1001. Introduction to Academics in the Sciences (1 s.h.) F.

(Formerly: SCI TEC 0051.)

Preparation for the academic requirements of science curricula, and development of the skills necessary to succeed in college. A guided exploration of potential career opportunities. There will be guest lecturers.

Note: Registration for this course is restricted to first semester freshman only. This course meets for the first twelve weeks of the semester.

1189. Step 1: Inquiry Approaches to Teaching (1 s.h.)

This is the first course in the TUteach pedagogy sequence. This course will provide students with an opportunity to explore teaching in science or mathematics as a career; early field experiences in teaching; and an introduction to the theory and practice necessary to prepare and deliver excellent instruction. To obtain first-hand experience with planning and implementing inquiry-based curriculum, students will teach science/mathematics lessons (designed in NSF-funded project) in elementary classrooms in a local school district. Students will attend 1.5 hours of class on campus each week, where they will learn to prepare and deliver excellent science/mathematics lessons. Students, working in teams, will present three lessons in a third, fourth, fifth or sixth grade classroom during the semester. These classrooms are selected both for the diversity of the student body and for the quality of the classroom teacher. Each team of students will have a district classroom teacher and a TUteach master teacher who will work with them to improve their teaching skills as the semester progresses. The district classroom teacher will remain in the classroom at all times and provide immediate feedback on the quality of the instruction. A tuition remission stipend will be paid to those students who successfully complete this course.

1289. Step 2: Inquiry-Based Lesson Design (1 s.h.)

Prerequisite: C- or higher in SCI TEC 1189 (Step 1: Inquiry Approaches to Teaching).

This is the second course in the TUteach pedagogy sequence. This course will provide students with an opportunity to explore science or mathematics teaching as a career, first-hand experience planning inquiry-based curriculum, and early field experiences teaching such curriculum at the middle school level. Students who want to explore teaching careers become familiar with the middle school environment by observing and discussing middle school culture and by teaching several lessons to a middle school class. Students build upon and practice inquiry-based lesson design skills that were developed in Step 1 and also become familiar with excellent science curricula for the middle school setting. They teach science lessons in middle school classrooms in the local school district. Students attend 1.5 hours of class on campus each week, where they learn to design and deliver excellent inquiry-based lessons. The students present three lessons in a sixth, seventh, or eighth grade classroom during the semester. These classrooms are selected both for the diversity of the student body and for the quality of the classroom teacher. Each team of students has a district classroom teacher and a TUteach instructor who will work with them to improve their teaching abilities as the semester progresses. The classroom teacher remains in the classroom at all times and provides immediate feedback on the quality of the instruction. A tuition remission stipend will be paid to those students who successfully complete this course. As a result of their Step 2 experiences, students can decide whether they want to pursue teacher certification through the TUteach program.

3001. History of Science (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Junior or Senior level in your major.

The first two objectives of this course are to give the students a working knowledge of the broad developments in science since the ancient world and to give them familiarity with the concept of the Scientific Method necessary for understanding areas of science not covered in the course. The ultimate objective is to provide students with the skill to evaluate claims and classify them as scientific or un-scientific. Students will take an inquiry-based approach through readings and discussions and will address both the scientific history and its role in controversial social and moral issues such as pollution, child labor in the Industrial Revolution, weapons in wartime, attitudes toward women, and science and religion. The course will survey the genesis of the Scientific Revolution and go on to examine the work of scientists in the 16th century through today.

3385. Diamond Peer Teachers - Internship I (1 s.h.) F.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor required.

The Diamond Peer Teachers Program provides students with a mentored university-level teaching experience in their major. Course requirements include participation in the three-day pre-semester Teaching Institute and regular participation in the Peer Teachers support group throughout the semester. Peer Teachers provide supplemental instruction in first- and second-year courses, promote student engagement, and model successful study habits and academic preparedness for students with whom they work. For Diamond Peer Teachers only.

3386. Diamond Peer Teachers - Internship II (1 s.h.) S.

(Formerly: SCI TEC 0386.)

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor required.

The Diamond Peer Teachers Program provides students with a mentored university-level teaching experience in their major. Course requirements include participation in the three-day pre-semester Teaching Institute and regular participation in the Peer Teachers support group throughout the semester. Peer Teachers provide supplemental instruction in first- and second-year courses, promote student engagement, and model successful study habits and academic preparedness for students with whom they work. For Diamond Peer Teachers only.

4001. Responsible Conduct of Research (2 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Senior level.

The course is designed to expose undergraduate students to the research environment in terms of a research code of conduct and ethical standards. The course is open to senior undergraduate students of all majors with special authorization required. The course has no specific prerequisites and it does not count as a biology major elective. The course will fulfill the requirement for training in responsible conduct of research for students funded by the National Institutes of Health.

4321. Entrepreneurship in Science and Technology (3 s.h.) F.

Prerequisite: Junior or senior level in your major.

The theme of this course is identifying opportunity and application. It will demonstrate that in every area of interest, or course of study, there is an entrepreneurial potential. Students will be given the basic knowledge to pursue their ideas and to understand the steps required to finance, promote, staff, and manage a business. The goal, however, is not establishing an enterprise but rather developing the skills to relate interests and opportunities; and to apply knowledge of a particular field to its commercial possibilities. The course will use case studies from diverse fields and discuss specific entrepreneurial ventures. There will also be guest speakers from industry to discuss their entrepreneurial endeavors.

4351. Paradigms of Scientific Knowledge: Knowledge Discovery from Scientific Data (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: C- or higher in a one-semester programming course (Matlab, C, Java, Basic).

The goal of this course is to teach science students the necessary skills for knowledge discovery from large collections of data. The course is designed to introduce students to various data mining algorithms and illustrate how they can be applied to real-life knowledge discovery problems in sciences. Case studies will be discussed that illustrate application of data mining systems in biology, chemistry and physics. One emphasis of the course will be in teaching students how to use various data mining software to solve various knowledge discovery problems. Through this course, students will develop abilities in problem solving and critical thinking, both of which are necessary for the practice of data mining. This will be accomplished by demonstrating the practical applications of each presented algorithm, by emphasizing each algorithm’s limitations, and by assigning research-like course projects.