F&M Stories
Students Explore Campus and Community in History of Science Course
First-year students at Franklin & Marshall College are heading out of the classroom and into the laboratory—and surrounding community—as part of the course “A Hands-On History of Biology.”
The class is one of F&M’s Connections Seminars, which students take during their first semester on campus to introduce them to the academic life of F&M. These classes also are taught in the students’ College House, demonstrating F&M’s commitment to living-learning spaces.
“A Hands-On History of Biology,” taught by Visiting Scholar in Public Health Nicholas Bonneau in the Roschel College House Seminar Room, encourages students to explore campus and Lancaster in addition to learning about the history of science.
Through lab assignments, students reenact famous scientific experiments that lead to key breakthroughs—like growing their own pea plants to get a firsthand understanding of Gregor Mendel’s genetics research. Their weekly fieldwork often involves observing the natural environment around campus, or visiting off-campus locations like the North Museum of Nature & Science.
Students said they appreciate how the hands-on activities help illustrate the concepts taught in class.
“For a demonstration about how the heart works, we were running around the classroom filling up beakers,” said Ariel Felsher ’28, adding that the activity provided a better sense of just how quickly blood circulates in the human body.
Other students shared how approaching science from a historical perspective helps make the process of scientific discovery seem more accessible. Rather than showing science as a set of static facts to memorize, the course portrays it as a process they can participate in themselves.
“Biology is very interesting, but sometimes classes skip over how things are discovered and mostly talk about how they are,” said Collin Senters ’28. “I like this framing, as if you were the person in history who made that discovery.”
Related Articles
July 22, 2026
Dips Donate Thousands of Items During Move-Out
As F&M students departed campus after finals, unwanted items never went to waste thanks to Dips Donate. The campus initiative prevents waste by redistributing usable items instead of discarding them during move-out. Volunteers collected and sorted more than 3,000 donated items, including books, cleaning supplies, clothing, decor, furniture, kitchenware, school supplies, small appliances, and unopened food and hygiene products.
July 20, 2026
F&M Experts Weigh in on Wildfire Air Quality
As Canadian wildfire haze blanketed the mid-Atlantic last week, local news sources turned to experts at F&M for air quality and public health insights. Professor of Geosciences Robert Walter '75 has been monitoring Lancaster’s air-quality index via a sampler machine atop of the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center.
July 9, 2026
‘The Best Way to Learn’: A Pre-Vet Student’s Immersive Wildlife Internship
Emboldened by his experience at F&M’s campus vivarium, Alex Relovsky ’29 wanted to further immerse himself in real-world animal care. Supported by the Center for Career and Professional Development, the pre-vet student secured an internship with Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation. “My experiences at Acorn Acres have been 100% hands-on, which is the best way to learn!” he said.