by John Wong
A new general chemistry course will be offered beginning in Fall 1995. The new course, C1507, will be geared toward those students who have a strong background in chemistry and calculus. Students will be placed in the course by their scores in the chemistry placement exam. According to Dean James Erwin, associate dean at the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), this new course was deemed necessary because the dean's office felt that there is frequently a segment of the incoming class that is ready for an intermediate level chemistry class whose difficulty lies between the existing general chemistry course and the first-year organic chemistry course. Dean Erwin hopes that this course will offer a well- tailored curriculum for the students of SEAS, as it is designed with the varying backgrounds of students in mind.
The physics curriculum has also been restructured. The introduction mechanics course will now include additional material from what is now taught in thermodynamics. The second course, electromagnetic theory and optics, will cover topics on optics. The third course, called Classical and Quantum Wave Theory, will replace the modern physics course. The fourth semester is a 3-point lab course. The SEAS Bulletin has all the information about the physics requirements for the majors at SEAS.
The philosophy behind the changes in curriculum is that students should receive an education that suit their own background. The dean's office realizes that there are students with different levels of preparation entering SEAS. "We want to make the curriculum as student sensitive as possible," announced Dean Erwin. There are also three new first-year academic advisors, Jacqueline LaidLaw, Karen Readey, and Jane Garfield. Students are encouraged to see these advisors to help plan their programs. The telephone registration system will continue in the 1995-96 academic year. According to Dean Erwin, students use the system responsibly and plan their programs carefully; the streamlined registration process was a success last year.