Overview
Students will have a basic understanding of the natural sciences, which are concerned with people's relationship with the natural and physical world. The various branches of natural science seek to understand the processes, components and interactions of the natural world, encompassing physics (matter and energy and their interrelations and transformations), biology (living organisms and their essential processes), chemistry (the physical properties and composition of nature and its products) and other subdisciplines that connect the major branches of natural science.
Educational Goals:
- To identify major concepts in natural science disciplines, which provide insights into the breadth of those disciplines and their relationship to other disciplines;
- To explain the method by which the sciences seek to explain the natural world and the development of hypotheses, models, theories and laws;
- To identify and assess the basis of the numerous scientific issues that affect the society in which the students live;
- To apply concepts and knowledge as they relate to research, problem solving and effective decision-making in the natural sciences;
- To analyze and evaluate the limitations of collected data and to explore possible alternative interpretations; and
- To recognize that "good" science operates on the same set of "ethical values" that govern society to include, but not limited to, honesty, objectivity, openness and respect for others.