Student Independent Research Symposium

Welcome to the Virtual Symposium!

Fran Glick, Coordinator - BCPS Library Media Programs

Students at five BCPS high schools were selected to participate in the Independent Research Seminar elective course this year, based on their commitment to following an advanced research process to conduct in-depth year long research. Student researchers work both collaboratively and independently, with learning facilitated by their library media specialists, faculty advisors, and expert mentors. Using the process and resources in our Research Framework, students are guided to explore an issue or problem, generate a research question, conduct a literature review, write a research proposal, and create a presentation of their conclusions for an audience. Given the spring 2020 school closure, students created and recorded their presentations at home with guidance provided by their library media specialists. Research topics address a variety of subjects and are based on the students' own areas of interest.

BCPS high school administrators, counselors, and library media specialists interested in offering the Independent Research Seminar to students will find course implementation resources here.

Abstracts & Presentations

Please use the Comment links to share feedback with student researchers.

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Franklin High School
Christie Rigilano, Library Media Specialist
Lena Bell
Max Harris
Matthew Rubinstein

Hereford High School
Suhaila Tenly, Library Media Specialist
Kaitlyn Beyer
Kaitlyn Crowley
Ethan Jacobson

Parkville High School
Melissa Kenney, Library Media Specialist
Rebecca Angin

Perry Hall High School
Colleen Adams, Library Media Specialist
Linna Cui
Mahnoor Sarfraz

Western School of Technology
Tracey Osborne, Library Media Specialist
Falon Gustin
Hafeez Mustafa
Jeffrey Thewsuvat

Teacher Testimonials
Acknowledgements

Lena Bell

Junior, Franklin High School

Comments

De-extinction of the Thylacine

Abstract

Currently, thousands of animal species go extinct each year. This is due to a variety of reasons, such as the natural process of out competition and the changing climate cycle. However, due to human interference, species extinctions have accelerated to an unprecedented rate. Human activities such as the expansion of human settlements, targeted hunting, and the spreading of invasive species are all reasons for this acceleration. The effects from humans can, however, be reversed by de-extinction. De-extinction is the process where an extinct species is repopulated. This project seeks to look at ways this process could be carried out through back-breeding or Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). Choosing a species for the de-extinction process requires some careful selection and the consideration of many issues. An animal that might be a good candidate for the de-extinction process is the Thylacine or Thylacinus cynocephalus. This project will explore the history of this animal and examine some of the positives and negatives of two possible procedures that could be undertaken to bring the Thylacine back, back-breeding and SCNT. With the evidence provided, SCNT will prove to be the more plausible option.

Max Harris

Junior, Franklin High School

Comments

Research Paper.pdf

Additional Information.pdf

A Look into Topology with a Theory on the Square Peg Problem

Abstract

In 1911, topology professors Toeplitz and Emch both posed similar conjectures for their students to prove: Does every simple closed curve contain the four vertices of a square on its perimeter? This problem, now dubbed the Inscribed Square Problem, although simply written, has yet to be solved completely. There have been increasingly general limitations that have been applied to provide partial solution sets, but there has yet to be a single general solution. Based on the work of Igor Pak on the inscribed rectangle problem, and the application of related work by Meyerson, this research suggests a new approach to this problem. Like Pak, this involves the use of a three-dimensional projection of a subset of points that lie on the perimeter of the curve. Although a conclusion will be drawn, there has been no rigorous testing applied to the theory to ensure that it holds true in the general case. Use of mathematical models, both algebraic and computational, are needed to verify the theory. This project is meant to provide a new approach to the problem, one that may be applicable to a more rigorous objective proof and widens the view of the problem to more geometric, rather than analytic, perspectives.

Matthew Rubinstein

Senior, Franklin High School

Comments

Campaign Finance Reform Advocacy Guide

Campaign_Finance_Guide.pdf

Reforming the United States System of Campaign Finance

Abstract

The issue of money in politics is not a new one. For centuries wealthy individuals and corporations have tried to use monetary contributions to influence elections. The importance of this issue has, however, been heightened in recent years following the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) to allow corporations unlimited spending to support candidates for office so long as they do not coordinate with the campaigns. Along with this increased opportunity for monetary influence comes significant worry, and concrete evidence that money spent supporting a candidate in an election has an influence on that candidate’s odds of winning an election, and on their subsequent actions in office. With the Court having weighed in on the issue the only way for reform advocates to effect change is through a constitutional amendment. Such an amendment, having already been proposed unsuccessfully in Congress, would require significant organization and advocacy to enact. All of us together will have to learn, take action, and continually advocate in order to protect the sanctity of elections. It is only through this energetic and consistent advocacy that Americans can protect our democracy from being held captive by those with the most money.

