The study of science at Putney revives, instills and encourages curiosity about the natural world by equipping students with the habits of mind needed to ask and answer questions using the scientific method. Courses introduce fundamental biological, chemical and physical principles through active inquiry, experimentation, direct instruction and exercises in problem-solving. Advanced tutorials in the sciences are available and common. Upon graduation, students will have developed an understanding of essential methods and content sufficient for lifelong learning, responsible citizenship and for further study of science at the university level.
Advanced Chemistry: Color Extraction
0.5 Credit
This lab-based science class will allow students to extract color from natural sources for dyes that can be applied to fibers and pigments to combine with vehicles to produce paints. In both cases, students will learn the chemical process for the extraction techniques, providing a deeper study of organic chemistry, pH and redox reactions. Along the way students will connect their growing understanding of chemistry within the context of history, environmentalism, and socioeconomic impacts. Emphasis will be on lab techniques that minimize the waste of resources. Prerequisites: Chemistry and Microbiology.
Anatomy and Physiology 1
0.5 Credit
Together, anatomy and physiology provide us with an intimate understanding of the form and function of the body’s tissues and organs. Throughout this course, we will focus on identifying structures and discovering how their form enables the human body to accomplish remarkable tasks every second of every day. After developing a working knowledge of cellular function, histology, and homeostasis, students will explore four systems of human anatomy and physiology: skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, and respiratory. In each section, students will learn relevant anatomical terms, perform laboratory dissections (on animal parts), and design physiological tests to observe processes in action. Case studies will be used to provide context for what happens when systems fail (i.e. disease and injury). Prerequisite: Chemistry and Microbiology
Anatomy and Physiology 2
0.5 Credit
The second term of Anatomy & Physiology builds on the foundational knowledge gathered in the first term. Students will cover three more systems in depth: the nervous, endocrine, and lymphatic/immune systems. We will learn critical anatomical terms, connect form with function through a study of physiology, and develop a deep understanding of how these systems work together to keep us alive. Relevant dissections, labs, and clinical scenarios will be used to to refine and expand our understandings. Students will collectively select a final project to investigate; possible options include systems that were not covered-- digestive, urinary, and/or reproductive-- or a deeper study of how anatomy and physiology connect with important societal issues like drug addiction, vaccination and herd immunity, autoimmune diseases, or any number of other medical connections. Prerequisite: Anatomy & Physiology 1
Advanced Astronomy
0.5 Credit
Astronomy Independent Study
This course is an opportunity to continue studies in astronomy by selecting from the following: building projects, observational astronomy, or further readings in astronomy. Hands-on areas of study in the past have included astrophotography, telescope making and repair, and building an orrery. This class will run concurrently with Introduction to Astronomy. Work will largely be independent, with discussion taking place during conference blocks, evening study sessions, and at the observatory. Instructor permission, as well as Introduction to Astronomy or equivalent and the ability to work independently, are prerequisites.
Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology
0.5 Credit
This advanced biology elective is designed to give students an introduction to community ecology and a solid understanding of the systems which support life on earth. The class will examine how ecosystems are structured by surveying energy flow, nutrient cycles, and forms of symbiosis as well as how human systems and policies have impacted biodiversity around the world. Students will investigate how populations grow and decline and the factors that affect biological diversity through direct exploration of ecological systems on the Putney Campus and in the surrounding community. Emphasis will be placed on fieldwork and participation in research and monitoring underway in our region. Class time will include discussion, habitat explorations, field labs, meetings with professionals working in the field and presentation of fieldwork. Prerequisite: Chemistry and Microbiology.
Bioethics in Modern Science
0.5 Credit
This course is a science seminar in which students will explore, navigate and create systematic frameworks for evaluating ethics in research science. Students will discuss controversial issues that may include human subjects, gene editing, and allocation in organ transplantation. Using a case study approach, students will practice critical science writing and argumentation in the context of challenging, modern issues, while developing evaluative criteria for scientific research subjects and projects. Prerequisite: Chemistry and Microbiology
Chemistry 2
0.5 Credit
This course is designed to strengthen a student's understanding of chemistry concepts not covered in Chemistry and Microbiology-- for example, a deeper study of acids and bases, oxidation and reduction, and electrochemistry. The format will largely be independent study with problem sets and experiments as well as discussions with the instructor. The course will run concurrently with Independent Topics in Science during the spring term and is limited to a small number of students. Successful completion of Chemistry and Microbiology or equivalent is a prerequisite.
