The Governor's School Update

Welcome to the September edition of the Governor's School for Science and Technology (GSST) Newsletter. I'm pleased to share that the school year is off to a great start. This newsletter contains updates, announcements, and articles to keep you informed about our vibrant academic community.

In this edition, you'll discover recent achievements, upcoming events, and valuable information about GSST. We are dedicated to creating an engaging learning environment, with great growth and success for all our GSST students!

Thank you for your ongoing support, and enjoy reading the September GSST newsletter.

Sincerely,

Vikki Wismer

Director, Governor's School for Science and Technology

In select GSST courses, students have the opportunity to earn dual enrollment credits. This allows students in these courses the choice to either register for dual enrollment credits or opt not to do so.

Students received instructions regarding the enrollment process at school on Wednesday, September 6th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Deidre Yee, the Dual Enrollment Liaison, at deidre.yee@nhrec.org.

Note: Last Day to Drop or Add a Class: October 4, 2023.

Understanding Dual Enrollment Credits

Dual enrollment credits represent college-level coursework, typically transferrable to both public and many private colleges within Virginia, provided the student achieves a minimum grade of C. However, it's important to note that these credits may not be recognized by colleges located outside Virginia. Each individual college determines the acceptance and treatment of these credits.

Benefits of Dual Enrollment Credits

Accumulating college credits through dual enrollment has the potential to help students save money, fulfill general education requirements at their four-year college, promote timely graduation, and provide opportunities to pursue additional majors or minors.

Potential Drawbacks of Dual Enrollment Credits

Before deciding whether to enroll in dual enrollment credits, however, students should be aware of potential pitfalls.

First, accumulating a substantial number of dual enrollment credits can impact a student's eligibility for financial aid later in their college career. As outlined in the Dual Enrollment Student Guide: "A bachelor’s degree is typically 120 credits. You would become ineligible for financial aid if your total credits earned exceeded 180 credits (150% of 120)." Note that dual enrollment credits count toward that limit. To learn more about this potential pitfall and to get a fuller understanding of how dual enrollment credits can influence a student's subsequent college career, we strongly encourage students to consult the Transfer Virginia Dual Enrollment Student Guide.

Secondly, prospective pre-medical students should be mindful of the following policy of the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), the centralized application process utilized by most medical schools. Specifically, we interpret the AMCAS policy to require students to list dual enrollment courses and grades on their medical school application, even if the student repeated the course or never received credit for it at his/her degree-granting college. For more information about the medical school policy, we recommend reading the DE Med School Parent Letter. This information is provided in the interest of helping families make informed choices about whether to register for dual enrollment credits for eligible Governor’s School courses. It represents our best understanding based on information posted online, but should not be regarded as formal advice concerning medical school applications. Parents of students who are interested in those programs would be wise to investigate further to get definitive application information.

If your student plans to drive to Governor's School, they must obtain a parking permit. Starting on September 29, parking permits will be mandatory. A limited quantity of student parking permits is available for purchase at a cost of $35 each for the academic year. You can make payments in person with cash or a check at the NHREC Main Office or conveniently online at https://nhrec.revtrak.net/. After making the payment, please print and deliver the confirmation voucher to the Main Office to receive the rearview mirror tag.

NHREC 2023-2024 Transportation Letter

We kindly request that you review the NHREC 2023-2024 Transportation Letter, which outlines student parking policies and procedures in detail.

For ease of traffic flow and safety, students are required to adhere to directional signage and drive around the building in a counterclockwise direction. Student parking spaces are identified as those that do not bear markings such as "Visitor," "E-number" (reserved for employees), or "OA" (designated for office staff and administration).

Differential Equations Students' Completion of the First Project: Modeling College Costs

In our "Modeling College Costs" project (a 25-page paper), we utilized a cost formula to determine the cost of attending college. We selected 12 colleges in Virginia and identified the maximum and minimum costs of seven items per college, including tuition, cost per credit hour, supplies, room, board, application fees, and travel. The derivative of college cost represents the costs of colleges specifically in Virginia. Below, we present our college cost formula and the derivatives of our maximum and minimum values. We considered various variables in college costs, such as room and board, supplies, and personal expenses. In our modeled equation, 'n' represents the number of credit hours. This universal equation can be applied to almost any school and provides a quick estimate of college costs.

