Science Department
Placement Requirements
The placement process for new students is different from that for returning students. Please review the placement requirements for the appropriate group at the links below.
All placements are subject to review by the head of the department.
Grade 9
Digital Fabrication
Digital Fabrication does not fulfill the science requirement.
Grade 10
Digital Fabrication
Digital Fabrication does not fulfill the science requirement.
Computer Science and Engineering
Computer Science courses are available to all grades. They do not fulfill the diploma requirement for the science department.
Engineering courses are available for grades 11 & 12. They do not fulfill the diploma requirement for the science department.
Grade 11 & 12
Engineering
Students taking engineering must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Semester Science Courses
The Semester Science course offerings are single semester courses and can change from year to year.
The registrar works with students to request particular semester science courses in May.
*courses marked with an asterisk, if successfully completed, can serve as a booster class to help students qualify for the corresponding AP class if they had not otherwise met its prerequisites.
Environmental Science
Chemistry
Physics
Science Course Descriptions
Digital Fabrication
Available to: all grade 9 and 10 students
Schedule: one semester
Special Notes: This course does not count towards the diploma requirement for the Science department. Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Digital fabrication involves the use of computer-controlled machines to create physical objects. Through collaborative, hands-on design projects, students in this class will learn how to make 2D and 3D prototypes using CAD (computer-aided design) software in conjunction with digital fabrication machines such as 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC (computer numerical control) routers. Learning in this class will go beyond the acquisition of important digital skills that have practical applications in engineering, art, science, computer science and mathematics. By working creatively through design and fabrication problems, students will further strengthen skills in critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and mathematics. No previous experience with digital fabrication is required to take this course.
Principles of Scientific Inquiry
Available to: grade 9 students, required for those students
Relying on the motto of the Royal Society of London, Nulius in verba (“take no one’s word for it”), we emphasize that science is an experiential endeavor. How do we know what we know? This class lays the foundation of expectations and approach to the science learning experience that permeates all aspects of the Stevenson science curriculum. Through an integrated science curriculum, foundational topics in physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science are woven into an interdisciplinary study of core scientific concepts. We take advantage of our local marine environment, the world renowned Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, the Monterey pine forest, and the classroom to solidify practices of scientific measurement, data organization, and analysis. Emphasis is placed on the interconnectedness of all major branches of science necessary for fully analyzing any scientific phenomena, and students develop the knowledge and skills to prepare them for upper-level courses. A significant portion of the second semester is organized around varied capstone projects, designed by students with coaching from instructors and outside experts, to hone the skills that make scientists expert critical thinkers. During this research experience, students learn to back up their scientific reasoning with carefully collected evidence. The year culminates in grade 9 Science Night in May, where students present their research to peers, teachers and parents.
Digital Fabrication
Available to: all grade 9 and 10 students
Schedule: one semester
Special Notes: This course does not count towards the diploma requirement for the Science department. Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Digital fabrication involves the use of computer-controlled machines to create physical objects. Through collaborative, hands-on design projects, students in this class will learn how to make 2D and 3D prototypes using CAD (computer-aided design) software in conjunction with digital fabrication machines such as 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC (computer numerical control) routers. Learning in this class will go beyond the acquisition of important digital skills that have practical applications in engineering, art, science, computer science and mathematics. By working creatively through design and fabrication problems, students will further strengthen skills in critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and mathematics. No previous experience with digital fabrication is required to take this course.
Science 2 / Science 2 Honors
Type:honors available
Available to: grade 10 students, required for those students
The natural world depends on the flow of energy and the transformation of matter. Building on the skills of inquiry and scientific method emphasized in the grade 9 Principles of Scientific Inquiry course, students explore thematic topics in astronomy, atmospheric science, chemistry, physics, biology, and ocean environmentalism. There is something for everyone! Topics explored in the physical sciences include the Big Bang, solar system properties, orbital mechanics and gravity, projectile motion, states of matter, chemical equations and reactions, and acid-base chemistry. Topics in biology include DNA and heredity, select organ systems, and we conclude the year with a deep look at environmental challenges faced by our oceans.
The honors sections follow the same sequence, but require deeper analysis of chemistry and physics, including computational problems in areas of stoichiometry, titration and gravitational forces. Placement in Science 2 Honors is determined by the Principles of Scientific Inquiry instructors and the science department head.
