Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Sarah Lawrence's Natural Sciences and Mathematics program offers classes in a variety of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics. Studies in each of these disciplines are offered at all levels, ranging from open courses to advanced seminars and individual laboratory research projects. In addition, students interested in health professions meet regularly with a pre-health advisor to help structure their academic program accordingly.

Qualified students can enroll in a Science Third program, in which students take the seminar component of two science/mathematics courses simultaneously, comprising one-third of their curriculum. Because Science Third students are still able to take two additional non-science courses each semester, this option is an opportunity for well-prepared or advanced students to study multiple science courses without limiting their options in other disciplines.

Biology

Biology is the study of life in its broadest sense, ranging from topics such as the role of trees in affecting global atmospheric carbon dioxide down to the molecular mechanisms that switch genes on and off in human brain cells. Biology includes a tremendous variety of disciplines: molecular biology, immunology, histology, anatomy, physiology, developmental biology, behavior, evolution, ecology, and many others. Because Sarah Lawrence College faculty members are broadly trained and frequently teach across the traditional disciplinary boundaries, students gain an integrated knowledge of living things—a view of the forest as well as the trees.

Chemistry

Chemistry seeks to understand our physical world on an atomic level. This microscopic picture uses the elements of the periodic table as building blocks for a vast array of molecules, ranging from water to DNA. But some of the most fascinating aspects of chemistry involve chemical reactions, where molecules combine and transform—sometimes dramatically—to generate new molecules.

Computer Science

What is computer science? Ask a hundred computer scientists, and you will likely receive a hundred different answers. One possible, fairly succinct answer is that computer science is the study of algorithms: step-by-step procedures for accomplishing tasks formalized into very precise, atomic (indivisible) instructions. An algorithm should allow a task to be accomplished by someone who—or something that—does not even understand the task. In other words, it is a recipe for an automated solution to a problem. Computers are tools for executing algorithms. (Not that long ago, a “computer” referred to a person who computed!)

Environmental Science

Environmental science is the study of interactions between and among earth, ecological, infrastructure, and social systems. The study of environmental science allows us to understand the processes behind many of our most urgent societal challenges, including climate change, water-resource management, biodiversity conservation, public health, and environmental justice. Environmental science also provides a unique lens through which we can study the dynamics of our planet—in settings as diverse as a serene tidal marsh, an Arctic glacier, a wastewater treatment plant, or a community garden.

Mathematics

Whether they had any interest in mathematics in high school, students often discover a new appreciation for the field at Sarah Lawrence College. In our courses—which reveal the inherent elegance of mathematics as a reflection of the world and how it works—abstract concepts literally come to life. That vitality further emerges as faculty members adapt course content to fit student needs, emphasizing the historical context and philosophical underpinnings behind ideas and theories.

Physics

Physics—the study of matter and energy, time and space, and their interactions and interconnections—is often regarded as the most fundamental of the natural sciences. An understanding of physics is essential for an understanding of many aspects of chemistry, which in turn provides a foundation for understanding a variety of biological processes. Physics also plays an important role in most branches of engineering; and the field of astronomy, essentially, is physics applied on the largest of scales.