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. ET ALS MEETINGS Umiiltd Stinil Itbiitf Tuk Fare* will max today tram 12 30 to 2 p m in l ha EMU Board Room For Don Information, call MB-2210. Cwpaa C1H Scania will maat tonight at 0:20 in EMU Cadar Room A. 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