As part of a more targeted approach for recruiting students in math and the sciences, the University is in the process of creating the Science Cohort program to attract the nation's top science undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. At the September faculty meeting, President Ruth Simmons expressed her support for such efforts to address what she called "a national problem."
The Science Cohort is under the guidance of a recently formed faculty group, headed by Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Thomas Dean. Another goal of the group is simply to "package and profile" Brown's existing sciences offerings to make the University appear more glamorous and competitive to committed, gifted scientists.
The program will be "uniquely Brown," Dean said. Like the Program in Liberal Medical Education, prospective students will apply separately to the Science Cohort while applying to the college. However, there is some flexibility, and new students can join if others drop out and create free spaces.
The program will adopt an interdisciplinary approach, acknowledging the interconnectedness of the various scientific disciplines and the current trend towards work at the frontiers between disciplines.
Both Simmons and Provost Robert Zimmer have expressed a desire to bolster diversity in scientific fields. In a meeting with Dean and other faculty members working on the Science Cohort, Zimmer voiced his concern that while science is progressing very quickly and traditional boundaries between disciplines are being transcended or blurred, interest in science is decreasing and the percentage of young scientists who are female, black or Hispanic is disproportionately low. Zimmer asked the group to consider the multifaceted issue and work to develop a solution.
As the paradigm for science is changing and competition is increasing from countries such as China, Thailand and India, there is a "national need for the next generation of scientists that we really need to address," Dean said.
Like Simmons and Zimmer, Dean said he is particularly troubled by an evident lack of diversity in the sciences. Only 10 to 11 percent of scientists in the United States are women, he said, adding that the percentage of blacks and Hispanics in the sciences is harrowingly low. At Brown, the percentage of minorities and women in the sciences is "a little better than the real 'nerdy' schools, but not as much as you'd expect from a university that prides itself on having a really diverse community," he said.
As Brown is committed to maintaining a cutting-edge, competitive and diverse sciences program, it also wants to be recognized as a leading sciences university. "I think that Brown is really an exciting place to come and do science just to begin with, but I do not think we're perceived that way by high school seniors," said Dean of the College Paul Armstrong.
"I don't want them to go to the other places - I want them to come to Brown," he added.
Of the high school seniors interested in science who do matriculate at Brown, many ultimately gravitate towards the humanities, further reducing the number of science concentrators at the University. Dean proposed that perhaps high school seniors intentionally claim an interest in the sciences because they know it will increase their chances of getting into Brown. "People game the system," he said. "Why not?"
However, Armstrong had his own interpretation of this trend, suggesting that it may be the result of certain humanities courses offered at Brown that students never had access to in high school. "I think that (this gravitation) is a good thing, but how do we make sure that we attract students who at age 14 or 15 have a passion for science that's not going to change?" he asked.
Dean was able to provide several other details of the Science Cohort. Students enrolled in the program will be required to take three foundations courses, one in each of the domains of mathematics, computation and experimental design. On top of this, there will be a few courses specifically designed for work at the interface within disciplines.
"We think that we do (interdisciplinary learning) better than anyone else, so why not make it the hallmark of a program?" Dean said.
Armstrong agreed, calling the program's interdisciplinary nature "a logical extension of what we already do."
The Science Cohort will also encourage its students to take courses in the humanities and social sciences to supplement their sciences education.
"You can't shove technology down the throat of somebody who has no understanding of the social issues (that accompany the science)," Dean said. Indeed, the ultimate goal of the Science Cohort will be to produce "scientist citizens" uniquely prepared to deal with the demands of the modern world.
However, students in the Science Cohort will still select a standard science concentration, as disciplines are separated in most graduate schools and the industry. "You still need depth. It would be terrible to give people a smorgasbord of courses," Dean said.
In the interest of making the program fulfilling and attractive to prospective students, two UTRA grants will be guaranteed for each member of the Science Cohort, which will be awarded during the summers preceding sophomore and junior years.
A capstone project will also distinguish the Science Cohort from other programs. This project will be multidisciplinary, completed with a team of students specializing in various disciplines who will bring their various skill sets to the table. This would simulate the real world interactions of scientists, and the objective would be to ultimately produce publishable material, Dean said.
Along these same lines, the Science Cohort will highly encourage, if not require, undergraduates to be teaching assistants, in order to simulate the dynamic in the real world, where "peer-to-peer teaching and tutoring" is essential, according to Dean.
In fact, Dean repeatedly stressed the truly collaborative and community-oriented nature of science. The unparalleled value of "people working with people" is central to the Cohort's philosophy, he said.
In addition, the Science Cohort will consider diversity supremely important, and would ideally like to have the same demographics as Brown's general student body, Dean said. He said it is important to get the percentage of minorities and women in the sciences at Brown to a "sustainable level" so that they no longer experience isolation or feel the constant danger of attrition.
Zimmer, Armstrong and Dean are optimistic about Brown's science program and are excited to welcome progressive change. "Given the approach to learning that our curriculum emphasizes, I think it's the ideal place to do science," Armstrong said, stressing in particular the potential for collaboration with professors who are at the top of their fields.
Dean agreed, saying that he thinks Brown could make a really compelling case that it is as good as California Institute of Technology for science students.
However, some students have already spoken out against Brown's new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) tours, saying that Brown should focus its attention on what it does best: the humanities.
Zimmer, for one, is not concerned. "For any major program these questions will arise. I would be disappointed to see any major program arise without that type of thorough scrutiny and debate," he said.
