Once a year, students in IB science classes conduct a project, known as Group IV. The purpose of the project is for students to understand the scientific method and implications of science. The students study a different topic each year, with this year’s topic being waste within the school. However, for this year, students did something different than usual: an in-school field trip on Nov. 14.

The project, which started in late Sept., was overseen by five IB Science teachers: Neal Jarvis of IB Environmental Systems, Isaac Boakye and Yaara Crane of IB Chemistry, Russell Youmans of IB Design and Technology and Claudia Lemus of IB Biology. The project is mandatory for any student enrolled in an IB science course.

“The students are working on the project, which is an IB interdisciplinary project, in a number of different ways, while focusing on one waste stream,” Jarvis said. “They will attempt to focus on the stream from the perspective of Scientists.”

Jarvis also noted that the students worked very productively in their time available for the Group IV field trip.

Senior David Croghan, whose group was conducting their project on the benefits and drawbacks of bottling cans, reacted positively to the field trip.

“The field trip has stimulated my interest in my group’s topic,” Croghan said. “The overall project will benefit the AHS community.”

Although the project did consume a lot of school time, students felt that they were able to get a lot of work done while on the field trip conducting their experiments.

Senior Nabil Aklil showed a similar interest in the topic for his group.

“For my group, we are conducting how paper is being disposed in terms of recycling, and the great thing about this project is being able to associate with different branches of science.”