Governor's School Quarterly Update

November 5 - Election Day (NHREC/GSST School & Offices Closed)

November 27 - 29 - Thanksgiving Holiday (NHREC/GSST School & Offices Closed)

December 2 - Last Day to Withdraw from Dual Enrollment

December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break (NHREC/GSST School & Offices Closed)

As we wrap up the first quarter, we are delighted to announce that it has been a remarkable success for our students. Their hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm have truly shone through in both academic and extracurricular activities. To celebrate this accomplishment, our students concluded the quarter with an engaging Spirit Week, filled with fun events and a vibrant display of school spirit.

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the GSST's Impact Innovators Leadership (IIL) student group for their exceptional planning and coordination of this week’s festivities, which feature exciting Halloween-themed activities. Their efforts have provided our students with valuable opportunities for social interaction and enjoyment. (Please see pictures at the end of the Newsletter.)

Here’s what’s in store for Spirit Week:

Monday: College Dreaming

Tuesday: Mad Scientist (dress like crazy scientists)

Wednesday: Anything But a Backpack

Thursday: Halloween Costumes & Trick-or-Treating

Friday: GSST School Colors / Merchandise

Thank you for your continued support as we look forward to another exciting quarter ahead!

The Governor’s School is excited to announce the launch of an innovative aquaponics research project, offering our Senior Research students a cutting-edge opportunity to explore the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and sustainable agriculture. This initiative underscores our commitment to hands-on, real-world research that prepares students for the challenges of tomorrow.

The EDIE Lab: Where Innovation Takes Root

The project is based in the Engineering, Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial (EDIE) Lab, our hub for scientific exploration and solving real-world problems. The EDIE Lab provides the ideal environment for students to delve into the complex world of aquaponics, where they’ll gain practical experience in sustainable food production.

Expert Guidance and Community Support

The project kicked off with an enlightening visit from Ms. Tiffany Wood, a specialist from the Virginia Tech Extension Center for Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research. Her expertise laid the groundwork for our students as they set up their first classroom aquaponics system in the EDIE Lab.

We are also grateful for the generous grant from the Virginia AeroSpace Business Association (VASBA).

We are thrilled to recognize the outstanding achievements of seniors Karen Hu and Teagan Ketterman, who have both contributed to published research papers—an exceptional accomplishment at the high school level!

Karen’s journey in research took shape during her summer internship at NASA, where she conducted cutting-edge work in machine learning. Her findings have been published in Frontiers in Remote Sensing, showcasing her dedication and skill. Read Karen's paper here.

Teagan, meanwhile, participated in the Agriculture program at the Summer Residential Governor's School at Virginia Tech. Teaming up with fellow students, he co-authored Resilient Agroecosystems: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Beef and Ethanol Production Amidst Climate Change, which explores sustainable practices in agriculture.Access Teagan's paper here.

Congratulations to both Karen and Teagan for this remarkable milestone—they have set an inspiring example for their peers, proving that the pursuit of knowledge can make a meaningful impact even before graduation!

Empowering Future Innovators: Roots for STEM Robotics Camp Fosters STEM Interest

The GSST student-run club, Roots for STEM, recently hosted their first camp of the year on October 25! During the camp, participants had the opportunity to learn programming skills and engage in exciting challenges such as programming robots to race. The camp aimed to foster an early interest in computer science and help participants improve their coding abilities. All genders and skill levels were welcome, with the camps specifically designed for students in grades 3 - 9. The camp drew over 50 participants. This initiative plays a crucial role in our ongoing efforts to build a strong STEM pipeline for the Governor's School program.

Multivariable Calculus students have been working on exploring differentiation of functions of multiple variables. We have explored many applications to optimization and machine learning.

Here Om, Michelle, and Jack (all Tabb HS) are working on a lab to describe motion in three dimensional space using properties of derivatives of vector valued functions.

We have also done a lab describing how to optimize neural networks by training a model to a data set.

Differential equations students have been learning about the types of first order differential equations and how to recognize and solve them. They have explored various applications including carbon dating and modeling mixing solutions.

Pictured below: First order differential equations showdown! Differential equations students racing to solve problems and breaking down the steps to their classmates.

Calculus students have been working hard in Unit 3, exploring the various applications of derivatives.

Related Rates

One of the key applications of derivatives is related rates, where we find the rate of change of one quantity by relating it to other quantities with known rates of change.

Image: Tori (Grafton HS) practicing a related rates problem involving a cone.

Hyperbolic Functions

Students were introduced to a new family of functions: hyperbolics. Although hyperbolic functions resemble trigonometric functions, they are derived from the unit hyperbola rather than the unit circle, like traditional trigonometric functions. Hyperbolic functions are often used to model real-world scenarios involving “catenary” shapes, such as a hanging cable or a power line suspended between two poles.

Exploring Interconnected Concepts in Pre-Calculus

In Pre-Calculus, students delve into several interrelated concepts beyond just factoring, solving equations, and finding zeros. These concepts deepen their understanding and provide multiple perspectives on polynomial functions.

When students graph a polynomial function, they observe that the zeros (or roots) of the function correspond to points where the graph intersects the x-axis. This visual representation helps them understand the function's behavior, as they see that the x-intercepts of a graph are synonymous with the function’s zeros, found by setting the function equal to zero and solving for \( x \).

Students use the terms “zeros” and “roots” interchangeably, as both refer to the values of \( x \) that make the function equal to zero. They learn that solving a polynomial equation yields solutions identical to the zeros or roots of the corresponding polynomial function.

