General Info

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What is Science Research?

Science Research is one of the programs offered in Francis Lewis High School. It is a program that allows students to learn new techniques in the science field and get to design their own experiment. You will get the chance to apply to science fairs and present your experiment to other students and judges of the science world.

What are the average and 7th grade state test scores needed in order to enter the Science Research Program?

Your average needs to be above a 95 and you should score at least a 3 on state tests in order to be able to enter Science Research.

 

 

Can you give a brief course rundown for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors?

All 4 years in research will require students to have binder checks. Additionally, you should participate in Human Subject experiments as it may count as extra credit or could count as an actual grade in your average.

 Freshmen year: most binder checks, must read at least 30 articles, time logs, first IRB and conduct your first experiment.

Sophomore Year: some binder checks, must read at least 20 articles, time logs, continue with experiment and apply to NYCSEF

Junior Year: 2 binder checks, must read 9 articles, goal logs, continue experiment and must apply to NYCSEF (may apply to other competitions), start new IRB

Senior Year: 2 binder checks, must read 9 articles, goal logs, continue experiment and must apply to NYCSEF (may apply to other competitions)

 

Where is my Science Research class? 

Science Research classes happen in room 305, and 311 is our lab room.

How is the student-teacher dynamic in Science Research?

Our research teachers are always engaged with their classes and they put a lot of effort in to help you achieve the best you can achieve in research. They are willing to answer any questions you have and they are very approachable. They will even ask you questions that will challenge you to help you become a better scientist. 

What extra classes will I have to take if I join Science Research?

If you join the Science Research program, the only extra class you are required to take is experimental design, which counts as a science elective. Students who are in Science Research may also be required to take Advanced Honors science classes such as Advance Honors Living Environment and Advance Honors Chemistry, instead of the normal regents science classes. In these classes, students are expected to take the SAT II Subject Test in that respective subject in addition to the science regent in that same subject. 

As of the 2019-2020 school year, sophomores in Science Research are also required to be a part of the AP Capstone Program.

 

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How does the AP Capstone Program relate to Science Research?

Students who advance to sophomore year will automatically be enrolled in AP Capstone as their English class. During their junior year they will take AP Research (English class).

Will I be able to conduct research in a professional lab?

Well, our lab room is pretty professional if you ask me. But, yes! If you decide to conduct your experiment with a mentor, you will have to work with them in an outside lab, and it will require you to work with them out of school.

 

Who are the teachers in the Science Research Program? 

All of our teacher’s bios and contact information can be found on the Teachers Page (provide link)

 

 

Why Research?

 

What benefits are there for being in the Science Research Program?

Research comes with many benefits. Science Research is one of only programs that gives credits for its courses. Additionally, because our program is so well-known, it has helped many achieve amazing careers in the medical field. So many of our students were accepted to well-known colleges, even Ivy-Leagues, because of their accomplishments in research. 

 

What skills will I learn by being part of the Science Research Program?

You will acquire a number of great skills by being a part of Science Research. Along with the new scientific techniques, you will also be able to manage your time well and be able to manage your stress. You will also learn how to become efficient in organization and communication.

 

 

Research Assignments

 

What is an Article Summary?

These are about 1-1 ½ pages in length, and they summarize the scientific articles that students read as a Science Research student. It should cover the purpose of the experiment being done, how they conducted the experiment, what did they find from this experiment, and future directions for the experiment. These summaries are checked during Binder Checks and the number of summaries needed for Binder Checks depend on who the Research Teacher is, and what year in Research the student is in. 

 

What are scientific articles?

Scientific articles are articles written by scientists that detail an experiment that they conducted. 

 

Why do we read scientific articles?

Reading articles helps Research students get a look into how experiments are conducted in a professional lab setting as well as the methodology used to succeed in research.  

 

How do you effectively read a research article?

Reading articles takes a lot of practice and patience because there’s a lot of higher level vocabulary used in them. It’s a good idea to define the unknown vocabulary either in the article itself, or separately in a notebook in order to fully understand the content of the article. Gist notes on the side of each paragraph, or notes in a separate notebook are also helpful in digesting and interpreting the dense material in the article.  

 

How do you pick good articles?

Page lengths are a good indicator as to how complex the experiment is. The more pages there are, the more variables and graphs the experiment has, making it very complex and it may be more difficult to read. The abstract of the article is also a good indicator of the difficulty and content of the article because it summarizes the experiment in just one paragraph. So, after reading the abstract, you should be able to get a basic understanding of the article, and if not, that’s a good sign that this article may be on the difficult side. 

 

How do I find scientific articles?

