Kim Johnson – When I woke up this morning and saw the ground blanketed with fresh snow it seemed like the perfect day to go back to bed for a few more hours, then spend the remainder of the day under a blanket with a book, but for me, duty calls!

This morning I headed to my first C&T lecture. All sophomores take the year-long C&T (Cultures and Traditions) course. From what I understand, C&T is a necessary evil. Full of readings, papers, and discussions, the course is not a favorite during the second year of study but by the third and fourth years of study, the students gain an appreciation for the skills they were “forced” to master as a sophomore.

So today, as part of the “Exploring the Nature and Culture of Science” section of the course, Dr. Lon Porter from the chemistry department did a presentation titled “The Culture of Science: Curiosity, Competition, and Collaboration.”

A lot of people, events, and ideas he highlighted were things I, quite frankly, had not thought about in a number of years. I hadn’t done the reading for today. I hadn’t been in the class all semester. I had no background as to what would be going on other than to go check it out.

Here’s what struck me about what I saw. First of all, I love chemistry. Even though I did not major in it and could likely not pass an organic chemistry course to save my life, I love what chemistry is and what it means for advancing technology, medicine, and knowledge in general. Plus – how cool are the chemical reactions! Fire, ice, glowing, heat, noise, color, light…

Second, and my point in writing today, is just how refreshing it is to see the cross-department, cross-campus collaboration of the Wabash faculty. This course isn’t a chemistry course. It’s not math or English or religion but all of those at the same time. The faculty work together for the purpose of providing the students with the preparation they need to succeed in not just one but all of their courses.

The students in the course now may not appreciate or even understand the trouble the faculty have gone to to provide the experience. However, the fact is it is just another example of how the faculty and staff at Wabash will do whatever it takes to ensure the men who pass through here get the depth and breadth of all a liberal arts education can and should be.