Home > About NSM > Dean's Message

Message from the Dean

In the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, we are proud to prepare our students for professional careers and to pursue higher degrees in the sciences and mathematics. We have a long history of providing our students with hands-on, laboratory and field-based experiences where our students not only learn concepts but put these concepts into practice. A typical graduate of our science departments will have completed between 500 and 1,000 hours of laboratory or fieldwork. We emphasize inquiry-based learning in our programs and work to ensure that our students develop the needed critical thinking skills to excel in the professional workplace or the pursuit of higher academic degrees. Our students also receive extensive training in communicating their ideas, orally and in writing. We encourage our undergraduates to work on real world research problems and each semester hundreds of them can be found working side-by-side with faculty mentors in the laboratory or field.

Our motto is "Exploration by Inquiry and Learning Through Discovery".

Graduates from our programs in Biological Science, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geological Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics:

• • Understand the basic concepts and principles of science and mathematics
• • Are experienced in working collectively and collaboratively to solve problems
• • Communicate both orally and in writing with clarity, precision, and confidence
• • Are adept at using computers to do word processing, prepare spreadsheets and graphs, and use presentation software
• • Possess skills in information retrieval using library resources and the Internet
• • Have extensive laboratory/workshop/field experience where they utilize the scientific method to ask questions, formulate hypotheses, design experiments, conduct experiments, and analyze data
• • Appreciate diverse cultures as a result of working side by side with many people in collaborative efforts in the classroom and laboratory and on research projects
• • In many instances have had the opportunity to work individually with faculty in conducting research and independent projects. In addition to the attributes of all CNSM students, these students generate original data and contribute to the research knowledge base
• • Have had the opportunity to work with very modern, sophisticated equipment including advanced computer hardware and software

We hope you find the information associated with our website useful and we look forward to developing an appropriate relationship with you via one of our many organizations or activities. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions about the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Robert A. Koch, Ph.D.
Acting Dean, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Home > About NSM > Dean's Message

This page is maintained by the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics. Contact webmaster for problems, comments and questions. California State University, Fullerton © 2002-2012. All Rights Reserved.

This site may contain links to Web sites not administered by California State University, Fullerton, or one of its divisions, schools, departments, units or programs. California State University, Fullerton, is not responsible or liable for the accuracy or the content of linked pages.