Type in “Google Scholar” into Google, and click the first link. Now, you can search any experiment or topic you are interested in reading about. Just don’t read any articles that need payment!

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What are Binder Checks?

Binder Checks are a major assessment in Science Research, you could even think of them as the tests for the class. They’re just a way for your Research Teacher to check in on your progress for your experiment, or to assess what you have learned from reading articles. Everything that will be checked for Binder Check should all be hole punched and in your 5 in. Research Binder before the day of your Binder Check.

 

How do I prepare for Binder Checks?

Each Binder Check may have different requirements as to what should go in the binder depending on who the Research Teacher is and what year of Research you are in. Make sure to ask your Research Teacher if you have any specific questions about your next Binder Check. 

If you are nervous for Binder Check, you just have to get used to it because some seniors still get nervous for Binder Check. Being nervous is just a natural reaction :)

 

How do I set up my binder before Binder Check?

The 5 in. binders used for Binder Checks are typically organized by using tab dividers. These tab dividers can be labeled and can be used to organize all of your assignments in Science Research. It can separate your IRB from the summaries, and your Resume from the paper. Every teacher may choose to organize the binder differently, so make sure to ask for a more detailed answer.  

 

What is an IRB?

IRB stands for Institutional Review Board, and it is an anonymous committee that reads experiment proposals and decides if they are safe and ethical to perform. At Francis Lewis, we have our own IRB that looks at student’s experiment proposals. In Research when we say “IRB” we are referring to these proposals that students will have to write in order to get their experiment approved and actually be able to do the experiment.

 

What is a Research Paper?

After students have gotten IRB approval, and have finished collecting their data, they can also start writing their Research Paper. Similar to a scientific article, a Research Paper details the student’s experiment by explaining the background information about the topic, how the experiment was done, the results, graphs, and conclusions of the experiment. 

 

How do I do _________?

Writing abstracts, rationales, IRBs, or using Microsoft Excel, are all new skills that we do not expect students new to Science Research to know beforehand. This is why the senior Science Research students created a Handbook that can serve as a guide to writing papers and using Excel. You can ask your Research Teacher for a copy if you do not have one already. Your Research Teachers are also a good resource to use, so don’t be afraid to ask them questions if something is unclear or if you don’t know how to do something :)

 

Where should I find teachers when I have a question or am experiencing an issue?

If you are at home and are experiencing an issue, or have a question about an assignment, the best way to contact your teacher from home is to email them the question or tell them about the issue in the email. If you want to find your Research Teacher outside of class, the best thing to do is to ask your teacher when they are free, and where you can find them. Many of our Research Teachers teach other classes outside of Research, so it’s difficult to predict their teaching schedules before the school year begins.

 

What should I do when I can't meet a deadline?

You should always try your best to meet a deadline. But if there is a specific reason or something unfortunate happened and you can’t make a deadline, then you should reach out to your Research Teacher as soon as possible. If they’re nice they may give you an extension, depending on the situation, but if not, then you will just have to turn it in late. Don’t worry too much about it though because there are always more assignments in the future where you can turn them in on time and get back a good grade :)

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Creating Your Own Experiments

 

What are the specific fields of study available for the students to conduct experiments in?

Broadly speaking, most of the experiments done by past students can be categorized into four categories: Bacteria, Plants, Human Subjects, and more recently, Animal Sciences. But within these four categories, there is a myriad of different experiments you can do. For bacteria, there have been experiments to test antibiotic resistance. For plants, there have been experiments to reduce heavy metal pollution. For human subjects, there have been experiments that test people’s working memory and stress. For animal sciences, there have been experiments that test a planaria’s regeneration rate and memory.

Of course, you are not limited to these previous experiments, and the Science Research program is open to new ideas and encourages them! If you would like to do an experiment that may be outside of these broad four categories, definitely talk to your research teacher first. 

 

How do I start looking for project ideas for my experiment?

The best way to look for experiment ideas is to ask questions! First, find a topic that interests you and then think of questions about that topic that you can investigate later. You can also google your question or topic to see if your question has already been answered, or to find more inspiration for a burning question. 

Another good way to get inspiration for a project idea is to look at previous experiments done by students who already graduated. You can build off of them and continue them in a new and novel way, or try and investigate a new question that the existing project did not answer. 

 

 

How do you find compatible partners?

Everyone has different experiences when it comes to finding food partners. Some students stick with the same group for all four years and others change their groups every year. It really comes down to trial and error to find the right people who will be productive with you and whose company you will enjoy. A good thing to keep in mind is that communication, honesty, and splitting up the work equally are common traits of a happy, productive group.

