Integrated Science: New Approaches to Education: A Virtual Roundtable Discussion

Across science and engineering, new opportunities are unfolding at the convergence of traditional fields. To meet the demands for students with interdisciplinary education, new undergraduate curricula have emerged. Biomedical engineering, for example, builds upon foundations in biology, physics, chemistry and materials science coupled with engineering design principles.

In building successful interdisciplinary science programs, however, many questions must be addressed. Although many resources exist for developing and implementing new academic programs, there does not exist in a single volume that adequately address this important topic. Integrated Science: New Approaches to Education is a focused collection of essays addressing the myriad challenges associated with conceptualizing, developing, implementing and measuring the success of new undergraduate programs in interdisciplinary science and engineering fields. This book will provide an overview of this process drawn from a broad perspective of experts within their respective fields.

Michael E. Brint - After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of California and his doctorate at Oxford University, Michael Brint has been involved in developing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs at Stanford University, the University of Virginia, and Kenyon College.  The former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Michael Brint is currently the Uyeno-Tseng Professor of International Studies and Professor of Political Science at California Lutheran University.

David J. Marcey – David Marcey received a B.A. in Biology from the College of Wooster and a Ph.D. in Biology from The University of Utah. His postdoctoral work was done at The Max-Planck-Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany and at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was an associate professor at Kenyon College before joining the faculty of California Lutheran University as Fletcher Jones Professor of Developmental Biology. Marcey's research in Drosophila developmental genetics includes studies of genetic control of tissue formation and the role of transposable elements in gene regulation.

Michael C. Shaw – Michael Shaw received a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.S. in Ceramic Engineering from the Ohio State University, and a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He performed his post-doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, England. He is currently Professor, Bioengineering and Physics; and Director, Center for Integrated Science and Bioengineering at California Lutheran University. Shaw's research focuses on the underlying relationships between the microstructures and mechanical properties of both inorganic materials and living systems.