DIVISION OF MATH AND SCIENCE
Mission: The Division of Mathematics and Science seeks to encourage and
develop the ability of those students interested in pursuing a career in the pure
and applied sciences, mathematics, and related areas. In the course of
accomplishing these goals the Division also seeks to:
(1) provide secondary education majors with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
which enable them to teach successfully in their chosen field of specialization;
(2) provide elementary education majors the essential knowledge, skills, and
attitudes, in the areas of Mathematics and Science, in order to plan and present
learning activities for the elementary classroom;
(3) provide courses in general education for the liberal arts student;
(4) provide pre-professional students with academic counseling, courses, and
programs that will prepare them for the professional field and school of their
choice; and
(5) provide all students and members of the community opportunities for learning
experiences in areas related to Mathematics and Science.
The Division of Math and Science is comprised of the Department of Math and
the Department of Science. Information concerning programs within the division
appears in the 2000 – 2002 VCSU Bulletin on pages 67 – 71.
Department of Science
A. Description and Function
The Science Department seeks to develop in its students an understanding of
the methods and habits of the mind employed in the disciplines of the natural
sciences, and to nurture an interest in scientific inquiry. The Department
provides specific preparation for students planning careers in the pure and
applied sciences and related areas. In addition to accomplishing the goals of the
division, the Department pursues the following objectives: to introduce our
students to the complete study of living things including their interrelationships
with each other and with the physical environment; to examine the structure and
interactions of organic and inorganic solids, liquids, and gases; and to examine
the structure and processes found on the earth, and the effects of human
interaction upon it.
The Science Department offers major curricula in Biology and Chemistry leading
to both teaching and non-teaching bachelor's degrees, and a Composite
Teaching major in Science. Minor curricula are offered in Biology, Chemistry,
Physics, and Earth and Environmental Science. The departmental programs
meet or exceed all requirements of the North Dakota State Program Standards
for teacher preparation and of the National Council for the Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE).
The Department employs a broad array of instructional delivery systems.
Lecture and laboratory approaches still predominate but are supplemented by
advanced interactive audio-visual techniques, video microscopy, tutorials, and
special student research projects. The advent of the laptop computer initiative
has lead to the use of many multimedia applications including the use of PowerPoint presentations and CD-ROM technology. Field experiences play a major
role in Biology, Earth Science, and Astronomy.
B. Organization and Resources
Student Enrollment
The following table details the numbers of graduates since 1992 with majors or
minors from the Science Department.
Graduates with Majors or Minors in Science, 1992-2000
1992
Major
Biology
Biology Ed.
Chemistry
Chemistry Ed.
Comp. Science
TOTAL
Minor
Biology
Biology Ed.
Chemistry
Chemistry Ed.
Earth and Env. Sci.
Physics
TOTAL
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
5
0
0
0
0
4
0
3
0
0
6
2
2
0
0
3
1
2
1
0
6
10
4
1
0
6
1
3
1
1
5
7
10
7
21
0
0
1
4
0
0
1
0
2
0
2
5
0
1
2
1
3
3
1
0
0
0
0
2
5
10
10
3
1998
1999
2000
7
2
3
2
0
7
1
5
1
0
2
7
2
1
2
12
14
14
14
1
0
1
1
1
5
0
2
3
1
3
3
2
0
3
2
1
1
0
0
1
0
4
2
1
0
2
0
2
3
9
12
9
7
8
The composite major in Science is a no-cost major as all required courses are
also required in other majors.
Faculty
Four and one-half faculty positions are allocated to the Science department. The
one-half position is shared with the Department of Social Science, integrating the
offerings in Earth and Space Science and Geography. Four of the five faculty
members (80%) hold doctoral degrees and four (80%) hold academic tenure.
Three faculty members (60%) are male. One has academic rank as Professor,
two are Associate Professors, and two are Assistant Professors. The average
number of years of service to the University is 11.8 years. Faculty salaries range
between $34,387 and $45,907. The average age of the science faculty is 52.6
years.
The Science faculty regularly engage in scholarly activities consistent with their
professional development and with the instructional mission of the University.
These activities include research, publications, a regular column in the local
newspaper, and papers presented and printed in the North Dakota Academy of
Science Proceedings and in refereed professional journals.
The half-time earth science professor is also the Director of the Planetarium.
She has produced an internationally distributed planetarium show, has traveled
extensively to collect rock and soil specimens, and organized numerous teacher
workshops. In 1999, she organized the North Dakota State Science Fair held on
the VCSU campus.
