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| THE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL OF NEW JERSEY | |
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The Governor's School in the Sciences CORE COURSES
In this course, students explore the biological basis for the
mental processes by which we think, perceive, learn and remember.
First, students study how neurons in the brain communicate with
each other, with an emphasis placed on molecular mechanisms of
synaptic transmission. Next, students examine how sets of neurons
are organized into functional anatomical regions and how signaling
among these regions give rise to discrete cognitive systems. Using
tools gained from these cellular and anatomical lessons, students
then debate two major questions in neurobiology: 1) how does the
brain store memories, and 2) what happens to the brain when Alzheimer’s
disease robs patients of their memories. Throughout this course,
students are challenged to consider how ongoing and future research
can further our understanding of how the brain functions. C2 CHEMICAL BONDING: AN INTRODUCTION TO MOLECULAR ORBITAL THEORY Chemistry is centered around the study of atoms and their interactions with each other to form chemical bonds. In this course we will examine these interactions and obtain some insight into the beauty of molecules and the amazing ways that atoms can put themselves together. We will begin with an overview of the conventional bonding theories of ionic and covalent bonds. We will then delve deeper into the chemistry of the elements. As we discover the tremendous variety of compounds formed, we will find our theories are no longer sufficient. For example, we will consider why molecules can defy the valence and octet rules, why compounds can behave like metals and why transition metals are just different. To understand these molecules and compounds we will learn about the more sophisticated approach provided by molecular orbital theory. Some background in chemistry will be assumed - one year in high
school will be fine. C3 TOPICS IN TWENTIETH CENTURY PHYSICS FROM EINSTEIN TO THE BOMB This course will begin with a brief review of the concepts of classical physics including energy, momentum, electrical and magnetic force laws, and conservation principles. These concepts will be used to explore a number of topics in modern physics, although our full understanding will require an introduction to some unexpected non-classical ideas. The first half of the twentieth century brought a new and sometimes puzzling picture of our physical world. The theories of special relativity and quantum mechanics changed forever our view of space and time and behavior at atomic and nuclear distances. Topics to be considered in the course will be taken from relativistic mechanics, the photoelectric effect and early quantum theory, and atomic structure and spectra. The course will conclude with topics from nuclear physics such as elementary models of the nucleus, radioactivity, and fission and fusion. The latter processes offer the promise of almost unlimited energy for mankind or unlimited disaster in the form of nuclear weapons. As such they are important processes for understanding and discussion. ***The course is intended for students who have already had a
course in high school physics. Cancer has been observed since the beginning of recorded history.
However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which cancer originates
and develops has been greatly advanced by recent work in molecular
and cellular biology. Cancer is caused by the breakdown in a series
of carefully regulated events. In this course, we will explore
these events at the molecular and cellular level. Topics will
include mechanisms of cell growth control, transcriptional control,
regulation of cell signaling pathways, and basic cancer immunology,
as well as the variety of causes. In addition, we will examine
how cancer is detected; how various treatments work to stop the
spread of cancer; and how scientists develop drugs to combat cancer. C5 RULERS, COMPASSES, AND FAMOUS IMPOSSIBILITIES In high school geometry we quickly learn how to make many constructions with a ruler and compass. We learn how to bisect angles but we are told that it is impossible to trisect angles with a ruler and compass. We can construct a line segment whose length is the fourth root of two, but it is impossible to construct other lengths like the cube root of two. Constructing a regular 17-gon is possible, but the construction of a regular 7-gon is impossible. In this course we will see how making a construction with a ruler and compass is equivalent to solving certain polynomial equations. The degree of these polynomials is crucial in determining when a construction is impossible. When the construction is possible, the polynomial will help us make the construction. The Theory of Equations that we will study has many far-reaching
consequences which will be explored during this course. C6 BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY HUMAN EVOLUTION What were our ancestors like? How and why did we evolve? What is our relationship to other animals? What can our genes tell us about prehistoric migrations? This core course in biological anthropology examines these and other questions as we explore the latest research on human origins and evolution. There is now abundant fossil and genetic evidence suggesting that our lineage began with an assortment of ape-like ancestors 5 to 7 million years ago and, after a number of twists and turns, led to modern humans, Homo sapiens, 100 - 200,000 years ago. We are the only hominin species left on earth, but this was not the case during most of our past. In this course we will trace this complex evolutionary history and consider what may have happened to our extinct kin. The course begins with an introduction to basic osteology (the
study of bones) and how anthropologists make inferences from fossil
and skeletal evidence. It continues with a review of evolutionary
theory and some popular misconceptions about it. We'll look at
our species' place in nature as a member of the order Primates
and learn more about our close cousins, the African apes, as models
for early hominins. We'll examine the fossil evidence for human
evolution and try to determine what earlier hominins were like.
