STEM

PLTW Biomedical Science students are taking on real-world challenges and they’re doing it before they even graduate from high school. Working with the same tools used by professionals in hospitals and labs, student engage in compelling, hands-on activities and work together to find solutions to problems. Students take from the courses in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path they take.

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE A & B offered to students in grades 9-12 (1 Credit)
Prerequisite: None Required: No Weighted: No 2 Semesters
From design and data analysis to outbreaks, clinical empathy, health promotion, and more, students explore the last range of careers in biomedical sciences. They develop not just technical skills, but also in depth.

HUMAN BODY SYSTEMS A & B offered to students in grades 10-12 (1 Credit)
Prerequisite: Principles of Biomedical Science Required: No Weighted: No 2 Semesters
Through projects such as determining the identity of a skeleton using both forensic anthropology and DNA analysis, students examine the interactions of human body systems and apply what they know to solve real-world medical cases.

MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS A & B offered to students in grades 11-12 (1 Credit)
Prerequisite: Human Body Systems Required: No Weighted: No 2 Semesters
Students delve into activities like designing a prosthetic arm as they follow the life of a fictitious family and  investigate how to prevent, diagnose and treat disease.

BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION A & B offered to students in grade 12 (1 Credit)
Prerequisite: Medical Interventions Required: No Weighted: No 2 Semesters
Students build on the knowledge and skills gained from previous courses to design their own innovative solutions for the most pressing health challenges of the 21st century.

This class utilizes STEM curriculum through the inquiry-based program from Project Lead the Way (PLTW). 

In the Medical Detectives (MD) unit, students play the role of real-life medical detectives as they analyze genetic testing results to diagnose disease and study DNA evidence found at a “crime scene.” They solve medical mysteries through hands-on projects and labs, investigate how to measure and interpret vital signs, and learn how the systems of the human body work together to maintain health.

Design and Modeling (DM) provides students opportunities to apply the design process to creatively solve problems. Students are introduced to the unit problem in the first activity and are asked to make connections to the problem throughout the lessons in the unit. Students learn and utilize methods for communicating design ideas through sketches, solid models, and mathematical models. Students will understand how models can be simulated to represent an authentic situation and generate data for further analysis and observations. Students work in teams to identify design requirements, research the topic, and engage stakeholders. Teams design a toy or game for a child with cerebral palsy, fabricate and test it, and make necessary modifications to optimize the design solution.

New to 2021 / 2022 is the Flight and Space (FS) unit.  Here, the exciting world of aerospace comes alive.  Students become engineers as they design, prototype, and test models to learn about the science of flight and what it takes to travel and live in space. They solve real-world aviation and space challenges and plan a mission to Mars.