Available to: grade 11 and 12 students
The Semester Science course offerings are single semester courses and can change from year to year. The registrar will work with students to request particular semester science courses in May of the previous year. Several yearlong courses are also options for qualified Grade 11 and 12 students.
* Semester courses marked with an asterisk, if successfully completed, can serve as a booster class to help students qualify for the corresponding AP class if they had not otherwise met its prerequisites.
Semester Biology: Brains and Behavior*
What drives organisms to behave the way they do? How do organisms take in information about their environment, make sense of it and respond in a way that helps them survive and thrive? Is there really such a thing as altruism or are all living things intrinsically selfish? During the first half of the course, we will explore these questions and more through the lens of animal behavior. From this vantage point, we will reveal our shared evolutionary history and drive and make the uncanny discovery that our neural wiring is quite similar to organisms as lowly as the cockroach or hagfish. Does our hardwiring come with a cost? Do cheaters ever win? During the second half of the semester, we will take a more anthropocentric perspective as we dive into how we learn from our experiences and explore what brain injuries and life thereafter reveal about how our brains function and how we perceive the world. Does practice really make perfect? What happens when you pull an all nighter gaming or studying for a test? How can you utilize multiple regions of the brain to enhance your memory? Throughout the course, we will consider the contributions of influential neuroscientists, psychologists and ethologists such as Pavlov, Skinner, Lorenz, and Sacks, and investigate how our understanding of learning and the brain evolved over the past two hundred years. We will also design experiments of our own. Finally, for the final project we will look at how the face of brain sciences is changing and why this diversity is needed.
Semester Biology: Human Anatomy and Physiology*
This course takes a detailed look at the human body as an extraordinary collection of organ systems that enable us to do amazing things. This single semester course focuses on a few key organ systems, exploring structure, function, common maladies, and how to keep them healthy. Students will draw and label different anatomical structures, and perform dissections on many specimens to see how all the anatomical parts fit together into a physiological whole. In addition to dissection skills, students will also practice suturing to close cuts in specimen tissues. The course concludes with a fetal pig dissection, where students will spend multiple class meetings exploring and identifying key organs from the organ systems we have studied.
Semester Biology: Infectious Disease and Public Health*
This course is a detailed exploration of what makes us sick, how different pathogens invade our bodies, how our body protects itself, and how diseases emerge and spread through populations. Students will distinguish between communicable and non-communicable diseases. Students will explore how disease has shaped human history and how humans have shaped the evolution of disease. This course will take a close look at the leading causes of death in large populations and the dynamics of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This single semester course concludes with a presentation project where students conduct in-depth research on both the epidemiology and historical impact of a disease of their choice.
Semester Biology: Marine Science
This class provides students with an introduction to marine life, and the principles of marine geology and physical and chemical oceanography that influence the distribution of that life. The course begins with a review of the basic concepts of waves, tides, and currents in preparation for a survey of the living organisms found in the world’s oceans. Monterey Bay, being our home, is the focal point of our studies. The bay is an outstanding backdrop for the course curriculum as it is diverse both geologically and biologically. We take full advantage of our proximity to the ocean by taking numerous field trips to the local rocky intertidal ecosystem, bird colonies, sea otter rafts, seal and sea lion haul-outs, and to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Topics of current interest including global warming, depleted fisheries, coral bleaching, coastal erosion, and plastic pollution are presented throughout the course. Upon completing the course, students are expected to be able to recognize the dominant rocky intertidal invertebrates and algae as well as the most common marine mammals in our local ecosystem and describe the threats to ecosystem balance.
Semester Biology: Ornithology, Bird Nerds 101
Bird diversity abounds on campus in the Monterey Pine forest and along our nearby coastline. What behaviors can be discovered about our campus-resident crows? How do survival strategies differ between birds of the forest compared to the coast? In this course, students will participate in place-based bird studies, which will include the identification and photography of local bird species during our frequent field trips to local birding hot spots. Classes and labs will further investigate bird evolution, morphology, ecology, and behavior.
Semester Biology: Sports Medicine*
Sports Medicine gives students a fundamental understanding of a range of musculoskeletal and neurological injuries. In this laboratory-based class, students will learn basic regional anatomy, the evaluation process, and acute care and rehabilitation skills for a variety of common injuries associated with sports participation.
