Advanced Scientific Research Program
Purpose:
The advanced scientific research
class is designed to involve students in active research, build high level
research skills, and make valuable contributions to the scientific community.
Goals of the Advanced Scientific Research Program:
- Get involved with active scientific research
- Develop a research proposal
- Build a research website with team and individual components
- Make a Power Point presentation to accompany your research
- Visit several active research laboratories and outdoor research sites
- Develop the ability to contribute to the scientific community
- Meet scientist and become involved with the scientific community
- Build a basic understanding of current global scientific problems/issues/questions
- Build a basic understanding of current local scientific problems/issues/questions
Essential Elements of Implementation for the Advanced Scientific Research Program:
- Establish goals of high standards in areas of research, publication and presentations by prospective students.
- Recruiting students
- Class begins; determine areas of interested research
- Visit research labs
- Research Projects
- Pick Projects
- Write research proposals
- Publish abstracts
- Present Projects
- Global Research Projects
- Recruit next year’s students
- Receive students feedback
- Outcomes
Advanced Scientific Research Detail :
The Advanced Scientific Research Program is an academic
model designed to produce scientific literacy among high
school students and increase the number of students pursuing
careers in science. Often, high school students have little input
into their educational processes or the selection of topics.
Students in the Advanced Scientific Research class develop
and investigate scientific questions that they have chosen in
collaboration with members of the scientific community.
Step one is to expose the students to a variety of scientific
research at universities, institutes, and via the Internet. Before
each outing, students read research publications from each
laboratory. During the trip, students visit laboratories doing
active research and engage in discussions with the researcher.
Students build a foundation of understanding and learn cutting
edge research. At this point, students design and conduct
experiments with professional and academic researchers.
Students select projects that capture their interest, refine their
question using the scientific literature, design and conduct
experiments, collect and analyze data, write research papers
for publication and present findings at professional meetings
under the guidance of teachers who are also actively engaged
in scientific research. The students complete the course by
submitting a scientific research paper ready for review.
This program produces high school students who are already
engaged in the scientific process and actively contributing to the
scientific community when they arrive at college as
undergraduates. Students who have completed the Advanced
Scientific Research Course will be tracked, using alumni data
gathered by the school, throughout their careers to determine if
they are more likely than their peers to engage in research. In
addition to preparing young researchers, the class has
generated enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the student body
and is a valuable tool for recruiting scientifically-minded students
to the school.
