  The University of Maryland (UMD) Biology Education and Physics Education
Research Groups are investigating students' views on the role of physics in
introductory biology courses. This paper presents data from an introductory
course that addresses the fundamental principles of organismal biology and that
incorporates several topics directly related to physics, including
thermodynamics, diffusion, and fluid flow. We examine how the instructors use
mathematics and physics in this introductory biology course and look at two
students' responses to this use. Our preliminary observations are intended to
start a discussion about the epistemological issues resulting from the
integration of the science disciplines and to motivate the need for further
research.
