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INTERLAKE
HIGH SCHOOL
EXTENDED ESSAY
ABSTRACTS
MAY 2016 EXAMINATION SESSION
The Extended Essay is an approximately 4000 word research paper written in the discipline of each
student’s choosing. The process of completing the Extended Essay starts at the end of the student’s first
year in the IB Diploma Programme with an introduction to the general requirements for the Extended
Essay, research into the requirements from specific disciplines, and the formation of several topics and
possible questions that may guide each student’s research. Students meet with advisors to help develop
a focus for the research as well as a means to conduct the research.
Students complete the majority of the research in the summer between the first and second years of IB,
and use the fall of the second year to work with advisors and rework several drafts. The Abstracts
contained in this booklet are a required component of the Extended Essay and the presentation night
serves as the “viva voce” for the entire process of writing the Extended Essay.
The IB Diploma class of 2014 would like to thank the following staff members who advised them in the
process of researching and writing their Extended Essays.
ToK Teachers
Sasha Swerdloff
Doug Calvert
Matt Daniels
Jay Kilby
Staff Advisors
Phil Allen
Lindzee Alvarez
Daniel Becker
Megan Bennett
Katy Boness
Doug Calvert
Emma Cook
Matt Daniels
Lisa Dossett
Chris Estefani
Christine Hickman
Faith Iverson
Megan Garner
Paul Gillespie
Dave Green
Vince Kessler
Jay Kilby
Lasinnda Mathewson
Steve Miguelez
Michael O’Byrne
Mike Oliveira
Alison Pendlebury
Dan Peterson
Ryan Rahlfs
Dave Richards
Jeff Rierson
Robert Stearns
Shem Thompson
A TIMELESS NATURE OF DISCRIMINATION IN KITE RUNNER AND A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
NAJMA ADAN
This essay examines the types of discrimination that occurs within the same society but at slightly
different time periods. Written by the same author Khaled Hosseini, the novels Kite Runner and A
Thousand Splendid Suns both explore the idea of how discrimination plays into the individual lives of the
minorities and highlights how these minorities as a whole play significant role in society despite what
society believes.
Born in Kabul, Afghanistan and father being a diplomat in the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Khaled Hosseini
argued in Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns that although society generally may refuse to
question authority, if society and individual minority groups were to stand up against these tyrannical
forces, they would have a chance in seeing a difference in their daily lives. In both novels Khaled
Hosseini emphasizes through his themes, metaphors and vivid imagery, that although discrimination
does take its toll on society, it is the duty of the majority culture to stop these practices because it
negatively impacts them even more than the minority groups.
Sadly, despite individual minority groups being willing to resist what the majority is telling them to do, it
does not affect the total outcome of situations that were presented within these novels. Due to the fact
that society itself is unwilling to stop the discrimination occurring to these individual minority groups, it
is the job of those underrepresented to unite and stand against the inequality they are being faced with
and bring about a more just society.
THE DEPICTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN WALLY LAMB’S NOVEL, SHE’S COME UNDONE, AND JULIANN GAREY’S NOVEL,
TOO BRIGHT TO HEAR, TOO LOUD TO SEE.
MONICA ANEGBEODE
In recent years, the stigma surrounding mental illness has decreased, allowing for freer discussion of its
causes, development, and treatment. This openness has also made room for realistic literature
portraying the lives of people suffering from a mental illness. Furthermore, authors have taken it upon
themselves to tell both actual and fictional stories about the time and strength it takes to confront and
manage such a disorder. I have therefore decided to investigate how two different authors showcase
the mental illness of their respective characters, and, through those characters, their perspective on the
destruction a mental illness has on someone’s life.
This paper examines the novels She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb, and Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to
See by Juliann Garey and compares their portrayal of a mentally ill person and their challenges. By
analyzing the opposing structures and protagonists, my essay evaluates the methods each author
adopts in describing the necessary steps to accepting and treating a mental illness and ultimately
identifies a core message of hope.
Through their novels, both authors demonstrate that the dissent into mental illness is gradual and does
not occur overnight, leading to symptoms being overlooked and ignored. Frequently, it is hard to cope
with a mental illness alone and even harder to seek out treatment and counseling. Finally, mental illness
does not only change the person who is diagnosed. It affects everyone surrounding them by causing lots
of pain and confusion at first. But as both novels show, optimism is key as there is a definite possibility
of finding hope in the least expected of places.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE FRENCH UNDERGROUND TO THE INVASION OF NORMANDY
MARTIN ANQUETIL
D-Day was undoubtedly a turning point in the Second World War, leading to the recapture of France,
the invasion of Germany, and the surrender of Hitler and the Nazis. It was a complex mission, taking
more than a year to plan, even with the help of leaders from multiple Allied nations. The aspect of the
mission which interested me the most was the involvement of the French Resistance; since the Allies
had no forces on the ground in France, they had to rely on French rebels to assist them in their
operations. Therefore, my question was, What role did the French Resistance play in facilitating D-Day
and to what extent did it succeed?
