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Science

STORIES

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Each science course at Potomac emphasizes practical investigation of the physical or natural world. Students are encouraged to synthesize facts into concepts, build models, and use scientific literature and databases to build foundations for understanding scientific inquiry.

Potomac’s science program supports learning by doing through

  • collaboration and risk-taking
  • project-based work
  • critical and analytical thinking
  • hands-on lab work

Our curriculum encourages curiosity about our natural world.

Learn more about our science faculty

In the lab and in the field

Opportunities for high-level lab and fieldwork are part of the science program at Potomac across all divisions. In the Upper School we focus on expanding knowledge of specific topics and cultivating scientific thinkers. Our extensive labs provide ample resources to work on independent research, tinker with robotics, and to view challenges as opportunities.

Requirements

The minimum requirement in science is the completion of three years of departmental courses Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

Course Spotlights

Science, Technology, and Society

Through laboratory investigations and case studies, students will investigate the nature of the scientific method behind the research, generate experimental models for these technologies, and develop their own conclusions regarding these discoveries.

Advanced Organic Chemistry

While traditional high school chemistry courses focus on predicting products and studying the properties of chemical reactions, organic chemistry focuses on the specific mechanisms by which bonds are broken and formed.

Topics in Genetics

The primary commonality between all living things is a simple molecule that we call DNA. As scientific research advances, geneticists enrich our understanding of the dynamics, nuances and importance of this molecule and how it can be manipulated.