Biology teaching at Cornell starts with Bio101, a large course that serves as a gateway to advanced coursework in genetics, molecular biology, neurobiology, and biology and society. To help students meet faculty, get involved in research activities on campus, and learn the complexities of science in our society, weekly biology discussions are held over dinner with outstanding faculty, administrators, and campus leaders and groups of 10 to 50 students.

BioG101-104 is a large, two-semester, undergraduate course intended for biology majors in their first year at Cornell. The students are future biologists, medical professionals, veterinarians, and people working in the life sciences. Students enrolled in this course, as in any large class, may find it difficult to get to know the faculty personally; some may not know any tenured faculty member well during their first year on campus. The same concern applies to faculty members teaching large courses: they get to know well only a small percentage of their students.

Carl D. Hopkins of the Dept. of Neurobiology and Behavior started the Biology Dining Discussion Program in the fall of 2005 as one way for students to get to know faculty and for faculty to meet students. Each week, students are invited to dine in one of the North Campus dining halls with a guest faculty member, administrator, outside visitor, or campus leader. Announcements are made every week in the BioG101 lectures and on posters in the dining halls, common rooms, and dormitories. The dining discussions are open to all Cornell undergraduate students. The program is sponsored by the Department of Campus Life Faculty Fellows Program. Students on the meal plan use their meal card, and those not on the meal plan can join the discussion for free.
Discussions range over a large number of topics and issues, including research, ethical issues, use of animals, biological policy, health issues, the environment, educational concerns, career discussions, mentoring, and learning strategies. An average of 20 people attend each week for one hour.

Dining discussions were attended by 15 to 25 students each week--about 600 students per year. The program has become more popular each year, and we have increased the size of the room to accommodate additional students. The response of the faculty and visitors has been enthusiastic: they appreciate the informality of this type of discussion. Among the distinguished guests this year were Will Provine, who spoke about evolution and creationism, Andrew Clark, who spoke of the 12 Drosophila genomes, President David Skorton and Robin Davisson, discussing research and medicine, and veterinary dean Michael Kotlikoff, who discussed the future of imaging in biology. Some faculty have involved students in research as a result of the introductions made at dinner.

Campus Life