Chemistry and Microbiology
1.0 Credit
Chemistry is everywhere - in what we eat, in what we breathe, in how we live, in what we are. Using an understanding of the essentials of chemistry—atomic structure, electronegativity, chemical bonding, intermolecular forces and reactivity—students will explore fundamental biochemical pathways and cellular processes. We will integrate principles of chemistry and biology to understand how cells communicate and replicate, enabling a variety of organisms to maintain a stable internal environment in the face of changing external conditions. We will also explore how organisms relay information from generation to generation and how these pathways can be disrupted. Students will develop laboratory skills as well as the ability to design and implement a protocol to answer a discrete biochemical question. Students will become proficient in gathering, organizing, describing, and analyzing data. We will also consider emerging technologies and how they are transforming our collective capacity to understand and manipulate the world on a biochemical level.
Complex Systems: Agroecology
0.5 Credit
This biology course will use The Putney School and other local farms to explore the sustainability (ecological, economic, and social) of these agricultural systems. We will study the history of farming in our area, investigate how past and current practices affect the land and economy, and familiarize ourselves with soil and plant ecology and how nutrient cycles determine how and what we can grow. Readings will consist of excerpts from a variety of scientific texts, trade publications, scientific journals, newspapers, and agricultural texts and histories. We will use farm visits to practice analyzing the sustainability of farm systems. Final projects will provide the opportunity to delve into sustainability issues with respect to agriculture, such as climate change, organics, GMOs, rotational grazing, permaculture, water conservation, pest management, etc. Prerequisites: Humans in the Natural World and Chemistry and Microbiology or permission of the instructor.
Engineering and Design
0.5 Credit
In this hands-on, lab-based, trigonometry and chemistry grounded, problem-solving, team-driven course, students will use the engineering and design process to solve problems of increasing difficulty. Students will use engineering and scientific concepts in the solution process. In addition, students will be required to document their work using standard engineering and scientific rubrics. In designing prototypes/solutions students will learn skills used by mechanical and chemical engineers such as simple mathematical analysis, 3D printing, circuit design, and simple solution chemistry. This course is open to students who have successfully completed Algebra II and Chemistry, or permission of the instructor.
Environmental Philosophy
0.5 Credit
How do we approach, reflect upon, and discuss some of the most pressing environmental issues with which we are currently faced, especially in our seemingly polarized world? How do we open a dialogue with those whose views are radically different from our own personal ones? This course will begin with a foundational study of environmental philosophy, ethics, and argumentation & rhetoric and will then focus on specific issues such as climate change, economics, and climate justice. Students will learn the fundamentals of critical thinking including the nature of claims, arguments, reasoning, evidence and fallacies as well as the basic theories in environmental ethics including duty-based ethics, utilitarianism, rights theory, and the ethics of care. The course will also involve an in-depth study of complex systems theory including complex v. linear systems, complex adaptive systems, network theory, and self organization within systems. Ultimately, we will use these skills and knowledge to deconstruct how various groups of people discuss climate change through the analysis of dialogue and argumentation. Students will be able to both analyze rhetoric and construct effective arguments related to climate change and other controversial topics by the end of the course. Science or humanities credit.
Field Ornithology
0.5 Credit
This course will introduce students to birding through sound. Students will focus first on investigating the physics of sound and the mechanics of recording sound. Student will build their own microphone systems to record and then visualize sound through sonograms (spectrograms) and how these sonograms can act as a distinguishing feature for identifying birds species. In the field, students will be asked to create a sound map of campus during spring migration to understand how habitat can predict bird species present. Finally, students will design their own experiment using sound data as their dependent variable and choosing an independent variable of their choice. The course will have an indoor and field lab component as well as connections to both physics, biology and ecology. 10th graders can sign up with permission from the instructor
Independent Topics in Science: Life Science
0.5 Credit
This course is designed to give highly motivated and independent students the opportunity to pursue scientific or technological questions of their own design, or for students to take on a challenge such as entry in a science contest. One component of the course will be continuous communication and collaboration with others in the class, regardless of their area of study. To qualify for enrollment, students submit a description of their proposed study which must then be approved by the science department. Students considering this course are expected to discuss their eligibility with the instructor before submitting a proposal. Proposals which overlap significantly with courses currently being offered will not be considered. Offered in Spring. This course is open to students at any grade level. There are no prerequisites other than the ability to work independently.
