Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Science is a critical part of the undergraduate curriculum, particularly in the 21st century when science and technology are an integral part of our interactions with the world around us and our role in a democratic society.

“Our leaders in government are increasingly being asked to face questions concerning science and technology, and we as citizens must have a basic understanding of science in order to make wise choices in voting,” says Georgetown's Dr. Toshiko Ichiye. “Some issues we face include genetic engineering, stem cell research, nuclear power, and global warming, all of which concern science and technology.”

Dr. Ichiye contributes to the knowledge of Georgetown students in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Dr. Ichiye, the William G. McGowan Chair in Chemistry, teaches one undergraduate course this spring, Physical Chemistry II, which covers thermodynamics and kinetics. She hopes the education that students receive in her courses helps overcome the lack of scientific knowledge that Dr. Ichiye sees as contributing to a decline in power of the United States.

“As more and more countries become capable of creating weapons of mass destruction, the new measure of national strength is technological superiority rather than military might. This country is losing its position as the world leader in technology, which we must rectify,” she said.

Dr. Ichiye, who says her favorite part of working with undergraduates is interacting with her students, focuses her in-class lectures on explaining the thought process behind the methods, rather than having students memorize a list of facts. This teaching philosophy gives her undergraduate students the ability to think through complex topics.

“The courses I teach tend to have lots of math in them, so I try to help people think of the equations as shorthand ways of expressing a scientific phenomena,” she said. “I really love teaching the undergraduates here at Georgetown because they are so smart. It is great to see something click in a student’s mind, and I am just thrilled when a student gives a thoughtful answer to a question.”

Although the technology available in the classroom has changed—and as a leader in computational chemistry, Dr. Ichiye knows the changes well—the core principles of undergraduate study remain the same as in her own years as a student.

“I worked hard and played hard, and I hope the Georgetown undergrads are doing the same,” she said.

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