News Category: ‘2007-2008’

Members Present: Geoff Birchard, Tim Born (chair), Dan Cox, Bob Ehrlich (PHAS sub) Igor Griva, Dimitri Klimov, Barry Klinger, David Singman, David Wong (ESGS sub)
Members Absent: Bob Ellsworth, Barry Haack, George Taylor

1. Minutes
   • Minutes from 4.18.08 meeting approved
2. Announcements
   • Dr. Born thanked everyone for their time during the 2007-08 academic year.
   • First meeting in the fall semester will take place during the week of September 15th.
3. New Business
   • UNDERGRADUATE COURSE MODIFICATIONS
     • CHEM 102 and 104 [Approved]
     • GEOL 401 and 410 [Approved]
     • MATH 441 and 442 [Approved]
   • UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM PROPOSALS
     • Coastal Oceanography and Estuarine Science Concentration [Approved]
     • Math Honors Program [Approved]
   • UNDERGRADUATE COURSE PROPOSALS
     • BINF 470/PHYS 370 [Approved]
     • BIOL 435 [Approved]
     • BIOL 470 [Approved]
     • CDS 151 [Approved]
     • CDS 490 and 491 [Approved]
     • EVPP 335 [Approved]
     • EVPP 480

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Agenda: May 2008
Minutes: May 2008

Members Present: Geoff Birchard, Tim Born (chair), Bob Ellsworth, Igor Griva, Dimitri Klimov, Ed Schneider (CLIM sub), David Singman
Guests: Robert Jonas (ESP), Chris Jones (ESP) and Al Torzilli (ESP)
Members Absent: Dan Cox, Barry Haack, Barry Klinger and George Taylor

1. Minutes
   • Minutes from 3.21.08 meeting [Approved]
2. Announcements
   • There is one final meeting for the 2007-08 academic year on May 16th.
   • Need to plan for the first meeting of the fall 2008 semester.
3. New Business
   • BS in Biology Concentration in Marine Biology [Approved]
   • CSI 898, 899 and 991 treated as a block [Approved]
   • Master of Environmental Management [Approved]

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Minutes: April 2008

Members Present: Peter Becker, Geoff Birchard, Tim Born (chair), Dan Cox, Rick Diecchio, Barry Haack, Bob Ehrilich (Physics sub), Igor Griva, Dimitri Klimov, Barry Klinger, David Singman, George Taylor
Guests: Maria Dworczecka (COS Dean’s Office)
Members Absent: Bob Ellsworth

1. Minutes
   • Minutes from February meeting [APPROVED]
2. Announcements
   • Reminder that those members who are leaving the committee at the end of this
   • academic year should begin planning on finding a replacement. If any curriculum
   • issues arise over the summer, current members may be called upon.
3. Old Business
4. New Business
   • Undergraduate
     • EOS 371 and BIOL 324 [APPROVED]
     • Courses were originally offered as topics courses. These courses are approved pending GEOG approval.
   • Graduate
   • Forensics Certificate [APPROVED]Approved pending departments involved approval
     • FRSC 500 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 510 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 520 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 530 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 540 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 550 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 560 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 570 [APPROVED]
     • FRSC 590 [APPROVED]

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Agenda: March 2008
Minutes: March 2008

Members Present: Peter BeckerGeoff Birchard, Tim Born (chair), Dan Cox, Rick Diecchio, Barry Haack, Robert Ellsworth, Dimitri Klimov, Barry Klinger, Dimitrios Papaconstantopolous (CDS sub), David Singman, George Taylor
Guests: Maria Dworczecka (COS Dean’s Office)
Members Absent: Igor Griva

