Beaverton Academy
of Science & Engineering
CTE/PLTW
At BASE, CTE or Career Technical Education is taught through a program called Project Lead the Way. We have three high school pathways: Biomedical, Engineering and Computer Science. We also have PLTW in middle school: Green Architecture, Engineering Essentials, Magic of Electrons, Medical Detectives, Energy and the Environment, CS Makes & innovators, and Design & Modeling.
Biomedical
PLTW - Biomedical Pathway
We are Nationally Certified to teach the PLTW Biomedical curriculum. The only school in Oregon to be nationally certified by PLTW.
FRESHMAN YEAR - PRINCIPLES OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
In the introductory course in the PLTW Biomedical Science program, students explore concepts of biology and medicine to determine the factors that led to the death of a fictional person. While investigating the case, students examine autopsy reports, investigate medical history, and explore medical treatments that might have prolonged the person’s life. The activities and projects introduce students to human physiology, basic biology, medicine, and research processes while allowing them to design their own experiments to solve problems.
Sophomore Year – Human Body Systems
"Students examine the interactions of human body systems as they explore identity, power, movement, protection, and homeostasis. Exploring science in action, students build organs and tissues on a skeletal Maniken®; use data acquisition software to monitor body functions such as muscle movement, reflex and voluntary action, and respiration; and take on the roles of biomedical professionals to solve real-world medical cases."
Junior Year - Medical Interventions
"Students follow the life of a fictitious family as they investigate how to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Students explore how to detect and fight infection; screen and evaluate the code in human DNA; evaluate cancer treatment options; and prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Through real-world cases, students are exposed to a range of interventions related to immunology, surgery, genetics, pharmacology, medical devices, and diagnostics."
Senior Year - Biomedical Innovation
In the final course of the PLTW Biomedical Science sequence, students build on the knowledge and skills gained from previous courses to design innovative solutions for the most pressing health challenges of the 21st century. Students address topics ranging from public health and biomedical engineering to clinical medicine and physiology. They have the opportunity to work on an independent design project with a mentor or advisor from a university, medical facility, or research institution.
INTRO TO HEALTH CAREERS - ELECTIVE, ANY YEAR
This course is designed to give students interested in health careers the opportunity to explore the basic concepts surrounding professions related to this field. Additionally, this course will serve as an opportunity for leaders in our biomedical program to plan activities and experiences related to our HOSA – Future Health Professionals chapter. Students will explore skills need for careers in health care. Students have the freedom to plan activities that will help them become better future health professionals. As a class we will also be introduced to medical terminology, health care delivery systems, legal and ethical healthcare issues, employability and job seeking skills.
TOPICS IN HEALTH CAREERS - ELECTIVE, SENIORS ONLY
In this course, students will have the opportunity to use advanced biomechanical and physiological equipment while exploring the many career opportunities and professional certification in healthcare. In this interdisciplinary course, students will further develop knowledge in medical terminology, health care delivery systems, legal and ethical healthcare issues, personal health, employability and job seeking skills. Students in this course must be a high school senior within 60 days of high school graduation in order to take their licensure/certification exams.
Biomedical students also may participate in:
- HOSA: Future Health Professionals
- Internships such as Kaiser Permanente, and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue
- Other Biomedical/Science related experiences: Lewis and Clark Science League, Oncofertility Program at OHSU Primate Center
Engineering
PLTW - Engineering Pathway
Our Engineering Program was certified by Project Lead the Way in 2008, the first year of the program. Because of this certification, BASE can offer dual credit through Oregon Institute of Technology, PLTW’s affiliate university for Oregon. To qualify for dual credit, students must receive a B or A each semester, and receive a qualifying score on the End of Course exam. Note that credit is recorded on the OIT transcript as credit by proficiency, and is listed as Pass/Fail. Credit is also available through Portland Community College for some of the Engineering classes; contact Engineering staff for more information.
Foundation Courses
Introduction to Engineering Design
9th grade
Students dig deep into the engineering design process, applying math, science, and engineering standards to hands-on projects. They work both individually and in teams to design solutions to a variety of problems using 3D modeling software and use an engineering notebook to document their work.
Principles of Engineering
10th grade
Through problems that engage and challenge, students explore a broad range of engineering topics, including mechanisms, the strength of structures and materials, and automation. Students develop skills in problem solving, research, and design while learning strategies for design process documentation, collaboration, and presentation.
Specialization Courses
DIGITAL ELECTRONICS
11th grade
From smart phones to appliances, digital circuits are all around us. This course provides a foundation for students who are interested in electrical engineering, electronics, or circuit design. Students study topics such as combinational and sequential logic and are exposed to circuit design tools used in industry, including logic gates, integrated circuits, and programmable logic devices.
APPLIED ENGINEERING
11th or 12th grade
A more hands-on course, Applied Engineering addresses engineering principles while students design and build their own fully-functional electric guitar. Students use 3D modeling tools to design their guitar body, then manufacture their guitar body using a computer-controlled CNC router. The course will expose students to woodworking techniques and tools, in addition to specialized guitar-building tools.
