Science

Environmental Science is an ecology-based science that focuses on humans and how they interact with their environment. This subject is an interdisciplinary study of all the sciences that help us to understand the natural processes, both physical and biological, which impact our lives. In the real world, science searches for the truths about our universe. In the classroom, students will question, explore, experiment, observe, measure, draw conclusions, and communicate with one another as they search for truths in specific content areas. Instruction of this course is accomplished through informational reading, hands-on laboratory activities, research, student projects, and the integration of technology. The course will provide opportunities to study topics such as scientific inquiry, the Earth, ecological interactions, biomes, populations, biodiversity, pollution, climate change, and energy resources.

As living organisms, humans share a common bond with more than two million other known kinds of living things. What makes us and other life forms alike or different from each other? What needs do we share? This course covers these important questions, focusing on the basic life functions that occur in all living organisms with particular emphasis on select groups. Students are encouraged to evaluate issues in biological science and make their own decisions about the impact of science and technology on society, the environment, and their own lives. The course will provide opportunities to study scientific inquiry, classification, chemistry of life, cells, reproduction, genetics, biotechnology, human biology, and evolution.

This course is intended as an overview of general, organic and biological chemistry.  Topics will include, but are not limited to, a study of matter, atomic structure, chemical reactions, gas laws, acids and bases, macromolecules and metabolism. There is a strong emphasis on experimental design using foundational concepts, execution with safe laboratory practices, and analysis of results with articulation of meaning. 

Physics is the study of the mathematical relationships that describe how the physical world behaves.  A central component of physics instruction will involve measuring variables and analyzing the relationship between those variables to establish these mathematical relationships.  Physics involves a wide range of topics, and this course will provide a survey of essential concepts in physics that will lay the foundation for advanced and specialized fields in physics.   The following topics are included in this curriculum: constant velocity motion, constant acceleration, Newton’s laws of motion, projectile motion, circular motion, gravitation, energy storage & transfer, and momentum. 

AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of physics through inquiry-based investigations as they explore these topics: kinematics, dynamics, circular motion and gravitation, energy, momentum, simple harmonic motion, torque and rotational motion.

This course requires that 25% of instructional time be spent in hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students with opportunities to demonstrate the foundational physics principles and apply the science practices. Colleges may require students to present their laboratory materials from AP science courses before granting college credit for laboratory work, so students are encouraged to retain their notebooks, reports, and other materials.

This class is meant to be equivalent to a first-semester introductory college course in either algebra-based or conceptual physics, typically taken by students pursuing a bachelor of the arts in a field of science.  Because this is a college-level course, the pace of the course will be fast, and students will be expected to complete considerable practice outside of class time.  Students who successfully complete all coursework and all required laboratory activities and reports will be able to take the Advanced Placement Physics 1: Algebra-Based Exam in May, and the college or university you will attend may give you college credit for this course depending on your performance and their criteria.

This course investigates the two of the four fundamental forces that govern the physical world: the electric force and the magnetic force.   A central component of physics instruction will involve measuring variables and analyzing the relationship between those variables to establish conceptual and mathematical relationships.  This course will lay the foundation for the second semester of an introductory college-level physics course.   The following topics are included in this curriculum: the property of charge, the electric field, electric potential, electric circuits, and magnetism including electromagnetism.

Engineering is the application of scientific principles and practices for large-scale use or mass production.  Engineering is its own field of study with subdivisions of specialty but incorporates concepts and practices from all fields of science.  This course is designed to be an introduction to the engineering profession and will provide an essential base of understanding and skills that can be used in introductory engineering courses in college.  This course will be project-based and may involve projects in the fields of civil, mechanical, environmental, and electrical engineering and will also introduce students to coding.  The primary focus of each project will be the engineering process, which is an iterative process of designing, building, testing, and redesigning in an attempt to find the most optimal solution for a problem.

Forensics is the use of scientific principles and practices to investigate and establish facts in civil and criminal investigations.  This is a course intended to give students interested in forensics an overview of the principles and practices used in the varied subfields within the profession..   Scheduled topics are flexible but may include: professions in forensics, eyewitnesses, types of evidence, the crime scene, fingerprinting, blood and blood spatter, DNA analysis, human remains, time-of-death estimates, and ballistics.

PH 120 Environmental Science is a college level introductory course designed to provide an overview of the basic concepts of environmental science and an opportunity to put these ideas into practice in community related activities.  It reviews and expands on the concepts covered in The Park School’s Environmental Science 1 course as well as introduces a variety of new topics. 

PH 120 is part of the SUNY advanced studies program.  This program gives high school students an opportunity to become part-time non-matriculated students at SUNY Erie Community College and allows them to earn 3 SUNY credits at a reduced tuition rate.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to spend part of their junior or senior year of high school developing expertise on a science topic of their choice. This is a student-directed class which combines features of independent study, class discussion, and presentations. Students enrolled in this course will select topics and problems in science and research them. In class they will complete a project(s), present their project(s), lead discussions on the topic(s), and exchange ideas with others.

Are you hungry for science? NSTA’s Gourmet Lab: The Science Behind Your Favorite Foods takes that phrase to a whole new level as students have the opportunity to discover science concepts and learn experimental design skills through interactions with everyday foods.  The course is completely lab based with hands-on experiments that challenge students’ take on the role of both scientist and chef, as students boil, bake, and toast their way into a better understanding of science concepts from chemistry, biology, and physics.  

Based on cooking edible food items such as pancakes and cinnamon rolls, students have the opportunity to learn about physical changes, states of matter, acids, bases, biochemistry, molecular structure and many more topics.  Rather than recipes, students are presented with laboratory explorations that use lab equipment such as hot plates, beakers, and tongs and work with chemicals such as sodium chloride and sucrose to experience science through food and cooking.

This course investigates wave phenomena.  Waves are oscillating systems that transfer energy and are how sound and electromagnetic radiation, which includes visible light, operate.   A central component of instruction in this physics course will involve measuring variables and analyzing the relationship between those variables to establish conceptual and mathematical relationships.  This course will lay the foundation for the topics addressed throughout both semesters of an introductory college-level physics course.   The following topics are included in this curriculum: simple harmonic motion, mechanical wave properties and behaviors, sound, electromagnetic wave properties and behavior, light, and optics.