Science at SFS

The Class of 2022 is the first group of students subject to the new science requirement being implemented as part of the SFS core curriculum.

STIA Associate teaching professor Cynthia Wei is charged with implementing the new science requirement at SFS. She also teaches “Examining Crises Through the Lens of Science,” one of the new science courses introduced.

For Christina Luke (SFS ’22), “The Science of Extinction and De-Extinction” was not a class she initially thought she would be interested in. After being in the class for seven weeks, Luke’s perception on science courses has shifted. “It’s interesting subject matter that I usually would not have picked for myself and now being in the class it actually makes me want to take more SFS science classes and further delve into how science engages with the international community and international studies,” Luke said in an interview with The Hoya.

The course’s varied methods of learning, ranging from using 3D-printers to create prints of dolphin skulls to understanding how to create science-related policy briefs, is what has made the class interesting, according to Luke. “With the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah there were so many cretaceous fossils and there was an effort to preserve the national monument because Trump wanted to open it up to privatization,” she said. “We had to write a policy brief as if that had not already happened and it was a way to connect what we were learning to present day events.”

Danny Livingston (SFS ’22) said the connections between science and international relations in his “Examining Crises Through the Lens of Science” class is discussed using different case studies, focusing on topics like biological weapons and infectious diseases. “It has a lot to do with international events and how different countries are responding and working together to solve these crises,” Livingston said.