STEP SUMMER RESIDENTIAL ACADEMIC COMPONENT

Freshman Preparation Program (15 openings)

Student Profile: Students completing 8th grade in June of 2001. Students should have an average of B or better in honors math and science; an A average is necessary for students in the regular regents classes.

Writing - Instruction in basic writing skills, technical writing, research writing. End result-a two-page paper with a topic that they research relating to their science/problem-solving component. Enhance library and web-based research skills, basics of source documentation and critical reading of scientific documents.

Science/Research Component - 2-week research module - R. Feldman; 2-week research module - M. Rodlitz.

Problem Solving - probability and statistics; a cooperative learning workshop designed to help students shun the rule-based approach to problem solving; allow students to work on the development of charts, models, and designs to teach reasoning skills.

Computer Lab - instruct students in web-based research, teach students how to document citing from www, use word processing application, etc.

Sophomore Preparation Program (15 openings)

Student Profile: Students completing 9th grade in June of 2001. Preference given to students who participated in 2000-2001 ETEC Program.

Research Component WEBTECH-Choosing from topics-TV, GPS, web design, cellular phones, and/or digital music.

Writing - Instruction in basic writing skills, technical writing, research writing. Enhance library research skills; basics of source documentation. The inclusion of critical reading of scientific documents as well as other readings. End result-a two-page research paper that relates to Science/Problem solving course.

Computer Lab - Introduce students to basic computer skills. Microsoft Word and Powerpoint applications, basic HTML, and how to effectively use the Internet. Exploration and research of sites, gather information for a final project.

College Credit STEP (15 openings)

Student Profile: Students completing 10th and 11th grade in June of 2001. Preference given to active STEP participants. Successful completion of Sequential III and chemistry.

EST 194 - a cooperative learning workshop building on concepts presented in high school math course, especially higher order thinking skills, concept mapping, analytical reasoning, and data interpretation. The course will help students to shun the rule-based approach to problem solving and allow them to work on the development of algorithms, theorem proofs, making conjectures, building quantitative models, reasoning from principles and designs. Possible topics: Diophantine equations, cryptography, abstract algebra, logic puzzles, history of mathematics, computer problems. Students should generate a mathematics paper (data analysis, Fibonacci numbers, fractals, game theory, growth models, math models, number theory, rate and ratio, probability theory, etc.) 2-4 pages.

Anatomy Lab - serves as an introduction to the structure and function of the human body. Students take part in the examination of a cadaver to take a closer look at the major systems of the human body and how they work or use the provided fact sheet to prepare for an exploration of the reproductive, muscular, skeletal and other major systems of the human body.

Science Class - Explorations in Physics

Geology 101

The course will be composed of two parts:

A) A summer component, consisting of an intensive four week session to be conducted at Stony Brook consisting of lectures, lab and field work on material in the basic university level Environmental Geology curriculum and not included in the Regents Earth Science Curriculum.
B) A research project, operating over the full academic year following the summer component. During the 10th grade, the students will conduct the research component of the course in their home school and will enroll in the Summer Session I University course GEO 101.

By participating in this honors course, students will become familiar with current methods of scientific inquiry, as well as laboratory equipment and geographic information system and software and other tools used for data collection, analysis and reporting. They will learn to develop hypotheses, pose scientific questions and design and conduct experiments that enable them to draw conclusions.