Science

This course explores the foundational physics topics of Newtonian mechanics. Through the use of Modeling Instruction and curricular materials from the American Modeling Teachers Association, Physics 9 students investigate motion, forces, energy, and momentum and construct scientific models of natural phenomena to represent the world around them. Students develop their skills in collaboration, discussion, analytical thinking, and problem solving, and they develop technical writing and data analysis skills through the creation of laboratory reports. Through design challenges, Physics 9 students integrate engineering and design thinking approaches by creatively applying physics content to relevant and engaging problems. For students that enter their ninth grade year having already successfully completed calculus, and upon conversation with the science department, these students may be placed into upper-level physics electives that require calculus as a prerequisite that may include Advanced Mechanics with Calculus and Electricity and Magnetism with Calculus.

Biology students encounter the natural world at molecular, organismal, and ecological scales through laboratory explorations, modeling, and student-centered classroom discussions.Topics include an introduction to biochemistry, cellular processes, current biotechnology tools, and the use of bioethics to assess various applications of biotechnology in society, genetics,  evolution, ecology, and climate change. The year concludes with an independent laboratory investigation of the student’s choice in which they have a chance to further explore an area of interest as well as apply the laboratory, analytical, and communication skills that they have developed throughout the year. Using Campbell, Reece, and Simon, Essential Biology with Physiology 4th edition as a supplementary resource, students also encounter biological concepts through guided inquiry assignments, recent science news, and primary literature.

Honors Biology addresses core biology topics, but at a faster pace and with more independent student work in order to engage in each topic at a deeper level. Students are frequently responsible for preparing for lessons using the textbook or other resources so that class time can be used for further applications. Topics include biochemistry, cytology, cell processes, biotechnology, bioethics, genetics, evolution, and ecology.  Woven throughout all of these units are hands-on activities, modeling, real-world applications/scenarios, student presentations, laboratory investigations, and the development of scientific skills including primary literature research, experimental design, and scientific writing. Students build skills throughout the year in preparation for a student-designed investigation culminating in a formal lab report and presentaion. Class resources are collected from scientific journal articles, animations/simulations/videos, and the textbook Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections, 8th edition.

Chemistry is the study of the composition and behavior of matter. This course explores the structure and arrangement of atoms to provide an understanding of matter and how to predict the reorganization of elements and electrons within different chemical reactions. Students investigate the major types of reactions and learn to quantify relative reaction amounts in the solid, solution, and gas phases through interactive, hands-on laboratory activities and group problem solving. Students develop strong analytical and lab skills through three major self-designed projects in which they present results in formal laboratory reports that incorporate primary sources. The World of Chemistry by Zumdahl, Zumdahl and DeCoste is the primary text for the class.

Honors Chemistry is a rigorous exploration of general chemistry concepts at an accelerated, intensive pace. Topics include atomic structure, a quantum mechanical model of bonding, intermolecular forces and solution properties, and a comprehensive exploration of chemical reactions including gas phase, precipitation, redox, and acid-base. Hands-on labs and collaborative problem solving are used in conjunction with direct instruction and guided inquiry to gain a thorough understanding of course concepts. Students develop strong analytical and lab skills through two end-of-semester self-designed projects in which they present results in formal laboratory reports that incorporate current primarily literature. Chemistry by Zumdahl, Zumdahl and DeCoste is the primary text for the class.

Physics is the story behind everything, from apples falling to stars shining, and in this course students will work to understand the events and phenomena seen in the natural world. This semester-long, second-year physics course offers an in depth study of advanced mechanics topics of projectile motion, force, energy, momentum, rotation, gravitation and simple harmonic motion. The mathematical concepts of limits, derivatives, and integrals will be used as tools in making measurements and calculations in the study of these mechanics topics.  Critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and problem-based learning are an integral part of this course as students work through complex problems and laboratory investigations designed to enhance and deepen student understanding of the concepts covered. This course is designed to assist students considering majors in the physical sciences or engineering but is appropriate for any student interested in science. Text: Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick and Walker, 11th ed. 