The most important role the Resistance had was delaying the arrival of Nazi troops to Normandy, giving
the Allies a number advantage on the beaches and giving them more time to come together and reorganize before progressing through France. According to experts and leaders involved, these were
extremely successful: many Nazi troops were slowed down extensively as a result of the explosions of
bridges, railroads, roads, etc. However, this also led me to ask the question of how the impact of smaller
acts on a large mission can be measured, especially with even smaller tasks such as gathering
intelligence or destroying means of communication, which the French were asked to do. The impact of
such small contributions is often not included in history textbooks, official documents, or testimonies,
and therefore was difficult for me to assess precisely. Although one cannot claim that D-Day would have
failed without the contributions of the French Resistance, one can claim that it was a significant
contribution.
HOW DO GAMES MAKE ATTEMPTS AT USING GENERAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
RAJ BHATIA
This paper is an evaluation of the extent to which games make attempts at using general artificial
intelligence. It is divided into two main sections, where both parts use real life examples of artificial
intelligence in games and compares them to general and specific artificial intelligence.
Firstly, this paper examines different major components and different styles in the approach of creating
artificial intelligence and compares these to the implementation of the PacMan game as an example for
artificial intelligence in most games. Secondly, it examines other real life examples of attempts at
artificial intelligence in different games outside of PacMan, such as Deep Blue and its implementation
with chess, and how they attempt to use general and specific artificial intelligence.
From this investigation it can be found that modern day games make attempts at using elements of
artificial intelligence in the creation of their games, however, they do not create general artificial
intelligence. These games use the specificity of finite situations in their world to determine actions, thus
creating specific artificial intelligence. There are very few attempts at general artificial intelligence
present today, and most attempts are for a specific AI.
PERMEATING THE AGES: LOVE FORBIDDEN
ADAM BI
This essay explores the relationship between historical context and the representation of love as a
means of resistance in the two compositions, Nineteen Eighty-four and Romeo and Juliet, by George
Orwell and William Shakespeare respectively. In both works, love between the protagonist and a partner
break the rules of the social constructs that govern them. By the end of the respective storylines, neither
couple finds contentment in their relationship. Each of these situations is reflective of the social norms
surrounding the novels’ composition, and embodies the authors’ perspectives as formed by the context
of time surrounding their eras.
Orwell’s work, for instance, paints the picture of a dystopia in which a totalitarian government leaves no
room for personal pleasure and privacy. This closely reflects Orwell’s own experience as a military
officer having travelled through and been stationed in the lines of totalitarian governments.
Shakespeare, on the other hand, seemingly drew the inspiration for his work from a satirical view
towards the society he was a part of. The connotation and imagery in descriptions thus present differing
evaluations of the theme of love in the two works, as the two authors communicate varying messages.
Putting these two variations of forbidden love side by side, it becomes apparent that the authors both
condemn society’s tendency to label ideas as taboo. In Shakespeare’s case, the tragedy ends with
suicide. In the case of Orwell’s dystopia, Winston and Julie end up going their own separate ways,
ground into unconditional love for Big Brother and none else. Through the literary elements in the two
works, both authors demonstrate that when emotion and logic are overshadowed by obedience, the
result is the inability to find contentment and happiness.
EXCESSIVE CHOICE EFFECT IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY
SONOMA BRILL
This paper explores to what extent overchoice is prevalent in manufactured food items of grocery store
settings, and in what situations. The scope covers surveys and experiments implemented to find data on
the same research question or area. This idea contradicts the common beliefs that the more choices the
better, as established in consumer choice theory. There have been experiments that have found
expectations to this belief, where the excessive amount of choices actually inhibits decision in the
consumer and many times leads to the regret of their purchase. Different types of product assortments
explored had slightly different effects on consumer reactions and perceptions. These were affected by
the degree of alignment within and between variations in products. The variance in this factor changed
the decision-making process in consumers, which can be assumed to affect their purchasing behaviors.
There was a correlation found between the number of choice alternatives and the perceptions of the
consumers, which thereby affected their reactions. Consumers were found to have a high perception of
overchoice in today’s food market, however, actual purchasing behaviors were more difficult to track,
due to the distanced nature of the data-collecting methods. The surveys had limitations in that they
were only able to find information on the thoughts of consumers, and the experiments had more limited
ability to capture true purchasing behavior in a real situation. There were, however, patterns that
occurred in different surveys on overchoice perception, and a limited correlation with the actual effects
implied in the excessive choice effect. Though many feel that there are too many choices in the
supermarkets, there are not that many situations in which this perception significantly affects the
chances of buying a product or afterward regret.
WILL DISTRIBUTED STORAGE FRAMEWORKS REPLACE RELATIONAL DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AS THE DOMINANT
DATA STORAGE SOLUTIONS?
ALEXANDRU CARUTASU
While searching for a topic on which to base my computer science extended essay, I became interested
in the application of computer science in the field of Big Data. While researching to learn more about Big
Data, the importance of proper data storage and analysis solutions became evident due to the ever
increasing volume of data that is collected and analyzed. A solution that appeared often in conjunction
with Big Data was Hadoop, a distributed storage framework. This was something I had not encountered
before, and I wondered how such frameworks compared to traditional data storage solutions like
relational database management systems, and whether the former would eventually replace the latter.
Thus, the final research question became: “Will distributed storage frameworks replace relational
database management systems as the dominant data storage solutions?”
The scope of the investigation was limited to comparing two of the most popular systems of each type,
with Hadoop representing distributed storage frameworks and SQL Server representing relational
database management systems. To develop my understanding of both systems, I searched for relevant
books containing technical information around the use and implementation of the systems. I
supplemented this with other miscellaneous information I needed through researching online articles.
