Science Honors

Experience hands-on research in Puerto Rico.

Begin your college career with a hands-on research experience where you actually DO science. Learn by exploring cutting edge scientific literature. Answer questions by doing experiments. The focus will be on using a Drone for Remote Environmental Assessment and Monitoring (DREAM), but the research question is up to you. Working with a team of peers, you will have the unique opportunity to design your own research project. In May, you will travel to Puerto Rico to deploy your DREAM on the tropical coastline or mountainous rainforest, gathering and assessing data to explore your research question.

Timing

Travel during Mayterm, a two week period, after spring term of your first year.

Travel

Travel as a group with faculty.

Stay

Enjoy staying at Wesleyan Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Cost

Pay a one time $1,500 fee above regular tuition and fees. This includes airfare and your stay at Wesleyan Academy.

Aerial view of paradise beach in Puerto Rico.

The Environment is Your Classroom

Becoming a scientist requires more than learning facts from a textbook. Spend your semester studying the environment around you while being in the environment around you, unlocking the key elements that affect our ecosystem.

Cutting-Edge Technology in Your Core Research

Work in teams to engineer, construct, and evaluate their own environmental sensor package, securing it to a drone, piloting it in Puerto Rico's coastal region, and accurately quantifying the impact on the environment through the gathered data.

To generate the core knowledge about the world around us to solve complex issues facing society, scientists must devise novel experiments, solve unfamiliar problems, and disseminate original ideas.

Houghton student standing at podium during biology lecture.

Integrated Learning

Solutions to complex real-world problems and the cutting edge of scientific and technological innovation are increasingly found in the presence of traditional academics. You will work closely with biology, chemistry, physics, and math professors as you develop your research project. Enhance your skills in public speaking as you present and translate your research to both general and professional audiences. Additional coursework in the humanities will prepare you with the confidence to understand the ethical and social impacts of science and technology.

While much of the focus of the program is on student teams proposing and executing a self-designed research project, the professors are also along for the ride… I often needed support while learning programming and collaborated with a biology professor to determine the best method of data collection... Don’t be afraid to approach them! They are your friends, I promise. They love it when people show an interest in learning... If you feel any ounce of excitement about Science Honors, I encourage you to do it! Don’t let the fear of a challenge or rigorous program scare you away. You are capable of more than you think!

Anna Mummert '25

The professors strongly encouraged teamwork and cooperation throughout the entirety of the course… There were aspects of the course that were quite difficult, but working together with other students on confusing code and through difficult data collections made everything very manageable... Traveling (with Science Honors) was the first time that I had travelled with a group other than my family somewhere across the country. We had all gotten close as friends throughout the course, but those two weeks made us a family… through my time in the program I learned that working with the people around you is vital for success - and Science Honors provided me with those people.

Noah Harley '25

Additional Details

What happens in the fall and spring semester before my trip to Puerto Rico?

As a Science Honors student, you will take a standard slate of first-year courses like a Bible survey, and courses in a possible major (typically in a STEM field). In your first two semesters, you will also take an integrated humanities courses, focusing on Science and Technology throughout history (two 4-credit courses).

In the fall, the Science Honors Seminar helps prepare you for research. This courses teaches you the tools for doing research, how to fly drones, and presentation skills. This courses is also an opportunity for you to get to know your research groups as you begin to design your own research question within field of environmental research (3 credits).

In the spring, the intensity picks up in the flagship Science Honors I course, as you work in your groups to define your projects and prepare the materials for your fieldwork in Puerto Rico. You will work in small groups to develop your research question and actually do the research on Houghton’s campus. This allows you to troubleshoot with your drones, develop your methodology, and practice collecting data, as you test out all of the steps of your research on-campus, before heading to Puerto Rico (3 credits).

What will it be like in Puerto Rico?

During Mayterm, the short semester after the spring term has concluded, you will take a single, four-week course, Science Honors II (4 credits). You will spend two weeks on Houghton's campus and two weeks in Puerto Rico, doing research with several Houghton faculty members. While in Puerto Rico, you will stay at Wesleyan Academy.

Most mornings and early afternoons, you will travel to various locations across the island, enacting the research project you have been developing and flying your drones along in a variety of environments, gathering data.

You will visit ecologically-diverse sites, potentially including coral reefs, bioluminescent bays, caves, rainforests, dry forests, mountains, and mangroves to gather your data. Afternoons will include time to relax on the beach, followed by data analysis in the evening.

What does it cost?

The Science Honors program is a heavily subsidized experience. The cost, beyond regular tuition and fees, is a $1,500 per student program fee (just for the first year). The fee covers your entire experience in Puerto Rico, including your laboratory equipment, food, lodging, and airfare.

Houghton considers this an investment in a group of students who go on, year after year, to become campus leaders.

Ready for what's next?

Discover if the Science Honors program at Houghton University is right for you.

Apply

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Houghton University

The official website of Houghton University

Experience hands-on research in Puerto Rico.

Timing

Travel

Stay

Cost

The Environment is Your Classroom

Cutting-Edge Technology in Your Core Research

Integrated Learning

Anna Mummert '25

Noah Harley '25

Additional Details

Ready for what's next?

Discover if the Science Honors program at Houghton University is right for you.

Questions?

Contact Undergraduate Admission

Email: admission@houghton.edu

Call 1-800-777-2556