1. Approval of the December 13th minutes:
   • Minutes were approved pending two updates (CHEM 490 and MATH 290).
2. Announcements and comments:
   • Dr. Born thanked Dr. Ellsworth for allowing the online vote for the January meeting and Dr. Birchard for allowing EVPP 338 to be voted on at the next meeting.
   • Assad made the announcement that the four physics courses passed via the online vote in January have been forwarded to the registrar’s office.
3. Old Business
   • EVPP 338 New course Approved
4. New Business
   1. Undergraduate
      • EOS 330 New course Tabled
      • EOS 456/556 New course Approved
      • Both courses were considered together.
      • MATH 478 New Course Approved
   2. Graduate
      • COMP MS Modification Approved
   3. Forensics Certificate
      • Maria Dworzecka apologized for the proposal going to the graduate council. Peter Becker took responsibility for what happened.
      • Members of the committee are not averse to having a Forensics program. Issues such as funding, inclusion of lab courses, which faculty will be teaching the courses and which equipment will be used in the labs were discussed. Also, accreditation issues concerning the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) were discussed. Conversations with them have taken place as well as with Bill Whildin, Medicolegal Investigator for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Northern Virginia District
      • Dr. Born will provide new versions of the courses for the next meeting.

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Minutes: February 2008

Members Present: Geoff Birchard, Tim Born (chair), Sheryl Beach, Dan Cox, Rick Diecchio, Robert Ellsworth, Igor Griva, Dimitri Klimov, Barry Klinger, Nigel Waters (GEOG sub), David Singman
Members Absent: Barry Haack, Peter Becker

1. Approval of the November 15th minutes:
   • Minutes were approved.
2. Announcements and comments:
   • Assad made the announcement that the undergraduate courses passed at the last meeting have been forwarded to the registrar’s office.
   • The schedule for the spring 2008 semester looks like it will be the second Friday of each month but details will follow.
   • Dr. Beach will be exiting the committee and Dr. George Taylor will be taking her place representing ESGS.
   • The program form was approved with one minor change: the inclusion of the words “overlap with existing program.”
3. Old Business
   • NEUR 600 [Approved]The course description will need to be modified slightly.
4. New Business
   • Graduate
     • BIOL 675 [Approved]
     • CLIM 762 [Approved]
     • Forensics Certificate [Tabled]
       • Accrediting issues were discussed as well as the lack of lab components to the courses.
       • FRN 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 590 [Tabled]
       • Vote on certificate and courses were going to be done altogether.
     • CHEM 690 [Approved]
     • EVPP 505 [Approved]
     • MATH 677, 685, 686, 688 (deletion) and 998  [Approved]
       • Approved as a block.
     • BINF 450 [Approved]
     • BIOL 413 deletion [Approved]
     • BIOL 421 [Approved]
     • CDS 486 [Approved]
     • MATH 290 modification [Approved]
     • CHEM 490 [Approved]
     • CHEM BA and BS program modification [Approved]

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Agenda: December 2007
Minutes: December 2007

Members Present: Geoff Birchard, Tim Born (chair), Sheryl Beach, Dan Cox, Robert Ellsworth, Igor Griva, Dimitri Klimov, Barry Klinger, Tim Leslie (GEOG sub), David Singman
Members Absent: Rick Diecchio, Barry Haack, Peter Becker

1. Approval of the October 18th minutes:
   • Minutes were approved.
2. Announcements and comments:
   • Dr Born thanked Dr. Klimov for representing the curriculum committee at the last COS faculty meeting.
   • Dr. Born wanted to thank everyone for responding quickly to comments/edits to proposals upon posting.
   • Assad made the announcement that the following courses have been approved for general education:
   • ASTR 103, ASTR 302, CDS 101, CLIM 101, EOS 121, EVPP 335
3. Old Business
   • Conservation Biology Minor Approved
4. New Business
   • Graduate
     • BIOL 666 [Approved]Course will ultimately be cross listed with nursing.
     • CSI 772 [Approved]Depts. of Statistics and Electrical Engineering are interest in this course as well and possible cross listing for the future.
     • EOS 684 [Approved]
     • EVPP 644, 646 and 647 [Approved] (All)
       EVPP 644 is the existing course (both lab and lecture) and was deleted.
       EVPP 646 and 647 will be splitting the course into separate lab and lecture. No change in content.
     • NEUR 600 [Tabled]
     • BIOL 507 [Approved]
     • BIOL 536 [Approved]
   • Undergraduate
     • CDS 410 and 411 [Approved]Part I and II of a course in math techniques.
     • Minor in Bioinformatics [Approved]
     • BIOL 301 [Approved]Addition of EVPP 421 to list of topics offered for BIOL 301
     • MATH modifications/deletions [Approved]31 courses (27 modifications and 4 deletions) approved as a block
     • PHYS 303 [Approved]
     • PHYS BS modification [Approved]

