Ernest Seaholm High School - Piper Yearbook (Birmingham, MI)

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it T , 1. .- .9 'Z '14 or ,J ' -i 'QV I i C 'i i 1 '- sg . Experimentation results in understanding of basic biological theory and concepts Experimentation is the keystone of an effective biology course. By applying the principles learned in a textbook to the natural world the student receives a bal- anced knowledge of biology. The Seaholm biology department teaches this way, using the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study materials. Each student has two textbooks. One concentrates on the basic theory of biology, explaining many of the new developments in such fields as heredity and evolution. The other is a manual that outlines experiments designed to complement the material learned in the classroom. These experiments are interesting and quite varied. Besides performing the standard dissections, students breed fruit flies, grow yeast, collect insects, sample air pollution around the school, and experiment with taste sensations. Also included are field trips to swamps and forest, where biology can be studied in its natural state. Besides taking tests on the textbook material, students keep an accurate record of their experiments, showing what was done, how it was done, what happened, and what was concluded from the experiment. This type of biology course gives the student a detailed picture of his own relation to the natural world, and what this means to him. As Barb Foster peers into the microscope to examine the sample of spirogyra, her biology partner, Pat Case, cooperatively adiusts the plate, centering the specimen directly under the lens. s Steve Burrows Carl Bush Mark Busha Susan Byrnes :HW Y W tg of 3 Paul Cahill Marcia Caldwell

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Using the plastic maniquin, Dick Purdy points out some of the inner workings of the human body to Scott Yarbrough. Bill Rutherford and Lynn McGuire inoculate a culture tube with a yeast grain in an experiment in progressive growth. Sue Hodgeson, Cathy Hawley and Denise Jcxcobites measure off a square meter ir the courtyard to determine the various plants it ccntainsg Val Davis records. l 1 i i 4 i 4 I I ! Pen in hand, biologist Claudia Lyman scrutinizes the butterflies in her required in- sect collection and categorizes them as members of the Lepidoptera order. i ,fa ls!! Sz ref' Q fMw2g'wm..,r, ' ' ,, Vw Y MESH

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Jim Gillette and Sherry Williams examine a precipitate, which remains after a chemical solution evaporates. Dave Wehe and Jerry Kropp use the weight of a solution to calculate its chemical composition. - W-vt'5 ik:' ' ,4 Chemistry uses intensive research Chemistry at Seaholm is more than the study of evil-smelling chemicals. It is the prerequisite for anyone interested in pursuing the study of science, iust as algebra is necessary for anyone studying mathematics. Chemistry is taught using a type of intensive research that teaches the student basic scientific procedures, as well as a great deal of chemistry. There are two main areas of study. One deals with the nature of chemical substances, while the other delves into the reasons and effects of chemical changes. But first it is necessary to become acquainted with the scientific methods that will be used throughout the year. For instance, knowing how to use the slide rule is a must, since students will later be dealing with complicated chemical calculations. One of the first experiments, the sample observation of a burning candle, introduces the student to the necessity of obiectivity in science. Learning the nature of chemical substances goes far beyond apparent characteristics. Valences, oxidation factors, ionic pressure, kinetic speeds and solubility are things that must be taken into account. To understand what goes on in an experiment, the exact nature of the substance being used must be known. The experiments that deal with chemical changes pursue the questions of why and how. Performing an experiment that results in the production of hydrogen from hydo- chloric acid are Bob Maker, Dick O'Reen, Stephanie Sawdey and Ruth Dennis. 23 S . 32' . it