What do paleontologists work on? How do meteorologists predict the weather? How do molecular biologists isolate DNA? In this interactive course, students live and work as different researchers every day and become familiar with the scientific method. Scientific fields such as Astrophysics, Paleontology, Meteorology, Oceanology, Genetics and Health Sciences, as well as environmental concepts such as water and energy resources, are presented in a fun and experiential way.

The young scientists put on the chemist’s lab coat and perform an electrolysis experiment to harness hydrogen. They construct the human cell with simple materials, isolate DNA, delve into different medical methods, apply water purification technology as environmental engineers, make their own crystals as geologists, and tend their own crops as agronomists.

They embark through complex engineering concepts by designing and constructing their own pendulum. Through experiments, discussions and group work students gain knowledge of different scientific fields but also a deeper understanding of what it really means to be a scientist.

Learning Objectives

• Design and implement an original experiment using all steps of the scientific method.
• Collect, organize and analyze experimental data and observations and present the results.
• Select, research and compare three scientific disciplines and describe their similarities and differences.

How can you calculate the height of my school? How can I design a map? How many ingredients will I need to make cookies for 7 people? Or maybe for 97? How tall is a person that is 5 feet tall? Students explore numbers, from the very small to the unimaginably large, and learn how numeric representations help to explain natural phenomena such as time, distance, and temperature.  Moving beyond traditional arithmetic, this course centers on hands-on activities that develop understanding of the scope and scale of numbers.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain, classify, and operate on different types of numbers, ranging from very small to very large numbers.
• Solve problems and justify real-world solutions involving decimals, exponents, negative numbers, proportions, and ratios.
• Utilize various measurement tools and techniques.
• Apply strategies of rounding, estimating, and mental calculations to solve real-world problems.
• Share and articulate ideas and solutions to problems, both written and orally, independently and in groups.