The New York Times.
the workshop biology class
uses newspaper articles to
show the interplay between sci
ence and public affairs.
"We're giving students some
practice in something they'll be
doing for the rest of their lives.
You should always understand
enough of the underlying scien
tific principles to understand
what a politician is saying or o
doctor is telling you," said Tom
(.andon, assistant professor of
biology and instructor for this
term's workshop biology class.
A one-year sequence aimed
at students not majoring in bi
ology. the class is designed to
develop science literacy while
teaching major concepts in bi
ology.
Understanding these con
cepts often means putting biol
ogy into a practical framework
and asking questions such os
"Why does beer make you jmh*
so much?” to leant how the
kidney works, Izindon said.
"My field is fascinating to me
in and of itself. I tend to think
that others are fascinated by it."
he said. "What we've found is.
unless you put the information
in a context of practical value
to most people, it's just another
set of facts to forget after you
memorize them for a test."
This approach seems to have
won some believers among
workshop biology students.
“I think it's a good ( lass." ju
nior Patrick Heriza said. "I like
the way it's organized. I think
we're wing open-minded for
ideas. We get to question what
the teachers are saying, and it's
great for non-majors.”
"It's much better than the tra
ditional biology class.” senior
Melissa Letcher said "What
they present in class encour
age* you to do your rending It's
o smaller class, and that facili
tates discussion."
Not only do the goals of
workshop biology differ from a
"traditional” introductory biol
ogy class, the structure of the
100-student course is different
as well, said Deborah Morris,
the project coordinator.
Less class time is spent in
lectures and more time is sjemt
in labs, Morris said. Also, each
term's labs are organized
around a specific social issue
such ns human genetics, cancer
or human physiology.
The course has three goals to
develop critical thinking and
problem-solving skills that can
continue to l>e used after the
course ends; to promote the
concept of science ns a dynam
ic process instead of an unrelat
ed collection of facts; and to
demonstrate the interplay be
tween science and public af
fairs.
landon said the course cov
ers less material than a "tradi
tional" class, but the discussion
in both lectures and labs helps
cover topics in greater depth.
"Realistically, a one-year bi
ology course is not going to
cover everything you need to
know anyway," he said. "By
going over fewer items in more
depth, I hope people will be
able to apply and use general
principles in thinking about
things."
Each term, workshop biology
students ure required to make
an In-depth examination of on
existing scientific controversy
and present their findings to
the class.
('.ailed Issues Proj« ts. Morris
said these small group assign
ments are one example of how
workshop biology's educational
7 think we're being
open-minded. We
get to question
what the teachers
are saying.'
Patrick Heriza,
workshop biology student
philosophy may differ from
mom traditional biology class
es.
"It does seem that social is
sues and public policy are the
distinguishing features of the
course." she said "But what's
less obvious is what we ask stu
dents to do in the labs, and the
kind of activities they do."
Morris said lubs are designed
to confront students' miscon
ceptions of a subject instead of
just telling students what is or
is not correct.
"We believe that students
have to construct their own
concepts from their own obser
vations. and they do that
through writing and doing ex
periments,” Morris said.
"That's really different from
the way a lot of people perceive
science, which is fieing either a
collection of far ts that wje al
ready know and aren't going to
change, or as a collection of
methods that are going to give
you the ultimate right answer,"
she said.
Morris said the government
agencies funding the project un
interested in more than devel
oping a new class for the Uni
versity.
"We're expe< ted to develop
something that will lie useful
elsewhere." she said
While the usefulness of the
class at other colleges is still
being determined, workshop
biology has already paid divi
dends. Morris said The biology
department has received a $1
million grant from the Howard
Hughes Foundation to develop
h program for biology majors
Psych department ranked 11th
By Colleen Pohltg
Emerald Associate Editor
Research at the University's psychology depart
ment is among the most influential in the world,
according to a recent analysis by the American
Psychological Society
The APS. one of the two main national socie
ties for psychological research, ranked the Uni
versity's psychology department 11th among the
50 highest-impact institutions, a report published
in the November APS (Observer said
"Gaining national recognition takes a long
time,” said Dave McDaniels, associate dean of
natural sciences. "This reflects over 30 years of
hard work by the psychology department. It takes
a group of dedicated and creative faculty to
achieve this."
institutions with the highest impact ratings in
clude Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. Pa.,
first; the University of Vermont. Burlington, sec
ond; and Princeton University, N.J., third.
The ranking was based on research papers most
frequently cited in the sciences and social sci
ences from 19H6 to 1990. During the five-year pe
riod. University psychology department faculty
published 209 papers that were cited 926 times.
Stave Keele. a psychology professor arid depart
ment head, said the rating system was an attempt
to adjust for the size of the schools.
No attention was paid to the content of the pa
pers. he said.
Keele said the honor is not unusual considering
the department's reputation for quality research.
"From n variety of ratings, it's not unusual for
the department to lie among the top 15 out of the
nation in terms of research," Keele said. "The
University and the public needs to bo reminded
that this University provides the I rest research in
the world, and this honor is a reminder."
The ranking was higher than departments at in
stitutions such as the University of Chicago, the
University of California at Berkeley. Harvard Uni
versity and the University of Washington
McDaniels said the rating is beneficial to pro
spective students who are considering a career in
psychology.
“It will benefit the University and will get more
people interested in psychology and the Universi
ty if a student's counselor can say they just read
the University of Oregon was ranked high — it
makes the University more attractive." McDaniels
said.
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