STEM Programs at NCGS Member Schools

Harpeth Hall's University Partnership

The Harpeth Hall School and Vanderbilt University's partnership pairs Upper School students with an interest in math and science with scientists and researchers at Vanderbilt. Students intern in the summer as well as in the winter through ...

Harpeth Hall's University Partnership

The Harpeth Hall School and Vanderbilt University's partnership pairs Upper School students with an interest in math and science with scientists and researchers at Vanderbilt. Students intern in the summer as well as in the winter through our three-week Winterim program. Students work alongside scientists and graduate students doing cutting-edge research.

 

"Research is an essential part of developing skills in high school that will prepare students for careers in science and technology fields. In addition, learning how to ask good questions and to define the processes to answer those questions will not only excite students about discovery and exploration, but will provide a foundation for problem-solving that will be applicable across all disciplines," said Dr. Virginia Shepherd, a professor of pathology and medicine, and associate professor of medicine and biochemistry at Vanderbilt, and the director of the Office for Science Outreach in the School of Medicine.

 

Here is what Harpeth Hall students have to say about their internships:

• In 2003, Emmie Granbery worked in the environmental engineering department at Vanderbilt, examining lead in soil. Today, Granbery is a student at the University of North Carolina. "Considering the fact that I'm now an environmental science and math major and hoping to be an environmental engineer, I would say that my high school research experience prepared me well for my future. Besides giving me experience with research methods, I also had the opportunity to contact and work with researchers at Vanderbilt University.  These were great contacts to have and in fact, I ended up working at Dr. Virginia Shepherd's 'Girls and Science' camp in the summer. The importance of establishing great research connections remained with me when I came to UNC, where I am now doing environmental engineering research in the graduate school of the School of Public Health."
   
• Kathleen Goetz, a 2005 graduate, also took her experience at Vanderbilt University and pursued it in the real world where she works in the summers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. "The research program at Harpeth Hall gave me a great advantage not only in my applications to college but also in my research here at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. By the time I graduated high school I had more research experience than some of my friends who are about to go to graduate college. It opened doors that would have otherwise been closed due to my young age and lack of college experience. The research I participated in has been integral in leading me to discover not only what I want to study in college but what I might want to pursue as a career. My only regret is that I did not start sooner," said Goetz, who is a student at  Middlebury College in Vermont.
   
• Catherine Highman, a senior at Harpeth Hall, interned in the summer of 2006 and studied genetic malfunctions in pediatric patients where she screened and analyzed DNA samples. "The work I did enabled me to experience real-life science at a world class research institution. I saw how research labs operate and learned how medical research is actually conducted. More than anything else, my experience in the lab gave relevance to classroom science. I got to do more than simply calculate the formula weight of a copper compound and then write a lab report; instead I was given the chance to perform experiments that dealt with actual patient DNA and produced concrete results. I was able to work alongside researches whose work directly contributes to cutting edge developments in the care and treatment of patients with genetic malfunctions. It was so exciting to be a part of his lab and get a glimpse into a field of study that I am passionate about," added Highman.
   
• Nancy Keen Palmer, a senior at Harpeth Hall, interned in the summer of 2006 and studied cognitive psychology, specifically how men and women remember items. She plans to take the research and skills from the internship and do an in-depth analysis for the International Science Fair.

 

Harpeth Hall is one of the country's premier independent college preparatory schools for girls and young women, grades 5-12. For more information, visit www.harpethhall.org.

 

At Hathaway Brown, Hallmarks of Excellence

Imagine working on the cutting edge of scientific research... say, gene therapy delivery systems utilizing nanotechnology, astrophysical studies to shed light on the origin of the Universe, or flying an experiment on the space shuttle and t...

At Hathaway Brown, Hallmarks of Excellence

Imagine working on the cutting edge of scientific research... say, gene therapy delivery systems utilizing nanotechnology, astrophysical studies to shed light on the origin of the Universe, or flying an experiment on the space shuttle and the International Space Station to shed light on a real problem faced by the international space community, all while you are still a teenager! More than 100 of Hathaway Brown's Upper School students are having experiences like these through the innovative and nationally acclaimed Science Research & Engineering Program.

 

Hathaway Brown's Science Research & Engineering Program is an elective that was initiated in early 1998 by HB Director of Research Patricia K. Hunt. It now enrolls approximately one-third of the grade 9-12 student population. Students in the Program are linked with supervising professionals from institutions such as Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, NASA Glenn Research Center, and the Cleveland Museums of Art and Natural History for the purpose of conducting a research project. Once a placement is made, the SREP Director assists as necessary, also helping students prepare for optional competitions.