The professors of the Biology program have initiated research projects that have
involved their students in undergraduate research projects.
They have
developed partnerships with the North Dakota Department of Health, North
Dakota Game and Fish, and other entities to promote their education and
research goals. In addition they have either begun or upgraded collections of
plants, fungi, insects, and aquatic macroinvertebrates.
A biology professor has developed a student based research program utilizing a
local natural resource, the Sheyenne River. The project utilizes the collection of
macroinvertebrates for the purpose of biomonitoring. Four students have given
presentations at the North Dakota Academy of Science meetings and the project
regularly involves 3 –5 students a semester. He recently received a three year
$100,000 grant to devise a computer based taxonomic identification key for the
macroinvertebrates of North Dakota rivers and streams. This grant will employ
three students for the next three summers.
The faculty member who teaches Astronomy has been instrumental in
developing the Medicine Wheel Park. The 19 acre Park is located on a bluff just
above the campus to the south. Attractions of the Park include a reproduction of
a Native American medicine wheel (calendar) and a scale model of the solar
system. The Park is used for educational activities for several classes at VCSU
with themes ranging from earth science and astronomy to history and culture.
Departmental faculty participate in the Science Fair program sponsored by the
North Dakota High School Activities Association, and served as hosts of the 1999
regional Science Fair on the Valley City State University campus. For the past
twelve years, the Department has been a co-sponsor (with participating area
schools) of the regional Science Olympiad for high school science students.
Departmental faculty serve as judges in local, regional, and state science fairs,
and attend meetings of the North Dakota Academy of Science and the North
Dakota Science Teachers Association.
Support Staff
The Science Department and the Mathematics Department are served by a
secretary/paraprofessional who also teaches Photography courses and who is
qualified to operate the Planetarium equipment. The work station for the
secretary is in the Departmental office area.
Facilities and Equipment
The annual budget allocations are marginally adequate. The budget allocations
include laboratory fees which greatly assist the Department in the procurement of
supplies and which provide a measure of budgetary flexibility. The table below
details the budget allocations for the Department of Science from 1994 through
2000.
TABLE 43
Department of Science Budget
Compared to Total Instructional Budget, 1994-2000
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Salaries and Wages
Science
Total Instructional Budget
202,557
4,627,541
208,275
4,678,950
199,559
4,808,105
202,616
4,914,194
213,071
5,297,069
219,367
5,476,504
227,276
5,657,031
Operating
Science
Total Instructional Budget
14,690
1,186,521
17,481
1,217,811
18,113
1,345,623
17,857
1,334,938
16,513
1,316,497
20,702
1,378,607
21,446
1,369,485
Equipment
Science
Total Instructional Budget
4,057
170,890
0
131,293
0
105,452
0
52,371
0
118,857
6,875
154,635
19,000
157,355
Totals
Science
Total Instructional Budget
221,304
5,984,952
225,756
6,028,054
217,672
6,259,182
220,473
6,301,503
229.585
6,732,423
246,944
7,009,746
267,722
7,183,871
It is interesting to note in the last NCA report it was stated that from 1985 – 1991
The Department of Science has received an average of 7.5% of the total
instructional budget. In the period from 1992 – 2000 the Department received an
average of approximately 3.6% of the total instructional budget.
The Department classrooms, office space and laboratories occupy the second
and third floors of the L.D. Rhoades Science Center, which is the newest of the
campus buildings. A total of five laboratories with adjacent storage rooms and
work spaces provide adequate areas for the laboratory components of courses in
Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Physics, and Science Teaching
Methods for Education students. One of the Biology laboratories has been
modified into a Multimedia classroom. This entails the presence of a large
screen TV with video tape, video disk, video-microscopy and computer input in
addition to 30 internet hookups. The storage area for earth science was doubled
in 1992. However, because of the increase in the collection of biology and earth
specimens, earth science storage continues to be cramped.
The Physics laboratory houses a Spitz 512 planetarium. The Planetarium is
capable of projecting 2,080 astronomical objects onto a 24-foot domed ceiling.
The instrument can project past, present, and future positions of the Sun, Moon
and planets among the background stars. Fifty reclining seats are arranged in a
3/4 circle pattern around the projection instrument. The Planetarium is a unique
feature in an institution this size and type, and is still the only standard
planetarium in North Dakota. Planetarium exhibits have attracted more than
40,000 persons over the past ten years. The facility is a useful resource as a
supplement to outdoor telescopic observation in the teaching of Astronomy
courses, especially in severe or cloud-obscured weather.