Einstein’s relativity and quantum physics comprise the foundation for all of physics and provide our best understanding of ideas like black holes, teleportation, and the multiverse. Students will delve into the realm of the world at the smallest scales, which will give surprising insight into how the world operates on the human scale. This semester-long course takes students through the models of light as a particle, light as a wave, particle-wave duality, how experiments led to the ideas of quantum physics and how those ideas are applied.  Students then move on to the nature of space and time, the nature of gravity, nuclear physics, and particle physics. The course focuses on developing the concepts and applications of these theories. Relativity and Quantum Physics is appropriate for any student looking to challenge their view of the universe and their ability to confront abstract concepts.

What are the rules of electricity and magnetism that govern the universe? How did we develop our understanding of these phenomena? How do those rules explain the northern lights, electric circuits, and even light itself? Why are balloons stuck to the wall at birthday parties, what is lightning, how do metal detectors work, how do speakers work, how do generators work, and more. This semester-long, second-year physics course following Advance Mechanics, offers an in-depth study of electrostatics, electric fields, electric potential, Gauss’s Law, capacitors, electric circuits, magnetic fields, Ampere’s law, electromagnetic induction, Faraday’s law, Lenz’s law and electromagnetic waves. The course is mathematically intensive with the concepts of limits, derivatives, and integrals used as tools in making measurements and calculations in the study of these electricity and magnetism topics. Critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and problem-based learning are an integral part of this course as students work through complex problems and laboratory investigations designed to enhance and deepen student understanding of the concepts covered. Students will be challenged to master problem solving on the level of a physics or engineering university course. This course is designed to assist students considering majors in the physical sciences or engineering but is appropriate for any student interested in science. Students are encouraged to take Advanced Mechanics with Calculus as a prerequisite but it is not required. Text: Fundamentals of Physics by Hallidday, Resnick and Walker, 11th ed.

Students in this semester-long, advanced elective explore the field of genetics from molecular, population, and bioethical perspectives. Emphasis will be placed on applications of genetic concepts to both laboratory and “real world” contexts. Students will learn and apply advanced laboratory techniques such as DNA isolation, DNA fingerprinting, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, and genome sequencing. Special attention will be paid to the ways in which the field of genetics has changed and is changing. This will involve, among other things, explorations of the “genomic revolution” and the bioethics of our powerful new gene technologies, such as gene therapy & CRISPR-Cas9. Students will have opportunities to pursue projects and lab experiences on specific areas of interest within genetics along with designing a case study based on primary literature.

Building on the framework of the full-year Honors Biology course, this semester-long elective provides an opportunity for further and deeper exploration of the biological sciences using a more thematic approach. There are four major units of study, each connecting prior knowledge and new advanced topics, including: evolution, energetics, information storage & transmission, and system interactions. The course will use microbiolgy concepts to connect these four units of study and the laboratory investigations. Students will further develop the science process skills they gained in Honors Biology in inquiry-based laboratories, primary literature, modeling, student-centered discussion, and a capstone project that will result in a formal lab report and presentation. The college-level textbook Campbell Biology: 11th edition is the supporting text for the class. Completion of this course may support preparation for the AP examination in Biology.

The curriculum and pacing of this course takes its cues from Minnesota’s seasons. In January, when the growing season is still a far off aspiration, we’ll begin by exploring plant structure and photosynthesis in greater detail. The second unit of the course will examine the incredible variety of plants. This exploration will be framed around the process of adaptive radiation, emphasizing the role climate and other abiotic factors play in evolution. Students will learn how to classify, identify and preserve specimens just as the first buds are beginning to emerge outside. The final unit of the course will build on this concept of adaptive radiation to explore coevolution of plants and their pollinators. Students will engage in an independent inquiry project to become experts of a particular mechanism for pollination. This unit will conclude with individual presentations and a field trip to a working apiary as the bees emerge from the hive for the start of their busy season. This course is open to juniors and seniors.

