Building Connections in STEM

Given the complex challenges facing our world, it is clear that the problem solvers of the future will need to draw on tools from a variety of fields in STEM and beyond. While each STEM discipline has its own toolkit of approaches and techniques, all share a focus on hands-on exploration, problem solving, and communication. Building Connections in STEM will give participants the opportunity to engage with exciting and novel problems across the physical and biological sciences, in the context of the liberal arts. Students will develop exploration, problem solving, and scientific communication skills as they take part in courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Geology. Each course will include hands-on investigation, in which students will work in small teams to examine novel questions under the direction of college faculty and mentored by undergraduate teaching assistants, making use of Carleton’s excellent research facilities and instrumentation. Students will also reflect on their work in the context of broader societal questions and their own unique experiences, while practicing both written and spoken communication of their scientific results and ideas. The program will culminate in a symposium where students present their work with each other and the broader community. Students will spend one week each on Biology: Genes and Behavior, Chemistry: Chemistry of Materials, and Geology: Geochemistry of Surface Water in Rice County Minnesota.