Adjacent to the Biology laboratory is a large greenhouse. The Science Center
also features a large lecture hall with demonstration facilities and a rearprojection booth. There is a well-equipped photography darkroom which is used
by approximately five photography classes per year. The classes use the
darkroom for developing black-and-white photographs, contact printing and
enlarging and color slide processing. Some color print processing is included
upon occasion.
Equipment within the Division is adequate to substandard. Since the advent of
the computer notebook initiative in the mid 90’s there has been no equipment
budget for any Division in the University. This has been especially difficult for the
Math and Science Department because of the need for constant upgrade and
purchasing of new equipment for labs. This has been offset somewhat by
Institutional funding for certain items and obtaining grant money for buying
equipment and supplies. In the last three years 20 new microscopes were
bought with a combination of Institutional and Department funding. In addition,
institutional funds bought a badly needed autoclave for the Department in 1999.
Over the last several years grants have purchased water quality testing
equipment and supplies, aquatic sampling nets, waders for aquatic sampling,
identification keys, and a top quality stereomicroscope. In areas such as
Chemistry, however, there is still an acute lack of modern, diagnostic
instrumentation. It should be noted that in spite of this deficiency, a strong case
can be made that older scientific instrumentation, in certain ways, allows the
student to more thoroughly understand the instrumental techniques than does
the user-friendly, "push-the-right-button" analysis. At least for the present, the
student should be able to make the transitions necessary from operating older to
newer equipment without a great deal of difficulty.
C. Assessment
Standardized examinations from the American Chemical Society have been
administered to Chemistry classes for the last nine years. The trend shows
steady improvement in student performance. The results are displayed in Table
44.
ACS Test Results, 1992-2000
(HAVE THEM, JUST NEED TO PUT IN)
Placement information, alumni surveys, graduate school admissions, and
personal correspondence from graduates are indications of the success of the
Department's graduates, and reflect favorably on the quality of the programs and
instruction. For example, recent graduates have earned or are working towards
Ph.D. degrees in Physiology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic
Chemistry, Forestry, and Weed Science; and Master's degrees in Chemistry,
Computer Science, Resource Conservation, Zoology, Science Education, and
Exercise Physiology.
Many of the Science students have a pre-professional orientation and
successfully transfer into such professional programs as Engineering, Optometry,
Medicine, Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, and Nursing. The very
favorable record of graduates raises the question of why enrollment in the Valley
City State University programs has not increased.
Most of the Science graduates pursue teaching careers and many of the Science
teachers in the surrounding area earned their degrees at Valley City State
University. Graduation does not end the active relationship between the
Department faculty and this alumni constituency. There is a remarkable
continuity of contact among what amounts to an extended professional
association and which often persists across entire careers. The relationship is
fostered by regional meetings, school science fairs and competitions, sponsored
lectures and discussions, and responses to requests for advice and consultation.
The activities are by no means limited to graduates of the University, but include
any Science teacher or scientifically-interested person.
Other recent graduates are employed as environmental specialists and chemists
in state laboratories in North Dakota, and in state and federal Fish and Wildlife
Services. Some are employed in private research laboratories, among which are
the American Sun oil-seed processing plant in Enderlin, North Dakota; the
Dakota Pasta Growers plant in Carrington, North Dakota; Kimberely Clark; Dow
Chemical; and the Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceutical Corporation in New Jersey. Still
others have made careers in technical positions in research universities,
agricultural agencies, and chemical concerns. Recent graduates are enrolled in
graduate schools in Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Bloomington,
Minnesota, North Dakota State University, and Wayne State University,
Michigan. Complete and specific data on career placement of graduates is
provided by the University Office of Career Planning and Placement.
Strengths
The Department identifies the following strengths in its programs and resources:
1.
The Science curricula are strong in the traditional areas of Biology and
Chemistry. The faculty members work diligently and cooperatively, creating an
environment of increased expectation for student accomplishment. The cohesive
informal relationship between faculty and students provides a supportive
structure for both weaker students and those requiring more advanced
intellectual challenges. Student retention is encouraged by a conscientious
student advising process in which all departmental faculty participate. All
instructors supervise their own laboratory sections affording additional
opportunities for individual student-faculty interaction, and which provides
instructors with useful student feed-back and further strengthens the studentfaculty relationship.