Additionally, students apply factoring, as well as long and synthetic division, to find values of \( x \) that make the polynomial equal to zero. They are often fascinated to see how these concepts connect, offering multiple approaches to understanding and solving polynomial functions.

These foundational tools in pre-calculus help students grasp the relationships between equations, graphs, and solutions, enriching their mathematical journey and deepening their comprehension of polynomial functions.

Junior Research students have been actively engaged in data collection for their class science project, designed to model the research process. So far, they have participated in various methods to study factors affecting human visual estimation of area. All students contributed to selecting the topic and designing the experiment, as well as participating in data collection.

Pictured:

• Left: Carlton (Poquoson), Luke (Jamestown), and Brandon (Tabb) observing the object from a distance.
• Middle: Elizabeth (Poquoson), Jenna (Jamestown), and Raquel (Tabb) recording their area estimations.
• Right: A plot of the collected data, comparing the distributions of relative errors for two groups of students—those with and without visual correction—in estimating the area of a circle.

Students in Senior Computational Science are currently learning C++ and Python programming, focusing on loops and conditional statements. They are also acquiring skills in data cleaning using various tools to facilitate data analysis in the R programming language. Plots, such as parallel coordinate plots, are becoming part of the students’ standard repertoire for graphing and communicating data.

Additionally, in the William & Mary AIRduino project, students are diligently working on design enclosures, documentation, and data dashboards. We are making steady progress toward collecting data for the project as we move forward.

(Right) Ms. Tiffany Wood from the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center presented information to the Senior Research class on setting up our first classroom aquaponics system. This will be an ongoing project supported by the Virginia Tech Extension Center.

Images below:

(Left) Seniors listen intently to Ms. Wood as she explains the basics of setting up the aquaponics system for research.

(Middle & Right) The seniors share their research findings on the most efficient classroom aquaponics systems.

Students Brendan (Lafayette), Dhruhi (Bethel), and Breanna (Warhill) verify Isaac Newton’s Second Law of Motion using modern in place measuring devices in Physics I class. Newton’s Laws were first published in Newton’s Principia in 1687. The French mathematical physicist Alexis Clairaut said of it in 1747 “The method followed by its illustrious author Sir Newton ... spread the light of mathematics on a science which up to then had remained in the darkness of conjectures and hypotheses."

Students in the Calculus-based Engineering II class are delving into the fascinating world of electricity and gaining hands-on experience through various experiments. One such experiment involves exploring charge interaction by playing Electric Field Hockey. The goal is to use as few charges as possible to get the charged puck to the goal while maneuvering around obstacles. Students demonstrated remarkable creativity in achieving this.

Additionally, students learned about capacitors, which are electronic components in a circuit that store electrical energy by accumulating charge on their plates. In a lab experiment, they explored how the distance between the plates of a capacitor influences its ability to store charge. Later, students built their own capacitors using foil and lined paper as a dielectric to determine the dielectric constant of the paper.

As they began learning about circuits, each team constructed a Theremin, a musical instrument that can be played without touch. By waving their hands near special antennas, students could control the pitch and volume, enhancing their understanding of electrical principles in a fun and interactive way.

Biology students spent October learning about cellular respiration and fermentation, as well as photosynthesis.

Above, (L to R): Tori (Grafton HS) and Unkara (Smithfield HS) use Vernier sensors to monitor consumption of oxygen gas and production of carbon dioxide by germinating peas performing aerobic cellular respiration. This experiment both demonstrates how scientists can detect and quantify rates of respiration, and makes it clear that plant cells perform, not only photosynthesis, but also aerobic respiration. Ian and Jace (both from York HS) discuss their data for the same project.

Above (L to R): Malini (Tabb HS) and Isabella (Grafton HS) use a hydrometer to measure the alcohol content in the biofuel produced by fermenting yeast. Thatcher (Poquoson HS) and Xavier (Lafayette HS) employ the Benedict's Test for reducing sugars to monitor the consumption of glucose in the fermentation media, compared with a Standard Curve. Greater reducing sugar content is demonstrated by the warmer colors resulting from the test and their samples demonstrated dwindling glucose supply, as it was consumed during fermentation.

Above, (L to R): Lillian (Warhill HS) photographs her experiment demonstrating the production of oxygen gas by photosynthesizing leaf disks. As the disks accumulate oxygen in the spaces of the leaf fragment, as a product of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, the disks begin to float. Nikhil and Enaaz (both from Grafton HS) monitor the second part of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, using a Spectrophotometer to detect a change in the transmittance of light of a chemical, DCPIP. DCPIP intercepts high energy electrons from the light-dependent reactions and, as it is reduced, becomes colorless, thus transmitting more and more light through the sample.

Rotational Motion

High-flying physics experiment! Computational physics students investigate uniform circular motion using toy cows as their 'moo-tion' models.

In uniform circular motion, an object travels in a circular path at a constant speed while constantly changing direction. This change in direction involves centripetal acceleration, directed toward the center of the circle, and is given by a = v2/r where v is the speed and r is the radius. This interplay of speed and direction helps explain the motion of planets, cars turning, and of course the flying cows!

Newton’s Second Law

Students are engaged in proving Newton’s Second law of motion. Newton's second law of motion, expressed as F = ma, explains how force, mass, and acceleration are interconnected. It tells us that the force acting on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration. This principle underlies everything from the kick of a soccer ball to the launch of a rocket, illustrating how forces shape motion in our world.

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