Students will gain thorough understanding of traumatic brain injuries and will be able to assess the severity of concussions, manage acute injuries and make informed decisions on appropriate return to sports participation. We will also investigate techniques for athletic performance improvement and preventative treatments.
Semester Chemistry: Experimental Chemistry*
Labs, labs, labs!
Get deep into hands-on learning through an immersion in experiments in chemistry. After conducting a series of labs on topics including rates of chemical reactions, thermochemistry, equilibrium studies and more, students will be presented with experimental problems for which they will design their own lab procedures to gather appropriate data. Foundational concepts covered in this class will help to prepare the successful student for enrollment in AP Chemistry in their grade 12 year.
Semester Environmental Science: Waves and Beaches
Coastlines are dynamic, ever-changing systems that involve the interactions of the ocean, the atmosphere, and the geological processes on the land. California is located along a young, active coastline with many forces acting to shape the beaches and rocky cliffs that attract visitors worldwide. This course endeavors to explore the local shoreline with the goal of learning how all of the competing forces shape what we see. How and why do local beaches change during the year? Where does the sand come from and how has development changed the coastline? What does the future hold for the low-lying coastal areas along central California? Students will monitor beach profiles, install citizen science monitoring stations, and learn about the environmental effects on the coastline from sand mining, coastal development, and sea-level rise.
Semester Physics: Field Astronomy
Field Astronomy examines both the dynamics of planetary systems and the life and death of stars. The course will examine the history of the heliocentric and geocentric models of our solar system, Kepler’s laws of planetary motion, Newton’s Law of universal gravitation and the theory behind solar system dynamics. Starting with our sun, the course will examine the formation of stars and their possible fates. Special attention will be paid to the nature of light and the use of spectroscopy to measure characteristics of stars outside our solar system and determine stellar classification characteristics. Laboratory work will include observations of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets as well as classifications of stellar clusters, nebulae and supernova remnants and the observations of other galaxies. Students will incorporate the basics in celestial mapping and telescope use in laboratory work. The course includes a weekly two-hour evening lab, as well as a two-night sky observing trip away from campus.
Semester Physics: Forces and Energy*
The world around us offers exposure to everyday phenomena that are often considered mysterious. We will answer some questions like: Why do things float? How come sound can travel through water? What the heck is light? How does electricity actually work? Why does leaving the refrigerator door open make your kitchen warmer? How do you make a nuclear bomb? We will finish by looking into the way that modern physics is changing our understanding of what we think of as the “real” world, including topics of thermodynamics, sound, light, electricity and Einstein’s theories of relativity. This course will also provide a foundation for students seeking to take advanced courses in physics.
Semester Physics: Mechanics and Kinematics*
Does learning how things move, fly and spin get your creative juices flowing?
This physics class takes a close look at the wonders of the mechanical world around us. Students will roll things down ramps, shoot projectiles through the air and build simple machines, as well as discover why things fall and why they orbit. This course will help establish a knowledge and skills foundation for students seeking to take advanced courses in physics. Topics examined will include Newtonian mechanics, projectile motion, energy, work, simple machines, rotational mechanics, buoyancy and gravity and orbital mechanics.
Engineering Design
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
Special Notes: Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Through hands-on learning, project work and fun design challenges, students in this class will utilize the spiraling nature of the engineering design process to solve a variety of problems. During this process students will work like engineers, individually and in teams, to design, build, and test prototypes, consider alternative solutions, as well as evaluate and refine designs. Through this collaborative, project-based work, students will learn to think like an engineer, become familiar with a variety of engineering disciplines, learn important engineering concepts, and consider the relationship of engineering to social, global and contemporary issues. Forces on structures (the design of stationary objects) will be the focus of projects during the fall term, and forces on mechanisms (the design of objects in motion) will be the focus of projects during the spring term. To encourage the use of a wide range of materials and broaden the scope of engineering design solutions, students will develop skills using a variety of hand, power, and technological tools. Early on in the course, students will have the opportunity to learn how to use Fusion 360 (a computer aided design software package by Autodesk) in conjunction with a 3D printer and a laser cutter to design and create prototypes or components of their designs.
Mechatronics Engineering
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
Special Notes: Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Mechatronics is the union of electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering, and includes robotics. This course uses design and discovery surrounding mechatronics to expose students to various engineering disciplines and prepare them for introductory college-level engineering coursework, such as physical computing/coding with applied mathematics, control theory, and 3D modeling/printing. Students will engage in intriguing and challenging hands-on projects involving these topics to further develop important problem-solving and critical-thinking skills that are necessary to be an effective engineer. Projects include using an 8-LED display for sensor input and a game, designing an RGB lamp, programming an autonomous robot, and creating a wireless remote control car.
