Science and Computer Science

Advanced Game Creation in JavaScript
Grades: 10-12
Did you enjoy creating basic games in P5JS during Core 9? Are you ready to take JavaScript to the next level? In Advanced Game Creation, students will learn fundamental coding concepts while creating original games. No previous programming experience required. 

Anatomy and Physiology
Grades: 11-12
This is a demanding course for students looking for a challenge in biology. This course will cover organ systems, kinesiology, immunology, and neurobiology as they pertain to the care and prevention of disease. Students can expect to encounter a large volume of content and to hone writing and research skills in addition to quenching their curiosities about the wonders and limits of the human body. Prerequisite: Permission of the department.

Biology 2: Biotechnology and Biology 2: Biotechnology (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
Expanding on the foundational understanding students have from Core 10 about genes and proteins, this course will dive deeply into the molecular details of how genes work. In addition to molecular genetics, students will also learn about inheritance; both classic Mendelian genetics and non-Mendelian. The skills this course focuses on include dissecting complex systems and using figures to support learning, scientific reading, and writing. Biotechnology lab techniques will be taught, with less emphasis placed on experimental design in this course. The accelerated version of this course will assume more comfort with a faster pace while learning detail-heavy information. Prerequisite or corequisite: Core 10. Permission of the department is required to take this for accelerated credit.

Biology 2: Ecology and Biology 2: Ecology (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
The natural world is all around us, but we often don’t have a well-developed appreciation for how natural systems work and function. Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment, and we will begin the course by looking deeply into the underlying ecological processes that drive the natural world. Particular emphasis will be paid to population, community, and ecosystem level processes. Students will be exposed to ecology both in theory and practice, through lectures, readings, discussions, and various field trips and activities both in our woods and other local environments. Additionally, the concept of global change will be a constant thread throughout the course. As the footprint of human activities on ecological systems continues to expand, it is critical to understand how humans have been drivers of ecological change on multiple scales. The skills this course focuses on include field research and lab research, documentation in a lab notebook, and a heavy component of experimental design. In addition, scientific reading and writing will be required. The accelerated version of this course will assume more comfort with a faster pace while learning detail-heavy information. It will also be reading and writing intensive. Prerequisite or corequisite: Core 10. Permission of the department is required to take this for accelerated credit. 

Building Arduino Sensors for Environmental Monitoring
Grades: 11-12
To answer big questions like “how is climate change impacting the abiotic factors around Park School?” or “how does the carpool line affect air quality?”, we need to collect a lot of data over a long time period. Doing so by hand is tedious. This class will explore the potential for using inexpensive sensors to collect environmental data. Students will build on the arduino skills learned in Core 9 and the ecological data collection and analysis techniques learned in Core 10. Students will explore how sensors work, how to interpret the raw data they generate, and how to calibrate them. In the second half of the course, students will have the opportunity to design their own sensing unit and engineer a solution that could be used for long-term environmental monitoring based on real need from other science classes. This class combines environmental science, computer science, and engineering to solve authentic real world problems relevant to the Park School community. Prerequisite Core 10

Cellular Biology Research (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
This course will center on research skills through experimentation and reading scientific literature. Research skills will include documentation, experimental design, troubleshooting, analysis and presentation of data. Antibiotic disc diffusion, cell culture, tissue engineering, and microscopy are examples of techniques covered. Field trips provide opportunities for first hand observation of research labs whose literature students will have read and who are currently using these techniques for their own work. This course provides first-hand, through experience, the patience and perseverance necessary to answer new questions through quantitative research methods. It also prepares students to be competitive applicants for summer internships or senior projects working in labs. Prerequisite: Core 10 and permission of the department.

Chemistry 2: Human Body
Grades: 11-12
Did you know that the acid in your stomach is acidic while your blood acts as a buffer? Your body operates on chemical and physical processes. In this quantitatively-based course, students will consider questions like, how does blood resist changes in pH as oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolve in it? How do enzymes speed up the rates of important chemical reactions like digestion? In this class, students will use the processes within the human body as a context through which they will learn about the chemistry of chemical reactions. Topics covered include stoichiometry, types of reactions, rates of reactions, equilibrium systems, and acid-base chemistry. Note: this course covers similar topics to those in Chemistry 2: Reactions (Acc).
Prerequisite: Core 10

Chemistry 2: Reactions (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
Chemical reactions are all around us from the combustion reactions used to power cars to reactions used to clean our wastewater and keep our drinking water safe. In this quantitatively-based course, students will consider questions like, how do we predict the products of a chemical reaction? How can we control how quickly a reaction occurs? Can we stop a reaction from occurring or cause a reaction to occur? Topics covered include stoichiometry, types of reactions, rates of reactions, equilibrium systems, acid-base chemistry, thermodynamics. This accelerated course is fast-paced, reading and writing intensive, requires algebra facility, and independent lab work. Note: this course covers similar topics to those in Chemistry 2: Human Body. Prerequisites: Core 10 and permission of the department.