Through a series of inquiry labs and case studies, students will learn about various human body systems from a “form fits function” lens, particularly focusing on system interrelatedness and homeostasis. Upon completion of this course, students will have further developed science process skills which include forming an argument based on evidence and correctly selecting and running a statistical test given data that they initially developed in their biology course. This skill development will be accomplished through frequent inquiry investigations, as well as a capstone human physiology lab where students will design and implement a quantitative study of a human body system addressed in the course.

This honors level, lab-based semester elective course explores a set of fundamental guiding principles to predict and explore the movement of electrons in organic molecules. The ability to predict movement of electrons allows students to determine the products of organic reactions as well as the reactivity of everyday organic compounds, such as polymers, pharmaceuticals, and biological molecules. They examine the implications that electrons have on molecular structure and reactivity by building three dimensional models of compounds. Students research a variety of chemical reactions in lab, including substitution reactions, isomerizations, and halogenations. This involves the practice and application of refluxing a reaction solution, distillation, extraction, purification and skills to identify products including melting point determination, thin-layer chromatography, and infrared spectroscopy.

This semester-long course is a continuation of Honors Chemistry. This course dives deeper into general chemistry concepts through rigorous problem-solving and experimentation. Advanced topics include kinetics, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry. Students will continue to strengthen lab skills and critical thinking through an end-of-semester, self-designed project exploring an advanced topic in chemistry that interests them. The goal of this course is to deepen students’ understanding of college-level chemistry topics through hands-on activities and robust student-designed projects/labs. Chemistry by Zumdahl, Zumdahl and DeCoste is the primary text for the class. Students can be co-enrolled in Honors Chemistry and Adv Chemistry in the spring semester. Completion of this course supports preparation for the AP examination in chemistry.

How big is the universe? How old is it? How do we know the answers to these questions? This course examines the scale of the universe, starting right here on Earth with what we can learn from observing the motions of the objects in our sky, just as ancient astronomers did. Students will discover how these motions impacted cultures around the world, including their religions, agriculture, and navigation. The course then moves into telescopic observations that reveal the "cosmic distance ladder." Using our own telescopic images and astronomical techniques, we will find the distances to the closest stars, which in turn allow us to learn the distances to the closest galaxies, which then provide even more clues about the scale of our universe. Throughout, there is an emphasis on doing astronomy rather than simply learning about astronomy. We will take and process color photos of night sky objects, monitor the night sky, and have the opportunity to attend star gazing parties.

This semester-long course will examine how humans have altered Earth’s interconnected natural systems. The class will employ field sampling techniques and model systems in the lab to investigate environmental issues. Students will also have the opportunity to explore many topics directly through numerous field trips. Because Earth’s biogeochemical systems vary in their ability to recover from human disturbance, the emphasis of this course will be to explore feasible ways to mitigate human impacts on the Earth’s atmosphere, biodiversity, soil and water, particularly through the use of alternative energy. Students will engage with this material using a site observation as a constant reference point the presentation of which will serve as the capstone for the semester. This course is open to juniors and seniors.

Neuroscience is a semester-long, advanced elective designed to explore our understanding of the brain from the cellular to the societal, building from neuroanatomy to neural communication up to neurobiology and observed behaviors. Heavy emphasis is placed on scientific methodology by asking students to question how we know what we know. Hands-on labs, in-depth analysis of scientific literature, classroom discussions, and guided inquiry are used to gain a thorough understanding of course concepts. Lab-based activities and research projects will engage students in meaningful neuroscience research from the cellular level up to coding for behavioral research, giving students a well-rounded but rigorous preparation in neuroscience. Lastly, students will learn about cutting-edge Neuroscience research currently changing what we know about the brain.

