2022–2023 ISC students, faculty, and teaching assistants an innovative first-year introduction to the natural sciences The Integrated Science Curriculum (ISC) is undergoing an exciting transformation through Academic Year 2023–2024. We aim to offer an updated ISC sequence in 2024–2025. The experimental first-year curriculum was originally developed in the early 2000s by LSI faculty to meet the needs of students interested in emerging disciplines at the intersection of the traditional sciences. It used a unified language of quantitative reasoning and mathematics to introduce first-year undergraduates to a broad range of scientific concepts, bridging traditional barriers between the physical and biological sciences. Over the span of 19 years, many of the more than 400 students who completed the ISC sequence launched research careers in academia and industry. The new ISC will stay committed to interdisciplinary and laboratory-based learning while retaining its quintessential identity as a rigorous, immersive course for a close-knit group of first-year Princetonians. It will incorporate skills in scientific computing and data-oriented thinking as the connective tissue between foundational principles in physics, chemistry, and biology, serving as an ideal launching pad for prospective chemistry and biology majors interested in quantitative and computational research early in their college career. Contacts Martin Wühr Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics Email [email protected] Office 246 Carl Icahn Laboratory Jennifer C. Gadd-Reum Undergraduate Laboratory Manager Lecturer in Chemistry and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics Email [email protected] Office 012 Lewis Thomas Laboratory Ben X. Zhang Lecturer and Integrated Science Curriculum Manager Email [email protected] Office 252 Carl Icahn Laboratory If you have any questions about the curriculum and the ongoing revitalization effort, email us and we will respond promptly. Enroll ISC is not offered in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. We aim to offer an updated sequence in 2024–2025 for the incoming Class of 2028. What are guiding principles of ISC revitalization? The revitalization effort responds to an evolving landscape of interdisciplinary undergraduate education in the life sciences. As computational tools and large datasets open up new avenues of research in diverse and complex biological systems, memorization-focused introductory courses in chemistry and biology coupled with a disjoint platter of math, physics, computer science, and statistics often fail to prepare first-year students for the cutting edge of research. The new ISC recognizes the importance of introducing interdisciplinary and innovative thinking early on in undergraduate careers. It will provide a pathway for incoming students interested in complex problems in living organisms to get involved in research as early as their sophomore year. LSI faculty members believe that incipient areas of contemporary research, many in the womb of today’s molecular biology and chemistry departments, will require a rigorous, early introduction to computational and statistical methods meaningfully integrated into a cohesive presentation of physical principles. Who should consider taking the new ISC? We welcome any incoming Princetonian who is passionate about science and wants to become a scientist themselves! The course will provide a concrete foundation in chemistry and biology, including the essential mathematical, physical, and computational skills required for college-level courses in those discipline. But more importantly, it is an ideal doorway to modern-day scientific research, which is interdisciplinary in nature, and an excellent opportunity to bond with fellow aspiring scientists. ISC Revitalization Learn about the ongoing ISC revitalization effort that aims to offer an updated sequence for 2024–2025. Student Profiles Hear what past ISC students have to say about their ISC experience. Related News ISC at 2022 Academic Expo Sofia Quinodoz, former QCB Certificate recipient, named 2020 Hannah Gray Fellow Samvida Sudheesh Venkatesh, QCB student, awarded Rhodes Scholarship View All News Related Events No upcoming events available to show. View All Events