But for 15 lucky freshmen, their professor for FRS 151: “How the Tabby Cat Got Her Stripes,” also called “The Silence of the Genes,” has one additional qualification: president of the University.
The class is one of 75 seminars offered through the Freshman Seminar Program, which was founded more than two decades ago to give freshmen the opportunity to balance introductory survey courses with stimulating intellectual discussions. Incoming freshmen apply for the seminars by writing essays describing their interest.
President Shirley Tilghman said that roughly 30 students applied for a spot in her seminar, adding that she personally read the essays before selecting 15 freshmen with some background knowledge in biology. “I was fairly concerned that if you had no biology, it would be very hard to follow this class,” she explained.
Both Tilghman and her students said the class has been highly enjoyable. “I love it ... I love teaching freshmen,” Tilghman said, adding that the seminar setting allows her to get to know the 15 students very well, a dynamic that is hard to achieve in larger lecture classes.
Tilghman does not generally teach seminars, though in recent years she has taught four-lecture modules on developmental biology to students taking MOL 214: Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology. She will do so again this spring.
Lukas Gaffney, a student in the freshman seminar, said that taking a class with such a prominent figure can be intimidating.
“But more than intimidating, it is awe-inspiring, and you just feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to learn from such an authoritative source,” he said.
Prior to becoming the University’s first female president in 2001, Tilghman was a molecular biology professor and a founding director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics. Among other achievements, Tilghman played key roles in the creation of the first mammalian gene clone and, later, in the Human Genome Project.
On Monday evening, students spent the majority of the three-hour seminar analyzing assigned material from a scientific journal. Aided by PowerPoint and a red laser pointer, Tilghman thoroughly discussed the topics covered in the article, frequently stopping to explain some of the more complex concepts and draw diagrams on the chalkboard.
The atmosphere of the class was relaxed throughout, and students socialized over cupcakes and soda, courtesy of Tilghman, during a 15-minute break. Despite the professor’s high status at the University, students in the seminar did not seem afraid to ask questions and joke with one another or with Tilghman.
“She’s always approachable and willing to help. You can definitely tell that she always wants us to succeed,” said Chelsea Cioffi, a student in the seminar.
“I don’t get the impression that there is any reservation,” Tilghman said.
Most students in the class said they applied to take it because they were interested in genomics and thought that a seminar setting would allow for interesting exploration of the field.
“First of all, I really love cats, so the tabby cat hooked me,” said Gitanjali Gnanadesikan, though she explained that the class’s description was also interesting. “It’s about epigenetics, which is how genetic inheritance is affected by things other than just DNA. And so you go through school being told that DNA is the answer to all of these questions on inheritance, and this is sort of the more complicated and interesting [side].”
Alan Southworth expressed a similar sentiment. “I’ve always been interested in genetics, and this class seemed like a really interesting way to explore the up-and-coming field in science.”
But, he added, “It didn’t hurt that it was taught by the president of the University.”
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