As the new academic year begins, the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences (KDIS) continues to reach important milestones.
The latest: Students from the Class of 2028 are the first to major in Integrated Sciences, with opportunities to explore deeper learning in three thematic areas: Health (Genomics, Systems Biology, and Health); Brain (Brain, Learning and Decision Sciences); and Planet (Climate, Energy, and the Environment).
“This is a big moment for CMC,” said Heather Antecol, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty. “With this new class, we truly mark the beginning of our innovative approach to teaching science in the context of contemporary challenges and opportunities that are imperative to today’s generation.”
The Class of 2028 will also be the first to fulfill CMC’s lab science general education requirement with “Codes of Life.” This KDIS course, first offered in spring 2023, explores issues of global health using both laboratory and computational methods while preparing students to communicate to broad audiences about science and its relationships with society.
Two new upper-division courses are beginning this fall: “Oceans” with Professor Branwen Williams and “Neurobiology of Eating and Eating Disorders” with Professor Diana Williams. These courses represent the Planet and Brain themes.
Joining KDIS faculty this academic year are Diana Williams (neuroscience), Shaun Lee (molecular biology and microbiology), Zeynep Enkavi (neuroscience), and Colin Rathbun (chemistry). Nia Walker (biology) and Emily Ho (developmental biology) are set to arrive next year. (Read our new faculty story for full bios of each). KDIS also hired Risa Purow-Ruderman as its lab manager.
“This is a group of stars: The KDIS faculty and staff are enormously energetic and creative,” said Ran Libeskind-Hadas, founding chair of KDIS. “We’re excited to be expanding access to our existing courses and launching new ones—all with an eye on next year’s opening of the Robert Day Sciences Center.”