Mike, of course we find (or found, I am retired from teaching) many of those enrolled to be lacking in math training and skills. So do the chemistry, physics, and engineering faculty. Math proficiency may be the one skill that high school graduates are most lacking in. Many students do come to college with the misconception that math is little needed in biology, and some stumble badly when they encounter it for the first time.
But another point that Wilson made, and Shevtsov reinforced in her article, is that there are other ways of gaining mathematical proficiency for the purposes of doing science besides taking formal mathematics courses that take away one's enthusiasm. I was rebuffed by math faculty at two different universities when I suggested including examples from biology in the calculus curriculum. One well respected math professor emphatically stated that the calculus course was intended to illustrate the beauty of pure mathematics, not to support other curricula. I thought that engineers might find that interesting, and that the department chair might wonder where the students to maintain the courses might come from in that case. Yes, it likely is the case that students should be introduced to the application of mathematics and statistics to biology at an earlier stage. But Wilson is right on when he suggests that we need to find ways to help students find their ways to making contributions. The current practices in biology curricula, where students are weeded out by the support curricula before they can figure out what they want or can do are not working that well. I wonder why calculus and other previously college level courses in high school have become de facto admissions requirements at elite institutions, and yet the math and other faculty are finding that students who completed those college level courses are themselves not proficient? ---- "J. Michael Nolan" <[email protected]> wrote: > Won't comment on the E.O. Wilson part of this interesting thread. As a former > High School Teacher, Math was not required for any of our Biology courses. > That included the upper level Junior and Senior classes. I tried to change > this, am not it was that successful. Am not speaking for all High School > Programs by any stretch. I do know this....by not making Mathematics as part > of the Biology Program, it was obviously not reality as it works in the real > world. If a Student was ever going to pursue an Advanced Degree in Biology, > Math would certainly be a necessity. I found the message being passed on to > Students to be particularly dangerous. It was certainly perpetuated by > Teachers, at least at our High School by some arrogance from Chemistry and > Physics Departments. Not only did the Students have an opinion that Math was > not an important issue in Biology, but Teachers in Chem and Physics also > passed this message along. It just couldn't be farther from the truth. I just > personally found it quite frustrating. We did get all of the quality Students > for at least an introductory Biology course, but we just didn't get them for > the Advanced classes. This really limited some things we could do. Again, not > speaking for all High Schools, I know of some programs where this myth does > not exist and some of the Biology courses are as rigorous as anything taught > in the Sciences in those schools. Have never really pinned down anyone at the > University level to ask them this, but I'm guessing with a great deal of > confidence that many University level Biology Professors find a good > percentage of their Students really lacking in Math skills? I hope I am > wrong. Went to a very well know private Liberal Arts College and knew that I > was going to major in Biology, did that along with Chemistry. Students, am > including Pre-med, Pre-dental Students did have the option to take a very > watered-down Math, non-Calculus-based Physics and Chemistry track. > > Thank you. > > Mike Nolan > > ---------- > > If we are on another line or away from the phone, please leave your number, > best time to return your call and your e-mail address. > > After hours and weekend phone appointments are available upon request. > > Sincerely, > > J. 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