Friday, May 31, 2002

An Online Course Tracks Lewis and Clark's Footsteps and Their Scientific Contributions By BROCK READ "I think of Lewis and Clark's expedition as an American saga," says Richard S. Wacha, a professor who is chairman of the department of biology at Drake University. But the journey was Environmental Science 50-586 Title: "Science in the American West: The Lewis and Clark Expedition" Institution: Drake University Instructor: Richard S. Wacha, a professor of biology When offered: Summer Cost: The three-credit course costs $800. Enrollment: The course is capped at 20 students. URL: Information about the course is available here also a watershed event for biology research, he says; to prove his point, Mr. Wacha has created a new online course profiling the contributions that the pair of explorers made to modern science. The course's initial run this summer comes at an opportune time: Next year marks the bicentennial of the commissioning of Lewis and Clark's expedition, which took the duo from the Ohio River to the Pacific Northwest over a period of more than three years. "Most states are really gearing up for the bicentennial," says Mr. Wacha, citing exhibits at state parks and events planned for college campuses. Mr. Wacha should know: To prepare for his course, he has followed Lewis and Clark's footsteps, from Washington, D.C., to the Oregon Trail. In the course, "Science in the American West: The Lewis and Clark Expedition," he examines the journey's scientific revelations -- through accounts of the diseases Lewis and Clark encountered, their studies of Native Americans, and their records of the wildlife they found. Most of the basic information in the course comes from the copious notes Lewis and Clark kept, which have been collected in The Journals of Lewis and Clark, a textbook edited by historian and author Bernard De Voto. Each week, students read from the journals -- and from a pair of supplementary books they purchase -- and complete essays responding to questions posed by Mr. Wacha. They also take weekly quizzes and contribute to a discussion forum on the course's Web site. "It's fairly intense," says Mr. Wacha of the course, which fits three credit-hours worth of work into a five-week period. Mr. Wacha adapted the online edition from a bricks-and-mortar seminar that he teaches to first-year students; because of its focus on writing, the Web version is being offered as an honors course. But Mr. Wacha says the class is open both to university students and adult learners. Mr. Wacha says he makes a point to survey the entirety of Lewis and Clark's expedition in his class. He opens by discussing Lewis's preparations for the mission: an 1803 trip down the Ohio River and a winter spent camping with Clark at Fort Wood, north of St. Louis. "It's probably because of Thomas Jefferson's insistence on this training that they survived" the trip's rougher portions, Mr. Wacha says. The course, he says, offers students more than an education in the history of biology; Mr. Wacha points to Lewis and Clark's use of diplomacy and politics in dealing with the Native Americans they encountered. "I think it's really exciting for the students," he says. "They can go back into history." Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

Report says government studies ignore role of financial aid in making college accessible Georgia Tech concludes cheating inquiry and issues penalties Study stresses importance of support networks for female engineers TIAA-CREF sells group-insurance unit to a competitor Mexican state agrees to provide scholarships after students hold lawmakers hostage New service allows the public to pose reference questions without visiting the library Remember typewriters? A professor's Web site documents an obsolete information technology An online course tracks Lewis and Clark's footsteps and their scientific contributions