October – December, 2016
Fall 2016 Science Courses
October – December, 2016
The courses that we’re offering this fall are listed below and longer descriptions follow. We’re accepting applications now. Click here for the brochure (pdf) for our Fall 2016 courses.
We've extended the application deadline to Wednesday, September 28.
Key Dates:
The Stars Challenge
PO Box 402
Colts Neck, NJ 07722
Fall 2016 Short Course Descriptions:
Mr. Roche is a research advisor and biology teacher at High Technology High School. Mr. Roche earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Environmental Studies from Montclair University and is the recipient of numerous grants and awards for excellence in science teaching. More…
This course will meet on Monday evenings from 6:00-8:00 pm at High Technology High School beginning October 10 for eight weeks followed by two optional follow-up sessions, one in January and one in February. Fill out your on-line application here.
We enjoyed a fun-filled, fast-paced experience in July during our “for girls only” coding camp that involved multiple aspects of computer science. We’ll definitely replicate the fun-filled aspects, but using new technology and introducing some new platforms and languages.
During the first half of the course, new students will get "up to speed" using Hour of Code activities and veterans will experiment with the Arduino Digital Sandbox. By the second half of the course all students will be working together on MIT Scratch, HTML/CSS and MIT App Inventor projects. All students will be challenged with opportunities to creatively apply programming concepts.
Newcomers are welcome and we'll quickly get you "up to speed" on computer science. Sorry guys ~not for you~ we're having too much fun with our "girls only" experiment! If you're interested in coding click here for lots of on-line resources. More…
| "I never thought that I would be interested in "coding" until I took Code Secrets. Now I'm planning on creating my own app! What an amazing class!" Felicia |
Click here to see photographs from Mr. Roche's course in Fall 2014 (pdf) and Fall 2015 (pdf).
Mr. Roche is a research advisor and biology teacher at High Technology High School. Mr. Roche earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Environmental Studies from Montclair University and is the recipient of numerous grants and awards for excellence in science teaching. More…
This course will be taught on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 pm at High Technology High School beginning October 4. Fill out your on-line application here.
If you'd like to learn more about coding but can't attend our course, there are lots of on-line resources available. A few of them are described here. Enjoy!
Explore Biotechnology is a lab intensive course that will give participants hands-on training in the use of the most common tools and technologies in biotechnology. Students will learn and experiment with advanced, cutting-edge techniques such as DNA extraction, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and gel electrophoresis, which scientists frequently apply to the medical and agricultural fields. A capstone investigation will allow students to determine whether or not certain foods have a genetically modified component by combining multiple techniques taught throughout the course. More...
Click here to see photographs from earlier Biotech courses in Fall 2013 (pdf), Fall 2014 (pdf) and Fall 2015 (pdf). These courses were taught by Mr. David Fusco who has accepted a promotion at Red Bank Regional High School. He will be assisting Dr. Nowicki this fall.
Dr. Julie Nowicki teaches Biotechnology Research and other advanced Biology and Biotech courses at Biotechnology High School (BTHS) in Freehold, NJ. She received her PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was an Assistant Professor at Georgian Court University, and has been at BTHS since 2007. She was selected as BTHS Teacher of the Year in 2013. We're delighted to have Dr. Nowicki join us! More...
This course will be taught on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 pm at Biotech High School beginning October 4. Fill out your on-line application here.
Summer may be over but you can still enjoy the beach and learn much more about it. This course provides hands-on investigations of the marine, coastal and estuarine habitats of the New Jersey shoreline. For example, have you ever wondered why waves push your surfboard forward or how rip currents form? You’ll get to know first-hand some of the unique marine life of the Jersey Shore from plankton to crabs, fish, reptiles and mollusks. You will also participate in several dissections. Classes will be held at Sandy Hook where you will participate in hands-on investigations of the park’s salt marsh, barrier beach and maritime forest environments. We will also build Aquabotz. Sound mysterious? Come join us! More…
Click here to see photographs from Ms. Burich's courses in Fall 2013 (pdf), Fall 2014 (pdf) and Fall 2015 (pdf).
Ms. Burich is the K-12 Program Coordinator of the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium on Sandy Hook where she oversees on-site educational programs administered by over 35 field instructors to more than 16,500 children each year. In addition, she facilitates hands-on marine science and ecology programs through NJMSC’s “Oceans to Go!” series. More…
This course will be taught on Saturdays from 9 until Noon at Sandy Hook beginning October 8. Fill out your on-line application here.
Creativity is the name of the game in this course! With your newly made friends, you’ll use your creativity and knowledge of physical science to create solutions to design challenges. For example, one challenge will be to build a memorial tower to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of your town. You’ll need to design your tower out of a single sheet of copy paper. Winning towers typically reach heights greater then six feet! Another challenge will be to build a marble roller coaster that enables a marble to take the longest time to reach the bottom. A third challenge is pulling your 5 year old daughter up out of a well using only wind power. Will your team win the challenge? This is your opportunity to innovate – to explore. This is Olympics for the mind! More…
Click here to see pictures from Mr. Valente’s earlier courses in Fall 2013 (pdf), Fall 2014 (pdf) and Fall 2015 (pdf).
Mr. John Valente is a teacher at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST). He teaches physics with an emphasis on physical oceanography and he teaches AP physics. He is also the Vice-President of the New Jersey American Association of Physics Teachers and conducts frequent workshops for physics teachers with the goal of improving physics teaching. More…
This course will be taught on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 pm at High Technology High School beginning October 4. Fill out your on-line application here.