Aerial panorama of El Morro Fort in San Juan Puerto Rico.

Science Honors

Define the Question. Refine the Experiment. Seek the Truth.

Begin your college career with real research. No simulations or contrived experiments. You will learn everything from experimental design to troubleshooting and creating functional prototypes, to collecting and analyzing data from the field and laboratory, to presenting technical information.

Research Skills

Learn experimental design, statistics, data analysis, and technical communication. Increase your chances of summer research, internships, and graduate program selection.

Intellectual Foundations

Understand science in historical, cultural, and philosophical context. Learn to define complex problems, break them down, and solve them collaboratively.

Travel

Travel as a group with faculty in Puerto Rico.

Cost

Pay a one time $1,500 fee above regular tuition and fees. This includes airfare, your stay in Puerto Rico, and all your laboratory equipment for the year.

Rain forests and sandy beaches in Puerto Rico on a cloudy day

Novel Scientific Inquiry

Work on scientific questions with no answer key—design experiments, build instruments, and test ideas in the field. Conduct research in New York and Puerto Rico, applying your work in real-world environments.

Two students prep an orange drone on a beach in Puerto Rico on a sunny day

Science Without Silos

Tackle complex problems with chemists, biologists, physicists, and data scientists working together. A single project might involve analyzing water chemistry, culturing bacteria, building sensors, developing machine-learning models, and studying ecological impacts.

Houghton student standing at podium during biology lecture.

Beyond Data to Meaning

Trace ideas from Hippocrates to Einstein, exploring how culture shapes science and how science reshapes culture. Develop public speaking, scientific writing, and teamwork skills while asking what it all means in light of Christ.

A Typical Day in Puerto Rico

Mornings: Travel to various locations across the island and fly your drones in a variety of environments, gathering data.

Afternoons: Visit ecologically-diverse sites, like coral reefs, bioluminescent bays, caves, rainforests, dry forests, mountains, and mangroves.

Before Dinner: Enjoy time to relax and hang out on the beach.

Evenings: Data analysis with your team of the research you did that day.

Additional Details

two students handling drone outdoors

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

Ready for what's next?

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

Apply
Request Info
Visit

Questions?

Contact Undergraduate Admission

Email: admission@houghton.edu
Call 1-800-777-2556