Additionally, I talked with one of my parents, a data scientist at Microsoft, as well as a family friend who
is a software engineer at Google to further my knowledge.
In conclusion, I found that distributed systems are not likely to become the dominant solution because
both systems have many upsides that ensure their survival in relation to the other. However, I found
that both are likely to be replaced in the future by the HTAP system, which combines many of the
benefits of the two systems and thus removes the downsides that prevented them from becoming
dominant.
Rail Dimensions on Railguns’ Projectile Distance
Johnathan Cassady
Rail guns present much potential in their modern applications in weapons development. Their unique
engineering differentiate them from other projectile launcher because of the speed at which they can
propel an object. These speeds are acquired by running massive amounts of current through a projectile
that can slide on rails, which produces a large magnetic force. The current travels from the first rail,
through the projectile, and out the other rail, inducing magnetic force. This force propels the projectile
to high velocities. When building a railgun, it is crucial to determine the optimal dimensions of the
railgun, as this can both maximize the effectiveness of the gun, and save a lot of money.
My investigation consisted of exploring the effects of rail dimensions on the distance a projectile can be
launched. I looked at the width of each rail, the length of the rails, and as the distance between the two
rails. In order to emulate the principles of railgun technology without creating a high powered weapon,
the voltage on the rails of the railgun was kept low at nine volts. The rails were made out of tin foil as to
allow for easy adjustments in dimensions. The projectile was a simple metal rod with magnets attached
to each end to magnify the force.
The results of this experiment show that increasing the width of each rail does nothing, but minimizing
the distance between rails, and maximizing the length of the rails increases the distance the projectile
was able to travel.
WHAT IS THE PRIMARY INFLUENTIAL FORCE THAT SHAPED BOSTON NEIGHBORHOOD STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS?
SHANNON CASSADY
This investigation makes use of several criteria in quantifying the qualitative nature of Boston
neighborhoods and their influencing factors, as adapted from the NYC CEQR method, which is the
guiding assessment technique of the essay. These criteria are truncated into the following categories:
Affluence, Aesthetics, and Accessibility, by which each neighborhood’s attributes are analyzed. In
addition, the effects of the factors contributing to each neighborhood’s attributes and excellence are
discussed. This analysis points to the pervasive influence of specific factors rather than others on what
makes Boston neighborhoods characteristic and successful in how they look and function. In conducting
my analysis, I made use of different sources to evaluate the neighborhoods based on my defined
criteria. In general, I made use of architectural history texts, real estate and property analytics, and
transportation data. Together, these sources gave me a wholesome perspective of the neighborhood’s
character from an external and internal perspective.
The conclusions of this investigation were that the Boston Redevelopment Authority was and is the
most influential force that determines Boston neighborhood structures and functions. In effect, the
Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) is the primary city planning agency of the city, but rather than
simply planning transportation or development projects from a urban functional perspective, the BRA
incorporates Bostonian history, architectural art, and population patterns into its planning in a way that
many planning agencies of other cities fail to do. In this way, it’s clear that the BRA, rather than other
socioeconomic or historical forces, is the primary arbiter of Boston structures and functions because it is
a reflection and liaison of the ground level forces which influence the city.
MODELLING THE PATH OF LIGHT THROUGH A NON-UNIFORM DENSITY SOLUTION
GRANT CHEN
The phenomenon of light refraction is visible throughout our daily lives and perhaps the best example is
that of a straw in a glass of water. Looking from the side of the glass, the straw seemingly is sheared off
by the plane of the water and sits at a different location than would be suspected. What is specifically
occurring is that the light wave is bending due to a medium change, resulting in the image of the straw
appearing off from where it “should” be. Snell’s Law can help us describe the path of light as it travels
through a medium of uniform density, but this essay serves to investigate and model the path of laser
light as it travels through a non-uniform density solution.
After first calculating the angles of refraction for light upon a uniform density solution, tangents were
drawn to the path of light through the non-uniform density solution. The angle of those tangent lines
was then compared with the previously calculate angles in order to then determine the instantaneous
densities of the solution and thus model the density of the solution.
In addition, the model that the investigation produced was compared with the brachistochrone curve,
which is the theoretical model developed from Fermat’s principle that states that the path of travel
between two points by light will be the one of least time. Although I found that my experimental model
and the brachistochrone curve both followed a similar trend, I also discovered that my model was
unreliable after only a few data values and thus concluded that the brachistochrone curve predicted
much more accurate values of density due to its slower rate of descent.
MAXIMIZING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN ONLINE RETAIL PLATFORM
KATHLEEN CHEN
As technology surges into a new era, traditional retail settings must adapt to the new online lifestyles of
customers. The primary method to reach a greater market in the 21st century is through online sales;
therefore, the effectiveness of a company’s website is extremely valuable to retail apparel businesses.
The question thus researched is: how can a retail apparel company maximize the effectiveness of their
online retail platform?
This study focuses on three main components to a website: establishing a relationship of trust with the
customer, identifying a successful aesthetic and brand, and ensuring functionality and ease of use. While
these three components are applicable to all websites, this study is specialized to those of retail apparel
companies.