Engineering Design and development
12th grade
The knowledge and skills students acquire throughout PLTW Engineering come together in EDD as they identify an issue and then research, design, and test a solution, ultimately presenting their solution to a panel of engineers. Students apply the professional skills they have developed to document a design process to standards, completing EDD ready to take on any post-secondary program or career.
Scholarships
BASE Engineering Scholarship
A scholarship is awarded each year to a student who is pursuing an Engineering or Engineering-related program of study after high school. Students must have a demonstrated financial need. The scholarship is awarded in the spring. Contact the Future Center for more information.
PTO Scholarship
A scholarship is awarded by the BASE Parent Teacher Organization in recognition of an Engineering student based primarily on the strength of the student’s Engineering capstone project. Contact the BASE PTO for more information.
Computer Science
Tech Survey
9th - 12th Grade
This introductory course is designed for students who would like to learn how to program, but may be uncertain if they can keep up with the pace and expectations of AP CS Principles, in which all programming is text-based. Students will learn to make products such as Android apps, games and simulations in block-based coding languages (Scratch, AppInventor, StarLogo, NetLogo), and be introduced to writing text-based programs in Python. Students will also explore how information technology is used in a variety of industries and how learning to program can provide many benefits to one’s career. Students will explore the impacts of computing technologies on society and on our individual lives. Students will understand the basis for how a web page is rendered using HTML and CSS and how networks make web and cloud applications possible. This course will prepare students for AP CS Principles, web design or Cybersecurity. Collaboration is ubiquitous in the programming world and an emphasis of the class.
AP CS Principles
9th - 12th Grade
This course offers a smorgasbord of programming concepts and tools. Students will work with block coding, Python, netLogo for modeling and simulation, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and SQL. Data and procedural abstraction are foundational concepts which lead to a greater understanding of data analysis, global impacts of digital technology and conceptualization of the internet. Most learning in the class is done collaboratively as students are partnered with classmates to work on activities in class. Students also prepare for succeeding on the AP exam for the course by spending five weeks of class time exploring a computational innovation of their choice and by creating a program of their own using an iterative design process. Students are not required to have any previous coding experience.
Cybersecurity
10th - 12th Grade
Students identify cybersecurity threats and protect against them, detect intrusions and respond to attacks, examine their digital footprint and learn to defend their personal data. The course is designed to expose high school students to the ever-growing and far-reaching field of cybersecurity. This will be accomplished through problem-based learning, where students role play as cybersecurity experts. The course encourages socially responsible choices and ethical behavior, and utilizes algorithmic and computational thinking, especially “outside-the-box” thinking. Students explore the many educational and career paths available to cybersecurity experts, as well as other careers that comprise the field of information security. AP CS Principles is a prerequisite for this course.
AP CS A
11th, 12th Grade
Students focus on learning Java, one of the most ubiquitous object-oriented programming languages. This course will prepare students for the AP CS A exam. Students learn how to make and use strings, lists, arrays, 2d arrays, and hash maps. They write recursive methods and write and perform run-time analysis on five or six common sorting and searching algorithms. Students will learn to make web-based, desktop or Android applications by learning to apply Java in Android Studio or Net Beans development environments. Students use the Agile Design model of product development in designing an application for an authentic client in the larger community. The project, including the portfolio and presentation that goes with it, will act as the Computer Programming and Software Development (CPSD) pathway TSA (Technical Skills Assessment). Students who pass the TSA, including the security portion to the project, and who have passed Cybersecurity are eligible for recognition as completing the CPSD pathway of study. AP CS Principles is a prerequisite for this course.
Middle School Courses
PLTW Courses for Middle School
Green Architecture
Today’s students have grown up in an age of “green” choices. In this unit, students learn how to apply this concept to the fields of architecture and construction by exploring dimensioning, measuring, and architectural sustainability as they design affordable housing units using Autodesk’s® 3D architectural design software.
Medical Detectives
Students play the role of real-life medical detectives as they analyze genetic testing results to diagnose disease and study DNA evidence found at a “crime scene.” They solve medical mysteries through hands-on projects and labs, investigate how to measure and interpret vital signs, and learn how the systems of the human body work together to maintain health.
Computer Science for Makers & Innovators
Computer Science for Makers & Innovators teaches students that programming goes beyond the virtual world into the physical world. Students are challenged to creatively use sensors and actuators to develop systems that interact with their environment. While designing algorithms and using computational thinking practices, students code and upload programs to microcontrollers that perform a variety of authentic tasks. The unit broadens students’ understanding of computer science concepts through meaningful applications. Teams select and solve a personally relevant problem related to wearable technology, interactive art, or mechanical devices.
Design & Modeling
Design & Modeling is a nine-week, entry-level Project Lead The Way “Gateway” course. Students will discover the design process and develop an understanding of the influence of creativity and innovation in their lives. Students will have fun designing and building assistive medical devices for people with cerebral palsy, creating challenging puzzle cubes, and learning to make detailed engineering sketches. At the end of the course, students are challenged and empowered to use and apply what they’ve learned throughout the unit to design a therapeutic toy for a child who has cerebral palsy.