Presentation of course proposal to the Mary Yankelovich Endowed Fellowship Committee. April 25th 2012

1. Integrating Environmental
Sustainability in Clare 302:
“Inquiry in the Natural World”

2. Overview of Proposal
 Introduction
 Rational
 Goals
 Objectives
 Research
 Syllabus/Description
 How this project meets the goals of the Fellowship

3. Mary Yankelovich Endowed
Fellowship
 The Mary Yankelovich Endowed Fellowship
program‟s mission is to not only recognize
exceptional talent and character, but also promoting
and developing it.
 Those dedicated to transformation of society based
on the Franciscan ideals of peace, justice,
reconciliation, and service are granted this endowed
fellowship to create a service project.

4. Proposal
Inquiry in the Natural World project is to :
1. Modify the lecture into a specialized version of the
Clare 302 lecture that focuses on environmental
sustainability in the natural sciences.
2. The laboratory section is more specialized to tailor
subjects cover in lecture as well as expanding the
laboratory role outside the classroom into the
community.

5. Goals
Beyond the 5 year plan!
Strengthen Franciscan Perspective
Encourage Interest in Clare
College
Expand Environmental Program
Design a Research Component
Special Approach
End goal of the course is to combine
theory and practice to develop the
values of discovery, community
and respect

6. Why did I chose this Project?
 Experience in hands-on teaching
 Passion for environmental issues
 Relationship-building
 Saw an opportunity
 Turned off non-science students
 Students didn‟t see larger picture of the sciences
 „What do the sciences matter to me?‟
 No Franciscan link to the Clare College
 Lack of differentiated learning opportunities

7. Objectives
 Build in a community outreach opportunities
through the lecture/laboratory component
 Differentiate curriculum topics, projects and group
work
 Weave a thread of Franciscan thought through each
topic
 Design a program that itself can be sustainable and
reused into a new program

8. Research
 Who did I confer with
 What did I read
 How did I implement
 Where do I see it going
 What did I learn

9. Building Capacity
Inquiry in the Natural World (Lect/Lab)Faculty
Sustainability Minor Faculty Team
Education Faculty
Sustainability Coordinating Committee
Canticle Farm
Facilities
University Ministry
Care for Creation in Washington, DC
Sierra Club
Other Universities
Saint Bonaventure Students

10. Literature
 Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design
 Community-Based Research and Higher Education
 Cradle-to-Cradle
 Omnivore‟s Dilemma
 Canticle of Creatures
 History of Cattaraugus County
 Natural Capitalism

11. History of Change in Clare
302
 Classic Clare 302
 Rise of our modern scientific understanding of the natural
world from ancient Egyptian, Persian and Greek civilizations
throughout the end of the 20th century
 Specialized Clare 302 (2008)
 10 topics – 2nd half considers the practical importance in the second
half of the semester.
 Some examples of specialized courses include weather and climate
modification, evolutionary biology, astronomy, drugs, and alternative
medicine and wellness.
This was to assess both student learning and student satisfaction
with different approaches to the teaching of Clare 302,
providing a data-driven approach to future revision of the
course.

12. Implementation
 Formation of a Course Proposal
 Use for Clare 302
 Open to modification
 Sample topics/units
 Formed new community outreach opportunities

13. 1. Students will examine the mode
of inquiry of the natural sciences.
Topics in the “specialized” area 1. Understanding the natural
are framed under: phenomena
Conservation of Energy 2. Analyzing arguments,
Atomic Modeling reasons and data
Living matter on Earth 3. Understanding society
4. Thinking historically
5. Interpretation of texts
6. Creating as a means of
discovery and exploration

14. 2. Students will apply investigatory
skills of the natural sciences in a
problem-solving context.
Example: in the Laboratory
 Experimental laboratory
 Community-based research

15. 2. Students will apply investigatory skills of
the natural sciences in a problem-solving
context.
Experimental laboratory
Experimentation: Form a hypothesis, form dependent and independent
variables, perform the experiment and write up the results in
standard scientific format
Data gathering: (Soil Content)
 Pre-lab: Reading, role-play and talking about the local area.
 Investigative: observations, relate soil to plants and nutrients.
 Lab: define, composition, consistency, pH, test for organic material,
chemical composition.
 Application: Compost, fermentation lab, and farming (may fit school or
local needs)
Others: New Climate Modeling program, existing labs

16. 2. Students will apply investigatory skills of the
natural sciences in a problem-solving context.
Community-based research in lab (highlighted in weeks 3,5,7 and 14)
Individual Introductory Media Presentation: to have students understand the
scientific method, understand how scientists follow this method, learn
the correct PowerPoint presentation rules, and be introduced to an
environmental issue of their choice.
Group Project: group of 4 students collaborate with a on-campus group or
community to make a social change and present it to where it will
make an impact in any mode of presentation.
Individual Research Project: students use their personal strengths to take what
they have learned in the classroom and provide real world examples
and possible solutions.

