Science

This second-year physics course, in conjunction with Advanced Physics: Waves, Optics, and Electromagnetism, provides a yearlong, fast-paced, college-level physics course. Students must enroll in both courses and take them in sequence. This term includes a mathematically rigorous study of kinematics, dynamics, momentum, energy, gravitation, satellite motion, and rotational motion. This course, in conjunction with Advanced Physics: Waves, Optics, and Electromagnetism, provides preparation for the AP Physics 1 exam.  Prerequisites: First Year Physics Course, Grade of A- or Higher in Precalculus, or Permission of Instructor. 

This second-year physics course, in conjunction with Advanced Physics: Mechanics, provides a yearlong, fast-paced, college-level physics course. Students must enroll in both courses and take them in sequence. This term includes a mathematically rigorous study of simple harmonic motion, waves, sound, optics, electric circuits, electromagnetism, and relativity. In addition, students will apply principles of structural design to construct and test a basswood bridge. This course, in conjunction with Advanced Physics: Mechanics, provides preparation for the AP Physics 1 exam. Prerequisites: First Year Physics Course, Advanced Physics: Mechanics, Grade of A- or Higher in Precalculus, or Permission of Instructor. 

This laboratory-based course is designed to be an extension of Honors Chemistry and will cover advanced topics not typically covered in depth in a high school chemistry course. Topics will include acid-base chemistry, redox, chemical bonding, and organic chemistry. Complex laboratory investigations and challenging problem solving will be a core component of this course. The goal of this course is to expand on the coverage of Honors Chemistry and take a deeper dive into college chemistry topics and advanced laboratory chemistry skills. Within this course students will have the opportunity to explore a project on a topic of interest to them, further expanding their laboratory skills, scientific writing, research, and presentation skills. Prerequisites: Honors Chemistry 

Anatomy and Physiology is a single semester elective course that provides a general introduction to human anatomy and physiology.  The course builds on students’ studies from general biology to relate the form and anatomical structure of the human body to the physiological functions of the human organ systems. This course is designed for students who wish to explore, in greater detail, the human body’s elegant design and function. A systems approach is used that emphasizes how organs and body systems work together to carry on such complex functions as taking a step, running, or responding to stress. This exploration begins with the skin that shields us from the extremes of the outside world. From there, the journey continues with active investigations of the muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, digestive, immune, and nervous systems. At every level of organization students will examine how the forms of cells, tissues, organs and systems help to reveal their functions. Along the way every student will hone their skills in microscopy, making detailed observations and perfecting precise dissection techniques. Pervasive throughout the course will be conversations and explorations of current health concerns. Prerequisites: Biology/Honors Biology or Permission of the Instructor 

AP Biology is an introductory college-level biology course. Students deepen their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore the following topics: evolution, cellular processes, energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, and interactions. This course is designed so that 25 percent of the instructional time will be spent in hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students with opportunities to apply the science practices. Students will learn how to collect data, use data to form conclusions, and apply their conclusions to larger biological concepts. Students will learn how to report recorded data and quantitative conclusions drawn from the data with appropriate precision (i.e., significant figures). Students will also develop an understanding of how changes in the design of the experiments could impact the validity and accuracy of their results. The AP Biology exam can be taken in the spring and some colleges and universities will grant credit for high scores (5) on this exam. Many questions on the AP exam are written in an experimental context, so these skills will prove invaluable for both concept comprehension and exam performance. Prerequisites: Completion of Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry or Permission of Instructor 

In this course we will study objects and phenomena outside the Earth’s atmosphere. This will include our stellar “neighborhood,” as we learn about the formation and structure of our own solar system, as well as stellar evolution. Branching out, we will investigate the origin and evolution of the universe (cosmology), and along the way encounter extreme phenomena such as black holes, neutron stars, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, and gamma ray bursts. Students will explore the tools that astrophysicists use to learn about all these topics: electromagnetic radiation, light spectra, and telescopes. We will encounter the frontiers of knowledge in dark matter, dark energy, extrasolar planets, and astrobiology, and consider the exploration of the universe via spacecraft and human space travel. Prerequisites: First Year Physics Course or Permission of Instructor, Completion of Algebra 2 Course with a Grade of a B or higher. 

Throughout history people have searched for the fundamental answers about the nature of the living things that grace this planet. This course, through active student involvement in experimentation, data collection, observations, discussions, and inquiry will provide students with insights into everything from how a flower blooms, an eagle flies or our bodies grow and change. Students learn about Biology by doing Biology, by asking questions, developing hypotheses, making precise observations and thoughtful, incisive conclusions. At the same time, they will wrestle with the ethical questions that arise in this new world where people can read the human genome like the one used to read the paper years ago. 