Advanced Science Research is an advanced level, capstone course. It provides interested students the opportunity to pursue novel independent research on a topic of their choice. Prior to conducting their own research, students do a substantial primary literature search on their topic, going deeply into the published scientific literature to develop a novel research focus, research question, and laboratory methods. Students then design and conduct an original research project over the course of several months of work in the laboratory. After they collect results, students employ relevant statistical analysis to draw conclusions from their data and use these results to communicate their findings. Students are required to enter scientific research competitions: the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), where they enter their research paper and the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair, where they enter their project and present it as a poster. Both of these competitions have the possibility of moving on to state, regional, and national competitions. Juniors and seniors apply for placement in this course, and enrollment is contingent on approval of the department including an interview with the teacher of the course. Students can expect to spend time in the lab outside of the time scheduled for the course. Depending on their project, students may conduct their research either in the lab at SPA or in a research lab associated with another institution, co-mentored by a supervisor at that institution. This course is offered both Semester 1 and Semester 2. Typically, research students are enrolled in the course both semesters. On occasion, students will start a project in second semester and continue their project into the following fall semester.

Advanced Science Research is an advanced level, capstone course. It provides interested students the opportunity to pursue novel independent research on a topic of their choice. Prior to conducting their own research, students do a substantial primary literature search on their topic, going deeply into the published scientific literature to develop a novel research focus, research question, and laboratory methods. Students then design and conduct an original research project over the course of several months of work in the laboratory. After they collect results, students employ relevant statistical analysis to draw conclusions from their data and use these results to communicate their findings. Students are required to enter scientific research competitions: the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), where they enter their research paper and the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair, where they enter their project and present it as a poster. Both of these competitions have the possibility of moving on to state, regional, and national competitions. Juniors and seniors apply for placement in this course, and enrollment is contingent on approval of the department including an interview with the teacher of the course. Students can expect to spend time in the lab outside of the time scheduled for the course. Depending on their project, students may conduct their research either in the lab at SPA or in a research lab associated with another institution, co-mentored by a supervisor at that institution. This course is offered both Semester 1 and Semester 2. Typically, research students are enrolled in the course both semesters. On occasion, students will start a project in second semester and continue their project into the following fall semester.

The goal of the course is to discover how different disciplines of science collaborate to construct a narrative on how past events occurred. This lab-based semester elective course investigates the intersection between criminal justice and science. Students will explore how forensic science can help solve crimes by processing and analyzing different pieces of evidence in the biological, chemical, and digital realms. The class will evaluate how stereotypes affect the collection and interpretation of this evidence and the resulting impacts on the criminal justice system. Students will apply and expand on what they have learned in their previous biology and chemistry classes and explore how new technology is impacting forensics evidence collection. Topics ranging from the validity of eyewitness accounts, trace evidence analysis, DNA evidence, toxicology, blood spatter, and entomology will be explored. Students will analyze case studies, conduct laboratory experiments, and engage in a variety of student-centered projects.

Is there extraterrestrial life in the universe? If there is, how are we going to find it? Planetary Science incorporates ideas from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Astronomy to discover planets around other stars and deduce if they are candidates - and possibly hosts - for life. Astronomical images using robotic telescopes will allow us to discover evidence of extrasolar planets. Physics allows us to understand their orbits and composition. Chemistry allows us to know about the planets' atmospheres. Finally, Biology brings us an understanding of the requirements for and evidence of life. Throughout the class, the emphasis will be on using methods that modern astronomers use.

Have you ever wondered how science connects to your daily life? We may not always take notice, but waves are all around us affecting everything from the technology we use to those things we find beautiful, such as art, photography, or music. This semester elective, lab-based course focuses on wave behavior and includes an in depth study of optics and acoustics. It will provide students with an opportunity to explore the physics of some particularly interesting phenomena we observe in our daily lives such as light and sound with examples and applications that include musical instruments, photography, and more. Students will plan and conduct experiments and give oral and written presentations of the results. Student-directed projects in both optics and acoustics will be incorporated which will allow students to complete an in-depth study of an area of particular interest.