An Integration of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics: The Interdisciplinary Laboratory

As a new venture to integrate research and education, a pilot section of a first-year laboratory sequence known as the Interdisciplinary Laboratory (ID Lab) was introduced on the Harvey Mudd campus during the 1999–2000 academic year and continues to be offered. The ID Lab attempts to bridge laboratory experiences from biology, chemistry, and physics for the first-year student. Taught by a team of faculty from these disciplines, the course seeks both to illustrate commonality of investigative methods and laboratory techniques in these sciences and to introduce discipline-specific principles. Experiments with a chemistry component include the Molecular Weight of Macromolecules, the Synthesis and Characterization of Liquid Crystals, A Structure–Activity Investigation of Photosynthetic Electron Transport, a Genetic Map of a Bacterial Plasmid, and The Carbonate Content of Biological Hard Tissue. This article provides some details of the experiments conducted, information on the philosophy and mechanics of the course, and a discussion of student reaction to this innovative and novel course

Pivotal Junctures in the

I am truly honored to have been selected as a CUR Fellow for 2012, and I thank the selection committee for this tremendous privilege. Since learning of this award, I’ve taken the opportunity to reflect on the many individuals, organizations, and circumstances that have supported me in my undergraduate research endeavors. In my mind, three factors have profoundly shaped my undergraduate research journey—my institution, Harvey Mudd College, with its strong culture of undergraduate research; my students over the years who have been passionate about their research; and my long and wonderful association with CUR. I’d like to share a few thoughts about the impact that each of these areas has had in my career