2. A number of students are employed through Work-Study and Student
Assistant programs. Student loyalty and interest result in many hours of
volunteer student work in laboratory maintenance, supervision and assistance,
presentation of Planetarium programs, science fair judging, and various other
activities. Paid and volunteer student assistance provides both a departmental
resource and, for the students, additional learning opportunities. At the very
least, under circumstances of reduced funding for support staff, this energetic
student participation contributes to a process of "surviving with quality."
3. The Department Secretary/Paraprofessional is a dedicated and multi-talented
person who manages much of the Department's business affairs with little
supervision.
4. Since the last NCA review the Department has stabilized the faculty by filling
the two temporary positions with highly qualified persons on the tenure track. All
five faculty members are now on tenure track positions.
5. Grants, both large and small, are being sought to not only bolster our
equipment, but to also provide a quality undergraduate research experience for
those students who seek it.
6. The notebook computer initiative has had a positive influence on the
instructional methods and general functions of the Department. Not only are they
used for delivery of instructional material but also for lab simulations and basic
data collection and display.
7. Resource allocations are exclusively directed toward traditional undergraduate laboratory instruction. The faculty are convinced that the laboratory
experiences provide a superior exposure to the materials, equipment and
techniques. Learning the methods of science is best accomplished in an
apprentice relationship, which is fostered by the organization of the laboratories
in connection with classroom instruction. The fact that the professors also
supervise the laboratories, without the intervention of graduate teaching
assistants, accomplishes the integration of lecture, demonstration, and
laboratory.
Concerns
The following items are cited as concerns of the Department:
1. There is concern that our equipment is falling desperately out-of-date in
relationship to expensive and modern computer interfaced instrumentation. The
only major purchases since 1992 have been to replace outdated microscopes
and a failing autoclave. No major scientific instrumentation has been acquired
by the Science Department in the last 15 years. This appears to be a common
plight of smaller institutions nationally.
2. The workloads and responsibilities of the Science faculty are heavy. It is
understood that the Science faculty workload is 12 credit hours. All courses in
Science consist of a lecture and a laboratory with no additional staff employed to
assist with the laboratories. This means that actual contact hours exceed credit
hours. In addition, some faculty may teach more than 12 credit hours and so
contact hours can reach levels of 20 hours or more due to multiple lab sections.
Several of the Science faculty accept other responsibilities on top of these
workloads. Burn-out or resignations lurk under the surface in this type of
situation.
3. Although the laptop initiative has made computers commonplace in the
Division, there are concerns for the lack of sufficient laboratory interface and the
deficiency of modern computer-interfaced instrumentation for biology, chemistry
and physics. The lack of an equipment budget has not allowed us to utilize the
laptop computers to their maximum possibilities in the laboratory setting.
4. The Departmental secretary is overworked and underpaid. The loss of the
present secretary would be a serious impediment to the continued function of the
Science Department at its current level.
5. Because of the changes in the biology and chemistry programs to satisfy
NCATE changes in 1999, each student is now required to complete two
semesters of earth science classes: Introduction to Earth Science; and The Earth
Through Time. The half-time earth science professor does not have the hours
available to teach these classes, and also teach the courses required for an earth
science minor. A part-time instructor usually teaches the Secondary Science
Methods course. The Division is requesting a full time earth science instructor
who also teaches the Methods class.
6. Although the planetarium now receives a small line item in the university
budget, the equipment is dated (installed 1972) and should be replaced on a
regular schedule. Of special concern is that there is no adjustment of workload
for faculty service with the planetarium. The person who accepts the planetarium
assignment does so on a voluntary basis. In the past, this has lead to a high
level of frustration, and withdrawal of commitment to the planetarium.
D. Plan for the Future
The Department plans to continue working toward the improvement of instruction
by exploring new instructional strategies. The faculty will also work on a
replacement plan for out-dated equipment. Despite the lack of an equipment
budget, new equipment will be acquired through grants and judicious use of
available institutional funds.
The Departmental faculty are presently reviewing ways to increase participation
of students in research projects and the greater integration of instructional
technology into classroom instruction and laboratory work. The Department will
seek additional funding for instructional improvement from non-appropriated
sources.
The faculty should consider the possibility of making the funding of planetarium
activities a budget priority.
E. Documentation
Accreditation reports
Faculty resumes
Student Placement reports
Information on grants received
VCSU Manual
NCATE Report
Science Department Program Reviews