syllabus
info
title Empirical Science Workshop
term Spring 2006
credits 2
time Mon 3-5pm
place ?
level Intermediate
faculty all natural science faculty
required for all plans that are 50% or more science
prereq One year of college-level sciences/mathematics
blurb
Science is a way of knowing the world around us.
This course will help students to become scientists by asking them to work in small groups on several scientific problems. The projects will involve multiple disciplines and may combine elements of physics, biology,
computer science, chemistry, and/or mathematics. Each will require creative experimental design, data collection and analysis, and probing thought about the confidence with which the results can be claimed as knowledge.
In addition to honing their statistical skills, students will gain facility in the written and oral defense of scientific results.
This is a required course for sophomores likely to do Plan work in any area of the Natural Sciences and will be open to other students at the discretion of the instructors.
schedule
All Faculty:
- week 1 � Papers and discussion of what is good science
Todd/Jim
- 2 � Weird dice & random errors
- 3 � Details of wierd dice
- project proposal "sketchy science" due
- 4 � Enzyme activity, pH and random error
Travis/Bob
- 5 � Discussion of Systematic Error [wk 2-4 project due]
- 6 � Biology experiment (or maybe physics, depending on weather)
- 7 � Physics or biology experiment. As before, a formal write-up for one or the other will be due in class in week 8
Matt/Jenny
- 8 � (multiple factors) wk 5-7 project due
- 9 �
- 10 -
- 11 � wk 9-11 project due
All Faculty attending:
- 12 � student oral presentations
- 13 � student oral presentations