Independent Topics in Science: Physical Science & Engineering
0.5 Credit
This course is designed to give highly motivated and independent students the opportunity to pursue scientific or technological questions of their own design, or for students to take on a challenge such as entry in a science contest. One component of the course will be continuous communication and collaboration with others in the class, regardless of their area of study. To qualify for enrollment, students submit a description of their proposed study which must then be approved by the science department. Students considering this course are expected to discuss their eligibility with the instructor before submitting a proposal. Proposals which overlap significantly with courses currently being offered will not be considered. Offered in Winter. This course is open to students at any grade level. There are no prerequisites other than the ability to work independently.
Introduction to Astronomy
0.5 Credit
It hardly seems reasonable to detect an object that by its very nature is unobservable, or to claim knowledge of the composition of stars with any scientific certainty. Yet astronomers have reached many such conclusions, and we will follow their chain of reasoning. Topics to be discussed are planetary motion, stars and their life cycles, the nature and scale of astronomical objects and space that surrounds them. Emphasis will be placed on techniques of astronomical distance measurement. We will use our observatory to view, image, measure, and make inferences about the objects we find. Over time, we will reconcile observations made at night with knowledge developed in the classroom. One class per week will be devoted to student projects in astronomy. By the end of the course, students will know their way around the sky, have a sense of the scale of our universe, how it develops over time and the nature of the objects in it. A chemistry background is preferred. Completion or concurrent enrollment in Algebra 2 or above is required.
Introductory Physics
1.0 Credit
Students look at familiar phenomena from the perspective of an experimental scientist. Reasoning is developed through an emphasis on deriving equations to make predictions and then designing experiments to test those predictions. The skills of computation and estimation and scientific writing are developed throughout the course. We begin by studying kinematics, Newton’s Laws of Motion, momentum and energy. The second part of the course concentrates on rotational motion and electricity and magnetism. The course ends with a brief survey of topics in modern physics. While this class is best taken in conjunction with Precalculus or Calculus, two years of Algebra is a prerequisite.
Molecular Genetics 1: Classical Genetics & Biochemistry
0.5 Credit
This hands-on, collaborative, advanced biology elective covers genetics in depth from Mendel all the way through gene expression in development and throughout life. Topics covered will include The Central Dogma, Evolution, Phylogenetic trees & Classification, Mendel, Mathematical Models of Monohybrid & Dihybrid crosses, Three-Factor Crosses, Chromosome Mapping, Mutation and Mutation Rates, Population Genetics, Epigenetics, Gene Expression & Regulation, Plasmid Construction, Bacterial Transformation, Cloning, Genetic Analysis, and the use of Model Systems. We also touch on the meanings of genetic citizenship. Rooted in math and chemistry, students must have successfully completed Algebra 2 A&B and Chemistry & Microbiology. The hope is that students taking this course will have had an introduction to genetics in previous courses. This course goes in depth into content that is usually quickly covered in introductory courses. Students are responsible for designing and conducting one laboratory experiment per week and are expected to report out that shared experience through the writing of a weekly lab paper. This course is challenging but a lot of fun.
Molecular Genetics 2: Modern Genetics and Organic Chemistry
0.5 Credit
This hands-on, collaborative, advanced biology elective covers modern genetics in-depth, from Epigenetics & Gene Expression through modern applications and technologies. Topics covered will include, Landscape Genetics, Population Modeling, PCR, CRISPR-Cas9, Genomics Analysis, Bacterial Transformation, Protein Isolation, Protein Modification, ELISA Analysis, Mutation Analysis, Cloning & Sequencing, Gene Therapy, Genetic citizenship, Genetics Ethics, Prions, the use of Model Systems, and Chi-Square Data Analysis. Students are responsible for designing and conducting one laboratory experiment per week and are expected to report out that shared experience through the writing of a weekly lab paper. In addition, this class. Students will also have the opportunity to read and analyze several current papers from peer-reviewed journals. Rooted in math, chemistry, and a strong understanding of classical genetics, students must have successfully completed Mol Gen 1, Algebra 2 A&B, Chemistry & Microbiology, and Pre-Cal A. This course is challenging but a lot of fun.
Physics 2
0.5 Credit
This course is designed to strengthen a student's understanding of electricity and magnetism. The format will largely be independent study with problem sets and experiments as well as discussions with the instructor. The course will run concurrently with Independent Topics in Science during the winter term and is limited to a small number of students. Successful completion of Introductory Physics or equivalent is a prerequisite. No special ability in physics is required but it's way more fun if you enjoy the work!