 

While most projects are scientific in nature, a number of students prefer to develop internship or shadowing experiences in non-scientific areas such as sports & entertainment management, architecture, radio broadcast, and fashion retail & marketing.

 

Current research projects in the Science Research & Engineering Program represent a cross section of the cutting-edge research that is occurring in the Cleveland area, such as work on gene therapy, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) nanotechnology, BioMEMS, and microelectrochemical sensor development, as well as research into cures for many life-threatening diseases. One project, called PEACE, addresses a real erosion problem in low earth orbit, and will fly in space twice, once as a short-term exposure experiment aboard the space shuttle, and another time as a long-term exposure experiment aboard the International Space Station. That version is in space now.

 

The work of HB's Science Research & Engineering Program students has garnered hundreds of awards at the regional, state, national, and international levels since 1999, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in college scholarships, cash, and other prizes such as computers and all-expense paid trips to places including London, Germany, and Israel. Four SREP students have U.S. Patents pending for their original inventions, and there are more than 70 student authorships or co-authorships on technical publications or presentations.

 

The research of many of our students has advanced to the final levels of prestigious national competitions such as the Intel Science Talent Search, the Siemens-Westinghouse Competition, and the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium. For two consecutive years, Hathaway Brown Science Research & Engineering Program students were selected from a national field for induction into the National Gallery for Young Inventors Hall of Fame, and for three consecutive years, our research students were named to the USA Today Academic All-Star Team.

 

Graduates of the Hathaway Brown Science Research & Engineering Program have used their high school experiences as a springboard for success as they go on to college careers at universities including Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Stanford, Columbia, Yale, Duke, and Berkeley.

 

As part of Hathaway Brown's philosophy that being a good community member means giving back to the community whenever possible, the Science Research & Engineering Program has been expanded to include young women from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) through the Hathaway Brown Outreach Science Research & Engineering Program. In the Outreach SREP, select young women from James Ford Rhodes High School and Lincoln West High School have been fostered by HB in many different ways as they conduct their very own multi-year research projects at area research institutions. One of these Outreach students is now majoring in science at Harvard, the first CMSD student to matriculate there in several years.

 

The Hathaway Brown Science Research & Engineering Program has proven itself to be a highly successful vehicle through which we are preparing the future leaders of science, technology, and other professional careers. It is a dynamic application of the Hathaway Brown motto that "we learn not for school, but for life," and is one of the many ways in which Hathaway Brown School is reinventing education for young women in the 21st century.

 

Hallmarks of Excellence:

-- Patents:  The patent application process has been initiated for the work of several students.

-- Presentations and Publications:  Numerous technical presentations and publications have been delivered alongside professionals at a variety of technical society meetings.

-- Awards:  Numerous top honors and first-place awards have been received in all categories entered at state, regional, national, and even international science competitions, including substantial student awards in stocks, bonds, college scholarships, and trips to events in other states and even Europe.

Mind, Body and Spirit at Holton-Arms

Holton-Arms School believes that in order to best prepare the "mind, body, and spirit" for the girl who will "find a way or make one" in the 21st century, girls must have access to, experience and training in, and an understanding of the poss...

Mind, Body and Spirit at Holton-Arms

Holton-Arms School believes that in order to best prepare the "mind, body, and spirit" for the girl who will "find a way or make one" in the 21st century, girls must have access to, experience and training in, and an understanding of the possibilities of new technologies. Holton-Arms believes that laptops help create dynamic classroom and out-of-classroom experiences on which the school prides itself. Laptops are integrated into the 6-12th grade curriculum and used daily by students as a tool for research, communication, and classroom learning. Students use them in many classes on a daily basis and to complete homework assignments at night.

 

The best uses of technologies are those that:

-- Help the individual girl learn better
-- Enhance students' understanding of a particular subject matter
-- nspire students to learn more about a subject
-- Increase students' technological acumen

 

Throughout the school there are fantastic example of this. All teachers use Blackboard e-learning websites to communicate with their students outside of the classroom. Wikis, used in many classrooms (Latin, English, history, and science, as of today), help students understand how to collaborate remotely. Mimio electronic whiteboards and SMARTBoards help teachers use technological resources more fluidly in the classroom. Our engineering course uses modeling software to test designs and concepts.  And library databases give students and faculty research resources that compare well with any university.

Real-World Science at Marlborough School

Marlborough School science instructor Dr. Arleen Forsheit's vision of giving students the opportunity to practice "real world science in a real world research environment" became a reality during the 1997-1998 school year, with the ...

