All Honors Biology students are eligible to compete. Our team consists of 4 students.
Please see Mrs Luckhart if you are interested.
About Science League
The Science League Test is administered during the second Thursday of January, February, March, and April.
The purpose of the Science League is to provide competitions between schools in selected science areas of study.All competitions are on two levels.One level is for the students.Students within any one testing area are ranked with each other based upon their scores on 3 of the 4 exams given.Any student completing 3 of the 4 exams receives a certificate from the Science League.The top ten percent (10%) of the students receiving a certificate also receive a student plaque.Last year the League awarded approximately 240 student plaques.The plaques are presented to the students in conjunction with your school’s awards program.
The next level of competition is with teams.The students make up teams from the various schools.Each school only needs two members for each team, but as many as four may compete for each subject area.Schools may sign up for one to nine teams.Team scores which is sum of top 2 student scores are cumulative from January through April.Competition within each testing area is extremely keen.By the end of the season there can be as little as one question separating first place from second place.The final team score for the season will be the sum of all four exams.Schools are ranked from #1 down to the last school.The top 10 schools (not 10%) are awarded plaques.
BIOLOGY I : No AP or second year students in this category.60 multiple choice questions per exam.
Topics of Study
JANUARY EXAM - Structure and Function
•cell structure and function, diffusion, osmosis, active transport
·structure of matter (basic chemistry including the chemistry of water and pH), "biomolecules" (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids)
·Enzyme catalysis
·Homeostasis at the cell level
·Cell reproduction & mitosis
·Hierarchy of organization from cell to system
oBOUNDARY: The emphasis here is on hierarchical organization and the relationship between structure and function at the levels of organs and organ systems
FEBRUARY EXAM - Heredity & Reproduction
•Structure and function of DNA
·Patterns of genetic inheritance, limited to Mendelian patterns, X-linkage, non-dominance, co-dominance, multiple allelism
·DNA replication
·Organization of DNA into chromosomes
·What is a gene?
·Transcription & translation
oBoundary: Students are not expected to memorize the names and characteristics of specific amino acids or the detailed minutiae of transcription and translation, such as the names of specific enzymes.
oDNA technology (genetic engineering, PCR, DNA fingerprinting, DNA manipulation, bioinformatics, stem cells)
·Types of mutations and their potential impacts
·Genetic disorders
·Regulation of gene expression
·Different roles of DNA (coding, noncoding, regulatory, structural)
·Embryology and development
·Meiosis
MARCH EXAM - Evolution and Diversity
•The principles of evolution (including natural selection and common descent)
oBoundary: Students should understand the principles of evolution; however, students do not need to engage in the classification of species.
oAbility of a species to reproduce
oGenetic variability of offspring due to mutation and recombination of genes
oFinite supply of the resources required for life
oNatural selection, due to environmental pressure, of those organisms better able to survive and leave offspring
·Environmental factors affect expression of traits
·Molecular evidence for evolution (e.g., DNA, protein structures, etc.)
·Multiple lines of descent can be inferred from the DNA composition of organisms.
·Population genetics
oBoundary:
§Students should understand the concept of proportional changes in a population over time.
§Students do not need to independently calculate population dynamics using the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Theorem.
§Students are expected to read and interpret population graphs and develop evidence-based predictions regarding selection pressures.
APRIL EXAM PART I - Matter and Energy Transformations
·Carbon, nitrogen, water cycles
·Food chains, webs
·Trophic levels
·Flow of energy through ecosystems
·Photosynthesis and cellular respiration (including anaerobic processes) provide most of the energy for life processes.