Biotechnology is a course designed to give students a comprehensive introduction to the scientific concepts and laboratory research techniques currently used in the field of biotechnology. Students attain knowledge about the field of biotechnology and deeper understanding of the biological concepts used. In addition, students develop the laboratory, critical thinking, and communication skills currently used in the biotechnology industry. Furthermore, students will explore and evaluate career opportunities in the field of biotechnology through extensive readings, laboratory experiments, class discussions, research projects and possible guest speakers. The objectives covered in this course are both academic and technical in nature and are presented in a progressively rigorous manner. Prerequisites: Completion of Biology and Chemistry Courses or Permission of Instructor 

Chemistry is the study of the composition and characteristics of matter and the myriad of ways in which matter changes in a complex world. Chemistry is intimately involved in many aspects of our life; the course explores areas of interaction between chemistry and human society. Topics include classification of matter, nomenclature, chemical equations and quantitative relationships in reactions, atomic structure, periodic table, bonding, states of matter, and solutions. Chemistry is laboratory based; students are encouraged to investigate, analyze, and communicate underlying principles categorizing matter and how it changes. Accompanying the work in the laboratory, this course includes discussion, lecture, mathematical exercises, and simulations in support of the concepts studied. Prerequisites: Algebra II 

This survey course will explore the geologic processes that have shaped the Earth and its atmosphere over the course of earth’s 4.6-billion-year history and how they continue in present day. We will also explore how similar processes have shaped the formation of our solar system and universe and the planets contained within it.  We will explore Minnesota’s unique place in this geologic history and learn more about the processes that have shaped our state’s geology. Plate tectonics, seismology, volcanology, ocean science, climate science, geobiology, geochemistry, rocks and minerals, earth’s interior, planetary studies, planetary origins, exobiology, this course has a little something for everyone and will include opportunities for students to explore areas of independent interest within this scope. Prerequisites: None 

This laboratory-based course will explore the chemical processes that occur naturally in the Earth’s lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. It will consider how human influences have altered these chemical processes and explore a solutions-based approach to how chemistry can be used to support environmental health and sustainability. Topics may include biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, climate change, air pollution, ozone, acid deposition, alternative fuels and energy sources, soil chemistry, water quality, pollutants, and treatment, solid waste, materials recycling, and green chemistry. 

This course is appropriate for students that have successfully completed chemistry or honors chemistry. Readings from environmental chemistry texts, scientific journals, and news sources will be examined and discussed and used to supports hands-on laboratory investigations on a range of topics including climate science, ocean acidification, air quality monitoring, soil and water analysis and remediation, solar and hydrogen power, and green plastics optimization. Lab analysis will be algebra-based with options available for those students that are comfortable with advanced statistical analysis and mathematics. Prerequisites: Chemistry or Honors Chemistry 

Environmental Science will cover the fundamental principles of ecology and ecosystem dynamics through an exploration of environmental challenges facing our planet today. Students will be exposed to a wide range of contemporary environmental issues and develop the scientific literacy needed to address these issues. Topics covered include native habitat destruction, pollinator loss, biodiversity, invasive species, climate change, renewable energy, and water quality. The course includes a significant outdoor component, including observation and maintenance in the native science gardens, monitoring of our bluebird boxes and participation in an invasive species removal project with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and long-term studies of campus species including golden rod gall flies and western painted turtles. Prerequisites: None 

There is a drive within some to know and understand, in greater detail, the patterns and secrets of the life that resides on the Earth. This rigorous course provides the motivated, enthusiastic, student with an opportunity to learn the complexities and patterns found in all living things from the ancient past to the present. Students will find themselves deeply involved in the processes of science, questioning, hypothesizing, experimenting, thinking, inferring, and communicating. They will learn biology by doing biology. Along the way they will wrestle with the realities of this rapidly changing world and how the wonders of all that has been learned can be used, by the thoughtful and caring, to help heal and invigorate a challenged planet. Prerequisites: A- or better in Physics and teacher recommendation. 

