Program Purpose
The purpose of the Science Program at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® is to provide a personalized, competency-driven, inquiry-based, problem-centered, and integrative learning environment that promotes scientific habits of mind and provides students with a firm knowledge base in biology, chemistry, and physics.
The essence of a scientific mind is to make sense of the universe through collected data, observations, and integrative reasoning. Processes that unify the science program involve developing skills to gather, integrate, and understand information about profound questions. The science program aims to immerse students in inquiry, beginning with more teacher-directed activities in class and progressing to student-driven inquiry, which often culminates in SIR or independent study work.
Personalization in the science program is reflected in both teachers’ one-on-one work with students outside of class and in the choices presented to students as they develop their course of study. After completing the core science classes, which include Scientific Inquiries in Chemistry, Scientific Inquiries in Biology, Scientific Inquiries in Physics, and Methods in Scientific Inquiry, students may choose from a wide range of electives in each study area to meet their graduation requirements. The core science classes are taken during students’ sophomore year, but a student may take, for example, Organic Chemistry and Modern Physics, or Microbes and Disease and Advanced Chemistry as their sciences junior or senior year.,
Current Course Offerings
- Advanced Chemistry – Chemical Reactions (Dual credit)
- Advanced Chemistry – Structure and Properties (Dual credit)
- Biochemistry
- Biology: Evolution & Environment (Core, Dual credit)
- Biology: Molecular & Cellular (Core, Dual credit)
- Biology of Behavior
- Biophysics
- Biotechnology Techniques in Chemistry
- Cancer Biology
- Chemistry
- Computational Science
- Electronics
- Engineering
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Microbiology
- Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ecology (Not offered in 26-27)
- Global Climate Change
- Human Anatomy & Physiology I
- Human Anatomy & Physiology II
- Medicinal Chemistry (Not offered in 26-27)
- Methods of Scientific Inquiry
- Modern Physics
- Organic Chemistry I
- Organic Chemistry II
- Pathophysiology
- Physics: Algebra-based Mechanics
- Physics: Calculus-based Electricity / Magnetism
- Physics: Calculus-based Mechanics
- Physics: Sound and Light
- Planetary Science
- The Physical Chemistry of Materials