DGS is offering a new science class named Principles of Biomedical Science for the 2019-2020 school year.  The class, taught by Karen Eder and Scott Parker, concentrates on exposing students to concepts and careers within the biomedical science field.

The goal of Principles of Biomedical Science, commonly referred to by students and staff as PBS, is to allow students to learn through a problem-based format exploring topics such as crime-scene investigation, natural diseases and post mortem.  DGS Science Department chair and teacher of PBS Karen Eder shared her thoughts on why she believes the class is valuable.

“One of the things I really appreciate about this class is the career focus.  I feel like students might not be totally aware [of] all of the careers within the biomedical science field if you go into medicine or the biomedical field.  If you go into that field, you don’t have to be a surgeon, and so having an awareness of and some knowledge of the field really means you could have any number of jobs,” Eder said.

PBS is different from current science classes offered at DGS because the course is taught through the story of a woman named Anna Garcia who has died suddenly.  Students spend the year trying to figure out what exactly lead to her death. Senior Madison Bilotta explained her perspective on the style of learning used in the class.

“It’s definitely set up differently than other classes, but I think in a good way because I really like how it’s kind of a hands-on learning environment and how they have a crime scene set up, and you’re kind of following that storyline along.  [I’ve] never really done a class like that before, but I feel like it’s a lot more engaging, and you learn a lot more from it,” Bilotta said.

With any new class being taught, there are things that have gone awry due to the new curriculum.  Eder discussed some of these challenges and how she has handled them.

“There a few scheduling things that we’ll do differently.  We had a few technology hiccups at the beginning of the year related to getting all the students on to the Project Lead the Way site.  Mr. Parker and I meet or are in communication daily about how every lesson is going and how we can make it better,” Eder said.

As much as there has been positive feedback about the class, Bilotta shared some of the things she dislikes about the class.

“I do feel like it is a little easy.  I feel like it could be a lot more challenging because a lot of it is review or things that are really simple that we go over quite frequently or more than we have to for some of the things we learn,” Bilotta said.

Regardless of the first-year hiccups, Eder wants her students to be able to take away applicable information for their future from the class.

“My hope is that they learn some science, but I really hope that they get excited about [the] possibilities in the biomedical science field.  That means either in potential avenues for career exploration or in their own personal lives,” Eder said.