Course Subject: Science
Course Subject: Science
Advanced Engineering Design – Project Studio (Honors)
This course is intended to give students a more challenging and demanding environment to apply the skills they learned in either Engineering Applications: Robotics (formerly Engineering Design Foundations) or at NuVu and allow them to continue to wrestle and build on solutions to real problems. This course is largely project-based, and students are expected to use class time to research and design solutions to engineering design challenges. All projects are teacher guided but student led, with the goal of learning and using the tools and approaches of the engineering mindset. Prerequisites: Engineering Applications: Robotics or NuVu. Departmental permission required. Offered at the Honors level only.Advanced Biology – Anatomy and Physiology (Honors)
In this medical simulation-based course, we explore the integrated systems that make up the incredible human body and learn about how the structures of the body perform the functions necessary to maintain the balance of life (homeostasis). Students investigate the relationship between structure and function through dissections, projects, and discussions. We look into the pathophysiology of diseases and disorders that compromise the functioning of our body systems and visit the Harvard MEDscience program once a week to apply this content to hands-on medical simulations. Students should note that this class deals with medical content and skills that include simulated blood, the use of needles and scalpels, and animal dissections. Students should be prepared for patient simulations which, while fun, are also realistic and intense in nature. Prerequisites: Students should take one Chemistry Applications AND one Biology Applications course to be eligible to take this class, and at least one of those application courses should be taken at the Honors level and with departmental permission. Offered at the Honors level only. ***Open ONLY to students who have NOT attended the Harvard MEDscience Clinical summer program. Please note: seniors who take this course in the spring are still required to attend Harvard MEDScience visits on Fridays throughout their senior experience.Forensic Science – CSI BVR
Forensics is the application of science to solve crimes using evidence that is admissible in a court of law. A multidisciplinary approach that encourages analytical thinking and problem solving in biology, chemistry, and physics is used. Students may cover the following topics: deductive reasoning, fingerprinting, qualitative analysis of substances such as fingerprints, blood, DNA, document analysis, and ballistics. Along with lab work, students may do research projects, look at the legal aspects of forensic science, take field trips, and solve mock crimes. This class typically culminates in a whole-group project where students apply what they learn to create a crime scene for middle school students to solve. Note: this class touches upon sensitive matters of crimes and violence and deals with medical content and skills which includes simulated blood, needles and sharp objects. Prerequisites: Biology FoundationsAdvanced Physics – Electricity & Magnetism (Honors)
The goal of Advanced Physics is to develop tools and intuition capable of describing the physical world at a very general level, using more sophisticated mathematical tools such as geometry, trigonometry, functions, pre-calculus, and calculus. The topics studied during this term include electricity, electrostatics and electric fields, magnetic fields, and the interplay between electric and magnetic fields. This course is extensively laboratory based while developing the theoretical ideas of an introductory college physics course. Students are required to draw conclusions based on evidence gathered with such devices as batteries, bulbs, capacitors, wires, hand generators, and motors. If time allows, the course may also include electromagnetic radiation (light, x-rays, microwaves, etc.) as an extension. Prerequisites: Physics Foundations and Physics Applications: Engineering (previously Conceptual Physics) or equivalent or departmental permission. Offered at the Honors level only.Advanced Physics – Mechanics (Honors)
The goal of Advanced Physics is to develop tools and intuition capable of describing the physical world at a very general level, using more sophisticated mathematical tools such as geometry, trigonometry, functions, pre-calculus, and calculus. The topics studied during this term can be tailored to student interest but will likely draw from a list of topics including accelerated motion, vectors and projectile motion, Newton’s Laws, 2-D statics and dynamics, rotational motion, torque, and special relativity. This course includes at least one large research project in which students are required to explore a topic of interest and use their mechanics knowledge to analyze and make calculation-supported predictions for a physical situation. Prerequisites: Physics Foundations and Physics Applications: Engineering (previously Conceptual Physics) or equivalent or departmental permission. Offered at the Honors level only.Advanced Chemistry – Organic Chemistry (Honors)
Organic molecules are the building blocks of all life on Earth, and the carbon atom is central to the formation of this class of molecules. The course focuses on the importance of chemistry in biological systems. Students investigate the chemistry of key functional groups, including alcohols, carboxylic acids, amines and ethers, and their role in the behavior of three primary macromolecules: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. There is a strong emphasis on laboratory work, and students engage in experiments including the oxidation of Vitamin C, organic extraction of Caffeine from tea, and the hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids. Prerequisites: Any Chemistry or Biology Applications course at the Honors level. Departmental permission required. Offered at the Honors level only.Physics Foundations – Motion
The Physics Foundations course serves as a student's first introduction to science in the upper school. This initial term of 9th-grade physics familiarizes students with essential scientific skills and concepts through collaborative investigations and design tasks. Emphasizing problem-solving, teamwork, experimental methods, data analysis, and clear communication, students engage in hands-on activities to understand core principles of kinematics and energy.
Prerequisites: None