Upper School Course Description

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Advanced Topics Biology

This course provides students an opportunity to experience the research and communication process in the biological and biomedical arena, develop broadly transferable skills, and experience the thrills, disappointments, and detours of doing science. By extending classroom learning; developing analytical, quantitative, and critical-thinking skills; collaborating with researchers; and elevating their ability to think creatively and communicate accurately, this course places students at the frontiers of research. Students will identify, locate, and dig into primary scientific literature, familiarizing themselves with burning questions, research methods, and experimental, biostatistical, and in silico analyses. They will research a topic with a goal to submit a paper/manuscript for peer review. They will learn about ethical obligations to human research participants and animal research subjects, and about standards that guide interactions among individuals in a collaborative scientific community. Students should have strong critical reading and scientific writing skills, and deep factual/conceptual knowledge of content covered in AT Biology, as they will assimilate high-level research articles, interpret data, derive insights, apply learning toward real-world problems, and discern future directions for inquiry.