Honors Chemistry is designed primarily for students who are oriented toward math and science-based careers. It involves a more rigorous theoretical and mathematical approach to chemistry topics. Topics covered in the course include classification of matter, nomenclature, chemical equations and quantitative relationships in reactions, atomic structure, periodic table, bonding, states of matter, and solutions including acids and bases. Honors Chemistry is laboratory based; students are encouraged to investigate, analyze, and communicate underlying principles categorizing matter and how it changes. Accompanying the work in the laboratory, this course includes discussion, lecture, mathematical exercises, and simulations in support of the concepts studied. Prerequisites: Advanced Algebra II/Trig (previous completion or concurrent registration), B+ in Honors Biology or an A in Biology 

Grades: 11-12 
Prerequisites: B+ average or above in Honors Chemistry, B average or better in Pre-Calculus (or A- or better average in Advanced Algebra 3 and concurrent registration in Pre-Calculus), or consent of instructor 
Credit: One credit 

Physics is the study of nature at its most fundamental level. It extends from the lightest objects in the universe (quarks, neutrinos) to the to the densest (black holes, neutron stars), from the earliest moments of the cosmos until billions of years in the future, from the well-established (Newton’s laws, conservation of energy) to the exotic frontiers of dark energy, quantum computing, and parallel universes. If you have ever wondered “why?” about your physical environment, physics is a door to satisfying that curiosity—and to prepare yourself for future studies in technical fields. 

To be an informed citizen, students should be exposed to these deep concepts. This is certainly true for anyone who wishes to be a doctor, scientist, or engineer, but it is also true for those who plan on pursuing politics, or art, or writing, or business. 

Physics students at MPA will study motion, forces, energy, gravity, bridges, satellite motion, relativity, sound, light, and electric circuits. This is a hands-on course, so students will devote a significant portion of time investigating concepts via laboratory activities, engaging in discussion to clarify and study the principles more deeply, and exploring applications of the principles. Honors Physics is a highly quantitative course that combines abstract reasoning and detailed mathematical problem solving. 

This course will explore the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. Students will explore the anatomy of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system and the special sense organs, including the eye, ear, nose, mouth, and integument. Physiological topics will synaptic transmission, sensory processing, vision, hearing, learning and memory, emotions, movement, brain injury, neurological and psychiatric disorders, and the effect of drugs on the nervous system. Laboratory investigations will include an exploration of the sensory receptors of the skin, human vision, hearing, and olfaction, reaction times, sensory perception, EKG measurements of neuron response, human-to-human interfaces, and dissections of a sheep brain and cow eye. This course is an excellent companion to the standard Anatomy and Physiology course and will allow for a deeper dive into the fascinating world of neuroscience. It can also be taken as a stand-alone course without concurrent enrollment in anatomy and physiology. Students are expected to have taken a biology course prior to enrolling in this class. Prerequisites: Biology/Honors Biology or Permission of the Instructor 

Physics is an experimentally based introduction to the principles of classical physics that govern our everyday experiences. Students will use the processes of science to discover and begin to understand some of the ways that the physical world operates. Students will investigate motion, forces, energy, waves, optics, and electricity. They will be involved in measuring, observing, analyzing, inferring, discussing, and writing about events that occur as they explore these topics. Scientific expression and technical writing are key components of the course and students will be required to keep a lab notebook and write laboratory reports. Collaboration and problem solving are also emphasized. Engineering principles and problem solving will be incorporated through several project-based design competitions which may include an egg drop, mousetrap car challenge, wind turbine design, or a solar powered city. These challenges engage students in the creative application of the physics principles explored in the course to solve relevant real-world problems. This course focuses on a conceptual understanding of physics. While students will take data, and solve problems using basic algebra, mathematical problem solving is not the sole emphasis of the course. 

Grades: 9 
Prerequisites: None 
Credit: One credit 

Physics 9 is an experimentally based introduction to the principles of classical physics that govern our everyday experiences. Students will use the processes of science to discover and begin to understand some of the ways that the physical world operates. Students will investigate motion, forces, energy, waves, optics, and electricity. They will be involved in measuring, observing, analyzing, inferring, discussing, and writing about events that occur as they explore these topics. Scientific expression and technical writing are key components of the course and students will be required to keep a lab notebook and write laboratory reports. Collaboration and problem solving are also emphasized. Engineering principles and problem solving will be incorporated through several project-based design competitions which may include an egg drop, mousetrap car challenge, wind turbine design, or a solar powered city. These challenges engage students in the creative application of the physics principles explored in the course to solve relevant real-world problems. This course focuses on a conceptual understanding of physics. While students will take data, and solve problems using basic algebra, mathematical problem solving is not the sole emphasis of the course. 

Physics 9 represents a change to the science curriculum starting in the 2019-2020 school year.  This change will adjust the science sequence so that all students will take Physics 9, followed by Biology or Honors Biology, then Chemistry or Honors Chemistry. This allows for a variety of electives in the twelfth-grade year. Courses to be offered may include AP Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Environmental Science, Advanced Physics, Astrophysics, Special Topics in Chemistry, Genetics, Environmental Chemistry, and Scientific Research Methods.