Roslyn High School Research Program

Research Program Overview

Roslyn High School

Roslyn High School’s Research Program provides the rare opportunity for students to design and conduct their own high-level projects in one of the following three areas:

§ Behavioral and Social Science – Students develop and carry out empirical research in areas such as psychology, epidemiology, political science, and economics. The work can be done at school or in a lab (e.g., university, medical practice). Recent project titles include:

o The Effect of Stereotype Threat on Girls' Performance on a Math Test

o The Relationship between School Starting Time, Student Sleep, Academic Performance and Mood

§ Math – Students work primarily in theoretical math to develop and prove own theorems. Recent project titles include:

o A Computer-Based Solution Generator for Integral Solutions to Pell's/Fermat's Second-Degree Diophantine Equation

o Periodic Binary Sequences

§ Science – Students begin work in school and typically devote at least one summer to working in a lab (e.g., university, hospital) to carry out empirical research in fields including environmental science, physics, and genetics. Recent project titles include:

o Isolation and Expression of an Epinephrine-synthesizing Enzyme (PNMT) from Entamoeba Parasites

o A Method For Detecting and Analyzing Monoclonality in Human Tissue

Year I: Introduction to Research course

§ Overview of the research process and basic skills

§ One semester

§ Can be taken in any grade but most commonly in grade 9 so students can start on independent work as early as possible

Year II: Students enroll in one of three year-long, alternate-day seminar classes: Behavioral and Social Science Research Seminar, Math Research Seminar, or Natural Science Research Seminar.

Year III and IV: Students enroll in Independent Study Behavioral and Social Science Research, Independent Study Math Research, or Independent Study Natural Science Research.

§ Students work one-on-one work with a teacher-advisor during free periods or lunch, much as a college student works with a professor on a thesis

§ All three areas involve independent study above and beyond a student’s regular academic program

§ One-half credit is earned for each semester of independent study research

Please contact Dr. Allyson Weseley at 625-6291 if you have any questions.