By consulting business analytical tools and secondary research, this study recommends certain courses
of actions, such as a partnership with third-party payment systems, which a retail apparel company
could implement to improve their web site and therefore the online retail experience of their
customers.
Despite recent global economic downturn, the global apparel industry continues to grow at a healthy
rate. The retail apparel industry is one of the largest in the world, and the success of the retail apparel
market can heavily impact not just the industries related to it, but our entire economy as well. For the
retail apparel industry to move online is of great importance and urgency, and by improving their
websites, retail apparel companies can advance towards their future.
MICROSOFT’S MARKET POSITION UNDER TWO CEOS
NATHAN CHEN
In the global market, corporations are renowned not only for their products, but also for their leaders.
In its contemporary history, Microsoft Corporation has experienced varying degrees of profitability
under two CEOs—Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella. As such, this extended essay considers the question,
“To what extent has Satya Nadella’s leadership of Microsoft improved the corporation’s market position
as compared to that under the management of Steve Ballmer?”
My exploration was segmented into five main components, each comparing corporate performance
under the two CEOs. First, I examined managerial ideologies and their effects on corporate culture.
Next, I employed two business tools to further my analysis: a SWOT analysis to reveal strengths and
weaknesses within Microsoft and a Boston Matrix to evaluate the effectiveness of Microsoft’s product
mix. Next, I studied Microsoft’s financial performance to determine a fiscal metric for the corporation’s
market position. Finally, I evaluated the potential performance of upcoming Microsoft products to
predict future market performance.
The majority of my information was derived from secondary sources: news articles from a variety of
business websites provided the foundation of my findings, and financial performance data acted as
further supplementation.
From my study, I determined that Nadella’s leadership of Microsoft has improved its market position to
a significant extent, rescuing the corporation from stagnation under Ballmer. Most noticeably, Nadella
possesses with a more open-minded style as compared to the hyper-aggressive leadership of Ballmer. In
accordance, Nadella has redirected the company to a more future-oriented, “cloud-first “direction in
product development instead of continuing the “follower” approach that Microsoft adopted in previous
years. Following a trend of innovation, Microsoft’s investment into new products like Windows 10 and
the Surface Book promises substantial future reclamation of lost market share.
BACH AND SHOSTAKOVICH: THE LINK BETWEEN PRELUDE AND FUGUE
BENJAMIN CHEUNG
The prelude and fugue is a well-known form usually associated with the Baroque period. Pieces of this
form were most famously written by Johann Sebastian Bach; notably, his Well-Tempered Clavier, which
is comprised of two books of 24 preludes and fugues each, remains a hugely influential work. However,
after the Baroque era, it became less frequent for composers to write music in the form of the prelude
and fugue, and fugues began to be written for study purposes only. Despite this trend towards the
discontinuation of fugal writing, the contemporary composer Dmitri Shostakovich revived the Baroque
model in his own set of 24 preludes and fugues. Shostakovich’s composition reflects the 20th-century
trend of neoclassicism, the movement towards the synthesis of Classical and Baroque forms with more
modern developmental techniques and harmonies, revealing a fascinating development from Bach’s set,
written 230 years earlier than Shostakovich’s set.
At the core of the idea of a prelude and fugue is the relationship between the two movements, which
are considered to be tied together and interrelated. This paper, then, seeks to reveal the similarities and
differences between how Shostakovich and Bach unite the prelude and fugue into a single body. The
method for comparing Bach and Shostakovich is first comparing each prelude to its fugue in form,
voicing, harmony, thematic material, and thematic development, and then comparing Bach’s method of
linking the two with Shostakovich’s method.
My research has revealed that while Bach and Shostakovich both use a variety of methods to link
prelude and fugue, Shostakovich’s links tend to reflect the overall form and idea of each piece, while
Bach’s links tend to be more detail-focused and subtle, using similar methods of thematic development,
similar thematic motives, and more conservative voicing.
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SOURCES OF AUTHORITY OF SHARIA LAW WITH ISLAMIC SOCIETIES
ANDREW CHOI
The question which will be addressed within this investigation is What Makes Sharia Law Authoritative
within Islamic Societies? The investigation was undertaken through the usage of analysis of primary
sources, scholarly articles and testimonies found of Islamic beliefs. In addition, the struggle of several
Islamic nations in integrating Sharia Law within their legal systems was analyzed in order to compare the
varying levels of adherence and acceptance of Sharia Law within their various societies. The
investigation yielded the conclusion that the primary reason for the authority of Sharia Law is twofold.
On one side, the tenet of the Islamic Faith which decrees that Sharia Law is divinely inspired and a
comprehensive guide to the correct conduct of a faithful Muslim forms the basis for the spiritual and
theological motivation for the following of Sharia Law. On the other, the Schools of Islamic
Jurisprudence themselves, with their tradition and large followings, form the legal basis of Sharia Law.
ETHANOL TOLERANCE IN BACTERIA
LUKAS COREY
Organisms evolve to be adaptable to new circumstances. The organisms that were less able to adapt
when the circumstances changed did not survive to pass on their genes. Variation has a similar
evolutionary value—when the population pressures change in some way, groups with more variation
are more likely to have a section of the population that is able to survive the new conditions. This lab
investigated the ability of bacteria to adapt to increases in the ethanol in their environment with the
research question “To what extent will selection of the most ethanol tolerance bacteria allow the
development of a group of bacteria with increased tolerance?”
