NHS

To all current and potential NHS members: beginning with the 2015-16 school year I will be taking on the role of advisor for our chapter of the National Honor Society.  Changes to the application process and requirements for continued membership are in the works and questions should be addressed to me next fall.

Darwin Day Roadshow - Coming to Elkhart Lake

Next Wednesday, February 4, we will be visited by three scientists from the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, NC.  They will be talking with all of my science classes on that day.  For the past four years they've spent a couple weeks each year near Darwin's birthday to travel the country and share their research and experience with high school students.  This year they'll be visiting Wisconsin for the first time where they will spend one day with us and another day in Milwaukee.  This is a unique opportunity for our students to be exposed to PhD scientists who do real research on a daily basis and to probe further into this fascinating topic that forms the cornerstone of Biology.  Check out their website and contact me with any questions.  

Science course offerings changes

Some exciting changes are coming to the ELGHS Science Department.  Next year, AP Environmental Science will be taught for the first time, and the Agriculture Department will be offering another course (wildlife and natural resources) for science credit.  This will give students the opportunity to take 3 science courses for college credit: AP Environmental, AP Biology, and Horticulture.  Below is a chart showing all the available science courses and when students can take them.  Please contact Mr. Moore with any questions.

Trees for Tomorrow

Attention Sophomores: The annual trees for tomorrow trip will be held Nov 2 - Nov 5 at the trees for tomorrow camp in Eagle River, WI.  This opportunity introduces students to natural resources and the outdoors in a hands-on way and should be considered by anyone interested in possible career in natural resources.  Students interested in attending should prepare their essay and submit to Mr. Moore by Friday 10/10/14.  Students will be notified by Wednesday Oct 15 if they have been selected to attend.  See the website for more information on the camp.
http://treesfortomorrow.com/

Electrophoresis fun

In a recent AP Biology Lab, students performed gel electrophoresis with DNA samples to identify the "perpetrator" of a most serious "crime."

Glacial Feature Project - Environmental Science

Details for your Glacial Feature Project can be found on the Environmental Science Page along with a link to a great resource for understanding the glacial past of this area.  Note, you will need exact coordinates of your feature, so if you need to borrow a GPS, see me.

Genetic Engineering

Students in the AP Biology class successfully transformed E. coli cells with the ampicillin resistance gene (pUC8) in a lab this week.  The petri dish on the top left contains colonies of bacteria living on a growth medium containing ampicillin - an antibiotic that kills E. coli.  The only reason those colonies exist is because students gave them the ampicillin-resistance gene in the form of a plasmid and the cells are now expressing that gene.