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PEW MIDSTATES SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS CONSORTIUM
Faculty Development Workshop
Capstone Experiences;
Transitioning Students Beyond College
March 3-5, 2006
The Chicago City Centre

This workshop is designed to explore how we might better help liberal arts students clarify life goals, integrate their academic work, and position themselves to move beyond their undergraduate experience. In the workshop, session leaders will describe what their institution or department is doing to help students make that transition, including undergraduate research, internships, capstone courses, career explorations, student development programs, etc. Various capstone approaches for helping students to reflect on their undergraduate experience, to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines, and to develop important career skills will be discussed, and the advantages and problems with each approach will be explored. The workshop will provide a collective opportunity for us to think more fully about how we prepare students for the world they will enter upon leaving our Pew institutions.

Workshop Schedule

Friday March 3, 2006
4:30pm - 6:30pm Registration at the Chicago City Centre - Superior Room Foyer
6:30pm - 8:00pm Welcome and Dinner in the Superior Room
8:00pm - 9:00pm Getting to the Capstone, Getting Beyond the Capstone, Larry Breitbrode, Dean, Knox College

Saturday March 4, 2006
7:30am - 8:30am Breakfast in the Ontario Room.  All Sessions in the Ontario Room.
8:30am - 9:10am Living a Liberal Arts Life: The Grinnell Curse, Steve Langerud, Grinnell College
9:10am - 9:50am Professional and Career Preparation for Science Students: Making Them Ready for the Real World, Douglas Arion, Carthage College
9:50am - 10:30am Connecting With Alumni: The Wilson Program and the Transition From College to Careers, Doug Caulkins, Grinnell College
10:30am - 11:00 Break
11:00am - 12:00 One Size Does Not Fit All, Marlow Anderson, Colorado College/A
‘ Research Sampler’ Capstone in Computer Science, Matt Richey, St. Olaf College/Macalester’s Math/CS Capstone Day: A Conference Celebration, Karen Saxe, Macalester College
12:00pm - 12:15pm Open Discussion
12:15pm 1:30pm Lunch in the Ontario Room
1:30pm - 2:20pm Biomedical Studies Capstone Experiences, Eileen Shimota, St. Olaf
College and Bill Mungall, Hope College
2:20pm - 3:30 pm Undergraduate Research as Capstone: Marking Trends and Developing Strategies, Henry Biggs, Washington University/ Institutionalization of Undergraduate Research at Grinnel College: Mentored Advance Projects, Jim Swartz, Grinnell College/ Developing the Next Generation of Scientific Leaders Through a Dynamic Trio: Research, Education, and Mentoring, Kenneth Brown,
Hope College
3:30pm - 4:00 pm Break
4:00pm - 4:40pm Putting it All Together: Capstone Experiences as the First Step
Towards Life After College, Yaffa Grossman, Beloit College
4:40pm - 5:15pm Open Discussion

Sunday March 5, 2006
8:00am - 9:00am Breakfast in the Ontario Room.  All sessions in the Ontario Room
9:00am - 9:50am Capstone Experiences in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics at
Carthage, Christine Rener and Brian Schwartz, Carthage College
9:50am - 10:20 am Break
10:20am - 11:00am Developing a Community of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary
Scholars, Julie Feder, University of Chicago
11:00am - 11:30am Undergraduate Research Experiences and the Epigenesis of a Science Career, Jim Swartz, Grinnell College
11:30am - 12:00pm Wrap up and Evaluation
12:00pm Box Lunches

The Pew Midstates Science and Mathematics Consortium consists of 11 liberal arts colleges and 2 research universities. The Consortium seeks to promote effective collaboration among faculty at the member institutions; to improve undergraduate science and mathematics education; and to assist with the research efforts of the faculty at the undergraduate colleges and of the undergraduate students at all of the member institutions.

The Consortium coordinates activities including symposia on undergraduate research, faculty development workshops, and a speaker series through which individual faculty members visit other member schools to share information.