**Registration deadline is April 1, 2013
This course will be taught by Chery Gibson (former member of the Woodward Academy Faculty and Science Department Chair) and Mark Wainwright (author and naturalist from Costa Rica). For 11 days, students will travel throughout Costa Rica exploring and learning about some of the richest ecosystems on earth, some of the fascinating Costa Rican history and culture that surrounds them, and often, the connection between the two. The ecosystems to be explored include lowland Caribbean rainforest, highland cloudforest, coastal Pacific rainforest, mangroves, and even caves. In addition, we will also look at how people use the surrounding areas, with visits to a pineapple plantation, an organic farm, and a reforestation project. And along the way, we will take every opportunity to "taste" Costa Rica - its food literally, but also Costa Rica's scenery, its everyday life, its music and dance, its ocean. For additional information see the course flyer WA Costa Rica Ecology Course 2013.pdf. Tuition of $3,500 includes airfare, room and board in Costa Rica, and course fee.
Prerequisite: Biology EP or HP and Chemistry EP or HP
**NEW Registration deadline is May 20, 2013
Designed for the academic student, this course provides for the study of the properties and the behavior of matter. Emphasis is placed on laboratory work, chemical problem solving and units on descriptive, organic, inorganic, and nuclear chemistry as well as environmental chemistry.
Course fee $2,950.
Prerequisite: Biology CP or Department Head approval.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to learn the procedures and principles of forensic science and criminal investigation. Students will play the role of a crime scene investigator, learning the importance of collecting and processing multiple avenues of evidence during a course-long investigation. The course will cover a large range of techniques in forensic analysis, including DNA Typing, Questioned Document Examination, Forensic Entomology, Bite Mark Analysis, Blood Spatter Analysis, Hair and Fiber Analysis, and more. Forensic science incorporates skills in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and criminal justice. It introduces law enforcement topics such as criminal investigations, fingerprint development, firearms identification, and questioned document examination. Students will show their understanding of the knowledge and skills learned by composing investigative reports and concluding the investigation.
Course fee $1,500.
Prerequisite: Biology EP or HP and Chemistry EP or HP
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of biotechnology. Included in this course is a basic overview of current trends and careers in biotechnology. Additionally, emphasis on basic laboratory skills along with the business, regulatory, and ethical aspects of biotechnology is included. In the course, students learn fundamental skills such as lab design, lab safety, how to write and keep up a lab notebook (required by anyone who does research in an NIH-funded institution), and writing and presentation skills. The knowledge and skills gained in this course will provide students with a broad understanding of biotechnology and its impact on society and with a set of foundation skills for entry into the career pathway.
Topics covered in this course are: the Biotech industry, Microbiology and Cell Culture, DNA Structure and Analysis, bacterial transformation and plasmid purification, PCR, protein structure and analysis, and immunological applications.
Course fee $1,500.
Prerequisite: Biology EP or HP
**NEW Registration deadline is April 1, 2013
This course presents basic geologic concepts through the lens of our national parks and monuments. Students will be exposed to national park geology through plate tectonics, mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes, and other geological phenomena that result from processes that occur within or on the surface of the Earth. We will see how processes occurring at plate boundaries and hotspots result in the dramatic landscapes seen in national parks. We will also introduce other geologic concepts such as rock types, geologic time, and historical geology using examples from the national parks. These tools allow us to understand why landscapes and rocks in a given park are similar to those in some parks yet differ from those in others; and to appreciate why the preservation of geologic features within national parks helps us understand natural science and how it relates to society and the environment. There is a required field study associated with this course. Tuition of $3,500 includes the 7 day field study and course fee.
Prerequisite: Biology
The Topics in MEDS course is an introductory survey class examining America's diverse cultural heritage through the voices and visions of racial, religious, and ethnic "minorities" including, but not limited to Native-, African-, Jewish-, Muslim-, Irish-, Italian-, Asian-, and Latino-Americans. We will also examine the roles of women, the LGBTQ community, and those whom are differently abled. This topics course is interdisciplinary incorporating themes in history, art, literature, sociology, psychology, music, pop culture, and the media. We will identify, compare, and contrast these various themes in their historical, social, cultural, economic, personal, political, and legal contexts. Topics include genocide, slavery, anti-semitism, eugenics, reparations, profiling, affirmative action, assimilation, racism, discrimination and inter and intra-racial/ religious relations, among others.
Course fee $1,500.
Prerequisite: None