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Agenda: November 2007
Minutes: November 2007

Members Present: Geoff Birchard, Tim Born (chair), Dan Cox, Rick Diecchio, Robert Ellsworth, Igor Griva, Barry Haack, Dimitri Klimov, Barry Klinger, David Singman
Members Absent: Sheryl Beach, Peter Becker
Guests: John Wallin (CDS)

1. Approval of the September 13th minutes:
   • Minutes were approved.
2. Announcements and comments:
   • Dr. Born said that he will do his best to have quick and on topic meetings and to please be lenient on the rules of order.
     He also reminded that all submissions must only be from the committee representative or the department chair and that they must all go to Assad Khan (akhanf@gmu.edu).
     Substitutes are allowed to attend meetings but committee members must alert the chair that a substitute will be present prior to the meeting.
   • An announcement was made that all graduate courses and programs treated in the September meeting were on the agenda for the 10/17 Graduate Council meeting and passed.
   • Dr. Diecchio reported that both ASTR courses (103 and 302) were forwarded to the provost’s office for general education consideration and both BIOL courses (422 and 493) were forwarded to the registrar’s office.
   • Dr. Diecchio also asked whether BA requirements in COS should go through the curriculum committee or if a separate committee should be formed. It was decided that a separate committee be formed but the curriculum committee should treat it at the end.
3. Old Business
   • NEUR 634 [Approved]There was one change in the course description about getting ready for graduate school needed to be deleted before going to Graduate Council.
   • BIOL HONORS PROGRAM [Approved]
4. New Business
   • Graduate
     • NEUR 603 [Approved]
     • GEOG 650 [Approved]The original proposal was sent in with an electronic signature that showed agreement by the chair of ESGS. One change was required in the course relationship section where “this” needed to be changed to “these.”
   • Undergraduate
     • Minor in Computational and Data Sciences [Approved]A suggestion to add classes in FORTRAN was made
     • Minor in Conservation Biology [Tabled]Will be looked at by MMB and brought to the next meeting.

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Agenda: October 2007
Minute: October 2007

Members Present: Sheryl Beach, Peter Becker, Estela Blaisten (chair), Tim Born, Dan Cox, Rick Diecchio, Robert Ellsworth, Barry Haack, Dimitri Klimov, Ed Schneider (sub for CLIM), David Singman
Members Absent: Geoff Birchard
Guests: Bob Ehrlich, Igor Griva,

1. Approval of the May 14 minutes:
   • Minutes were approved.
2. Announcements and comments:
   • Schedule for the Fall 2007 semester were set (all meetings will be held at 9am)
     • Thursday October 18
     • Thursday November 15
     • Thursday December 13
   • Dr. Blaisten announced that she will be leaving the curriculum committee and that Igor Griva will take her place as the representative from CDS. Other new members include David Singman (Mathematical Sciences) and Barry Haack (Geography).
3. Old Business
   • With Dr. Blaisten leaving, nominations for a new chair were called for. Dr. Born was nominated and named the new chair of the College of Science Curriculum Committee.
4. New Business
   • Graduate
     • Physics Ph.D. (new program) [Approved]There was some discussion about publications but it was decided that the wording in the proposal adequately addressed this issue.
     • Physics MS (modification) [Approved]Small changes were made to the program. A third concentration was added and the number of electives was raised from four to five. PHYS 540 needed to be added to the list on page 3.
     • ASTR 630 (new course) [Approved]
     • PHYS 630 (new course) [Approved]To be cross-listed with BINF 740. There were some questions on what the prerequisites for the course should be.
     • PHYS 703 (new course) [Approved]
     • NEUR 634 (new course) [Tabled]
   • Undergraduate
     • ASTR 103 (general education consideration) [Approved]
     • ASTR 302 (general education consideration) [Approved]
     • BIOL 422 (new course) [Approved]
     • BIOL 493 (new course) [Approved]
     • Biology Honors Program (modification) [Tabled]Tabled so Environmental Science and Policy can take a look at the proposed modifications.

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Agenda: September 2007
Minutes: September 2007