Finally, we'll consider the origins of modern humans, the enigma
of the Neandertals, and what genetics can tell us about the evolution
and diversification of anatomically modern Homo sapiens. ELECTIVES
E2 CAUSALITY: THE INTERFACE BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE The concept of causality, which underlies all of science, has itself been the subject of philosophical investigation. Must every event have a cause? Can there be different causes for similar effects? Can physical and non-physical phenomena stand in a causal relationship with each other? We will explore how these and similar questions play a role in traditional philosophical arguments about God's creation of the universe, human freedom, and the nature of personhood. The material will be divided as follows: E3 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS We in the West are heirs to the world of the Greeks and Romans. These people made great strides not only in the area of engineering that we know so well (for example, aqueduct and building architecture), but also in astronomy, biology, and the philosophy of science. This class will explore some of the scientific and technological achievements and philosophies of the ancient people of the Mediterranean area. We will look at not only their practical accomplishments, but also the intellectual environment that produced them, and the way scientific thought meshed with other philosophies. What happens when a new archaeological finding, such as the Gospel
of Judas, tells us that the stories we have been recounting for
millennia may need modification? What happens to religion-based
views on creation as evidence for biological evolution continues
to unfold? What happens when scientists run out of answers? Do
we over-emphasize the gaps between science, history, and religion,
and is reconciliation possible? Have you ever asked yourself these
questions? Well, we might not fully answer any of these questions,
but we sure will try. Through a series of case studies, we will
examine questions about faith, history, and science and how to
navigate these worlds. E5 THE ADAPTIVE UNCONSCIOUS Most people think that consciousness is what makes humans different from other animals. However, psychologists have repeatedly demonstrated that unconscious processes are pervasive and sophisticated. They help us to evaluate our worlds, interact with others, set goals, and initiate actions, all while we are consciously thinking about other things. This elective will examine a number of different types of unconscious processes, with special attention to how these processes help humans function in their social worlds. Our readings and discussions will also explore the real-world implications of the prevalence of automatic processes. LABORATORY
For scientists and engineers in every field, the tools of the trade are increasingly electronic in nature. In modern instruments, analog and digital electronic techniques perform primary functions of data manipulation and interpretation, and of instrument and process control. Tiny and inexpensive integrated circuits (ICs) now perform many functions that previously required racks of equipment to accomplish. This laboratory will seek to introduce electronic principles via a series of seven laboratory sessions. Laboratory stations with modern instrumentation and IC breadboards will be used to introduce AC and DC circuit theory, power supplies, transducers, and uses of several integrated circuits for analog and digital applications. For those who already have had a high school physics course. L2 EXPERIMENTS IN BIOLOGY CREATURES FROM THE DREW LAGOON Explore the mysteries of life! Doing biology today requires using
a host of skills and techniques necessary for understanding the
environment in which we live, from looking at the organisms which
live in those environments to exploring their behavior, physiology
and genetics. You will use those skills and techniques examining
what lives in the ponds of the Drew University arboretum. In this
laboratory, you will discover the diversity of organisms living
in this aquatic habitat by learning the proper procedures of identification
and microscopy including use of a scanning electron microscope.
To understand how plants and animals make their living in this
pond, you will examine the behavior and physiology of the crustacean
Daphnia, and perform analyses of the algae found in the ponds.
