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WINNERS OF CIC SCIENCE
COMPETITION AWARDS ANNOUNCED

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) today announced that two independent colleges and universities have been selected to receive the Council’s fourth annual Heuer Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Science Education. Allegheny College (PA) and Columbia College Chicago (IL) were chosen out of 38 nominations for demonstrating noteworthy recent achievement in undergraduate science education.

The CIC/Heuer Awards program, funded by The Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Foundation, builds on the documented achievements of independent colleges and universities in undergraduate science education. Each institution will receive a $10,000 prize that may be used for further enhancement of its science programs.

In announcing the winners of the competition today, CIC President Richard Ekman said the exemplary programs in the science departments at these institutions “give further evidence of the view that science education in independent colleges and universities is a resource of major importance to the nation’s future.” These two programs were selected, Ekman said, for “demonstrating that creativity and rigor in science program design can indeed increase student interest and success in the sciences, as well as strengthen programs in K-12 schools.” Attached is a description of each of the Award winners’ programs.

A panel of science educators, knowledgeable about science and mathematics education in private colleges and universities, chose the winners of the Heuer Awards. Panelists included (chair) W. H. Bearce, CIC senior advisor and a retired professor of chemistry and dean of the college at Central College (IA); Lee Ann Chaney, associate professor of biology at Whitworth College (WA); Richard Rolleigh, professor of physics at Hendrix College (AR); and Gail Steehler, professor of chemistry at Roanoke College (VA).

Allegheny College (PA) – Neuroscience major. The biology and psychology departments have cooperated to create a major in neuroscience. Established in 1996, the major has grown from one graduate in 1997 to 35 in 2003, while the numbers of majors in biology and psychology have also remained strong. Undergraduates are actively involved in collaborative research, both on and off campus, and have given an impressive number of presentations of their work. Graduates have gone on to graduate programs in neuroscience and health-related fields and most of the recent graduates are employed in related fields. The interdisciplinary program also allows non-science majors the opportunity for research experiences in neuroscience, while making it possible for neuroscience majors to find new ways of understanding their own discipline. For the past five years, faculty members from the neuroscience program have conducted a two-week neuroscience summer camp for high school juniors, and have participated in a program that allows gifted high school students to visit the campus every other week during the school year. Neuroscience faculty members and students additionally participate in “Brain Awareness Week,” visiting middle schools and high schools to give presentations and demonstrations.

Columbia College Chicago (IL) – Science Institute. The Institute for Science Education and Science Communication (“Science Institute”) introduces science to undergraduate non-science majors. A significant number of students at Columbia College are majoring in the fields of communications, media, and the arts, and an important feature of the program is the incorporation of the student’s interests and skills into unconventional modes of communication for assessment, such as using multimedia tools and group evaluation to create and evaluate lab reports. By making science understandable, accessible, and enjoyable to students who otherwise may not have taken science classes, these non-majors increasingly combine science with their chosen professional fields, such as journalism, in ways they would never have considered if not for Science Institute courses taken. The Institute has also conducted a range of outreach efforts, including the creation of Math, Science and Technology Academies at local high schools and the holding of weekly science labs for K-12 students on campus. The Institute was recently selected by the Chicago Board of Education to conduct workshops for all Chicago high school science and mathematics teachers.

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The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of more than 540 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen college and university leadership, sustain high-quality education, and enhance private higher education’s contributions to society. To fulfill this mission, CIC provides its members with skills, tools, and knowledge that address aspects of leadership, financial management and performance, academic quality, and institutional visibility.

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