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Dinosaur Course Designed for Science-Shy Students |
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Kimyette Finley |
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Apr 9, 2002 |
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| Dr. Scott Lee uses a Slinky toy as a teaching device in his Jurassic Physics class. |
Dr. Scott Lee is on a mission to make science seem a little less intimidating for UT students. In order to accomplish this goal, he’s enlisting the aid of creatures that roamed the earth over 65 million years ago — dinosaurs.
Lee teaches a course titled Jurassic Physics, which is aimed at non-science majors. “I try to pitch toward an audience where this will probably be one of the only two science courses they’ll take in their college career,” Lee said. In the class, he takes the laws of physics that can be applied in today’s circumstances and applies them to the fossil records of the dinosaurs.
“We look at issues like how fast could Tyrannosaurus Rex run? Could you outrun a Tyrannosaurus Rex? I’m interested in taking things like static models and trying to figure out if they were alive what would they be like. What gave them their personality and were they like today’s reptiles,” Lee said. Jurassic Physics also examines whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded or cold-blooded animals. According to the physics professor, modern reptiles are cold blooded, while modern birds are warm blooded. It is believed that dinosaurs were related to both.
A main objective of the course is to help students feel more comfortable with science. “There are examples of physics in so many parts of everyday life. When you talk to people about physics, the first reaction is that their stomach tightens up. One thing I try to tell them is that it’s not scary. Being a living, breathing human being, you already know so much physics already. You might not know the details about how to solve difficult mathematic problems, but I’m trying to get the concept of physics across,” Lee explained. “We try to make people comfortable with the idea of science and to appreciate science. People appreciate good music, theater and cooking. But somehow, science is looked at as being for someone else. It affects us all.”
Lee is a Master Teacher in the College of Arts and Sciences. Master Teachers are educators who are recognized for their commitment to quality teaching. According to Dr. Bernie Bopp, professor of astronomy and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Lee is an innovator in the classroom. “There isn’t a book for Jurassic Physics; it’s a course he created. People like dinosaurs, and we are fascinated by these critters. He’s taking this fascination and using it as a springboard to teach physics. It’s a wonderful, innovative way to approach things. The course is a tremendous hit with students, and the students know it and look forward to it.”
Kristina Beddies, a senior in the College of Education, signed up for Jurassic Physics based on a strong recommendation. “I had a friend who took this class and really liked it. I’m not good in science, and I needed a science class. He [Lee] explains things very well and he breaks it down so you can understand it better. The examples help a lot.”
Students are required to do five projects per semester from their textbook. “These are things they can do at home to show them that physics is all around them,” Lee said. The professor also relies on classroom demonstrations to illustrate topics such as waves and vibrations using items like the Slinky toy or small-scale models of dinosaurs.
Students in the class may have seen the popular Steven Spielberg “Jurassic Park” movies that bring dinosaurs to life on the big screen. According to Lee, don’t believe the movie hype. “He shows them moving extraordinarily fast. That’s not true,” the professor said with a laugh. “Exactly how fast they could run is still controversial. That’s something else I point out in the course. I want to help the students separate what they see in the media between science fiction and science fact. I enjoy good science fiction; I just want to know that it’s science fiction. We tend to think of science as portrayed as a cold logic, letting the facts come to you. It’s a much more human endeavor than that.”
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