All Muhlenberg College students take a first-year seminar (FYS) to develop critical thinking, research, and writing skills. In 2010, Muhlenberg received NSF grant DUE-0965834 for Scholarships in Math & Science (SIMS), a project to improve recruitment and retention. The SIMS students' FYS is inspired by cornerstone courses at other institutions, and is organized around multidisciplinary design projects, including musical percussion instruments and a stage-gate series of new product development proposals. The course also includes a variety of active, guided-inquiry, and team-based learning activities focused on creativity, design processes, prototyping, and entrepreneurship. We describe: relevant background; the FYS structure and activities; outcomes and implications; changes from 2010 to 2011; and directions for future work.