Even though there are implications about the mechanisms of adaptation in other organisms, the scope
of this investigation is strictly limited to the ability of a strand of AB707 Escherichia Coli to survive
increases in the percent ethanol concentration of the minimal media agar on which it was grown.
Further research would be needed to test the applications of this type of epigenetic mutations in other
organisms or in other situations.
This essay concludes that E. Coli AB707 bacteria have developed substantial, however limited,
epigenetic mechanisms for quickly adapting to an environment with high levels of ethanol and that
these mechanisms are likely to have implications in the biofuel industry. An additional conclusion is that
these epigenetic mechanisms are passed from generation to generation, allowing the accumulation of
the effect of multiple treatments. Finally, the experiment concluded that it is likely the bacteria
weakened in their ability to resist fungal growth over time as their ethanol tolerance increased.
9/11 AND AGAMBEN’S STATE OF EXCEPTION
JESSICA DAI
The War on Terror waged after 9/11 brought increasingly intrusive federal surveillance of the American
people, which has come to the forefront of American political consciousness. Italian political philosopher
Giorgio Agamben has written extensively about the war on terror as a whole, claiming that it constitutes
a "state of exception" in which certain laws are used to justify the suspension of others. Furthermore, he
asserts that this state of exception creates a situation of "bare life," politically valueless life exploited by
the state. If that is true, then surveillance should function also as a state of exception. However, it is not
immediately clear how "bare life" is implicated as part of the surveillance state. Therefore, the research
question investigated is: Using post-9/11 domestic surveillance as a model for Agamben’s state of
exception, to what extent is his theoretical characterization of bare life accurate?
For the purposes of this paper, domestic surveillance will be defined as surveillance that the federal
government carries out and that affects persons within the United States; furthermore, only surveillance
that takes place after 9/11 will be considered. Additionally, though Agamben is prolific regarding
strategies for resistance against a state of exception, those strategies will not be considered, as they are
only tangentially related to the question of bare life as it relates to surveillance.
This essay concludes that domestic surveillance conducted after 9/11 is a close model for what
constitutes a "state of exception" as defined by Agamben. However, in this context, Agamben's
seemingly extreme definition of bare life and the violence done against it must be modified in order to
account for the different ways that bare life manifests in the surveillance state; ultimately, bare life is
about the compromised relationship between the governed and the government.
ARCTIC MONKEYS’ SOUND PROGRESSION OVER TIME
ZALE DE JONG
The research question for this investigation is how Arctic Monkeys have changed their sound as a band
over time from their first album to their fifth album. Many bands have changed their sound as a group
over time, and some bands are more successful than others in doing so. Much of the time, fans are
displeased with later works and start regarding the band as a different entity. Arctic Monkeys is a great
example of a band having drastically changed the sound of their music, but they are able to do so in a
way that retains aspects of their earlier works as well as provide a completely new sound that draws in a
different audience. The scope of the investigation includes the five musical categories of sound, melody,
harmony, rhythm, and structure to try and discover what alterations they have made to their music
through a technical standpoint. While there may be many outside factors that affect sound such as
personal affairs of the artists, the music is analyzed to observe the direct effects of the changes. After
analyzing the changes Arctic Monkeys have made to their music, there is no one element of their music
that changes the sound of their works, but rather alterations to each individual category that affect the
sound of the work as a whole. Certain elements are altered more than others though, which provide
insight into the aspects of music that determine how the music sounds to the greatest effect. However,
even if artists lean toward changing one element of the music to a greater degree than others, the
greater sound of their pieces transform greatly through the complete combination of variations.
THE EFFECTS OF MUNICIPAL EFFORTS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN ELLIOTT BAY, WASHINGTON
EMILY DEARDORFF
Have Seattle’s efforts to improve stormwater and wastewater infrastructure improved the water quality
of Elliott Bay? This essay analyzes the current water quality of Elliott Bay, and then examines
correlations between improvements in quality and specific policies enacted. The data that was analyzed
was fecal coliform pollution levels from 1985 to 2015 is analyzed in order to find the trend in the levels,
and it was found that the fecal coliform levels have decreased greatly from 1985 to 2015. The policies
examined include retrofitting of problematic sewers, improvements in wastewater transportation, and
small-scale green stormwater infrastructure. Through the correlations between when each project was
finished and the changes in fecal coliform levels, it was found that the City of Seattle was able to
improve the water quality of Elliott Bay by widespread neighborhood drainage initiatives and by
increasing the stormwater preliminary treatment centers.
Using Game Theory to Improve Penalty Shootouts
Todor Dimitrov
Penalty shootouts are an essential aspect of the most popular sport in the world; soccer. However, there
is no universal recipe as to how to score or save a penalty. In this paper we use game theory to
investigate strategies for both kickers and goalies which would improve their chances to either score or
save a penalty kick. In particular we analyze penalty kicks between profile players based on data from
previous Soccer World Cups under different assumptions about the opponent’s strategy. We found that
when the goalie applied a fixed strategy, the shooter is advised to aim primarily at the middle, a result
which was surprising as the goalie beings by placing himself in the middle portion of the goal. On the
other hand, when the shooter employed a fixed strategy, the goalie needs to dive to the right where
most of the shots are placed. Lastly, when both players do not know the other’s tactic, it was
determined that optimal strategy for the shooter is to never aim towards the upper middle quadrant
and distributes his shots evenly across the rest while the goalie should primarily dive towards the lower
corners. Our study demonstrates that game theory is a useful tool in solving complex real life scenarios
where different parties made decisions independently and simultaneously.
