Moderation in biology

The process of moderation in biology is intended to:
  • evaluate whether a student is adequately prepared for the more intensive and independent work of the Upper College and whether they are capable of doing a satisfactory biology Senior Project;
  • assess the student’s intellectual maturity, clarity, and seriousness of purpose as well as their record in the Lower College;
  • provide recommendations for the student’s program of study in the Upper College.
Moderation typically takes place in the second semester of the sophomore year.

To prepare for moderation in biology, a student should successfully complete two introductory courses in biology numbered 140-199, and either Genetics and Evolution or Ecology and Evolution. In the semester of moderation, most students are enrolled in the second of the courses in this two-course sequence.

The moderation papers

In the semester of moderation, students should prepare the two Moderation papers required of all Bard students, as well as a third paper -- an analysis of a piece of primary literature in biology. Students should select one of the articles posted below, and respond, in no more than two typed pages, to the following questions:

  1. State, clearly and succinctly, the question or hypothesis being addressed by this research.
  2. Describe the general design of the study.  You should focus on the logic of the study rather than the procedural details.
  3. Characterize the strengths and weaknesses of the particular system the researchers used to address their question.
  4. Identify the key figure or table in the article, including an argument for why this is the key figure or table.

On the date when the moderation papers are due, the moderating student should turn in the two college-wide papers to the registrar, and send all three papers (the two college-wide ones, and the biology analysis described here) to Megan Karcher (karcher@bard.edu).  The members of the board will be selected for the student, based on availability.

The student is expected to come to the moderation prepared to discuss the article, and their written analysis of it.

For Spring 2023 moderations:
The papers are due by 5 pm on Friday, March 17.
Please send them to Megan Karcher (karcherATbard.edu),
and to the Registrar (registrarATbard.edu), by email.

Primary papers for Spring 2023

  • Kotlobay, Alexey A., et al. "Genetically encodable bioluminescent system from fungi." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115.50 (2018): 12728-12732. PDF
  • Germain, Rachel M., Sharon Y. Strauss, and Benjamin Gilbert. "Experimental dispersal reveals characteristic scales of biodiversity in a natural landscape." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.17 (2017): 4447-4452. PDF
  • Morgan, Rachael, et al. "Low potential for evolutionary rescue from climate change in a tropical fish." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117.52 (2020): 33365-33372. PDF
  • Olkowicz, Seweryn, et al. "Birds have primate-like numbers of neurons in the forebrain." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113.26 (2016): 7255-7260. PDF
  • Tavallaie, Mojdeh, et al. "Moderation of mitochondrial respiration mitigates metabolic syndrome of aging." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117.18 (2020): 9840-9850. PDF
  • Wiens, J. David, et al. "Invader removal triggers competitive release in a threatened avian predator." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118.31 (2021). PDF
  • Yang, Shilong, et al. "A paradigm of thermal adaptation in penguins and elephants by tuning cold activation in TRPM8." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117.15 (2020): 8633-8638. PDF
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