SCIENCE
College Credit Options
*FORENSIC CHEMISTRY – SUPA (SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PROJECT ADVANCE)
4 College Credits
1 Unit 1 Year
OPEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 11-12
Forensic Science is based upon the application of scientific methods and techniques to crime and law. Recent advances in scientific methods and principles have had an enormous impact upon law enforcement and the entire criminal justice system. In this course, scientific methods specifically relevant to crime detection and analysis will be presented. Topics included are blood analysis, organic and inorganic evidence analysis, microscopic investigations, hair analysis, DNA, drug chemistry and toxicology, fiber comparisons, paints, glass compositions and fragmentation, fingerprints, soil comparisons and arson investigations, among others. Laboratory exercises will include techniques commonly employed in forensic investigations. There is a non-refundable tuition fee to Syracuse University.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Regents Chemistry
*AP BIOLOGY
1 Unit 1 Year
Students taking the AP course must take the AP examination.
This course offers students the opportunity to take a college-level biology course. It prepares students to take the AP examination in Biology. Many colleges award credit and/or advanced standing to students who have earned a satisfactory grade on the AP exam. Students should check with the colleges and universities to which they apply for their policies on giving incoming freshmen credit for Advanced Placement coursework. There are three major areas of study: molecules and cells, genetics and evolution and organisms and populations. Laboratory work is
heavily emphasized in this course. There is a non-refundable AP exam fee.
PREREQUISITES: Completion of Living Environment Regents and Chemistry Regents
Honors
PHYSICAL SETTING – HONORS EARTH SCIENCE REGENTS
1 Unit 1 Year
This honors-level course is designed to challenge the top students in the New York State Core Physical Setting/ Earth Science Curriculum. Students considering Honors Earth Science should be ready for a fast paced course which will allow for deeper exploration and a contemporary interdisciplinary approach to the study of the earth and its environment. Topics including geology, meteorology, astronomy, oceanography and climatology are incorporated in both text and laboratory investigations. The Earth Science Regents Examination concludes this course.
Core Courses
Students are required to successfully complete three units of science for graduation. Of the three units, one must be from the Living Environment curriculum and one from the Physical Setting.
REGENTS COURSE LABORATORY REQUIREMENT
As a prerequisite for admission to any Regents Examination in science, students MUST have successfully completed 1,200 minutes of laboratory experience, with satisfactory written reports for each laboratory investigation.
LIVING ENVIRONMENT – BIOLOGY REGENTS
1 Unit 1 Year
Regents Living Environment follows the New York State Core Living Environment Curriculum. This course may consist of a mixture of long- and short-term projects, textbook readings, lecture, discussions and laboratory work. Topics may include: cellular biology, animal maintenance, plant maintenance, genetics, ecology, forensics and evolution. The Living Environment Regents Examination concludes this course.
PHYSICAL SETTING – EARTH SCIENCE REGENTS
1 Unit 1 Year
Regents Earth Science follows the New York State Core Physical Setting/Earth Science Curriculum. This is a contemporary, interdisciplinary approach to the study of the earth and its environment. Topics from geology, meteorology, astronomy, oceanography and climatology are incorporated in both text and laboratory investigations. The course is developed around the conceptual themes of science as inquiry, comprehension of scale, prediction, uniformity of process, universality of change, flow of energy in the universe, conservation of mass and energy, the earth-moon system and historical development. The Earth Science Regents Examination concludes this course.
PHYSICAL SETTING – CHEMISTRY REGENTS
1 Unit 1 Year
Regents Chemistry follows the New York State Core Chemistry Curriculum. This is a recitation and laboratory course with a modern view of chemistry. Topics include: energy and matter, atomic and molecular structure, bonding, periodic table, mathematics of chemistry, kinetics and equilibrium, redox and electro-chemistry, organic chemistry and principles of reactions. The Chemistry Regents Examination concludes this course.
FOUNDATIONS IN CHEMISTRY
1 Unit 1 Year
Designed for juniors and seniors who need a college preparatory physical science credit, but not necessarily a Regents Examination credit for their science sequence, this survey course in chemistry is designed to explore, develop and apply the basic fundamental concepts of chemistry as it relates to everyday life. Students will take a locally-developed final exam in June.
NOTE: This course does not qualify as a NCAA core course, and therefore cannot be used for NCAA initial-eligibility certification.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of two science courses and at least one Regents Examination
PHYSICAL SETTING – PHYSICS REGENTS
1 Unit 1 Year
Regents Physics follows the New York State Core Physics Curriculum. A recitation and lab course which includes the mathematical treatment of topics such as force and motion, energy transfers, wave phenomena, electricity, quantum mechanics, and nuclear energy. Normally taken in grade 12. A Regents exam concludes this course.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Chemistry Regents
PRACTICAL FORENSICS
1 Unit 1 Year
A full-year course that covers a variety of topics of forensics including: fingerprinting, facial reconstruction, blood spatter, anthropology, entomology, crime scene processing, various laboratory techniques, and legal aspects of forensics, current events and careers in forensics. The focus of this course is “hands-on” learning. Students should be able to solve mathematical formulas as well as apply mathematical concepts to a variety of situations.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of two science courses and at least one Regents Examination
SURVIVAL SKILLS: HOW TO MAKE IT AFTER AN APOCALYPSE
1 Unit 1 Year
This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth immersion into life when modern electronic technology and existence strategies fail. How do you survive a natural disaster when there is no electricity, water or food available? What happens in the event of a collapse of worldwide systems after a nuclear strike? When the zombie apocalypse takes down the grid, how do you make it in the day-to-day aftermath with just the materials you have readily available? Students will learn the science behind building survival shelters, making fish nets, traps, hooks and flies to catch fish, making baskets and containers, building a bow drill to make a fire and building
primitive stoves, among other survival skills.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of two science courses and at least one Regents Examination
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
1 Unit 1 Year
OPEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 11-12
The Anatomy and Physiology course will teach students about the relationships between the structures and functions of the human body. Students will also learn the mechanisms for maintaining homeostasis within the human body, explore the causes of diseases and develop an understanding of how the human body works. This course will involve laboratory activities and projects, including dissections.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of two science courses and at least one Regents Examination