Engineering Nature:
Earth System Science and Climate Change

Grades 10–12, Term I, ½ credit 

Can we control nature? In the age of engineering, can solutions which once seemed like science fiction be the answers to our climate problems? Students will build on their understanding of the kinematics and dynamics behind how the Earth's climate system functions and learn how humans have perturbed this system. Through hands-on experiments, they will explore multiple case studies about how our impact on Earth's thermal system has made major changes in areas such as ocean chemistry, storm intensity, and coastline geomorphology. The capstone of this course is a student-driven design engineering project which will engage students in posing questions and using maker spaces to develop solutions.

Aquatic Systems offers students the chance to explore aquatic life and ecosystems through the lens of place—from freshwater lakes and rivers to brackish wetlands, estuaries, and the open ocean. Students examine how physical conditions like salinity, depth, and flow shape biodiversity, physiology, and ecological interactions across these environments. Topics include microbial productivity, invertebrate and vertebrate adaptations, food web dynamics, and the impact of human activity on aquatic systems. Coursework is grounded in lab investigation and field-based inquiry. Students conduct water quality testing, sample aquatic organisms, and participate in conservation-focused fieldwork, including horseshoe crab monitoring and estuarine research. Through comparative analysis of systems such as mangrove forests, salt marshes, and coral reefs, students develop a broad and applied understanding of aquatic biology. Topics may include freshwater ecosystems, brackish systems, estuaries,  marine systems, conservation across aquatic systems. (Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry or higher and departmental approval)

This advanced course examines Earth as an engineered system of interconnected energy and matter flows. Students apply systems and futures thinking to explore how interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere drive climate processes and change. Through modeling, lab investigations, and real-world case studies, students analyze both historical and emerging climate dynamics to understand how human activities perturb natural equilibria. Drawing on principles of environmental engineering and design, students use systems models to prototype innovative, science-based solutions that promote resilience and sustainability. The course culminates in a Design Capstone, where students collaborate to create, test, and communicate actionable interventions for a changing planet (Prerequisite: Biology and Chemistry or Physics).

This advanced, lab-rich elective invites students to dive into the physics of fluids and the fundamentals of thermodynamics—exploring the principles that govern everything from ocean currents and weather patterns to engines and stars. Beginning with the properties of matter and the nature of fluids, students investigate pressure, buoyancy, fluid flow, and the surprising behaviors behind phenomena like flight and flotation. The course then transitions to thermodynamics, where students explore temperature, energy transfer, heat engines, and entropy, developing both a conceptual and mathematical understanding of the laws that shape our universe. Throughout, students engage in hands-on labs and experiments, analyzing real data and applying theoretical models to real-world systems. Students design a final project of their own choosing, showcasing their mastery of the material through creative exploration or practical application. This course builds a strong foundation for further study in physics or engineering, while nurturing scientific curiosity and independent thinking. (Prerequisite: Physics or Core Enriched Physics)

This calculus-based elective provides a deep dive into mechanics.  Applications that deepen and enrich core physics learning of kinematics, Newton’s Laws, universal gravitation, linear and rotational momentum, Energy, Simple Harmonic Motion, sound, and waves are explored.  Using digital probeware available in the laboratory and on their phones, students work collaboratively to design, conduct, and present a Capstone Experiment on a topic of their choice. Projects addressing mechanical performance or design in a wide range of disciplines including but not limited to athletics, dance, music, or mechanical engineering can be explored.  This course has a required Capstone experiment and term exam.  It is intended for inquisitive students with a strong interest in physical science or engineering.  (Prerequisite:  Physics or higher, Corequisite: Calculus 1 Enriched or higher)

This advanced course is a flexible, second-semester course that adapts its content to match student curiosity. As a calculus-based course, it begins by refreshing students' comfort with essential tools—dimensional analysis, order-of-magnitude reasoning, foundational probability, and the language of vectors—while deepening the mathematical sophistication. The remaining trajectory is co-designed by the class, selecting from threads such as special relativity and spacetime, quantum mechanics and information, nuclear and particle physics, solid-state and superconductivity, astrophysics and cosmology, or instrumentation and data analysis. Emphasis falls on questions that connect principle to practice: from lasers, semiconductors, and MRI/PET to GPS timing, quantum sensing, and space telescopes. Learning is inquiry-driven and collaborative, blending hands-on experiments with theoretical exploration, computational modeling, and technology design challenges. Culminating in a final project, students cultivate conceptual depth, physical intuition, and investigative confidence—emerging with a skillset well suited for further study in physics, astronomy, or engineering. (Prerequisite: Physics or higher, Corequisite: Introduction to Calculus or higher)

AP® Physics C: Mechanics

Grades 11 & 12, Term I, ½ credit

Astrophysics: Light and Stars

Grades 10–12, Term I, ½ credit

This course will allow students to explore the stars and what powers them. Students will start by learning to navigate the sky, then turn to the nature of light, our main (and until recently, only) method of observing the heavens. Finally, the bulk of the semester will be spent on the primary sources of light in the universe: stars. The course will answer questions such as: How does light travel across the universe, and what hinders it? What powers stars? How do stars form, and what conditions create different types of stars? What happens as a star’s fuel runs out? The semester will end with topics of the students’ choice, which may include exoplanets, cosmology, solar system formation, black holes, galaxies, quasars, and more. Throughout the semester, the course will exchange in-class days for other events, such as observations at night with Hopkins’ telescopes. (Prerequisite: Algebra 2; Co-requisite: Chemistry)

