News Release (December 18, 1966)

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/NEW COLLEGE File NEWS RELEASE (by NEW COLLEGEr SARASOTA, FLORIDA FURMAN C. ARTHUR INFORMATION FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY DECEMBER 18, 1966 Watching the daily activities of hermit crabs may eem a restful occupation, but for Kawatski it is also in the interest of research. Jay, a first-year student at New College from Wisconsin Rapids, Wise., keeps his eyes trained on three tanks of henait crabs in order to help determine how they transfer their companion sea when changinr to new shells. For three weeks. beginning at the end of November, all first and second-year students at New College have been working on their independent research projects. This week they complete their research and do the writing of papers which ust gain faculty approval before credit is given. Kawatski set up a number of salt water tanka with a crab in and observed the shellfish over a period of weeks when they outgrew their shells and were forced to move to larger ones. Re discovered that the crabs laboriously transfer the anemone to the outside of the new shell each time they change homes. Kawatski's project was carried out not only by his watchful eye but also that of his biology professor who had to appro-ve his project, check his progress, and alao carefully read the final research paper that must be turned in. Under the flexible New College program, students also are able to pursue vari-ous field of interest. Beatrice Stodola, for example, with a strong interest in both music and teaching, was able to combine here interests by doing her first project teaching two of her fellow students to play the -violin. -more-

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NEW COLLEGE Page 2 In the three weeks of the independent study pej!od, the first-year student B trice Stodola, from Marquette, Mich., gave};:'.;ons :-t regular intervals, often using different instructional etboda which she had learned fro h r reaearch. Beatrice is now writing her report for her project faculty adviser detailing what ahe learned about comparative ethoda of instruction -which one she found most effective for different kinds of students and which one proved the et dtf-ficult to aocomplish, for example. She will also outline a ethod of instruction which abe developed and tested durinr, the study period. The independent study period is an inteRral part of the New College program. All first-and second-year students are required to do two pro1ects during the year. During the first year projects must be co leted in two of th three dif-farent acade ic divisions of the college. For seniors, a year-long is pursued rnd and results in a th sis-type report. One group of students learned the fundaoentals of computer pro rA ing dur-ing the study period by writing their own programs to golve various problems they chose. They then ran the program on the Manatee Junior College data processing center equipment. In the process, they 1 arned the nature of electronic computers. bow to set up a program in order to solve a problem and by actually working on the co lex machines. they learned how to perform the fundamental tasks required by computers. Other students worked on proj eta more typic 1 of &cademic scholarship. Second-year student Leslie Scbockner, from Ft. Rucker, Ala., investigated several aspects of the playa of Willia Shakespeare. Her project her to read the works of Shakespeare and, in addition, discuaaions of his work by many literary critics. -1110re-

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NEW COLLEGE Page 3 Thursday marks the eDd not only of the fiTat independent study reriod but the end of the first te of this c demic y ar as well. Students will return to their ho es Christ vacation. They will return to c us January 4 for the opening of the second term. The next Independent Study Period will be four weeka in April and already several student. who have their project for this study period are tuTning th ir thour,htR to rese4rch they will do during the next. -