The scientific method has profoundly affected every aspect of human existence, and may well decide the future of our species. With cutting-edge facilities, advanced technology, and ready access to the renowned Alf Museum, Webb's science program gives students countless opportunities to practice real science -- in the classroom, in the laboratory, and in the field. Webb students have studied coral reef systems along the coasts of Central America, discovered new prehistoric species on our fossil-prospecting Peccary Trips, explored Mayan ruins, and even presented their findings at international conferences.
Webb science classes emphasize hands-on participation and examples drawn from daily life, building students' mastery of key principles and introducing them to advanced concepts and techniques. Single-sex classes in the ninth and tenth grades ensure that boys and girls are prepared to participate on equal terms in our coeducational upper-level classes.
Whether in chemistry, biology, and physics or electives like environmental science, paleontology, and oceanography, Webb science classes spark students' curiosity and foster a lifelong appreciation of the ways the scientific process allows us to understand and transform our world.
The Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology acts as a unique resource for students of The Webb Schools providing the opportunity to learn all about paleontology. In return, the museum benefits from a large workforce of enthusiastic and able student collectors and curators. Students at Webb learn about paleontology in three settings: they participate in the collection of fossils on peccary trips, they enroll in classes taught by museum staff, and they participate in the museum after-school program (preparing and curating specimens).
Peccary Trips
Since the late 1930s, fossil collecting trips for Webb students have been known as "peccary trips." During the academic year, most peccary trips go to Barstow, CA. Students learn collection techniques such as prospecting (walking and looking for specimens lying exposed on the ground), quarrying (removing a specimen from rock using tools) and screen-washing (using a screen to sift through rock to recover small fossils).
Summer Peccary Research Trip
Every summer the museum offers the Summer Peccary Research Trip, co-led by Museum Director Don Lofgren and Curator Andy Farke. This trip is designed for students who want to be part of a field research crew, but at the same time want to have an adventurous experience. Over the next few years, the museum will concentrate its summer efforts on collecting in the Kaiparowits Formation of southern Utah and the Renova Formation of Montana.
Museum After-School Program
Webb students have the opportunity to participate in an after-school program at the Alf Museum where they work in the Preparation Lab, preparing fossils found on peccary trips. Here, one might find them extracting a Miocene horse tooth from hard sandstone using an air scribe, or preparing a giant turtle shell for display. Students learn a variety of professional techniques for cleaning, identifying and repairing specimens.