TO WHAT EXTENT WAS THE GREAT DEPRESSION PREVENTABLE?
RESHAN FERNANDO
This essay will focus on both explaining the events leading up to the Great Depression, as well as
analyzing their preventability. The events concerning World War 1, such as the return of American
soldiers to their homes and the conversion of wartime factories to allow for mass production of
American goods, led to an American economic boom. An inadequate response from the government to
these changes resulted in mass overexpansion from American companies and thus a collapse once the
demand for goods began to dwindle. Additionally, governmental decisions played a huge role in
furthering the depression as well; however, it is not solely the faults of Presidents Coolidge and Harding
with the laissez-faire policies which they insisted on sticking with. President Roosevelt’s decisions during
the Great Depression, known as the New Deal, also had an impact on the Great Depression, as some of
his policies actually led to the duration of the Great Depression increasing.
This investigation concludes that the Great Depression was virtually inevitable, due to the impossibility
to anticipate the factors in place at the time. However, it also concludes that since these events have
now happened, it is definitely possible to limit the chance of future depressions from happening by
eliminating some of these factors entirely.
DESIGNING AN ERGONOMIC KEYBOARD TO PREVENT WRIST AND ARM AILMENTS SUCH AS CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME.
VIVEK GOPALAN
This essay focuses on the design of a computer keyboard that helps prevent wrist ailments such as
carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The goal of this investigation is to develop a keyboard that reduces stress
and strain on the wrists, improves typing efficiency, and reduces ulnar deviation. In essence, this
investigation serves to show different ways in which ergonomic factors can be considered in the design
of a keyboard for daily use. By going through the steps of the design cycle, this essay covers the
planning, design, creation, and testing of an ergonomic keyboard.
The scope of this extended essay encompasses all individuals wishing to improve their wrist health and
individuals wishing to reduce problems resulting from preexisting wrist ailments. This could encompass
individuals worldwide wishing to maintain or improve posture and arm health. This investigation of a
human-centered design hopes to reduce some of the problems associated with everyday life.
The results of this investigation show a strong correlation between having an ergonomic keyboard and
limiting stress on wrists. By designing a keyboard to reduce stress on the wrists by supporting them with
a wrist rest, strain on the carpal tunnel was reduced. Overall, the conclusion of this design experiment is
that ergonomics really has an impact on a user’s experience and health. By designing a product to
address issues that are common in the workplace and our daily lives, one can make an impact that
improves user’s experience. This project has really enriched my global view in that a simple solution like
this could improve the day to day user experience of many around the world. In the end, the product
that I created fit most of my design specifications, which were: higher efficiency, less actuation force,
comfortable wrist rest, and lower key-press distance.
THE INFLUENCE OF DONNIE BURNS AND GAYNOR FAIRWEATHER ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIP ACTION IN LATIN
AMERICAN DANCING
EVGENIYA GOROBETS
The dancing of Burns and Fairweather – former Latin American ballroom champions - was significant in
its emotional and artistic aspects – that is, how it developed the style and sophistication of Latin
American dancing. However, this essay was constrained to exploring only the mechanical aspects of
their dancing, because to obtain evidence on the emotional aftereffect of their performances and to
delve into the levels of sophistication and elegance that exist in competitive ballroom dancing is beyond
the resources and scope of this essay.
This essay used a variety of sources to identify the changes in hip action and to connect them to Burns
and Fairweather. Most prominently, this essay uses videos of competitive Latin dancing, ranging from
long before Burns’ career to long after, to identify patterns and contrasts between past and current
dancing. To transfer the video evidence into this paper, photos and sequences of photos were taken
from the videos, and graphs tracking the hip motion in the videos were created. In addition, personal
experience in the form of lectures with Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather reinforced the evidence
and conclusions drawn from the videos.
Ultimately, this essay identified two major changes in hip action that Burns and Fairweather initiated.
The first is greater use of a pendulum action in the hips. The second is the more consistent use of the
Cuban action – which is a simultaneous contraction in the ribs and counter rotation of the upper body
and the hips. Combined, these developments in hip action created more fluid and intricate movement,
which allowed consequent generations of dancers to have greater freedom of expression through their
bodies.
WHO YOU SHOULD BE
THE EFFECT OF CATHOLIC AND SEPARATIST BELIEF SYSTEMS IN CREATING GENERATIONAL CONFLICTS IN THE YOUTH
CULTURE OF 1990S QUEBEC IN HEATHER O’NEILL’S NOVEL THE GIRL WHO WAS SATURDAY NIGHT.
MADELEINE GRIFFITH
This essay investigates how the author, Heather O’Neill, explores conflict between generations in the
novel The Girl Who Was Saturday Night. In the novel, character development is accomplished through
many literary devices. These techniques achieve the goal of the author by showing the importance of
the journey to independence. The Separatists were a political group throughout the late 1900s in
Quebec whose platform was based off the fight for Quebec independence from Canada. The Catholics,
in the novel, are orthodox religious followers who belong to both the Anglophone and Francophone
cultures, and believe that any social progress will negatively affect everyone. The protagonist, Nouschka,
experiences conflict with the older generations as the Separatists and Catholics experience conflict, to
symbolize the perspective and expectations placed upon youth.
