Sample major in Integrated Science and Engineering, specifically aimed at 9-12 Educators

We offer a sample -4-year major to prepare the science and engineering high school teachers of the future, which emphasizes integrated (i.e., not in silos) science and engineering, humanistic ethics, and thoughtful reflection of what the goal of being "a teacher" is all about.

Viterbo University's revised Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Bachelor of Science Program aims to prepare future students for healthcare and STEM-related careers by integrating foundational, meta, and humanistic knowledge. This holistic approach is critical as the problems in our world continue to increase in complexity and involve an increasing amount of diversity of approaches and viewpoints. This integration is achieved through a curriculum that invites students to use knowledge in applied settings such as course-embedded research, service-learning, and community building both on and off-campus. Students will participate in an annual biochemistry symposium and related seminar course that showcase the complexity of science-related issues within our world.

This program centers on teaching biology through research experiences and practical examples of current issues. We propose alternative implementations, suggestions and insights for achieving a research-centered biology major at institutions of higher learning outside the context of a Research I university.

The proposed transformative engineering approach integrates core engineering knowledge with allied disciplines, which are defined as disciplines that promote student development of professional skills/dispositions (humanistic and meta knowledge). Specific skills/dispositions the program addresses will include: ethical reasoning, communication, leadership, meta-cognitive skills, creativity, cultural awareness and teamwork. Examples of allied disciplines for engineering students include: humanities, social sciences, arts, and management and entrepreneurship.

The Biological Sciences Degree Program at Arizona State University is in the midst of a revolution. Through institutional support at the level of the Director of the School of Life Sciences, the core courses required of undergraduates in this major are being reviewed and realigned to cutting-edge pedagogical standards, 21st century skills, and national standards for knowledge. Amidst this culture of change, we envision a change in STEM education that provides students with an education that robustly integrates humanistic, meta, and foundational knowledge in order to better prepare them for their lives as professionals and citizens. This project highlights the incorporation of humanistic and meta knowledge into the Biological Sciences Degree Program.

Critical Health Studies is a transdisciplinary major program of co-taught courses that incorporates STEM subjects (biology, biochemistry, environmental science, psychology, and kinesiology), social sciences (anthropology, sociology, communications, entrepreneurship), and humanities (writing, religion, history, arts), related to health and well-being. Students will proceed through the major in a cohort that is book-ended by project-based learning seminars. A meta focus in action research will lead these cohorts in partnerships with community groups to create meaningful interventions to reduce health inequities. The curriculum will model a decolonized course design to promote fundamental values.

The Biomedical Sciences Program (BMD) is a undergraduate major at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with approximately 700 undergraduate students. As the major has expanded, it is clear we need to create "pathways"/concentrations that allow undergraduate students to expand their expertise into sub-specialities within the biomedical sciences field. The goal of this work is to create a Science of Disparities concentration within BMD, that will be designated on student transcripts and provide students the opportunity to create unique expertise that accommodates their personalized career goals.