College students are the future creators and shapers of our society. Yet, science and technology are playing an increasing role in developments from environmental policy to medical ethics. The undergraduate education must install in all students the ability to follow scientific developments and an understanding of the method of scientific discovery. Building on previously successful cross-discipline education initiatives, we have designed an interdisciplinary program that incorporates science into the non-science curricula. A three-tiered program will be implemented within the existing structure and curricula of the State University of New York at Binghamton to achieve Science Across the Curriculum. Tier 1 Beginning fall 1996, all students will take two courses in mathematics/science. The latter include investigative laboratory components that make them interesting and exciting for beginning students. Tier 2 will link mathematics/science course sections with non-science courses through careful integration of course syllabi and shared assignments for a common group of students. Tier 3 will expand the integration of mathematics and science into as many individual, non-science courses as possible. By studying science in the context of other disciplines, students will achieve a level of comfort necessary to establish life-long learning in science. A Science Across the Curriculum steering committee including administrators, scientists, non-science faculty, and students will be created. The committee will promote interactions among faculty, coordinate student assistants, organize intercollegiate workshops, and, with an external evaluator, assess the impact of the curricular changes on students. Binghamton University's innovative, cooperative, and research oriented faculty, combined with bright and motivated students, many of whom pursue interdisciplinary double-majors, provide the key ingredients to achieving systemic change in undergraduate science education.
