Marin Academy Research Collaborative

The MA science department offers many amazing opportunities for all students to explore science in an authentic way inside and outside the classroom. The MARC program is not for every student and requires a great passion for research and commitment to the ups and downs of the investigative process.

Any student can be successful in this program if they are willing to prioritize MARC as a time commitment. Students should have a deep interest in a particular field of science and be innately motivated. Due to the nature of the program, the most successful students will be those who have or develop a growth mindset and skills in cooperative learning, independent organization and responsibility, and flexible and creative thinking.

At MA, students take Biology in 9th grade and Chemistry in 10th grade. Exploring Experimental Design (EED) is a class open to 10th- to 12th-grade students in the fall. Elective options open up in the junior and senior years. Students wishing to participate in the 2-year MARC ISR track must apply during the spring semester of their 10th-grade year. Students wishing to participate in the 1-year MARC AGR track must apply during the spring semester of their 10th- or 11th-grade year.

In MARC ISR, the first semester will be geared towards reading scientific literature, formulating a question and hypothesis, mentor outreach, and designing an experiment. Beyond the first semester, students will work with mentors to conduct their own novel research. The program will culminate with the student writing and submitting a manuscript to a scientific peer-reviewed journal and a presentation of their findings at the MARC Wildcat Colloquium. Students may also enter senior-level contests appropriate to their area of study, such as the Siemens Competition, the Intel Science Talent Search, or present at appropriate academic conferences or science fairs.

Students will learn how to critically and scientifically think, write, and speak. They will learn how to conduct a scientific literature search, identify and select an area of interest in which to complete a scientific study, and network and communicate with members of the scientific community. Students enrolled in the MARC Independent STEM Research I elective must demonstrate an ability to work independently and complete all assignments successfully to earn a final passing grade at the end of junior year and be eligible to continue on to the MARC Independent STEM Research II elective.

The second year-long ISR elective will focus on advanced research skills, data analysis, mentoring, and scientific communication. During 12th grade, students will complete the research projects they began in Independent STEM Research I. The culmination of this program will require that students write their own research papers and present their findings to the broader MA community during the MARC Wildcat Colloquium. Students may enter senior-level contests appropriate to their area of study, such as the Siemens Competition, the Intel Science Talent Search, or present at appropriate academic conferences or science fairs. Seniors also must commit to their MARC project as the focus of their senior project.

During the first semester of the MARC Independent STEM Research I elective, students will work in teams on select assignments that pertain to the general research process (e.g., debates in research ethics, reading and understanding scientific publications, peer-review process) to build a uniform foundational understanding. Then, the focus of their second semester will be to branch into directions specific to their chosen areas of research. During this time, and until the end of their senior year, students will model the structure of a research group. Specifically, students will share resources and ideas and lean on each other for feedback that will help enhance their overall communication and project management abilities.

Yes, students in the MARC ISR program will need to double in science in their junior or senior year to complete their MA science requirements. Students are required to complete three years of laboratory science, including 9th-grade Biology, 10th-grade Chemistry, and one year of Physics (Physics with Algebra and Trigonometry, Advanced Physics with Calculus, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, or Astrophysics). Physics may be taken in either the junior or senior year. Students also are strongly encouraged to enroll in a science course related to their area of interest during junior year and take statistics during their senior year.

The MARC Independent STEM Research electives are offered pass/fail and, therefore, do not receive A–G designation by the University of California or count towards a student’s overall GPA. However, most colleges look favorably upon students who have remained committed to a course of study completed at an extremely in-depth level of comprehension.

Students can choose a topic from engineering and computer sciences, physical sciences, life sciences, social sciences, or psychology.

No, but students are encouraged to spend time working in the lab of their outside mentor during the school year or taking part in a summer science research internship program.

Students often participate in co-curricular activities and hold after-school jobs, but because enrollment in the MARC program is a two-year commitment, students will not be able to participate in study abroad programs during the school year. Students also should expect to spend 6 to 8 hours per week inside and outside the classroom working on their MARC projects and must commit to their MARC project being the focus of their senior project.

Students can email Amy Strauss for more information about the MARC Program or other science research opportunities at Marin Academy.