2018-2019 ISC Student Handbook - Virginia Tech

2018-2019ISC StudentHandbook

TheIntegratedScienceCurriculumAre you passionate about science and math?Do you seek to understand the big picture as well as all the really cool pieces?Do you want to help solve the world’s most pressing and complex problems through the power of science?Designed for students seeking an in-depth understanding of 21st century science, the Integrated ScienceCurriculum (ISC) provides a novel, integrated scientific foundation for any degree program in the Collegeof Science. It employs a collaborative, active-learning environment emphasizing teamwork, skills acquisition,independent thought, and creativity. ISC prepares the scientists of the future by having students learn andwork as do the most successful scientists of today.Modern science is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Ageneration ago, the classic scientific disciplines (biology, chemistry, and physics) could stand independentlyin a way no longer possible. This is due to the increasingly complex scientific questions that we are asking;Questions that require knowledge stemming from all traditional scientific fields. If science majors want tosustain successful careers in a world where the pace of change will only accelerate, they need to be immersedin the new and evolving ways of thinking about and doing science. The ISC presents the foundations ofphysical, mathematical and life sciences in an integrated, active-learning mode so to produce students with afundamental understanding of the connections between the traditional sciences.The recent evolution of science, in no small measure driven by the rapid increase in computational power,has brought with it the emergence of important, new scientific fields. The ISC is an excellent entry path forthe traditional bachelor’s degrees in the College of Science (biological sciences, biochemistry, chemistry,economics, geosciences, mathematics, physics, psychology, and statistics), as well as for the new degreeprograms in computational modeling and data analytics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and systems biology.Importantly, the ISC is not just a repackaging of traditional courses. The ISC presents knowledgeand techniques from traditional sciences as complements to one another, providing the means tounderstand large-scale societal problems, including the areas of food, energy, health, water, theenvironment, and more. The ISC raises broad questions about these complex Earth systems that do notfall into a single scientific box. To address these questions, the ISC introduces and/or increases exposure to1

advanced scientific topics not typically covered in introductory courses, such as organic chemistry,biochemistry, linear algebra, differential equations, numerical methods, and stochastic processes. Throughthis approach, ISC students come to understand the interrelationships of the sciences in a way that is notpossible with a more conventional course structure.The ISC is structured around the big issues and questions being asked around the world today. Thesequestions require the integration of ideas and methods from all scientific discipline. The basic organizingthemes and questions of the ISC include:1)2)3)4)5)What is Life?What is Matter?What is Energy?What is Motion?What is Information?Administratively speaking, the ISC is not a degree program. It is a freshman-sophomore coursesequence that provides an alternative entry to any major in the College of Science. Students whoenroll in the ISC will still choose a major field of study, and in addition to the ISC course and labwill take courses specific to their chosen major.HowistheISCstructured?The ISC is a 30 credit, two-year course sequence that covers the fundamentals of college-level chemistry,physics, and biology integrated with each other and with calculus, linear algebra, and statistics. In each of thefour semesters the ISC course is worth 6 credits and meets every day for seventy-five minutes. In the firstyear the laboratory course is worth 2 credits and meets twice a week for 2.5 hours. In the second year thelaboratory course is worth 1 credit and meets once a week for 2.5 hours. Example 2-year course schedules areshown here for the most common ISC majors. Please note that these are examples only. Your personalschedule will vary based on your AP and IB scores and any dual enrollment classes you have taken. Your ISCadvisor and your major advisor will work closely with you to create your personalized schedule.2

ExampleISC2-yearcourseschedulescourseISC 1105ISC 1115BCHM 1014ENGL 1105ISC 2105ISC 2115CHEM 2535CHEM 2545Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aBIOCHEMISTRY B.S.Freshman YearFallSpringcredits courseIntegrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science IIntegrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab IIntro to Biochemistry1 BIOL 1106 Principles of BiologyFirst Year Writing3 ENGL 1106 First Year WritingUniversity Core/Electives3University Core/Electivestotal:15total:Sophomore YearIntegrated Science II6 ISC 2106Integrated Science IIIntegrated Science Lab II1 ISC 2116Integrated Science Lab IIOrganic Chemistry3 BCHM 2114 Biochemical CalculationsOrganic Chemistry Lab1 CHEM 2536 Organic ChemistryUniversity Core/Electives6 CHEM 2546 Organic Chemistry LabBIOL 2604 General MicrobiologyBIOL 2614 General Microbiology Labcredits62333176123132*Lab optional- Can take in the Falltotal:courseISC 1105ISC 1115ISC 1004ENGL 1105ISC 2105ISC 2115STAT 3615CHEM 2535CHEM 254517total:Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES B.S.Freshman YearFallSpringcredits courseIntegrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science IIntegrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab IISC Orientation Seminar1 BIOL 1106 Principles of BiologyFirst Year Writing3 ENGL 1106 First Year WritingGeneral Education Course3General Education Coursetotal:15total:Sophomore YearIntegrated Science II6 ISC 2106Integrated Science IIIntegrated Science Lab II1 ISC 2116Integrated Science Lab IIBiological Statistics3 BIOL 2004 GeneticsOrganic Chemistry3 CHEM 2536 Organic ChemistryOrganic Chemistry Lab1 CHEM 2546 Organic Chemistry LabGeneral Education Course3General Education Coursetotal:17total:316-18credits623331761331317

