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The Core Curriculum

Frontiers of Science

 

 

 

Frontiers of Science is a one-semester course that integrates modern science into Columbia's Core Curriculum. Its goal is to challenge students to think about the world around them, and the ways in which science can help us answer questions about nature and ourselves. The course focuses on the commonalities of the scientific approach to inquiry as exemplified by four areas of active research and discovery. On Mondays throughout the semester, leading scientists present up to three lectures in each of the four modules. During the rest of the week, senior faculty and Columbia Science Fellows (PhD research scientists selected for their teaching abilities) lead seminars to discuss the lecture and associated readings, to undertake in-class activities, and to debate the implications of the most recent scientific discoveries. Together with two additional science courses in any natural science department, Frontiers of Science satisfies the science requirement for Columbia College.

  

Ivana Nikolic Hughes, Ph.D.
Director, Frontiers of Science
Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Chemistry
618 Pupin
ih2194@columbia.edu

 

Prof. David Helfand
Chair, Frontiers of Science
Professor of Astronomy
1020 Pupin
djh@astro.columbia.edu

 

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