While no prior programming experience is required, it is helpful. Honors level projects will be available to challenge the more advanced student.
AP Biology
Type: honors
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
AP Biology covers fundamental elements of the biological sciences and also seeks to develop an enduring conceptual understanding of the major themes of biology: evolution, energy transformations, and molecular biology, DNA and information storage and retrieval, and the interaction of biological systems. Students learn about the integrity of living systems and the application of chemical and physical principles of life. Students also explore the historical perspective of recent major developments in biology. Laboratory activities hone analytical skills and foster an appreciation of scientific experimentation.
AP Chemistry
Type: honors
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
Using a curriculum which has been approved by the College Board, this course emphasizes inquiry and a student-centered approach to learning complex phenomena about the behavior of matter and the changes they undergo. After a review of foundational chemistry, students master the following topics: electron structure of atoms, quantitative analysis, thermodynamics, kinetics, and gas laws. Acid-base reactions are also studied in depth and provide a framework for sophisticated quantitative analysis of equilibrium systems. Through extensive lab work, students intentionally build skills of inquiry by developing their own protocols. Students will be prepared for the AP Chemistry exam, and will be prepared to enter college-level programs with confidence in their skills and knowledge.
AP Environmental Science
Type: honors
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
This course, the equivalent of a first-semester college-level environmental science course, covers the scientific principles of ecology, chemistry, and statistics that are used to understand how the systems of the Earth are interrelated. Emphasis is placed on how science deals with the environmental issues facing our world and the many possible solutions to these problems. At the same time, the course aims to provide the social, political, and ethical framework in which environmental decision-making occurs. Students receive preparation for the AP Exam in Environmental Science.
Physics Honors
Type: honors
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
Students taking this algebra-based course master the vocabulary and concepts of physics in a discussion/demonstration/laboratory format. In a curriculum that covers a broad spectrum of material, students learn the following: mechanics, properties of matter, heat and thermodynamics, wave motion (including sound and light), electricity and magnetism, and atomic and nuclear physics. The use of trigonometry and a more extensive laboratory experience make Physics Honors comparable to a non-calculus college-level survey course.
AP Physics C
Type: honors
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
This is a college level physics course designed to be taken after a full year of physics studies and a calculus course. It features two parts: Mechanics, and Electricity & Magnetism. Mechanics covers kinematics; Newton’s laws of motion, work, energy, and power; systems of particles and linear momentum; rotation; oscillations; and gravitation. Electricity & Magnetism covers electrostatics, conductors, capacitors and dielectrics, electric circuits, magnetic fields, and electromagnetism. The weekly hands-on laboratory activities are based in guided inquiry and include open-ended experiment design.
Computer Science courses are available to all grades. They do not fulfill the diploma requirement for the science department. For the Engineering courses, view the description to learn which grade levels may take it.
Introduction to Programming
Available to: all students
Schedule: one semester
Special Notes: This course does not count towards the diploma requirement for the Science department. Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Learning to code can help you develop a valuable skill set, sharpen your critical thinking, and better understand the technology dependent world in which we live. Introduction to Programming is designed for students with no assumed computer science background and requires no prior programming experience. In this introductory course, students develop problem-solving skills through the study of real-world examples, reflecting on various uses of technology in the worlds around them. We explore core topics such as design thinking, computational thinking, and basic programming syntax including variables, loops, conditionals and functions. Throughout the course, students will be introduced to a foundational toolbox in Python and potentially other programming languages.
Data Science
Available To: all qualified students, see placement requirement link above
Schedule: one semester
Special Notes: This course does not count towards the diploma requirement for the Science department. Students taking this course must simultaneously be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Data literacy is increasingly important in our world. This course combines the vital arenas of statistical knowledge and programming skills with the purpose of analyzing and visualizing the past, as well as predicting the future. The course content will address common applications in a variety of domains including science, finance, business, and sports, and will give students the skills and analytical tools necessary to learn from data efficiently and make informed decisions. The curriculum includes descriptive statistics, an overview of Python, Jupyter notebooks, an introduction to Pandas, data visualizations, exploratory data analysis, ethical issues, and predictive analytics. The prerequisite is Introduction to Computer Science, Introduction to Programming, or its equivalent.
