By: Jesus Garcia ‘23

Ever since iPads were introduced to Chaminade students about five years ago, Chaminade has made major advancements to their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program. The school has enabled teachers to teach in a new way, and students to learn in a unique environment. Just a few advancements relating to STEM over the past years include the Apple TV’s, the Bloomberg Center, and more. However, there has been one particularly ambitious project which has changed the entire school—the addition of the Dolan Family Science Center. 

Since the start of the building’s construction, the Dolan Family Science Technology and Research Center (popularly known as just the “STRC”) is a building that features four stories, two balconies, an elevator system, spacious rooms for lab, and many other features. Each lab is engineered towards a particular part of the science curriculum. For instance, there are labs for chemistry, physics, and biology. One feature of this building that demonstrates science in action is Focault’s Pendulum, which can be found hanging in the lobby of the Science Center. Focault’s Pendulum displays the Earth’s rotation and the passage of time, and its construction and installment required engineering, math, and physics. Other aspects that make the Science Center unique is the hexagonal patterns found on the ceilings in each room, the “living wall” filled with moss and lichen, glass walls which act as projectors and whiteboards, in addition to a number of other details that bring together the whole building. 

The lab is stocked with cutting-edge technology and scientific tools. Some useful tools found in the labs are Vernier Probes that can be paired with a student’s iPad. These can give you real time measurements of oxygen levels, temperature, conductivity, and more. One other impressive piece of technology students get to use is the anatomage table. The anatomage table is a table that has hospital-grade projections of the human body on it’s screen. Some of the things you can observe using this machine are MRI’s, CT Scan projections, and more. Each human model comes from a person that donated their body for this purpose. “We see science in a deeper analysis and it gives you a hands on experience with science,” mentioned Freshman Giovanni Gilles. 

Although the majority of the technology in the science lab is used for science classes and labs, there are some gadgets that can be used for personal use. One piece of technology that students are welcome to avail themselves of is the 3-D printer. 3-D printers are available for students to print models they have made or downloaded. Alexander Koch ‘21 remarked, “Any student can create virtually anything without cost.” From personal use to academic use, these 3-D printers are part of what makes the Science Center such a great place for STEM. Learning about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics efficiently in school is essential to the development of students. After all, a number of students will eventually go into a STEM-related profession after they finish their education. 

Chaminade is also home to various STEM-related extracurricular clubs. A few of these include the Computer Science Club, Robotics Club, Science Olympiad, iOS Development Club, and others. A list of all these clubs at Chaminade can be found on the Chaminade App under “Activities”. These clubs are especially helpful for students who want to pursue a profession in STEM, and students that are intrigued by it. 

STEM has become an integral part of Chaminade High School’s curriculum over the last few years. Chaminade has always been an institution that prioritizes faith and higher education above all else. By investing copious time and resources on a cutting-edge science and math program, Chaminade has given students all the tools they need to succeed in STEM careers. 

Chaminade High School will continue to look for ways that it can advance its mission.