Climate Change
Grades: 11-12
In this course, students will explore the scientific basis of climate change, learn about the potential impacts of climate change, and evaluate climate change mitigation strategies and adaptations. Through data analysis and application of scientific concepts including the greenhouse effect, Earth’s energy balance, and climate forcings and feedbacks, students will address the following questions: How do we collect and analyze data to understand climate change and create models to predict future impacts? How does anthropogenic climate change differ from historical changes in the Earth’s climate? How can we mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change locally and globally? Prerequisite: Core 10. This class is offered in alternate years and will not be offered this year. It will be offered in 2023-2024.

Engineering for the Kinetic Sculpture Race
Grades: 10-12
What do a giant pink poodle, an overgrown platypus, and a Viking ship have in common? They were all past entries of the Kinetic Sculpture Race. In this class, students will use the engineering design process to develop a human-powered amphibious vehicle. The team will enter this vehicle in a race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum in downtown Baltimore. Entrants must propel their mechanized marvels through 15 miles of the city, including sand and mud pits in Patterson Park and a jaunt through the harbor at the Canton waterfront. Students will participate in the race, which is typically held the first Saturday in May. This is considered a broadly accessible elective for those students who are interested in an introduction to engineering topics. This course requires facility with algebra, and an eagerness to think outside of the box and solve problems in a systematic way. Prerequisite: Core 10

Introduction to Electrical Engineering (Accelerated)
Grades: 10-12
Applications of electrical engineering appear in nearly every aspect of the technological world. This course is designed to introduce students to fundamental concepts behind the hardware and software that are ubiquitous in everyday (and not so everyday) electronic devices and systems such as computers, telephones, TVs, high-speed communication networks, video games, CDs, modems, and satellite communications. The course will introduce basic electrical concepts including charge, voltage, current, energy, power, resistance, capacitance, inductance, and Kirchoff’s laws. Practical digital and analog electronic systems will also be introduced. These topics include signal processing, communications, and computer architecture. The material is integrated with laboratory experiments requiring design and construction of electronic circuits and systems, which are intrinsic elements of current technology. Prerequisite: Core 9 and permission of the department.

Molecular Gastronomy
Grades: 11-12
This broadly accessible course will cover the biology and chemistry of food and cooking, from the flavor profiles of spices to the bacteria in cheese to the starch molecules in bread. Students will delve into the science behind why foods behave certain ways—what happens when you knead bread dough or how whipped cream turns into butter? This is not a cooking course; students will not be cooking from recipes, but rather from fundamental principles, and any eating of student products will be for the purposes of scientific observation. This course will be heavily lab-based and may require some cooking to be done outside of class. Prerequisite: Core 10

Physics 2: Mechanics and Calculus (Accelerated)
Grades: 10-12
Within the broad category of Newtonian Mechanics, this course picks up where Core 9 left off. With some review of prior content, this lab-based, problem-solving course will begin with a deeper exploration into kinematics, Newton’s laws (statics, dynamics, and linear momentum), and energy, work, and power. Depending on class interest the final unit(s) can cover circular motion, including rolling, torque, and angular momentum; gravitation, and/or waves. This course is intended for students interested in Physics or Engineering, and is accessible to all students comfortable with Algebra. Students will walk away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the physical universe as well as with a solid foundation for university studies in Physics and Engineering. Prerequisite: Core 9; Calculus (Acc), permission of the department, and required for this Calculus-based class.

Physics 2: Waves
Grades: 10-12
From Simple Harmonic Motion to Sound, Light, and Quantum Mechanics, waves permeate the universe. This algebra-based, experimental focussed Physics class will use labs to investigate the underlying properties of waves and apply them to a wide range of phenomena. Topics will include Vibrations and Waves, Sound and Harmonics, Light and other EM waves, Reflection and Refraction, Interference and Diffraction, and Waves in Modern Physics. Students will be assessed through a combination of Lab work, quizzes, tests, and projects. Prerequisite: Core 9

Python (Accelerated)
Grades: 10-12
This fast-paced course is an introduction to the Python programming language, a relatively easy language to learn, that provides the basic conceptual underpinnings of the important ideas in computer science. Students spend the first half of the class expanding on the concepts they learned about in Core 9: loops, arrays, string and number manipulation, and functions. In the second half of the course, students begin exploring more advanced issues in computer science, including graphical interfaces, recursion, object-oriented programming, data structures, and runtime complexity. Prerequisite: Core 9 and permission of the department.

