They also have the opportunity to take a number of elective courses and a laboratory course in biology, chemistry, computer science or physics. A major objective of the PGSS is to provide an opportunity for students to participate in college-level courses, laboratories and research experiences designed to enrich their background in science and to encourage them to pursue technological careers. One of the many student activities during the PGSS is the participation in a team research project in either biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics or physics. Team research projects involve the investigation of an original problem or the solution of a problem by techniques original to the investigators. The students choose the area of science for their project and faculty suggest specific possible topics in these areas.
Interested students form teams.
While faculty are available for initial direction and advice, most of the accomplishments come from the students' own initiative. The Journal of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences reports the results of the students' efforts and is the official record of these team research projects. Each team investigated their chosen problem using resources and techniques appropriate for that topic. These might include library research, experimental laboratory investigation, computer analysis of data, computer assisted computational techniques, and computer graphics. The following reports were written by the student team members.