Lawrence's natural science programs, embedded in the traditional liberal arts curriculum, prepare all Lawrence students to participate fully and knowledgeably in a world where scientific issues will be increasingly important to every citizen. As we enter the new century, Lawrence's vision for the natural sciences calls for continued expansion of inquiry-based approaches to learning throughout all levels of the curriculum. Committed to the principle that students learn science by doing science, we will expand opportunities for students to engage in research activities and continue to promote a curriculum and culture in which teaching and research are inextricably intertwined. The Need Lawrence's natural science programs have emerged as ones of strength and distinction over the past several decades. At the same time, these strengths have provoked the need for additional and different kinds of spaces to support our programs.
Science today is taught and conducted much differently than it was thirty years ago.
Students are not passive learners, but active participants in the scientific process already at the introductory level. These changes require different kinds of spaces, ones that support and promote discovery-based learning. Long lab benches where students worked in isolation from each other need to be replaced with modules allowing students and faculty to work collaboratively in small groups. The majority of Lawrence's natural science programs are housed in Youngchild Hall, a 68,000 square-foot building constructed in 1964. Youngchild Hall continues to serve our programs well, though careful study and planning revealed that additional space is needed to advance our ambitions in these areas.