Advanced Math/Science Research (AMSR) and Advanced Environmental Science Research (AESR) are yearlong courses that offer students an authentic independent laboratory experience to design and execute an original research project of their choice in the biological, physical, or social sciences. What sets Berkshire’s course apart is the program’s design: students intern with a professional scientist to conduct real-world research in world-class facilities. The course culminates with a critical review paper and a research paper, both in scientific format.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: CAMPBELL BILLINGSLY '24
ULTRASTRUCTURE AND MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF THE HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID
Adelgids are conifer-feeding insects, related to aphids. Hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, (HWA), feeds on hemlock species and was first described from samples originally from Oregon by P. N. Annand in California in 1924. In the eastern United States, this non-native insect pest was initially reported at a private estate in Richmond, Virginia in the early 1950s.
The "wool" is really waxy! -CJB '24
The woolly adelgid develops and lays eggs under a ball of protective waxy wool. Campbell is interested in the composition of the "wool" that helps protect the insects from various conditions. To study this, Campbell isolated the waxy wool away from the adelgid and then used quick bursts of heat the melt the wool so that she could isolate the adelgids (see below).
Ultrastructure Analysis of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid by Scanning Electron Microscopy
Campbell has been accepted into the University of Vermont School of Nursing program for next year!
AMSR Journal Entry 12/8/23: Connecting with Dr. Howard Shuman (Professor Emeritus, Columbia University; University of Chicago)
During the fall of 2022, I received a phone call from Dr. Howard Shuman who had been a long-time resident of the Berkshire area but retired full-time to the area a couple of years ago. The voice on the other line said something like "My wife thinks I need a hobby.....". That was the day that Dr. Shuman volunteered to join the mentor network for the AMSR and AESR Programs. Dr. Shuman and I met to discuss the history of our program and capabilities in our state-of-the-art campus laboratory. I talked with Dr. Shuman about the many students who have phage hunted while in AMSR or AESR (Elif Kesaf, Michael O'Loughlin, William Pang, Nate MacKenzie, Edeline Loh, Lars Robinson, Sherry Yang, and Chandler Gilbane to name a few; click here to see more). Impressed by our abilities and track record with phage discovery he became excited about finding a phage for Legionella an organism he worked on for decades at Columbia and remains one of the most well-studied bacteria with no known or documented viral predators. This year, Dr. Shuman is working with Asher Lefkoff and Talia Bukhman to do just that by filtering thousands of gallons of surface water and using particulate captured on the filter for the quest. Now that I know Dr. Shuman a little better, am grateful that he takes his wife's advice and am super excited about his "new hobby" of working with our students to think beyond the classroom and become inspired by our surroundings and all we have yet to discover. If you'd like to meet him, Dr. Shuman can be found on campus in the AMSR/AESR lab in most F period classes and happily working with the Winter AMSR afternoon team this year. - Dr. April Burch, Director
Berkshire's Dixon Observatory Is Back Online!
The Dixon Observatory houses state-of-the-art equipment that allows students and teachers to make detailed observations of both bodies within the solar system as well as deep-space objects.
The observatory and equipment were gifts of Cynthia and Tom Dixon in 2000. Tom Dixon held a number of roles during his tenure at Berkshire School from 1961-1976 and 1980-2000, including science teacher, Director of Technology and Dean of Students. He and his wife, Cynthia, a music teacher and the director of the equestrian team at Berkshire, shared a love of the arts and astronomy.