“We are listening and responding to the student body,” Upper School (US) Science Department Head Stephanie Guilmet said, explaining the new science offerings and leveling for the 2025-26 academic year. The department plans to teach junior and senior electives exclusively at advanced, honors and AP levels, Ms. Guilmet said.

 The department is also introducing a new two-year research program, providing a small group of students with connections to external facilities.

 “We’re piloting a new research program, which is a two-year program for a very, very small group of students,” Ms. Guilmet said. “We felt really strongly that one thing that was missing from our curriculum was the connection to external research labs. … We’re really excited to have a handful of students apply and hopefully find some success in the course.”

 US Science Teacher Rachel Riemer recognized the challenge of offering all students access to advanced electives.

 “One of the trickiest things is equity of access,” she said. “If you start high school with different foundational skills, it’s really hard to make certain courses accessible to everyone … When you have levels, there can be a negative perception of the lowest level, so I think we have to really work on that.”

 Students who have already built a strong science foundation should continue to feel engaged and challenged at an appropriate level, Ms. Riemer said.

 “We want students to be able to pursue electives that they are interested in at every level, so that all students have a choice.”

 US Science Teacher Jared Courtney designed and will coordinate the research course, US Dean of Teaching and Learning Michael Chapman said. Students must complete an application with teacher recommendations to be accepted into the program.

 “Mr. Courtney brought this course proposal to the department this year, and we were happy to support him in this endeavor. As it is with many courses, others might be brought into the fold depending on interest, resources and capacity.”

 The department plans to only admit around four students into the program due to the resources required for quality research. However, this limited size may not be permanent, he said.

 “By starting small, we will learn from the first year and use that information to tweak the program. Perhaps we can expand it to more students or incorporate some parts of the curriculum into other courses.”

 The research course takes advantage of local opportunities, Mr. Chapman said.

 “For a while, the department has wanted a more in-depth research program for our students to give them a long-term opportunity to leverage the ample resources we have in our Greater Boston community.”

 Students interested in the research program must think carefully about their overall course load.

 “There are considerations that students applying have to consider: significant time commitments and consideration of their overall course load to ensure they have the best chance to be successful,” Mr. Chapman said. “I do think this is a fantastic opportunity for  our students.”

 The two-year program includes lab work at least one afternoon a week during the school year and additional time in the summer between junior and senior year, Mr. Courtney said.

 “The goal of the lab time would be to prepare students specifically for the research that they would do in the lab, whether it’s reading articles, learning content or learning about how scientific writing differs from non-scientific writing,” he said. “Writing a publishable scientific paper would happen in senior fall.”

 Students may also enter the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a competition where they can gain national notoriety, in their senior year. Mr. Courtney said the new course can adapt to students’ interests.

 “If you want to do X, I can find a researcher somewhere that does X, and let’s have you be the person who liaises between BB&N and that lab.”

 Initially maintaining a small class is essential because building external partnerships requires significant outreach, Mr. Courtney said.

 “The vision here would be to grow it to maybe eight to 10 students per year. This course will hopefully provide an authentic scientific lab experience, which is to say that the students will truly be independent lab researchers.”

 Amanda Berlin ’26 sees the research program’s potential.

 “The program is going to be very challenging for students, and it’s an exclusive program, so that might be a disappointment for a lot of students since only four people are admitted into that specific course,” she said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s a good idea, and hopefully in the future, it’ll develop into something bigger.”

 While some students appreciate the rigor of new science electives, others may have concerns, Amanda said.

 “Some students aren’t looking for an honors class and just want to learn the basics. I think it’s not great in that aspect, but I know a lot of students appreciate it. The people I’ve talked to about this are really interested in taking honors-level courses.”

 Amanda voiced her support for a potential forensics course.

 “There’s a good amount of electives, but I think forensics would be really cool,” she said. “It’s cool to analyze certain things, whether it’s real blood or real evidence. I’ve done a lot of programs over the summer on forensics, and I think there’s a lot to learn.”

 The Science Department also plans to reintroduce AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism and streamline AP Biology by integrating both its lecture and lab components into a single course. The new courses provide a diverse array of rigorous and engaging topics, Ms. Guilmet said.