Science and Sustainability
Grades: 11-12
In this class, students will explore what it means to be sustainable on a global, national, and local scale. They will cover topics ranging from human population growth to landfills, and use scientific research to try and answer the following questions: What does sustainable energy mean? Is LEED Certification making a difference? Is recycling helping our planet? How can you be more sustainable? Are carbon and nitrogen footprints helping to reduce institutional and individual impacts? The semester will culminate in everyone proposing a sustainability initiative. Prerequisite: Core 10 

An Experimental History of Science
Grades: 11-12
This course will explore how paradigm shifts have shaped our understanding of the universe. Through lab experiments and data analysis, students will investigate how beliefs and ideas have changed over time. The class will look at the impacts of society and history on the development of scientific thought, and the ways that science has impacted society and history. Topics will include Evolution and DNA, Energy and Entropy, Atoms and Matter, Time and Space. Students will be assessed through a combination of lab work, quizzes, tests, and projects. Prerequisites: Core 9 and Core 10

Astronomy
Grades: 11-12
This course will use experiments and activities to explore our growing understanding of the universe. Students will learn how we found our place in the universe and study the technologies that have allowed us to develop this understanding. The course will build on this work to explore the solar system and our historic and future exploration of space. Then, students will study stellar and galactic evolution before delving into cosmology ideas. The course will conclude with a unit on astrobiology. This course is accessible to students comfortable with Algebra and Trigonometry.

Biology 2: Aquatic Ecosystems (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
As three quarters of the globe is covered in water, this course will introduce the class to all of the aquatic ecosystems. Students will cover everything from oceans to estuaries, wetlands to lakes, ponds to streams. They will examine the biology and geology of aquatic ecosystems and dive deep into the impact of humans on these ecosystems. This course will be reading, writing, and lab intensive. There will be numerous short field trips to visit nearby Maryland aquatic ecosystems and opportunities to collaborate with local scientists.  Prerequisite: Core 10 and permission of the department.

Biology 2: Extinctions and Biology 2: Extinctions (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
This course will introduce students to the five major extinctions of Earth’s past as the vehicle for exploring the history of life on earth. It will focus on the conditions that lead to each extinction and the explosions in biodiversity that occurred as a result. There will also be an emphasis on the state of mass extinction happening today on our planet. The fields of paleontology and geology will be introduced as needed to understand the consequences and benefits of each major extinction and what nuggets of wisdom can be gleaned for the future of life on earth. This course will include the genetic technique of barcoding to unveil evolutionary relationships between species currently living in the pond, stream, and woods of Park School’s campus. This work will inspire opportunities to work in collaboration with local scientists. Reading, writing, and experimenting will be essential to the class. Prerequisite: Core 10. Permission of the department is required to take this class for accelerated credit. 

Chemistry 2: Materials
Grades: 11-12
What makes a material a good semiconductor? How is kevlar so strong? Why do diamonds last forever? How do we alter the composition of an alloy, such as steel or brass, to achieve desired properties? What gives plastics their unique properties? This course will answer questions like these as we explore the relationships between structure and properties of matter. Students will be asked to make inferences and predictions about properties from data and models. Students will learn the chemistry theory behind what determines the unique properties of a material and apply this knowledge to analyze modern materials that have capitalized on these unique properties to create something new. Topics covered include atomic structure, molecular structure, intermolecular forces, states of matter, stoichiometry, electrochemistry. Note: this course covers similar topics to Chemistry 2: Matter (Acc). Prerequisite: Core 10

Chemistry 2: Matter (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
Why is kevlar so strong? Why do diamonds last forever? How can water exist as a solid, liquid, and gas at the same time? Why do hot air balloons float? This course will explore the relationships between structure and properties of matter. Students will be asked to make inferences about properties from data and models. Topics covered include atomic structure, molecular structure, intermolecular forces, states of matter, stoichiometry, electrochemistry. This course will be taught in both accelerated and regular versions. This accelerated course is fast-paced, reading and writing intensive, requires algebra facility, and independent lab work. Note: this course covers similar topics to Chemistry 2: Materials. Prerequisite: Core 10 and permission of the department.

Data Science and Machine Learning (Accelerated)
Grades: 10-12
This fast pace course will teach students the fundamental principles of working with data in Python from cleaning and loading data to creating predictive models for a data set. Students will learn about the Python libraries that are essential for data science including NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Scikit learn. Students will clean and visualize data, search for trends in large datasets, and model numerical and categorical data, using linear regression and machine learning algorithms such as k-means clustering, and random forests all while critically evaluating the usefulness and application of different algorithms for modeling a given problem. The course will be problem and project based. Students will be graded based on their code and written explanations of that code. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Python (Acc), OOP and Data Structures, Game Creation, or Advanced Python.

Electrical Engineering: Sensors and Antennas (Accelerated)
Grades: 10-12
This course explores the detection and measurement of radio and optical signals encountered in communications, astronomy, remote sensing, instrumentation, and radar. Topics covered include reflection and transmission, dipoles, arrays, horn, and patch antennas, waveguides, resonators, and global positioning systems. Students will learn how to use MATLAB (or similar computing environment) for signal analysis and instrumentation control. Culminating project will be construction of a radar system. Prerequisite: Core 9 and permission of the department, Introduction to Electrical Engineering is recommended but not required.

