2017-2018: Profile Projects

Type: Portfolio Defense

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

For my Capstone project I chose to explore my two greatest areas of interest that are rarely integrated in our curriculum: art and science. Using the tools of microbiologists I hoped to create microbial artwork, a “painting” using microorganisms as my medium. With the help of New York University Langone’s Boeke Lab, I was be able to cultivate pigment-encoded yeast into a piece of art. My own digital art was printed using sound waves to eject precise nano-droplets of yeast onto an agar plate, and the result was artwork made up of tens of thousands of distinct colonies of yeast.

Type: Portfolio Defense

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

My project aims to solve a problem that has held back the culinary arts and environmental science classes: create a garden that can maintain itself over weekends and school breaks. The garden in the courtyard at RHS has suffered from poor soil and inconsistent maintenance, making it impossible to grow anything other than small herbs to cook with. My garden takes after the growing trend of vertical gardens, allowing it to grow more plants in less space and save water by cascading tiers of planters. Once finished, the garden will be able to grow crops for the culinary arts classes each year and can be further improved by students in the future.

Type: Experimental Finding

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

We compared Advil and Tylenol through its main components, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, respectfully. Through this, we discovered how these different chemicals impacted our bodies in contrasting ways while still being able to alleviate the same symptoms. It drove us to question whether the companies who make Advil and Tylenol are telling its consumers the truth about how much "pain killer" they are ingesting, leading us to our lab experiment. We tested for the amount of each component by isolating it, and comparing it to what the companies say is in it. Our work may not be evolutionary, but it helped us experience lab work and how to do scientific research.

Type: Experimental Finding

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

My work assesses the positives and negatives of the redesign of the physical environment of two English classrooms at RHS this year.

Type: Research Exhibition

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

I decided to do my capstone research on mental health after concussions because I have a very personal connection to the topic as I had a concussion during my sophomore year. No doctor that I went to seemed to address my mental health afterwards, only physical and cognitive health. Throughout my research, I have concluded that many doctors do not address the topic because there is not a lot that we, as a society, know about it. As the recent cases of mental illnesses in NFL players who have suffered from traumatic brain injuries have emerged, this conversation is becoming more and more popular. My goal is to learn more about the topic of mental illness after concussions and spread awareness to the fact that it is a real issue.

Type: Experimental Finding

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

I developed a genetic algorithm which created my trading strategy. I then created the framework which would interact with the client to place market orders. I then implemented the strategy the algorithm I created developed with additional parameters I created. I created a prospectus, and have simulated trading data to backup the success of my system.

Type: Research Exhibition

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

In my capstone, I researched a simple compound structure at the end of a chromosome called Telomeres. Specifically I researched the in depth functions, their capabilities in medicine, the role they play in aging compared to other factors, and what factors affect them. This process has only been recently discovered in this century. This groundbreaking discovery could change the way we live.

Type: Event Coordination

Pathway: Profile Project Independent Study

For my capstone project I decided to organize a school-wide lip dub, which is a lip syncing video featuring all different students and staff in the school. In order to plan out this large scale of an event, I had to start planning routes and leads synchronized to parts in the song and sections of the school in August and continued to plan out the approximately 9 minute video up until when the main part of the video was filmed on March 29th. In addition, an intro part was filmed featuring some other staff and administration to open up the video. There were many challenges to overcome, including how to obtain copyright licensing and how to film the video in just one take. Overall, it was a great chance to display school spirit and to celebrate students’ involvement in high school.