AP Computer Science A
Available to: all qualified students, see placement requirement link above
Schedule: full year
Special Notes: This course does not count towards the diploma requirement for the Science department. Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
This course is the next step for students who want to learn a more advanced programming language or that intend to pursue future studies or applications of computer science. AP Computer Science A is an introduction to computer science through programming in Java. The course covers a broad range of topics important to programming and software development, including the design of solutions to problems, the use of data structures to organize large sets of data, the development and implementation of algorithms to process data and discover new information, the analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing systems. Students cultivate their understanding of coding through analyzing, writing, and testing code as they explore concepts like modularity, variables and control structures. This course emphasizes object-oriented programming and design using the Java programming language, provides opportunities for students to explore new concepts, and helps students further develop their computational thinking and problem-solving skills.
Advanced Programming
Available To: all qualified students, see placement requirement link above
Schedule: full year
Special Notes: This course does not count towards the diploma requirement for the Science department. Students taking this course must simultaneously be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Advanced Programming will focus on the cultivation of programming skills through the development and implementation of data structures and algorithms. It is a class that builds coding skills, but more importantly improves students’ ability to think logically, solve advanced problems (for example how your GPS finds the best route or how a video game “interacts” with the player), communicate, and be creative. The course curriculum includes algorithm analysis, linear structures, queues, recursion, sorting and searching algorithms, trees and tree algorithms, graphs and graph algorithms. The prerequisite is Data Structures & Algorithms or AP Computer Science A, including object-oriented programming and writing and using classes in Java. The course emphasizes object-oriented programming and algorithm design and implementation using the Java programming language, though other languages, such as Processing, will be utilized. Successful completion of this course will prepare students well for future studies of computer science at the university level.
Digital Fabrication
Available to: all grade 9 and 10 students
Schedule: one semester
Special Notes: This course does not count towards the diploma requirement for the Science department. Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Digital fabrication involves the use of computer-controlled machines to create physical objects. Through collaborative, hands-on design projects, students in this class will learn how to make 2D and 3D prototypes using CAD (computer-aided design) software in conjunction with digital fabrication machines such as 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC (computer numerical control) routers. Learning in this class will go beyond the acquisition of important digital skills that have practical applications in engineering, art, science, computer science and mathematics. By working creatively through design and fabrication problems, students will further strengthen skills in critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and mathematics. No previous experience with digital fabrication is required to take this course.
Engineering Design
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
Special Notes: Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Through hands-on learning, project work and fun design challenges, students in this class will utilize the spiraling nature of the engineering design process to solve a variety of problems. During this process students will work like engineers, individually and in teams, to design, build, and test prototypes, consider alternative solutions, as well as evaluate and refine designs. Through this collaborative, project-based work, students will learn to think like an engineer, become familiar with a variety of engineering disciplines, learn important engineering concepts, and consider the relationship of engineering to social, global and contemporary issues. Forces on structures (the design of stationary objects) will be the focus of projects during the fall term, and forces on mechanisms (the design of objects in motion) will be the focus of projects during the spring term. To encourage the use of a wide range of materials and broaden the scope of engineering design solutions, students will develop skills using a variety of hand, power, and technological tools. Early on in the course, students will have the opportunity to learn how to use Fusion 360 (a computer aided design software package by Autodesk) in conjunction with a 3D printer and a laser cutter to design and create prototypes or components of their designs.
Mechatronics Engineering
Available to: qualified grade 11 and 12 students, see placement requirements link above
Special Notes: Students taking this course must concurrently be enrolled in a year of traditional science or have successfully completed three years of traditional science.
Mechatronics is the union of electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering, and includes robotics. This course uses design and discovery surrounding mechatronics to expose students to various engineering disciplines and prepare them for introductory college-level engineering coursework, such as physical computing/coding with applied mathematics, control theory, and 3D modeling/printing. Students will engage in intriguing and challenging hands-on projects involving these topics to further develop important problem-solving and critical-thinking skills that are necessary to be an effective engineer. Projects include using an 8-LED display for sensor input and a game, designing an RGB lamp, programming an autonomous robot, and creating a wireless remote control car.
While no prior programming experience is required, it is helpful. Honors level projects will be available to challenge the more advanced student.
