We hear a lot in the media about how Americans are behind in Math and Science. Many students take the attitude that math class and science class don’t have anything to do with the real world. Students ask when they are ever going to need calculus. ACBA students don’t ask questions like this. The building arts provide an obvious answer.
While it would be easy to just teach students the math they might need in the shop, ACBA does not stop there. How are we to know what students might one day need? Math classes at ACBA focus on the theory behind numbers and geometry, not just on how formulas can be applied in carpentry. Some problems worked out on the board start out as problems encountered in the shop, but the opposite is also true: some solutions worked out in Math class end up being solutions to outside problems.
Science classes at ACBA consist of a general introductory class called “Scientific Methods” and a more focused class on Material Science. The methods class introduces students to the way scientists think and the way they approach problems. It also provides a broad introduction the history of science and to many different scientific fields.
Material Science is usually studied in Engineering programs, but at ACBA it is grounded in a traditional liberal arts approach to science that takes theory into account and not just practice. ACBA students learn the characteristics and composition of materials and then test those same materials in the lab. This provides a deeper understanding of the scientific approach to materials helping the student to rely on a process, not a formula.
In addition to the required classes above, the Math and Science Department offers electives regularly to provide students with an opportunity to study a field of math or science in more depth. Electives proposed for the future include Calculus, Fractals, Botany for Builders and Architecture and Astronomy.
