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.”

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

Students apply what they've learned in "A Hands-On History of Biology," during visits to locations on and off campus, including a trip to the North Museum of Nature and Science. Photo credit: Deb Grove

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