Life Sciences
Exploring the entirety of the natural world, from tiny microbes to complex ecosystems
Introduction
We live on a vast planet, alongside billions of other living organisms—both visible to the naked eye and not. Life Sciences introduces students to the interdisciplinary nature of the life sciences and explores how we might best apply the knowledge we gain to better our community, our nation and the world we share with our fellow inhabitants.
Discussing a range of topics, including molecular biology, human genetics, ecology, evolution, conservation and ethics, students in this Scholars program seek to answer big questions:
- How do we use our knowledge and skills to improve various aspects of human health?
- How do we create a sustainable future for all life forms?
- How do the life sciences interact with our daily lives (religion, politics, relationships, business, the arts)?
Ultimately, students discover how they might build toward careers to help their fellow human beings and other life on this planet.
This program offers a close community of students who share a common passion for life sciences, broadly defined, and an enduring concern for the well-being of others.
Example Colloquium and Lecture Topics
- The nature of science and the process of scientific discovery
- Genetics, ancestry, and inheritance
- The interaction of scientific knowledge and the public
- Professional development: Finding an internship or research experience
- Movie: The Serengeti Rules
- Cathedrals of Science: The human scientists behind science
- Individual journeys defining success for Life Sciences Scholars
The program actively encourages involvement in opportunities to explore the extensive breadth of professions related to the sciences. The relationships and experiences [of Life Sciences] go beyond the typical expectations associated with large, competitive education institutions.
| SEMESTER | COURSES | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | CPSF 100: Colloquium I | 1 credit |
| BSCI 160 + 161S: Ecology and Evolution + Lab (DSNL) | 4 credits | |
| CHEM 131 + 132S: General Chemistry + Lab (DSNL) | 4 credits | |
| CMNS 100: Becoming a Science Terp | 1 credit | |
| Semester 2 | CPSF 101: Colloquium II | 1 credit |
| BSCI 170 + 171S: Molecular and Cellular Biology + Lab (DSNL) | 4 credits | |
| Semester 3 | CPSF 200: Colloquium III | 1 credit |
| Semester 4 | BSCI 258: Internship | 2 credits |
Sponsoring College
Office Address
1212 Centreville Hall
Office Phone
Faculty
News and Notes, Etc.
Life Sciences News
Scholars Alumni Named to Prestigious Maryland Medallion Society
Several Scholars alumni were named to the Maryland Medallion Society during the 40th Annual University of Maryland Student Leadership Awards this month. The Medallion Society is a prestigious group consisting of 20 of the brightest student leaders at the university:
Scholars Alum: Kristen Wolfe, a Disney Animal Kingdom Zookeeper
Kristen Wolfe Alum of: Life Sciences Year graduated: 1998 A 1998 graduation year must mean you were in the first class of Scholars. What was it like? Did you understand what Scholars was about when you accepted the invitation? Yes, I was the first class. For me, I didn’t realize what Scholars was. I had applied to the University of Maryland, and this letter came in the mail that they were offering me this program. Once I came for Orientation, I started to realize it was something new and different. They explained that it was a program that helped people with adjusting to college, and you'd have other students in your classes that you lived with and would be able to get help from along the way.
What Scholars Did on Their Summer Break
It’s a perennial back-to-school query from teachers: What did you do on your summer vacation? When we asked some of our Scholars students and alumni, they had a lot to tell us… and not surprisingly, they made the most of their summer break. Now that students have settled in on campus and the semester is a few weeks in, we highlight some of our impressive Scholars accomplishments from over the summer. Amit and Erin Koppel Year: Sophomore (Amit), Senior (Erin)
Beloved Life Sciences Director Reid Compton Steps Down From Scholars
Reid Compton, a longtime fixture of the Life Sciences Scholars program, has stepped down from his role as program director after nearly 10 years. Compton was only the second person to head the Life Sciences program, which has existed since College Park Scholars’ founding about 25 years ago. Though a trained biomedical scientist, Compton made the decision to keep the program’s broad approach to the life sciences to include natural history, evolution and conservation, rather than restrict it to a premedical program. He wanted students to appreciate that there is more to the living world than humans and their diseases.
How This Life Sciences Scholar Taught the UMD Community About Self Care
When Anthony Sartori was a freshman at the University of Maryland (UMD), he recognized the need for a community-wide revitalization of care—something that would connect students with themselves and with others. “I came to college lacking self-care strategies,” Sartori says. “No one taught me how to properly take care of myself or what I need to do when I’m feeling overwhelmed.” So, the Life Sciences Scholar began having conversations with other College Park Scholars students, as well as Scholars Assistant Director Ben Parks. He realized that many others felt the same, and were interested in providing and facilitating self-care opportunities for their peers.
Life Sciences Scholar Writes Bill to Promote Organ Donation Education
Organ donation was not something of particular concern to Shani Kamberi a few years ago. She recalls watching a 15-minute video on it during her driver’s education class one summer, but the issue didn’t really click. Then came her senior year in high school. That was when Jonathan Bos, Kamberi’s AP English Literature teacher at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Md., spoke to the class about organ donation. He had a personal story to tell, having received a heart transplant in 1999.