You will explore the mystery of the origins of animals in these
ponds by using DNA identification techniques now used by forensic
scientists. Finally, you will examine some of the physical properties
of the environment to see how chemical and physical properties
of the ponds influence the organisms that live there. This laboratory
will involve a combination of outdoor field work and indoor laboratory
work. L3 EXPERIMENTS IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY For those who have had a high school chemistry course. TEAM PROJECTS
ENZYME KINETICS AND MECHANISM The chemical reactions required for life occur much too slowly at physiological pH and temperature to meet the needs of an organism. To speed these reactions up, biological systems use molecular machines referred to as enzymes. Enzymes are able to fold into structures which provide specialized chemical environments for specific chemical reactions to occur. A reaction which might take 100,000 years in aqueous solution will take less than a second in an enzyme active site. In this project, we will explore how enzymes work by examining the pH dependence and specificity of adenosine deaminase, an enzyme implicated in many lymphomas and severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCIDS). Students will design their own experiments to determine the kinetic parameter of the enzyme under a variety of conditions. By comparing and contrasting these parameters, we will gain insight into how this enzyme works. T2 PROJECT IN CHEMISTRY CAN WE DEVELOP THE NEW TEFLON? DEVELOPING COATINGS AND LOOKING AT SURFACE MOLECULAR DYNAMICS Water resistant coatings are widely used in everyday application,
from Teflon to Rain-X, and materials of this type have been extensively
studied. In the past year, a new procedure was developed within
the area of water repellant coatings to dramatically reduce the
time necessary to form surfaces which permanently alter the surface
of a material in this way. Using microwave irradiation, phosphonic
acids were observed to irreversibly bond to the surfaces of oxides
(including titanium, aluminum, stainless steel and glass), in
a matter of minutes. The importance of this development provides
a means for covalent attachment of many new substrates, including
all types of glasses, ceramics and polymers. Students will learn
the technique for applying phosphonic acid coatings to glass to
develop non-stick, lubricating coatings and will test the efficiency
of this coating as a possible non-toxic alternative to current
coatings such as Rain-X. Following the synthetic approach, students
will attempt to explain the phenomenological properties of these
water repellant coatings by computer simulations. Using a modeling
program, the group will simulate the chemistry which occurs on
an oxide surface, performing calculations and looking for physical
properties that explain and illustrate the reason behind the hydrophobic
nature of these coatings. T3 PROJECT IN ARCHAEOLOGY RECONSTRUCTING ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY: THE ANALYSIS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN ECUADORIAN TEXTILES The ancient cultures of Latin America valued cloth above gold.
For these people, textiles were not simply functional materials
for warmth, but played important roles in rituals and in identifying
a person’s identity as well as their status and wealth.
Taxes in the ancient societies of the Maya, Aztecs and Incas were
often paid with textiles. Textiles were so central in the economy
of the Incas that particularly skilled women were selected to
work solely in producing for the royal administration. Although
the Spanish conquistadores destroyed many of the most beautiful
textiles of the native peoples, many examples remain to attest
to the technical and artistic heights reached by these ancient
artisans. For earlier periods, however, very few examples have
been preserved to tell us the history of this ancient art form. In this team project our goal will be to analyze these artifacts in order to offer some of the first glimpses of ancient Ecuadorian weaving technology. The Scanning Electron Microscope will be our main tool as it offers a potential for high powered magnification and observation of the three dimensional nature of the impressions. We will hope to learn what types of weaving technology were used and if this changed over time among these ancient peoples. T4 PROJECT IN PSYCHOLOGY COGNITIVE ILLUSIONS Illusions fascinate us because they trick us into believing something
that is quite different from reality (the word illusion stems
from the Latin word illudere, meaning to mock). Far from being
just a curiosity though, illusions provide a window into our thought
processes and how the mind works when it is not being tricked.