17. Community Research
Suggestions
This section gives examples of opportunities in which the student may devise a group project to volunteer on a constant basis,
propose a solution to an issue and document efforts. This is included under the laboratory section.
Canticle Farm: Business Water Armark (Dining Services)
 Maintenance  Are NGOs evading the  Testing local streams  Work on their “ Green
problem of addressing regularly Thread” Program
poverty, environmental issues
 Farm Sale Stand and hunger?  Track this program
 What is the price of water here
in comparison to other
 Expansion of land  Do businesses around the nations? Do we have cleaner  Help with the composting
Bonaventure land or across local area have social water? Compare and contrast transition
the river responsibility plans or social two nations water supplies.
business plans?
 Healthiest of food
 Moving of compost from  Examine Coca Cola vs. Indian
Bonaventure to Canticle Farm  In what ways can a local Farmers and compare and
business become more cost contrast this with the people  Address the limitations of
effective while also reducing of Pennsylvania and variety
 Testing of soil and water their impact? hydrofracking companies.
Plastics
 Seasonal turnover Poverty Energy
 Recycling program expansion
 Addressing biodiversity loss  Determine how much food is  Working with Facilities
not going towards feeding
people Pollution
 Perform an analysis of energy
efficiency on a local home,
 Why are agricultural business or a campus building  Testing water, soil and air
professionals the hungriest
people in the world?
 Brownfield areas
 Hydrofracking locations in PA
and test areas in NY

18. 3. Students will analyze a sequence of
discoveries that illustrate the ongoing
scientific process.
Story line approach already in place in lecture
New topics in the “specialized” area are framed under:
Conservation of Energy: sources of energy
Atomic Modeling: chemistry of plastics
Cycles: Carbon, Nitrogen and Water
Living matter on Earth: photosynthesis, genetics, climate
change

19. Goal Driven Outcomes
Strengthen Franciscan Perspective  Through service, appreciation of the natural world
Encourage Interest in Clare College  Collaboration between students and faculty to build
respect
Expand Environmental Program  Interest in Environmental studies/science as well as
sustainability and social justice
Design a Research Component  Independent/group community research and
experimental research
Special Approach  Each student discovers the potential for the sciences in their lives and
studies
Upon completion of this course, students will have a conceptual framework to assess
stresses to environmental sustainability and develop practical solutions in a creative,
Franciscan, and scientific manner

20. Who will benefit?
 Students – across all disciplines
 Faculty – across all disciplines
 Coordinators
 Community
 Service Groups

21. Learning Outcomes
Outreach into the community is vital as a university
student
Many Clare College changes
Organizational skills
How a curriculum is formed
Leadership skills
Further Research: Competitive Analysis

22. Thank you for this
opportunity!
-Sinead Coleman „12

23. Topic Idea
Topics Discoveries Idea
Sustainabilit
y Aspect Fransican
1 Scientific Inquiry in the Natural World Bacon, Descartes, Boyle
Copernicus,
Ptolemy,
Aristotle,
Brahe, Before sicentific investigation, the universe was
2 Model of Universe Kepler, thought to be organized very differently.
1. What do scientist do (and why)? 3 Motion
Galileo,
Newton Energy exists in many forms
4 Gravity Kepler, Descartes, Hooke, Newton, Einsten
2. Astronomy Lavoisier,
Boyle,
5 Matter Charles Scientific theories
Conservatio
3. Physics n of energy.
6 Atoms Joule, Watt, Gas laws. Energies - kinetic etc.
Mendeleev, Elements,
4. Gravity 7 Elements
Rutherford, beging
Thompson atomic level Polymers etc.
Gibbs,
5. Matter –Plastic based from atoms to plastic compounds Krebs,
Michealis Chemical chemcial reactions how they alow to
8 Chemical reactions drive endergonic reactions and Menton reactions flow of energy
6. Energy
9 Natural Selection, Genetics Watson and Crick, Darwin, Mendel
10 Local and Global Environment Hutton
7. Carbon and Water http://web.sbu.edu/clare/courses/CLAR%20102.html
Cycles
8. Genetics
9. Food