Science uses research to solve problems, from antibiotic resistance to the climate crisis. Molecular Discovery is an interdisciplinary learning community that immerses students in a laboratory research project in their first year, fosters excitement about the molecular world, and promotes a sense of community and belonging for students interested in STEM. Students take a sequence of three courses: one in the fall semester (FYS 120: Molecular Discovery I), one in the January term (BMOLS 111: Molecular Discovery II), and one in the spring semester (WRIT 120: Molecular Discovery III). The thoroughly integrated curriculum of these three courses guides students through the research process to act on curiosity, build research skills, and communicate findings. Students read about, speak with, and work alongside other scientists as they develop their scientist identity. Scientific and professional practices in this program help students understand the world and their role in it.
The research process is integral to all three courses, although the research question investigated may change from year to year. In the Fall course, students design and begin to carry out their research project. In the January term, they are immersed in laboratory research to further their experimental goals. Finally, in the Spring course, students complete additional research analyses and use their knowledge and creativity to construct and present a professional research poster. All the while, students also fulfill the goals of the FYS and WRR courses in the OLE core and earn an elective credit for the Biology major.
Requirements for the Molecular Discovery Learning Community Program
Students participating in this conversation complete the following sequence of courses during their first-year.
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FYS 120: Molecular Discovery I (Fall semester) and co-enrollment with CHEM 122, CHEM 125 or BIO 150 (Fall semester)
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BMOLS 111 Molecular Discovery II (January term)
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WRIT 120: Molecular Discovery III (Spring semester)
Students participating in this conversation complete the following sequence of courses during their first-year.
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FYS 120 First-Year Seminar: Molecular Discovery I (Fall Semester) and co-enrollment with CHEM 122, CHEM 125, or BIO 150 (Fall semester)
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FYS 120: Molecular Discovery I Section - In this first course of the Molecular Discovery learning community, students practice collaboration and curiosity by starting a year-long research project that will continue in the January and Spring courses. Through laboratory work, students nurture their curiosity as a way of learning and explore your science identity. The class culminates with a group literature research project. This course fulfills the FYS requirement.
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During the fall semester, students will co-enroll in CHEM 122 Introductory Chemistry
, CHEM 125 Structural Chemistry and Equilibrium, or BIO 150 Evolutionary Foundations of Biodiversity.
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BMOLS 111 Molecular Discovery II (January term)
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BMOLS 111: Molecular Discovery II - In this second course of the Molecular Discovery learning community, students build on the content and research skills introduced in the first course while engaging in a laboratory-based research project. This course emphasizes experimental design, implementation, and data analysis. Prerequisite: FYS 120: Molecular Discovery I.
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WRIT 120 Writing and Rhetoric: Molecular Discovery III (Spring semester)
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WRIT 120: Molecular Discovery III - In this third course of the Molecular Discovery learning community, students continue the research conducted in the Fall and January term courses, and practice a variety of ways to communicate that research and related science to diverse audiences. They also examine some key science-and-society connections such as research ethics, and science representation and accuracy in the entertainment industry. A reflection on their own science identity in the context of communities of scientists remains a key part of this course for students. This course fulfills the WRR requirement. Prerequisites: FYS 120: Molecular Discovery I and BMOLS 111: Molecular Discovery II.