Real-World Science at Marlborough School

Marlborough School science instructor Dr. Arleen Forsheit's vision of giving students the opportunity to practice "real world science in a real world research environment" became a reality during the 1997-1998 school year, with the creation of a new program called Honors Research in Science.

 

A trained molecular biologist, Forsheit wondered how Marlborough School could create opportunities to lead girls more effectively from advanced high school science courses to careers in science. Carefully matched with professional mentors, students in the Honors Research in Science course have been able to explore a wide range of scientific disciplines, such as astronomy, electrical engineering, computer science, oncology, hematology, animal behavior, neuroscience, and water purification.

 

Students say the challenges they faced stretched them beyond any Advanced Placement high school course. They gained early fluency in professional scientific literature, learned essential and advanced laboratory techniques, and interacted with more experienced researchers as well as scientific experts in their fields. They also faced the difficulty of producing relevant, valuable data and learned to communicate their results in a professional manner.

 

-- In a study of 52 alumnae who graduated in the program's first seven years, 23 (or 44%) majored or are majoring in the sciences or mathematics; over one-third reported they planned to enter scientific professions.

-- Honors Research in Science sites include: CalTech, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, House Ear Institute, UCLA, USC.

-- Honors Research students have been recognized by prestigious national competitions, such as the Intel Science Talent Search and the Siemens Westinghouse Competition.

 

Journey with a Destination:

The Evolution of Honors Research in Science

An Interview with Science Instructor Dr. Arleen Forsheit

What gave you the idea to start the Honors Research class?

I found that just taking rigorous science classes was no guarantee that students would continue with science in college and beyond. I kept asking-what would encourage a student to continue on in science?

 

Research and personal knowledge told me what mattered most was meaningful hands-on experiences. From the first year of the class, it was striking to find out how much girls learned about themselves in the process of working in a lab environment with a mentor.

How important are professional mentors?

The mentor relationships are a critical piece of the puzzle. Encouragement is the key, and many student researchers maintain their relationships with their mentors well beyond the high school years.

Many mentors write college recommendations for students-and even help them pursue internship experiences and job opportunities. Mentors can have an inspirational, guiding effect at a crucial time in a student's life. After all, the development of each student's intellectual interests is a journey with its own destination.

How has the Honors Research in Science program evolved?

We now have a summer orientation that gives girls a chance to launch intensively into the research experience with a focus that the school year simply cannot accommodate.

Competitions like the annual Junior Science and Humanities Symposium also encourage students to raise the caliber of their work.

Poster presentations have become more and more important - students really enjoy the conversational give-and-take of a poster session, which allows them to express what they know in a commonly-used professional format.

* * *

To learn more about the Honors Research in Science program at Marlborough School, please call Dr. Arleen Forsheit at (323) 935-1147, extension 667. Visit the school's website at www.marlboroughschool.org.

 

Science Integration at Marymount School NY

At the Marymount School of New York, the study of scientific knowledge and the pursuit of scientific understanding are fully integrated with the use of technology.  Students in all divisions and in all grade levels utilize technology to ...

Science Integration at Marymount School NY

At the Marymount School of New York, the study of scientific knowledge and the pursuit of scientific understanding are fully integrated with the use of technology.  Students in all divisions and in all grade levels utilize technology to more fully understand science from a real-world down to a microscopic level.

 

In Lower School, students support their observation of the world around them through the use of a variety of multimedia applications.  For example, students in Class I study sound. For their culminating project, each student draws a picture of an animal in Kid Pix and records a sound that the animal makes in Sound Studio. This project is an integration of science, technology and culture. Students learn various ways to create sound and they also view the sounds produced by looking at their sound waves in Sound Studio. In addition to learning about the science of sound, the students come to understand that cultures around the world associate different sounds for the same animal. Students in Class II extend their knowledge in digital media in a unit on earthworms.  Students document the steps of their dissection using digital cameras, then propose an experiment to further study earthworms.  The scientific method is then documented using student-drawn images in AppleWorks and KidPix.  Finally, the entire process is condensed into a worm book, which is shared at a publishing party.  In Class III, students begin the year by creating a book entitled "What Is a Marymount Scientist?"  Using digital cameras, students document the work of a scientist following the scientific method.  At the end of the year, Class III students learn programming and engineering concepts in an intensive unit on robotics. Students share their knowledge at a RoboExpo in Manhattan and at an event for parents held at the school.