Design Engineering 

Grades 10–12, Term II, ½ credit, Student may declare credit for Science or Art

Answering the call of  twenty-first century research to recognize the powerful synergy between art and science, this multidisciplinary course is team-taught by teachers in both disciplines. Students explore the space where science and art overlap by working individually and collaboratively on a series of projects and research-based experiments. Equal time in the classroom, laboratory, and art studio enables students to learn the science, practice visualizations, and produce viable, creative, and whimsical solutions to scientific problems. Projects may include designing vehicles in which fluid dynamics serve as inspiration for beautiful line patterns and vice versa, creating structures that recognize the relationship of form and function in architecture, mapping the mathematics in nature, manipulating waveforms in the production of music and optical effects. This course counts as an academic course for determining course load. (Co-requisite: Precalculus or higher)

Earth Science: Core to Crust

Grade 7

Earth Science: Surface to Space

Grade 8

This course exposes students to additional topics within the area of Earth Science. Using the world around us as our subject, students study topics that include climate and weather, water, and other natural resources. Introductory physics concepts such as mechanics, energy transfer, and gravity are taught within the context of these topics. Through lectures, labs, and projects, students develop an awareness of some of the complexities of the modern world, including the transfer and transformation of energy, climate change, and resource allocation. The course emphasizes the development of analytic thinking and reasoning. The course aims to portray science as a relevant and rewarding field of study and to prepare students for more advanced work in the high school.

Science Research Program

Hopkins Authentic Research
Program In Science (HARPS)

Grade 11 ONLY, Full-year course, 1 credit;
Additional Summer Lab Research, ½ credit

Hopkins provides students with an opportunity to engage in authentic scientific research at a partner university or other research lab after completing a year-long experimental design curriculum on campus. In Term I of Grade 11, students concentrate on specific elements of the scientific method by executing physical and biological science techniques, completing targeted experiments, and delving into and critiquing current scientific articles in a journal-club format, all while learning content to complement experimental work. Upon this foundation, students begin to narrow their focus to a scientific area and identify potential laboratories doing work which aligns with their interests. After the summer experience, students share their research with the greater community during a poster session. The top presenters at this session will be invited to deliver a talk to their peers during the Fall science seminar. (Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry, application, and departmental approval)

Physics Enriched combines bold curiosity with real-world exploration as students uncover the essential principles of physics. This course blends deep conceptual insight and mathematical fluency with hands-on investigation, guiding students through the essential principles of mechanics, motion, forces, momentum, and energy in the first term, then advancing into rotational dynamics, gravity, orbital mechanics, electricity, and circuits in the second. Throughout, students engage in real-world problem solving, experimental work, and data analysis, leading to an immersive field experience at Six Flags New England, where they use smartphone technology to collect and analyze ride data to see physics in action beyond the classroom. The year concludes with collaborative group projects that push students to synthesize and apply what they’ve learned, inviting them to explore special additional topics like sound, relativity, or fluid dynamics (among many others). Physics Enriched is designed to empower students to think like physicists and ignite their curiosity and confidence, building the foundation and scaffolding necessary for success in advanced level physics courses, while helping students discover and pursue their own passions within physics and beyond. (Co-requisite: Precalculus Enriched or higher)

Psychology

Grades 11 & 12, Term I & II, ½ credit

This course includes topics typically studied in a standard college introductory psychology course. It provides a general overview of the following topics: methods, approaches, and history; biological basis of behavior; sensation and perception; state of consciousness; learning; cognition; motivation and emotion; testing and individual differences; developmental psychology; personality; abnormal psychology; treatment of psychological disorders; and social psychology. In addition, students begin to explore the process of self-discovery through classroom assignments and individualized projects. For those students interested in taking the Advanced Placement® Examination in Psychology, supplemental preparation is offered. (Prerequisites or Co-requisites: Biology and Chemistry)

Robotics Engineering

Grades 10–12, Term I, ½ credit

This is a multi-disciplinary and project-based learning course which will introduce students to robots and engineering in our technologically-advancing global society. The driving question for this class will be “How can robots make a positive impact and solve problems and challenges in our global community?” Working in guided inquiry teams, students will research and identify their community problem and work towards the goal of successfully designing, building, and testing a robot that can provide a viable, robust solution. Using the Engineering Design Process, students will learn how to logically and methodically progress through their identified challenge through the stages of robot design and develop an understanding for the iterative nature of problem solving. Students will learn how to design a robot chassis with motion, sensor control hardware, and arm manipulation. Students will also learn how to code the hardware for both driver-controlled and autonomous modes.

