2026年1月24日至2月4日，上海星河湾双语学校第三批共23名高中生赴美国马萨诸塞州伍兹霍尔，参与芝加哥大学海洋生物学实验室（Marine Biological Laboratory，MBL）举办的 High School Science Discovery Program（HSSDP），系统学习 Anatomy & Development 课程，并与 MBL 共同完成首个面向高中的自主科研探究项目。作为中国首所、也是目前唯一连续三年参与该项目的高中，星校学生在为期近两周的学习中，深入世界级生命科学研究现场，从基础实验训练到独立课题设计，全面体验真实科研的思维方式与工作节奏。

本次的课程以“水质”这个主题拉开序幕。Dr. Abbo通过讲座系统阐述了维持水生生态平衡的关键，随后带领同学们亲自动手，铺设滤材、装点珊瑚、引入海水，最终迎来了海星、海参与小鱼这些 “室友” 。每日清晨，检测水温、pH、氨氮、亚硝酸盐、溶解氧等指标，成为学生们的日常仪式。数据曲线的每一次波动，都牵动着大家的心，也直观演绎了水缸中氮循环的微观进程。在最后一天的总结汇报中，学生们记录的不仅仅只是简单的水质参数，还加入了水缸里的居民列表，每天居民的伤亡情况等细节，对异常结果进行分析。Dr. Abbo 为每组汇报进行了点评，也指出了一些不足之处，比如需要多次测量以排除操作失误和一些更加合理的解释。

随着课程深入，探索从水箱延伸至更广阔的生命科学前沿。在Dr. Patel发育生物学讲座中，生命从单细胞到复杂个体的构建奥秘被徐徐展开；而在关于蝴蝶翅膀的课堂上，纳米级的物理结构与生存策略揭示了进化赋予的美与智慧。同学们在显微镜下亲手操作，捕捉斑马鱼心脏跳动的影响；用荧光染料标记果蝇胚胎的神经，亲手操作共聚焦显微镜，将抽象的原理转化为屏幕上绚丽的科学图像。

课程学习的高潮来到了分组独项目探究。根据高中生的特点以及对星校学生的了解，Dr.Patel和Dr.Echeverri亲自为学生们量身定制了2个探究性课题：果蝇胚胎发育过程记录和微塑料颗粒及酒精对斑马鱼胚胎发育的影响。

果蝇组在大量透明胚胎中反复甄别不同发育阶段，对特定蛋白进行染色并完成共聚焦成像。长时间的比对与等待，只为获取一张符合科研标准的图像。Dr.Patel对图像质量的严苛要求也让学生们体会到基础科研中，那些不被看见的、重复性工作的重要性。

斑马鱼组则在实验设计与操作中不断遭遇挑战。变量浓度的设定、胚胎计数与染色过程中的细微失误，曾导致整批样本损失。然而，在 Dr. Echeverri 连续数日的细致指导下，学生们最终获得了清晰而具有研究意义的成像结果。过程中经历的“失败”，使科学的严谨性与不确定性变得真实而具体。

MBL的魅力不仅在于实验室，更在于拥有达尔文签名著作的稀有藏书室，让科学的历史触手可及；在于触摸真实的诺贝尔奖牌，让“科学无国界”的信念变得具体。当罕见的寒潮让鳗鱼湖（Eel Pond）封冻如镜，这片科学圣地显露出其静谧、肃穆的另一面。

在行程的最后傍晚，学生们造访了建于1828年的伍兹霍尔灯塔。站在海角高地，俯瞰浮冰在夕阳下划出金色的航道，科学探索中积累的理性，与眼前浩瀚的自然景象产生了奇妙的共鸣。长椅上，诗人E.E.卡明斯的诗句“无论我们失去什么，我们总是能在海洋中找到自己”为这一切提供了注脚。

From January 24 to February 4, 2026, a delegation of 23 high school students from Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School (SSBS) traveled to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to participate in the High School Science Discovery Program (HSSDP) at the University of Chicago’s Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL). They undertook a systematic study of the "Anatomy & Development" course and jointly completed MBL’s first-ever independent research project designed specifically for high school students. As the first and only Chinese high school to have participated in this program for three consecutive years, SSBS students immersed themselves in a world-class life sciences research environment for nearly two weeks, experiencing the authentic mindset and workflow of real scientific inquiry—from foundational lab training to independent project design.

The course kicked off with the theme of "Water Quality." Dr. Abbo delivered a lecture on the key factors for maintaining aquatic ecological balance and then guided the students through hands-on setup: laying filter media, decorating with coral, introducing seawater, and finally welcoming their new "roommates"—starfish, sea cucumbers, and small fish. Each morning, testing parameters such as water temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite, and dissolved oxygen became a ritual. Every fluctuation in the data curves captivated the group, offering a direct visualization of the microscopic nitrogen cycle within their tank. In their final presentations, students didn’t just report dry parameters; they included a resident list, daily casualty updates, and analyses of anomalous results. Dr. Abbo provided feedback for each group, pointing out areas for improvement, such as the need for repeated measurements to rule out operational errors and the importance of more robust explanations.

As the course progressed, exploration expanded to the broader frontiers of life sciences. Dr. Patel’s developmental biology lecture unfolded the mystery of how a single cell constructs a complex organism. In another session on butterfly wings, the nano-scale physical structures underlying their survival strategies revealed the beauty and wisdom bestowed by evolution. Under the microscope, students captured the heartbeat of zebrafish embryos and used fluorescent dyes to label neurons in fruit fly embryos, operating confocal microscopes to transform abstract principles into stunning scientific images on screen.

The pinnacle of the learning experience was the independent group research projects. Tailored specifically for high schoolers and based on their understanding of SSBS students, Dr. Patel and Dr. Echeverri designed two investigative topics: documenting fruit fly embryonic development and studying the effects of microplastic particles and alcohol on zebrafish embryonic development.

The fruit fly team spent hours sifting through transparent embryos to identify specific developmental stages, staining target proteins, and capturing confocal images. Long hours of comparison and waiting were dedicated to obtaining a single image that met rigorous research standards. Dr. Patel’s exacting requirements taught them the critical importance of the unseen, repetitive work that underpins fundamental science.

The zebrafish team faced continuous challenges in experimental design and execution. Errors in setting variable concentrations or minor mistakes during embryo counting and staining sometimes led to the loss of entire batches of samples. However, under Dr. Echeverri’s meticulous guidance over several consecutive days, they ultimately produced clear and scientifically meaningful imaging results. These experiences with "failure" made the rigor and inherent uncertainty of science feel real and concrete.

The magic of MBL extended beyond the laboratory. It was in the rare book room housing Darwin’s signed works, where the history of science felt tangible; it was in touching an actual Nobel Prize medal, making the belief in "science without borders" profoundly real. When an unusual cold snap froze Eel Pond into a mirror of ice, this scientific sanctuary revealed its serene and solemn side. On their final evening, the students visited the Woods Hole Lighthouse, built in 1828. Standing on the headland, overlooking golden shipping lanes traced by ice floes in the sunset, the rationality accumulated through scientific exploration resonated in a wondrous harmony with the vastness of nature before them. On a bench nearby, a line from poet E.E. Cummings—“for whatever we lose (like a you or a me) / it’s always ourselves we find in the sea”—provided the perfect epilogue to it all.

 

文字：2026 SSBS xMBL 全体学生

文字指导：李婷

图片：罗子范 阮振超

编辑：曲昊睿

审核：张力