Equipped with the ability to process only a limited amount of
information, the brain develops “shortcuts” in order
to handle the enormous amount of information received from our
five senses. While these shortcuts often serve us well, they occasionally
fail us, leading to cognitive illusions. This team project will
research some facet of cognitive illusions related to our perception,
memory, or reasoning. PRINCIPLES OF RADAR TARGET TRACKING Tracking aircraft or other flying objects that are observed on radar is highly useful for determining their instantaneous position, direction and velocity or for predicting their position at some later point in time. These objects are commonly called “targets” (whether we intend to shoot at them or not). In this project, students will learn methods of target tracking and build target tracking computer simulations. The Kalman Filter, a computationally efficient means of performing target tracking, will be used to develop target-tracking systems for a variety of observational scenarios. Students will derive target-tracking algorithms and implement them on personal computers. They will then use observational measures to determine the location, course and speed of the target using their algorithms. It is recommended that students selecting this project have some
experience with matrix algebra OR familiarity with Visual Basic
programming. T6 PROJECT IN MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS CELESTIAL MECHANICS Every trigonometry student learns how to completely determine the angles and sides of a planar triangle given certain pieces of information such as two sides and the included angle. The Pythagorean Theorem, the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines are three important results which allow us to make these calculations. In this project we will begin by studying the properties of Spherical Triangles, i.e. triangles on a sphere. We will discover the analog of the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines for these triangles. These laws will allow us to completely determine the measure of the sides and angles of a spherical triangle if we are given sufficient information (such as two sides and the included angle). Together with the appropriate laws of ellipse geometry, we will be able to study Celestial Mechanics. Kepler’s Laws of planetary motion will be derived and we
will combine them with the laws of spherical trigonometry and
ellipse geometry to determine the positions of all the planets
for any day and time. We will use our results to write a computer
program which will serve as a model of the Solar System. Finally,
we will go to the Drew Observatory to confirm our results and
view the planets which are visible on any given evening. MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF AN UNKNOWN P-ELEMENT INSERTION IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, has been a favorite model organism used by geneticists for more than 90 years. A number of tools have been developed for inducing DNA mutations, screening mutations for defects in particular pathways and for cloning and characterizing genes at the molecular level. Additionally, Drosophila is cheap and easy to grow, reproduces rapidly and produces a large number of progeny making it one of the most amenable multicellular organisms for genetic analysis. The complete Drosophila genome was sequenced in 2000 (Science 287, 2185-2196, 2000). Initial analyses predict that Drosophila has ~13,600 genes. Approximately 20% of these genes have been described in the scientific literature and only ~10% have been analyzed by genetic means. Thus, the function of the vast majority of Drosophila genes is not known. One popular method used by researchers to study gene function is forward genetic screens where the function of a gene is discovered based on its mutant phenotype. For example, genes required for eye development might disrupt the structure of the eye when mutated. Thus, if one were interested in identifying genes required for eye development, one would mutagenize a large number of flies and then screen the collection for defects in eye morphology. Insertional mutagenesis using transposable DNA elements called
P-elements is a popular method of inducing mutations in flies.
P-elements are commonly used for genetic screens because the mutated
gene can be rapidly and easily identified using the P-element
as a tag. For this team project, students will use the plasmid
rescue method to identify the insertion site of a P-element that
is inserted in the fruit fly genome and causes a lethal mutation.
Students will learn essential molecular biology techniques including
how to isolate chromosomal DNA and how to clone and analyze DNA
using restriction enzymes and bacterial plasmids. ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ENTEROCOCCUS spp. FROM LOCAL SURFACE WATERS Public health authorities routinely use fecal indicator organism levels as a measure of water quality. Specifically the presence Enterococcus sp. is useful as an indicator of fecal pollution in marine and surface recreational waters. The enterococci are normal, benign inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals. But certain species, including E. faecalis and E. faecium, have been recognized as emerging nosocomial pathogens causing urinary tract infections, endocarditis and meningitis. One measure of the pathogenicity of these organisms is their antibiotic resistance profile. Many microbes have developed resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics, limiting therapeutic choices. Bacteria can acquire antibiotic resistance by the exchange of horizontally mobile elements including viruses, conjugative plasmids, and transposons, and can, in turn, transfer these antibiotic resistance genes to other more pathogenic strains. Another way of assessing bacterial pathogenicity is by examining their expression of virulence factors, including enterococcal surface protein (Esp), cytolysin (Cyl) (both hemolytic and bactericidal), and gelatinase (Gel). Enterococci lacking expressed virulence factors are generally considered nonpathogenic. For this project students will obtain samples from local surface waters and determine Enterococcus spp. levels. Individual isolates will be speciated biochemically. Antibiotic resistance profiles will be evaluated using a replica plating technique and virulence factor expression will be determined by using simple screens. Students will analyze combined antibiotic resistance and virulence factors to determine potential pathogenicity of strains. |
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