In the first section, the extensive use of similes will be analyzed to see how depth is added to character
development by revealing the themes of nature and urbanity in Quebec and continued presence of
childhood memories throughout the novel. Literary devices are used to establish the culture in Quebec
of the early 1990s and the protagonist’s background. In the second section, the belief systems of
Catholicism and Separatism will be analyzed to see how one must reach their own conclusions despite
familial and societal pressures. The pressures contradict one another so balance must be found to
develop stronger personal beliefs.
The end result of this investigation is support for the key overall message of O’Neill that independence is
necessary for all youth culture to absorb the older generation’s expectations, but also accept personal
potential and continue to strive for one’s own greatness. Despite the excessive outside pressure to
determine one’s direction and success in life one must try to overlook these to see how they compare
with personal experience.
THE ROLE OF THE FISCHER-SPASSKY MATCHES IN DETERRING USSR’S INTELLECTUAL FORTIFICATIONS 1970-1976
FARIS GULAMALI
The following essay is based upon the question: “Why was the impact of Fischer’s victory so much
greater in the USSR than in the USA?” First, the impacts of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match will be
established. Next, the particular details of the match will be identified. Finally, the underlying cause of
the impacts will be ascertained. In chess terms, the endgame and conclusion will be analyzed first, then
the opening and all necessary steps, which led to the conclusion, will be ascertained. The scope of this
investigation includes the cultural developments regarding chess prior to the match in both Russia and
the United States to the ultimate impacts on the war. The time frame extends from Karl Marx’s lifetime
to the end of the Cold war. The conclusion of the essay is that the Fischer’s victory impacted the United
States far greater than the Soviet Union because the Soviet Union integrated chess into the underlying
military, cultural and economic institutions while the United States held chess in the light of a
recreational sport.
HOW LIKELY WAS THE U.S. TO DECLARE WAR IN 1941 WITHOUT THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR?
ESHA GULATI
After the start of World War II in the 1940’s, there was much consideration about whether or not the
United States of America would join the war. In this investigation I examined the question “how likely
was the U.S. to declare war in 1941 without the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?” Through extensive
research I found various reasons for why the United States could benefit from joining the war, such as
benefits to the economy as well as the advantages we gained for the containment of communism. By
the end of this, I came to the conclusion that the United States would have found a way to join the war
regardless of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
AN EVALUATION OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS AFFECTING HIV/AIDS PREVENTION AND TREATMENT IN
BOTSWANA
LILIAN HA
Despite relative political stability and an economy on the rise, the Republic of Botswana continues to
carry the burden of having one of the world’s highest rates of HIV. As of 2011, approximately 320,000
citizens of the country live with the virus, leading to an annual death toll of 11,000. The numbers, while
seemingly discouraging, are actually indicative of a steady decline in new cases each year, and show
improvements in awareness and drug availability. Nonetheless, the illness is far from eradicated in this
region. While extensive money and research has been put into improvement of the medication, as well
as better distribution and campaigning, there are numerous other factors impacting the effectiveness of
such prevention and treatment programs. Specifically, there are socio-cultural variables, such as
commonly held religious beliefs, that may be limiting the success of such programs. Thus, this paper
answers the question, “To what extent do the commonly held cultural beliefs and lifestyles of citizens
affect the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs in Botswana?”.
The investigation began with the collection of data on currently implemented treatment programs,
national policies, and prevention marketing, narrowing the scope to those implemented or supported by
the government and major non-profit organizations. Then, data on the cultural factors was collected and
analyzed. It was concluded that the most significant socio-cultural factors included a reliance on
traditional medicine, views on gender roles and sexuality, the shifting lifestyles of the Botswana in
recent times, and religion. Because of the influence of these factors, programs should aim to include the
incorporation of traditional medicine, training of local healers, as well as explicitly correcting wrongly
held medical beliefs with the goal of stopping the spread of HIV.
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT FLAVORING INGREDIENTS IN TUMS ANTACID ON THE ABILITY OF THE
ANTACID TO NEUTRALIZE STOMACH ACID
AHMED HANAFY
According to the Florida Medical Center, with approximately 15 million people in the US experiencing it
daily, heartburn has become an overlooked issue due to its simple treatment. Heartburn is caused by an
excess of stomach acid composed of mainly Hydrochloric Acid, a highly acidic chemical with a pH of 2,
leading to a backflow into the esophagus. Due to the lack of protective lining inside the esophagus,
when this backflow happens, a person experiencing heartburn feels a burning sensation near his or her
heart.
The treatment for this problem is typically very easy: taking an antacid pill to neutralize the Hydrochloric
Acid in stomach acid. This easy treatment results in large corporations, such as TUMS, mass producing
these tablets and attempting to reach out to more customers by bringing out different flavors of this
antacid product. This begs the following question: How does changing the flavor of TUMS antacid effect
the TUMS antacid’s ability to neutralize stomach acid (HCl)?