Biology

Grades 9 & 10

Chemistry

Grades 10–12

This fundamental science course includes lecture, problem-solving, integrated activities, and laboratory experiments, and is designed to introduce the student to the nature of matter. The material is presented with both descriptive and quantitative considerations, with emphasis on problem-solving skills and abstract (theoretical) conceptualization. Topics include: gas laws and kinetic theory, properties of matter, basic kinetics, the structure of the atom, periodicity of the elements, chemical bonding and molecular structure, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, nuclear chemistry, equilibrium, and acids and bases. Placement in the Chemistry classes will be based on a placement test and departmental approval. Please note, while both Chemistry and Chemistry Accelerated are first year chemistry courses, material is taught in a different order. Movement in either direction between the two courses after the school year has started is burdensome for the student.  (Prerequisite: Biology)

Chemistry Accelerated

Grades 10–12

This course is designed for students with high science aptitude and proven achievement in both science and mathematics. Thus, self-motivation and a significant time commitment are required for mastery of the material. Topics include: the structure of the atom, nuclear chemistry, periodicity of the elements, chemical bonding and molecular structure, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, gas laws and kinetic theory, kinetics, thermodynamics, equilibrium, and acids and bases. The course may also include some of all of the following topics: oxidation/reduction, electrochemistry, and biochemistry. Placement in the Chemistry classes will be based on a placement test and department approval. Please note, while both Chemistry and Chemistry Accelerated are first year chemistry courses, material is taught in a different order. Movement in either direction between the two courses after the school year has started is burdensome for the student. (Prerequisite: Biology and departmental approval)

Our introductory physics course is designed to provide a solid scaffolding for students to start building up their understanding of essential principles in physics as well as some of the applications of those principles in the world around us. The course is based on conceptual and algebra-based learning supported by frequent hands-on experiences and lab activities. The syllabus is composed of kinematics, dynamics, momentum, and energy in the first term, and universal gravitation, simple harmonic motion, rotational mechanics and planetary motion, and electricity and simple circuits in the second term. The course leads to an immersive field experience at the Six Flags amusement park in New England in the second term. Finally, the year course concludes with collaborative group projects that encourage students to choose a project that aligns with their personal interests and to synthesize and apply what they have learned. (Co-requisite: Precalculus or higher)

AP® Physics C:
Electricity and Magnetism

Grades 11 & 12, Term II, ½ credit

In the second half of this second-year Physics course sequence, students investigate Maxwell’s laws of electricity and magnetism. Calculus is an essential tool in both terms while the range of topics discussed becomes more focused and the depth of problems explored dramatically outstrips those seen in the preparatory course, AP® Physics 1. This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement® Examination in Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, and concludes with a review period covering both mechanics and electromagnetism. (Prerequisite: AP® Physics C: Mechanics).

Anatomy and Physiology

Grades 11 & 12, Term II, ½ credit

This course gives students the opportunity to explore how the human body works by investigating the structure and functions of its parts and systems. Topics include the muscular, skeletal and cardiovascular systems, as well as other topics that demonstrate the interconnectivity of all the systems. The lab component of this course allows students to compare anatomical structures among various species and to investigate the evolutionary relationships across taxa. (Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry or Physics)

Contemporary Issues In Science

Grades 11 & 12, Term II, ½ credit

This course gives students a chance to dive into science topics that they may not have otherwise had a chance to consider. Are stem cells the new magic bullet in eradicating human diseases? Do detox diets do a better job than your own liver?  Is the statement “I took a homeopathic remedy, and two days later my cold was gone. Homeopathy really works!” a post hoc logical fallacy or an argumentum ad ignorantiam? What emerging diseases should we watch out for, and should science eradicate mosquito species entirely? Class participation and discussion are essential components of this course. (Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry or Physics)

AP® Environmental Science

Grades 11 & 12, 1 credit

Students examine the four spheres of the natural world, the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere, from an interdisciplinary perspective that incorporates the data collected through scientific research with the social, economic, political, and legal issues of human society. Using a combination of laboratory and field experimentation, as well as local field trips, students examine issues of environmental concern that are both current and local, gaining understanding of the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. In addition, through readings and classroom discussions, students can further evaluate the history of environmental issues, our society’s attempts to identify and address them, and potential solutions to prevent or resolve these issues in the future. Students are expected to write both formal laboratory reports and more informal persuasive response papers on a regular basis. Topics include: the loss of biodiversity, population and community ecology, renewable and non-renewable resource use, energy consumption and production, agricultural systems and food distribution, human population growth and economic development, and the effects of pollution on human health and the environment. (Prerequisites: Biology, Chemistry and departmental approval)

Psychology

Grades 11 & 12, Term I & II, ½ credit

This course includes topics typically studied in a standard college introductory psychology course. It provides a general overview of the following topics: methods, approaches, and history; biological basis of behavior; sensation and perception; state of consciousness; learning; cognition; motivation and emotion; testing and individual differences; developmental psychology; personality; abnormal psychology; treatment of psychological disorders; and social psychology. In addition, students begin to explore the process of self-discovery through classroom assignments and individualized projects. For those students interested in taking the Advanced Placement® Examination in Psychology, supplemental preparation is offered. (Prerequisites or Co-requisites: Biology and Chemistry)