Science, Technology, and Environmental Studies

Category: Cocurricular Events

  • About the co-curricular event requirement

    One of the distinctive features of the STS major and minor is its co-curricular event requirement.  The co-curricular event requirement is very much like the Butler Cultural Requirement (BCR) in the core curriculum, in that it is a requirement to attend an enriching event outside of your normal course work.  In fact most events that count for the BCR also count for the STS requirement.  To satisfy the requirement STS majors must attend and report upon 6 events; minors must do 3 events.

    The most typical way STS students fulfill this requirement is by attending our amazing Woods Lecture Series.  We will also post other events we see that could fulfill the requirement.  If you see something you’d like to go to and you think would count, please just send us an e-mail so we can confirm and share the event.

    If you are a senior, please note that this is a very real requirement, and you should take steps to make sure you complete it.

    While the co-curricular event is a fun requirement, it has been confusing for students, faculty and advisors to keep track of.  To make things easier for all of us, we’re going to roll out a new Moodle-based tracking system that will allow you to report events and see your progress on the requirement.  Look for another post later this week!

  • Two co-curricular events : Woods Lecture, Nina Tandon on, “Body 3.0” and Butler Brown Bag with Alexandre Erkine on “DNA @ 60”

    Woods Lecture Series Presents Nina Tandon

    On September 24, 2013

    Tissue engineer Nina Tandon will open the 2013-2014 J. James Woods Lectures in the Sciences and Mathematics with a talk called “Body 3.0″ at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Atherton Union Reilly Room.

    All lectures in the series are free and open to the public without tickets. For more information, call (317) 940-9269 .

    Tandon believes that the era of engineered tissues—like, for example, a replacement kidney grown in the lab—is just beginning. In this talk, Tandon shows us how we (and our bodies) have lived through most of history (Body 1.0), and then how we evolved into “cyborgs” with implants (such as pacemakers and artificial joints, Body 2.0).

    Now, Body 3.0 is all about growing our OWN body parts. For her doctoral thesis, Tandon grew cardiac cells that beat like tiny hearts. In this thrilling and eye-opening talk, she explains the process of growing tissue and transplants, and the future of medical science. With the help of manufacturing and information technology, we are on the verge of being able to grow human tissue—and Tandon is here to walk us through this unbelievably exciting era.

    After receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cooper Union, Tandon spent her early career in telecom (Avaya Labs) and transitioned into biomedical engineering via her Fulbright scholarship in Italy, where she worked on an electronic nose used to “smell” lung cancer. Tandon studied electrical stimulation for cardiac tissue engineering at MIT and Columbia, and now continues her research on electrical stimulation for broader tissue-engineering applications.

    Butler Brown Bag Series for Research, Scholarship and Creative Work presents:

    “DNA @ 60: What is in Store for You is Mind-Blowing” by Alex Erkine, Pharmaceutical Sciences on Tuesday, September 24, noon-1 p.m., UClub (AU111).

    After 60 years of the discovery of the DNA structure, it is now possible to read the entire content of your own DNA for just $5000 in a few weeks. In a year or two, the price is predicted to drop to $1000 and will be routinely done – similar to a blood test, with data stored on a computer. Since this information holds the keys to potential life-threatening medical conditions, as well as to your personal traits (psychological character, mental abilities, ethnic origins, etc.), the question is: do you want to gain this information about yourself, your relatives, or your future spouse? Do you think the insurance companies, your roommate, or the NSA will want it? And if they do get it, what do you think they will do with it?

    Join us for a lunchtime conversation on this topic with Alex Erkine, Pharmaceutical Sciences.

    Students, staff and faculty are all welcome. No RSVP required. Light refreshments will be provided – feel free to bring your lunch.