The Science Symposium

By PIERCE WILSON ‘19

Tonight, at 5:30 in the Pritzker lobby, students from advanced science classes will gather to present on their DYOs. For seniors, this evening will conclude their Milton science experience.

This event, known as the Science Symposium, was started eight years ago with the advent of the advanced science classes: Advanced Biology, Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Environmental Science, and Advanced Physics. According to Matt Bingham, who teaches Advanced Environmental Science, the Science Symposium began as way for seniors to showcase their best work of the year, and also get a feel for how “poster sessions” function in the science world outside of Milton. Bingham explained that “the symposium mimics the way students might present their findings and research as an undergraduate science student or research assistant.”

Typically only those students in courses labeled “Advanced” present in the Science Symposium, but according to Bingham, students from courses like Molecular Genetics and Marine Biology have occasionally presented in the past. This year, two students from Jim Kernohan’s Observational Astronomy class will present as well.

This year, students will present using a new poster format that is supposed to be more interesting and accessible for guests. Instead of using the traditional format, which, according to Heather Zimmer, who teaches Advanced Chemistry, is just “a lab report in poster form,” students will use a poster which simply showcases key findings and important graphs and then include a QR code which links to the full report.

The advanced science teachers chose to transition to this poster format in an effort to make the Science Symposium more digestible for students, parents, and non-science teachers, while still preserving the intensive science element. Responses to the posters from advanced science students has been mixed. Kat Stephan ‘19, who took Advanced Chemistry last year and is currently taking Advanced Biology, feels that the new posters “look less professional than the other ones,” but she understands the Science Department’s intention behind the change. Likewise, Kenya Mathieu ‘19, who takes Advanced Environmental Science, fears that the new poster format might not prepare students as well for undergraduate poster sessions.

Students in the Science Symposium will present on their ‘DYO’ labs, a hallmark of all Milton science classes. However, advanced science classes offer an extended DYO period with more access to resources. According to Zimmer, students in Advanced Chemistry are required to consider a “why do we care” factor in their choosing a lab topic, as the Science Department expects the the advanced students to provide some practical or real-world application for the results of their DYO.

From a Chemistry project that hopes to separate lead ions from water to an Environmental Science experiment which tests the suitability of nearby bodies of water for aquatic fleas, there is a lot to look forward to at the Science Symposium. All students will have a chance to watch their peers shine, and younger students can witness the many possibilities held by the study of high school science.

The event begins at 5:30 in the Pritzker lobby and is drop-in friendly. Light refreshments will be served.

Image courtesy of Google Images