Kaitlyn Beyer

Junior, Hereford High School

Comments

Genetic Engineering: Medical Marvel, or Medical Mistake?

Abstract

Genetic science has been improving and advancing rapidly over past decades, introducing many new processes that have the potential to help many people. Parents can now edit the genes in their embryos to make sure that their child does not suffer from a genetic health condition that could be fatal or cause them to live with a lower quality of life. While many scientists and civilians support the use of genetic editing for health conditions, they draw the line when it comes to editing a child for benign features such as intelligence, athleticism, or skin color. There is evidence to prove that excessive genetic editing for benign traits can and will lead to homogeneity; discrimination based on wealth, social class, and ability; and significant inequalities between edited and non-edited children, as gene editing becomes more popular and accessible. This presentation will explore how gene editing is beneficial, and why regulations are needed to prevent people from editing too much “in” or “out” of their child. This scientific advancement should be seen and appreciated as a medical marvel rather than a way for people to create a “perfect child.”

Kaitlyn Crowley

Senior, Hereford High School

Comments

Motherhood: To what extent are societal pressures placed on women to have children and what are the effects?

Abstract

Throughout history, women have experienced discrimination, part of which stems from the concept of motherhood. Women are the ones who give birth to a child, but that is by no means where their responsibilities end. Having children has far-reaching impacts on the professional lives of women, their relationships, and their mental and physical health. Inequality still exists in the area of raising children, where egalitarian relationships struggle to maintain equality in roles. This research examines the impacts of pressures that exist within society for women to have children, which can lead women to feel unfulfilled or like a failure if they are not mothers. It is essential that women are given the information necessary to make an informed decision about motherhood and not feel that it is something that is required or expected of them. By providing women with this information and more details about how having children will affect their lives, they can be better prepared for those changes if they do become mothers.

Ethan Jacobson

Senior, Hereford High School

Comments

Potential for Serotonergic Psychedelics in Assisted Psychotherapy

Abstract

With a steadily increasing number of mental health cases in the United States, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and substance abuse, the pharmaceutical industry has been manufacturing a number of compounds and medications for sufferers of these very common disorders. These medications need to be taken multiple times a day, often for prolonged periods of time, in order to have the possibility of alleviating the symptoms in that individual, and a whole list of nasty side effects begin to surface during this time. Compounds which can be taken one or two times over the span of a year, that have an extreme efficacy of alleviating anxiety, depressive, or habitual/addictive symptoms, have been in the eye of researchers recently. Serotonergic, psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ayahuasca, have all been on the forefront of psychiatric and pharmacological research in the past decade, and with each passing experiment and study, from Baltimore to London to New York and to California, the results only move towards these compounds being among the most effective psychiatric treatment methods yet. This study takes an analytical glance into the world of psychedelic research, and why these compounds just might be the solution to a plethora of problems surrounding mental illness.

Rebecca Angin

Junior, Parkville High School

Comments

Elitism in Education

Abstract

Since the basis of public education in America was built on selective access, it should come as no surprise that poverty and systematic racism plays a role in determining the quality of education a student will receive. Education in American has become elite, gatekeeping social mobility, prestigious college admissions, respectable careers, and ultimately warping America’s definition of success. The competition has grown steeper, and students are not being judged by merit alone as some have an advantage before others even reach the starting line. If the external influences that affect a student's ability to perform in school are muted, could all students be afforded an equal chance at success? By providing students with the support that is lacking when coming from a disadvantaged background, it would be determined if students derive their academic elitism from merit or are merely a product of their privileged environment. Education is the stage for larger societal issues, so one small victory in social injustice would lead to the betterment of society as a whole and continue in the pursuit to a more perfect union.