Engineering for the Kinetic Sculpture Race
Grades: 10-12
What do a giant pink poodle, an overgrown platypus, and a Viking ship have in common? They were all past entries of the Kinetic Sculpture Race. In this class, students will use the engineering design process to develop a human-powered amphibious vehicle. The team will enter this vehicle in a race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum in downtown Baltimore. Entrants must propel their mechanized marvels through 15 miles of the city, including sand and mud pits in Patterson Park and a jaunt through the harbor at the Canton waterfront. Students will participate in the race, which is typically held the first Saturday in May. This is considered a broadly accessible elective for those students who are interested in an introduction to engineering topics. This course requires facility with algebra, and an eagerness to think outside of the box and solve problems in a systematic way. Prerequisite: Core 10.

Forensic Science
Grades: 10-12
This introductory course offers students the opportunity to use principles of physics, chemistry, and biology to solve simulated crimes by analyzing clues and evidence left at the scene. Trace evidence, blood spatter patterns, fingerprinting, tool marks, and DNA analysis are among the topics covered in this course, which make heavy use of labs focused on the techniques used to analyze forensic evidence. It will require strong attention to detail, following procedures, careful use of logic, and thoroughly written explanations. 

Integrative Medicine (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
This course in integrative medicine aims to review current scientific research on practices that work alongside traditional Western medicine. It will build an appreciation for mind-body medicine and reflect key concepts introduced to medical school students. Students will learn the basic anatomy needed to understand the mechanisms of pain, stress, and sleep. Methodologies will include meditation, yoga, aromatherapy, music, tapping, and others. There will be a significant journaling component to the course as well as required volunteering that will generally occur during class time. Prerequisite or corequisite: Core 10 

Introduction to Geospatial Technology
Grades: 10-12
How are maps made? How can we make useful 2 dimensional maps of 3 dimensional spaces? What social, political, and scientific questions are interesting to investigate spatially? These are the types of questions that will be investigated in this introductory geospatial technology course while learning how to use ArcGIS, which is a mapping software used by researchers, consultants, foresters, and others around the world. This project based class will ask students to come up with creative ways to use ArcGIS to map and analyze Park’s campus, Baltimore, and online databases. There are opportunities to integrate R and Python with GIS if students have prior coding experience, but it is not necessary. Prerequisite: Core 9

Physics 2: Modern Physics
Grades: 10-12
Modern physics refers to physics developed in the 20th century up to the present day including the special and general theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology. While classical physics is generally concerned with matter and energy on the normal scale of observation, much of modern physics is concerned with the behavior of matter and energy under extreme conditions or on the very large (the universe) or very small (sub-atomic level) scale. The purpose of this course is to introduce the wide variety of subjects in modern physics, familiarize students with the basic concepts of modern physics, and learn about the big questions being explored currently in the physics world. Prerequisite: Core 9

Physics 2: Optics with Calculus (Accelerated)
Grades: 10-12
What is light and how can we understand it conceptually, quantitatively, and visually? This course provides an introduction to optical science interwoven with engineering applications. The focus will be on geometrical optics including the following topics: ray-tracing, lens and mirror equations, aberrations, lens design, apertures and stops, radiometry and photometry. There will also be a briefer introduction to wave optics. Students should be prepared to jump into a fast paced course that weaves together hands-on demos/experiments, calculations, and real world applications. Assessment will be through weekly problem sets, lab write-ups, presentations, and tests. Prerequisite: Core 9, Calculus (Accelerated), and permission of the department.

Plastics (Accelerated)
Grades: 11-12
This is an interdisciplinary biology and chemistry course. Students will begin by understanding the complexity of plastic pollution as both an ecological and cultural issue. From a biological perspective students will explore the macroscopic and microscopic understanding of plastic contamination. From a chemical perspective students will then study the molecular structure of plastic polymers and explore the challenges that come along with biodegradable plastics. There will be a service component to this course that relates to mitigating plastic pollution. Prerequisite: Core 10 and permission of the department. 

Python Projects: Object-Oriented Design
Grades: 11-12
This course is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of Object-Oriented programming. Students are expected to have a firm understanding of CS basics, like loop structures, functions, strings and arrays; but familiarity with the Python language is not required. The syntax and structure of Python will be mastered as students work through large-scale projects that help them explore key concepts in computer science, such as data structures and algorithms. The final project will be for students to design a single-player game from the ground up. Previous student projects have included: Minesweeper, Simon Says, Snake, Pictocross, Sudoku, and Tetris. Prerequisite: Core 10 and Python (regular or accelerated) or Advanced Game Creation in JavaScript