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Size Does Matter (Fall 2003/Spring 2004)
Download full syllabus
in PDF format.
This course examines the rationale behind studying
scientific questions of interest to you. Where do your interests
lie? Why is this important? What questions do you have? How do you
ask these questions? In this seminar, each of the five instructors
will cover active areas of research here at Emory, from BIG (organism)
to small (molecular). Our goals for the course:
- Become familiar with the rationale behind the development of
a novel, scientific idea
- Become familiar with the methods used to investigate a question
on multiple levels
- Enhance skills in critical analysis
Choose Your Own Adventure (Fall 2003/Spring
2004)
Download full syllabus
in PDF format.
This seminar course is divided into five modules,
led by a graduate student or postdoc, which cover five distinct
areas of current research here at Emory. The overarching goal of
this seminar is to foster an appreciation for how scientific questions
are asked, analyzed, and answered. In particular, we’ll focus
on:
- How do we ask questions about what interests us? (What’s
your question?!)
- How do we ask the “correct” question? (Do we want
to want to narrow our focus, or widen it?)
- How do we investigate the question (What are the “best”
tools to use to determine the answer to this question? Chemistry?
Physics? Biology? A mixture of the three, or something completely
new?)
- How do we draw valid conclusions? (OK, now we have the data,
but do they mean anything? And once we have the answer, where
do we go next?)
In addition, this seminar is designed to foster a
learning environment, which will encourage and promote open discussions
in a relaxed atmosphere. We also want to encourage “thinking
outside of the box.” Remember: almost all of the “boring”
discoveries in our text books started out by someone willing to
give a new idea a try, and they revolutionized how we think about
our world today. We may not start a revolution with this class,
but who knows… |