 

In the Middle School, the integration of science and technology continues.  Students in Class IV research a planet in the solar system and then, using Macromedia Dreamweaver, use a template to construct a web page in their technology class.  In Class V, students use MediaBlender in their study of matter and the periodic table to produce "commercials" for their assigned elements.  Class VI students complete an Adaptation/Biome Keynote presentation, in which students research a certain geographic area and discuss how life in that region is adapted for survival.  In Class VII, students complete a virtual frog dissection, documenting their dissection using digital video.  The video is then placed on the school website for following classes to use as they prepare for their study of frog anatomy.  Students on the Class VII Robotics Team also participate in Botball, a national robotics competition sponsored by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics.

 

In the Upper School, students continue to see the integration of science and technology. Using Adobe ImageReady, students in Class IX animate biological processes such as DNA transcription and the Krebbs cycle of photosynthesis.  In Class X, in order to better understand chemical reactions at the microscopic level, students use Macromedia Flash to animate one type of chemical reactions.  To better understand the motion of gas molecules, students animate the relationship between certain variables represented by the gas laws.

 

Class XI students use digital video in their study of physics.  Students write, film and edit a five minute educational video, using iMovie, that addresses some aspect of physics in New York City, from how to best hit a home run at Yankees Stadium to determining the terminal velocity of a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building.  Students may also use video clips from various movies to determine the answer a specific, physics-related question uncovered in the clip.

 

In Class XII, students in Meteorology and Astronomy use digital video to produce a weekend weather forecast for the Marymount Schools in New York and Los Angeles. This video is available as a subscription podcast through iTunes; as a podcast, created using Audacity is also available through iTunes; or on the web through a downloadable mp3 file.  In addition, as part of the Global Warming and Climate Change Education Initiative, students also create weekly public service announcement podcasts on reducing the impact of global warming.
 

Authentic Science at Spence

Supported by a $50,000 matching grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, eleven sophomores and juniors began a rigorous three-year authentic science research program at the Spence School in Manhattan last fall. In line with the National Scie...

Authentic Science at Spence

Supported by a $50,000 matching grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, eleven sophomores and juniors began a rigorous three-year authentic science research program at the Spence School in Manhattan last fall. In line with the National Science Foundation's focus on introducing "frontier research" into the K-12 classroom, the pilot program engages students in independent research over a sustained period of time and draws on the deep resources of New York City by establishing partnerships between students and laboratory-based scientists.

 

The heart of the program rests with the individual interests of each student and her ability to engage in real-world research. Participating students have read scientific journals and discussed their findings with their teachers and peers to focus their explorations. A Spence science teacher directs the program and works hand-in-hand with each student to guide her original research, help her connect with a scientist mentor at a university or industry laboratory and monitor her progress for the duration of the project. Once the student-scientist partnership has been established, work at Spence gives way to year-round research, including summers, at the scientist's lab. Examples of student-scientist mentorships that have been established in the program's first year include:

 

A 10th grade student has arranged to work alongside an Associate Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island.  She will be contributing to research in areas such as tumor angiogenesis, bone marrow stem cells, transcription profiling, RNA interference and mouse models of cancer.

 

Another 10th grader will be working with a postdoctoral student in the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York.  Her research will focus on synesthesia, a neurological condition in which perceptions experienced in the stimulation of one sensory modality reliably cause a perception in one or more different senses, such as auditory-visual synesthesia.

 

A student in the 11th grade has developed an interest in epigenetics and maternal care and will be conducting research under the guidance of a member of the laboratory of the Psychology Department at Columbia University. She is interested in how genetic and environmental factors interact to regulate maternal behavior, and how variations in this behavior can shape the behavioral development of offspring through epigenetic changes in gene expression.

 

Two other 11th grade students are researching subjects that are of wide contemporary interest:

 

One will be exploring varying elements in the group status of lottery winners including, friendship, family, work, health and education, with a postdoctoral student in the Psychology Department at New York University. The other has been working as part of a research group at Beth Israel Medical Center, contributing to a study exploring the influence of Vitamin D intake on the insulin levels of adults with type-1 diabetes during and after heart surgery.

 

Spence has long known that girls excel in rigorous teaching environments and hands-on learning experiences. Not only does this program introduce students to the exciting potential and discipline of careers in science but it also opens a dialogue between Spence teachers and top-level scientists about what is important in the teaching of science in today's secondary schools.

 

"Never before have I had the opportunity to see students push the boundaries of their abilities to such a large extent," said science teacher and project director Scott Godsen. "Very quickly the students realized what a great responsibility and opportunity it is to be truly responsible for one's own learning-to create a path, rather than have a teacher provide one. I feel that this class fulfills the school's motto of  'Not for school but for life we learn' on so many levels. It is a remarkable experience."