WCS’ ADVANCED RESEARCH COURSES UPPER SCHOOL
A CONVERSATION WITH JOANNA KERBY AND MARICAR HARRIS How does Advanced Research build on previous coursework in biology or chemistry? How does it breakaway, too, from traditional coursework? JK // Freshman Biology and AP Biology are broad courses, meant to help students survey the whole field of biology. Advanced Biology Research (ABR) directly builds on topics and vocabulary learned in those courses and applies them to the discipline of microbiology. Students apply what they’ve learned about cells, genetics, and human health to a group of organisms which are underrepresented in the lower level biology courses – bacteria. Larger emphasis is placed on laboratory skills, technical reading of primary literature, as well as presentation and public speaking. Learning is largely project-based, with no worksheets, and there is an emphasis on skills and application. The course is student-centered, with many opportunities for students to pursue their specific interests. The curriculum is flexible - no two years’ activities are exactly the same because student interests vary. MH // To participate in Advanced Chemistry Research (ACR), a student must have successfully completed both Chemistry 1 & AP Chemistry. ACR is a very independent, student-motivated/led class. From reading scholarly journals and interpreting data to developing a way to obtain a sample to analyze, the topics covered in the first two years
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of chemistry are expected to be foundational knowledge. In ACR, we use what students know to approach a real life topic/question. It is unlike any other class in the chemistry series because of the open-endedness; there is no set curriculum although there is a culminating project at the end of the year as students present at the University of Kansas’ School of Medicine Research Forum. Students have the opportunity to choose a problem/question, brainstorm, research, propose an analysis scenario, and then simply do it. In previous years, there has been a lot of troubleshooting and “non-success” (I don’t like the word failure) - and this too has offered a learning opportunity. Unlike in other classes, in this one - you might try something and it might not work... so that means you have to try again! What do you see students gain through your courses? JK // Students gain widely applicable microbiological laboratory skills, such as bacterial culture methods, gram staining, oil immersion microscopy, and disc diffusion assays. They experience reading and presenting primary literature on topics such as the origins of life, pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance. They also gain comradeship with like-minded peers. By this point in their academic careers, these students (mostly seniors) have taken several science courses together and are now pursuing similar colleges, degrees, and careers. The support and encouragement they offer one another is fantastic.