(Pictured: Andrea, Isaac, Nina, Evan, Alexander, Kevin, Justin, Kayleigh, Priya, Madison, Aidan, and Isaac -WJCC, Hampton, Poquoson- and , Abby, Henry, Alex, Aaron, Bethel, Finley, Elijah, Aruesha, Kaylee)

Exploring Vector Functions and Space Curves in Multivariable Calculus: Arc Length, Curvature, and Beyond

In multivariable calculus, students have learned about visualizing vector functions and space curves and utilizing those to find arc length and curvature. They have explored position, velocity, acceleration, projectile of an object, and the tangential and normal components of acceleration.

Pictures below: MVC students practice derivatives and integrals of vector functions.

Exploring Derivatives: From Limits to Shortcuts in Calculus

Calculus students are beginning to explore derivatives. First learning the limit definition of a derivative and relating it to the slope formula, and then the shortcut. In the image below, Sadie Yuhas (Tabb HS, York County) is using an online GeoGebra activity used to help students sketch the derivative (red dots) by controlling the slope of its matching line segment and making a tangent line.

Calculus students complete their 1st Lab (exploration). Students used the Desmos graphing calculator to explore derivatives of functions. The goal for creating derivative functions required students to drag the points (purple dots) to represent the slope of the tangent f(x) at each x value. When students were close to the correct values, the graph of the derivative function would appear in purple. Students would then make observations about what true function the tangent lines represented. Students in the picture: Sarah , Lafayette HS (left) & Faith , Poquoson HS (right)

Students in Research Methodology and Ethics have been working to determine an independent research topic. They began by perusing former projects to help generate new ideas. In preparation of students collecting their own data, they have been learning about data types and methods for describing data sets. Pictured below is a student's work of formulating a summary data sheet that shows the distributions of frequency, relative frequency, and cumulative frequency. In order to display data, students have utilized software to generate various graphs, including the histogram shown below.

Students of Physics I (Evan, Ian , Nikhil, Laon, and Michael, left to right) discuss the nuances of Newton’s Laws of Motion during a collaborative problem solving session.

During the first quarter, students are learning Einstein’s special theory of relativity. They also repeated one of the renowned experiments in history, the Michelson-Morley experiment, which provided the first experimental evidence for the concept of the constancy of the speed of light. Students will continue with their investigations by measuring the lifetime of cosmic muon particles using the state-of-the-art particle detector setup at GSST to confirm the relativistic time dilation effect. In the C++ unit, students are applying the knowledge they learned so far in C++ programs using Microsoft Visual C++ environment.

This month, Biology students applied their knowledge of atomic structure and molecular bonding to new learning about the structure and function of the major macromolecules involved in life processes: Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Nucleic Acids. Peer teaching, laboratory experimentation, and modeling all were used as learning strategies.

In the Computational Physics course, students are engaged in the essential task of measuring length through a variety of methods, including calipers. This skill not only forms a fundamental part of their scientific training but also underscores the significance of precision and accuracy in scientific endeavors. Additionally, students are gaining valuable experience in error analysis, a crucial component of scientific research, as they learn to account for and minimize measurement uncertainties.

Foundations of C++ and R Programming: Mastering R Markdown and Markdown for Neat Documentation

Students in computer science are in the beginning stages of understanding the basics of C++ and R programming language. They are also learning skills regarding R markdown and markdown as ways of documenting and making their work in a neat and readable format. Tasks include writing programs, analyzing data, making memes and coming with new names for Pikachu.

Students in Senior Honors Research are preparing for their mentorships by learning about how to interpret data in a scientific article. Students are also using case studies to understand how scientists approach finding a solution to the current problem of the Tasmanian Devils who are suffering from transmissible cancer.

Please join us for our Zoom guest speaker, Natalie Ricciardi, Ph.D. candidate in Alzheimer's Research. Natalie is a 2015 GSST BioChm stran alumna.

Thursday, September 28, 4-5 p.m.

Here is the Zoom link: https://nhrec-org.zoom.us/j/83722462474Links to an external site.Links to an external site.

A more streamlined Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) version will launch for the 2024-25 school year, greatly simplifying college financial aid applications. The update also expands federal aid eligibility, widening access to Pell grants. At the same time, a "sibling discount" for families with multiple college students has been eliminated, potentially affecting aid for about one-third of students. (Source: Jack Kent Cooke Foundation)