 

Which teacher should I turn to if I am doing an experiment on ______ topic?

Your own Research teacher should be the first person you approach when you have an experiment idea. They can direct you to the right people and resources to really flesh out your experiment. You can also find out more about our Research teacher’s background, and what they studied on the Teachers Page (provide link).

Who should I go to if I need to order materials for my experiment?

You can find Mr. Liang in room 311, the lab room. Usually he is there during research periods, but if not try again during a free period. Make sure to first check and see if you can order the item online, or on Carolina Biological. Then make a list of the items you need for your experiment and give it to Mr. Liang. 

 

When should I order my materials for my experiment? 

Typically, all materials needed should be ordered sometime in the fall, as soon as your group get’s IRB approval. But every group in Science Research is pretty much on their own timeline because every group’s experiment does not get approved at all the same time, and some groups may need to find participants first so it can vary a lot between groups and the kinds of experiments.  

 

 

Outside Competitions/Mentorships

 

What is NYCSEF? 

NYCSEF is the New York City Science and Engineering Fair.

Why do we compete in NYCSEF?

Well why not? Our school has some of the most amazing projects in the city because of how creative our students are. NYCSEF is a chance for many to present their experiments and get opportunities to display how our experiments can benefit the real world. 

 

What is mock NYCSEF? Why do we have it?

Mock NYCSEF is in essence a fake NYCSEF. It is set-up just like NYCSEF and you present as you would at the fair, but instead of actual judges, you are presenting to your peers and teachers. We have it so that you and your group can practice presenting your parts, as well as each other’s parts, in front of a “judge”. 

 

How can I prepare for the judges at NYCSEF?

Mock NYCSEF is a great way for preparing for the judges, as you will meet students and teachers who ask questions that can range from extremely easy to difficult. Additionally, as we get closer to NYCSEF, we conduct a mini NYCSEF fair in our research room. Here, your peers will listen to your presentations and ask you questions regarding your experiment. Also, you can always ask your research teacher for questions, which are typically harder than your peers’ questions.

 

Other than NYCSEF, what other competitions can I apply to?

Other than NYCSEF, there is ISEF and JSHS. You should also reach out to your Research teachers if you are interested in applying to either of these for more guidance.

 

What kind of summer opportunities are available for Science Research students?

During the summer, you can take bar coding classes with the Research teachers which are not mandatory. With these classes, you can create an experiment that deals with the new techniques you learn.

 

How do I get connected with a mentor/mentorship?

There are 2 main ways to get connected with a mentor. The first way is to send an email, with your resume, to labs in the area. You can find the labs by looking at university/college websites and seeing if any of the professors are doing research that you may be interested in. The other avenue is to take part in a program that matches you with a mentor (ex: The DNA Learning Center programs will pair you with someone after completing 2 courses). Another thing to try is to just google “High School Science Mentorships NYC” and explore the pages that pop up. 

 

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Switching Out of Research

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Is Science Research really as hard or as much work as some people claim?

Science research is a rigorous course, which is why it comes with a lot of work. The amount of dedication and effort that you put it is crucial to your future in this program. Additionally, the more work you input, the more you learn and the more ideas you will come across for your experiments. This program has paved the way for many people and in order for it to fully benefit you, you must take it and the work seriously.

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Why should I stay in Science Research if it's so stressful?

Science Research is stressful, but there are so many benefits to staying. Let’s start off with the fact that Science Research is one of the only programs that gives you credit. Additionally, you get to design and conduct your own experiment which is something not many people can say that they have done. Our research program is the most well known in the city and being in it is such a privilege. Any rigorous course you take is going to be stressful, but the stress and work you go through in research is for you to be a better student and to help you create some of the most amazing projects. 

 

How is Science Research after 9th grade? Is it better?

It definitely gets better. Freshmen year research is the hardest year because of all the articles and work you go through. The reason why you have to do all of that is so that you can learn and get a better grasp as to what the program is about, as well as start drafting ideas for an experiment. How do you come up with a detailed experiment without knowing the techniques you could use to conduct it? After you complete freshman year, all you start to worry about is your experiment and going to NYCSEF.

 

How do you guys not get stressed out with all the work you have and your other classes?

We do get stressed out, especially when NYCSEF applications start. During this time period, we have exams, finishing up data, applying to college, and have to apply to NYCSEF which is a very tedious process. This is why we have all developed better time management skills, thanks to research. We have all been able to allocate time for homework and use as much research time as possible to do our applications. If we are finished with our school work and have more time to invest, we will continue our research work. It is all about balance, which is something that you will grow into as you work your way through the years in research. 

 

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