On a Higher Level

The second annual IB higher-level science poster session filled the Estes Athletic Center with discussions of independent and dependent variables, hypotheses, summaries and conclusions on the morning of Wednesday, January 22.

About 30 students in IB Higher Level biology, chemistry and physics classes set up posters showing the results of internal assessment lab experiments. Each student devised their own experiment with guidance from science teachers. Topics included “The Effect of Mass on the Angular Frequency of a Spring” and “The Effect of Different Antacids on the pH of Hydrochloric Acid.”

“This is now the second year we’ve had this event,” said Kasie Kemp, physics teacher. “This really prepares students well for the type of poster sessions they will be expected to present in college science classes.”

Hundreds of other students and faculty circulated through the gym, interviewing the presenters for details about their topic.

“I was impressed by their creativity, the thoroughness of their analysis,” said Head of School Rob Short. “Even when their experiments didn’t turn out exactly as they planned, they had the tools to analyze and understand why — and to eloquently communicate that to a wide audience.”