courseISC 1105ISC 1115ISC 1004ENGL 1105ISC 2105ISC 2115STAT 3615CHEM 2535CHEM 2545courseISC 1105ISC 1115ISC 1004MATH 1225ENGL 1105ISC 2105ISC 2115SYSB 2025CHEM 2514ENGL 1106Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aMICROBIOLOGY B.S.Freshman YearSpringFallcredits courseIntegrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science IIntegrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab IISC Orientation Seminar1 BIOL 1106 Principles of BiologyFirst Year Writing3 ENGL 1106 First Year WritingGeneral Education Course3General Education Coursetotal:15total:Sophomore YearIntegrated Science II6 ISC 2106Integrated Science IIIntegrated Science Lab II1 ISC 2116Integrated Science Lab IIBiological Statistics3 BIOL 2604 General MicrobiologyOrganic Chemistry3 BIOL 2614 General Microbiology LabOrganic Chemistry Lab1 CHEM 2536 Organic ChemistryGeneral Education Course3 CHEM 2546 Organic Chemistry Labtotal:17total:credits623331761323116Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aSYSTEMS BIOLOGY B.S.Freshman YearFallSpringcredits coursecreditsIntegrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science I6Integrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab I2ISC Orientation Seminar1 BIOL 1106 Principles of Biology3Calculus of a Single Variable4 MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable4First-Year Writing3total:16total:15Sophomore YearIntegrated Science II6 ISC 2106Integrated Science II6Integrated Science Lab II1 ISC 2116Integrated Science Lab II1Intro to Systems Biology3 SYSB 2026 Intro to Systems Biology3Survey of Organic Chemistry3CS Elective3First-Year Writing3General Education Course3total:16total:164

Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aCHEMISTRY B.A.Freshman YearSpringFallcoursecredits courseISC 1105Integrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science IISC 1115Integrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab IENGL 1105 First-Year Writing3 ENGL 1106 First-Year WritingCHEM 1004 Chem First Year Experience1General Education CourseGeneral Education Course3General Education Coursetotal:ISC 2105ISC 2115CHEM 2565CHEM 2545CHEM 2154CHEM 2164Integrated Science IIIntegrated Science Lab IIPrinciples of Organic Chem*Organic Chemistry Lab*Analytical Chem for MajorsAnalytical Chemistry Lab15Sophomore Year6 ISC 21061 ISC 21163 CHEM 25661 CHEM 25464 CHEM 24241 MATH 2024*T alk with your advisor about this coursetotal:credits62333total:17Integrated Science IIIntegrated Science Lab IIPrinciples of Organic Chem*Organic Chemistry Lab*Descriptive Inorganic ChemIntermediate Calculus613133*T alk with your advisor about this course16total:17Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aCHEMISTRY B.S.Freshman YearSpringFallcoursecredits coursecreditsISC 1105Integrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science I6ISC 1115Integrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab I2MATH 1225 Calculus of a Single Variable4 MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable4ENGL 1105 First-Year Writing3 ENGL 1106 First-Year Writing3CHEM 1004 Chem First Year Experience1General Education Course3total:ISC 2105ISC 2115CHEM 2565CHEM 2154CHEM 2164MATH 220416Sophomore YearIntegrated Science II6 ISC 2106Integrated Science Lab II1 ISC 2116Principles of Organic Chem*3 CHEM 2566Analytical Chem for Majors4 CHEM 2555Analytical Chemistry Lab1 CHEM 2424Intro to Multivariable Calculus3 MATH 2214total:18Integrated Science IIIntegrated Science Lab IIPrinciples of Organic ChemOrganic Synth & Tech LabDescriptive Inorganic ChemIntro to Differential Equations613233total:18*T alk with your advisor about this coursetotal:185

Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aCOMPUTATIONAL MODELING & DATA ANALYTICS (CMDA) B.S.Freshman YearSpringFallcreditscoursecredits courseISC 1105Integrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science I6ISC 1115Integrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab I2MATH 1225 Calculus of a Single Variable4 MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable4CS 1114Intro to Software Design3 CS 2114Soft Des & Data Structures3ENGL 1105 First-Year Writing3 ENGL 1106 First-Year Writing3total:18total:18Sophomore YearISC 2105Integrated Science II6 ISC 2106Integrated Science II6ISC 2115Integrated Science Lab II1 ISC 2116Integrated Science Lab II1CMDA 2005 Int Quantitative Science6 CMDA 2006 Int Quantitative Science6MATH 2114 Linear Algebra3General Education Course3total:16total:16Example 2-year schedule for an ISC student working towards aECONOMICS B.A.Freshman YearFallSpringcoursecredits coursecreditsISC 1105Integrated Science I6 ISC 1106Integrated Science I6ISC 1115Integrated Science Lab I2 ISC 1116Integrated Science Lab I2MATH 1225 Calculus of a Single Variable4 MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable4ENGL 1105 First Year Writing3 ENGL 1106 First-Year Writing3ECON 2005 Principles of Economics3 ECON 2006 Principles of Economics3total:18total:18Sophomore YearISC 2105Integrated Science II6 ISC 2106Integrated Science II6ISC 2115Integrated Science Lab II1 ISC 2116Integrated Science Lab II1ECON Elective3 ECON 3104 Microeconomic Theory3General Education Course3ECON Elective3General Education Course3General Education Course3total:16total:166