This investigation compared 5 different flavors of antacid and their ability to neutralize Hydrochloric
Acid (HCl). This was done by comparing the moles of HCl neutralized per gram of antacid.
The results of this experiment showed that despite having some small variation in moles of HCl
neutralized per gram, the difference was too insignificant and was most likely due to error in data
collection than an actual difference in strength. In other words, changing the flavor of TUMS antacid
does not significantly affect the ability of the antacid to neutralize stomach acid.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: THEME DEVELOPMENT USING MOVIE RHETORIC
MADELINE HANKINS
The Silence of the Lambs is one of only three movies adapted from books that have ever won the top
five Academy Award categories. Although the novel was also well-liked, its success was not coordinated
with that of the movie. This essay seeks to identify how relationship development between the two
main actors was used to develop themes originally presented in the book. To answer this question,
various aspects of movie rhetoric such as lighting, camera distances, actor expression, and tone were
analyzed to see how they expanded the main theme of loss of innocence. Additionally, the script of the
movie was compared with the book text to determine if literary developments may have developed the
theme of loss of innocence.
The relationship between the two main actors, Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, focuses on the
themes of loss of innocence and power, while it neglects the themes of peace, schooling, and fragility.
The director Jonathan Demme uses close shots of the actor’s faces to emphasize power differences
between the two characters and give the audience a more realistic movie experience. Tone and eye
contact differences are used to give the character Hannibal Lecter power and expedite the loss of
innocence. The screenplay writer also eliminates many of the text aspects that make Hannibal Lecter
appear humane to emphasize negative themes.
Overall the movie’s popularity can be largely attributed to the fear induced through the emphasis on
negative themes created in the book. The author of the book, Ted Tally, refuses to be interviewed about
his book, and therefore the intended themes in the book cannot be truly identified. Through analysis we
can determine with a large amount of certainty that the theme of loss of innocence was further
developed in the movie.
THE ROLE OF MEMORY IN DETERMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT IN TONI MORRISON’S
BELOVED AND JOY KOGAWA’S OBASAN
AYANA HARSCOET
This essay will explore the following question: What is the role of memory in determining the
relationship between past and present in Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Joy Kogawa’s Obasan? The first
main section, titled “The Nature of the Past,” outlines the relationship between past, present, and
memory as discussed by the two authors. Specifically, the structure and motifs present in both novels
are indicative of the way memory blurs the lines between past and present. However, Kogawa’s
portrayal of the past in Obasan is more organized and the role of memory more systematic than in
Beloved. Then, in order to understand the nature of the relationship between past and present, the
second section, “Coping Mechanisms,” delves into the methods by which we overcome and face the
past. This section addresses the development and role of secondary characters from each novel as well
as certain motifs that further contribute to understanding the relationship between the past and the
present. Ultimately, the essay reaches three significant conclusions: first, that memory—both as a
cognitive function and literary device—is crucial in determining the relationship between the past and
the present; second, that our understanding of the past through memory directly impacts how we live in
the present, both explicitly and implicitly; and third, that there are multiple means by which to address
problems raised by the past. These means fall along a spectrum outlined in the section titled “Coping
Mechanisms,” with forgetting the past at one end and pursuing it at the other. Both Morrison and
Kogawa illustrate the benefits of the two extremes but ultimately emphasize the importance of finding a
balance.
AN INVESTIGATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CELIE’S CHARACTER IN THE COLOR PURPLE
GLORIA HSIEH
This essay investigates the coming of age of a black girl, Celie, growing up during the early 1900’s in the
South in the novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. By examining and tracking the progression of
Celie’s character development, this essay focuses on female sexuality, religion, and perception of
blackness during this time period.
The topic of female sexuality is the most explicit theme. Walker’s method of indicating Celie’s growth
from being unaware of her own sexuality to embracing it is most evidently seen through the use of one
particular character, Shug Avery, as a symbol of her growth. Shug Avery is a guiding figure that leads
Celie through her journey of discovering both her sexuality and role as a woman.
Walker links Celie’s attitude towards God with her progress towards understanding herself. For Celie,
God is a versatile symbol whose meaning changes multiple times throughout the novel. God starts out
as a concept that Celie takes literally, believing “God” to be her father. As the novel progresses, God
develops into a symbol of male dominance and brutality over Celie. Eventually, Celie is able to see God
as an “It”, and not a specific person.
Celie’s perception of blackness is referenced indirectly in this novel. Walker uses imagery in describing
how Celie sees herself and other black people. She inserts dialogue from other characters speaking
negatively about the appearance of black skin, using derogatory connotations in her word choice. Celie’s
views on being an African American are made through assumptions based on her interactions with other
characters throughout the novel, as she never explicitly speaks about her opinion about being black.
In the end Walker demonstrates that even when someone is born into oppression, one can truly
understand one’s experiences and break from one’s difficult past.
WHAT CAUSED THE 228 INCIDENT?
RAYMOND HSU
After World War II, Japan ended its imperialism over the island of Taiwan and Kuomingtang, a Chinese
political party, took over as colonists. The Chinese and Taiwanese lived together and conflicts occurred
such as the 228 Incident. The 228 Incident was a suppressed anti-government uprising in Taiwan which
occurred on February 28, 1947. This massacre by the Kuomingtang resulted in the deaths of thousands
of Taiwanese citizens, ranging from teenagers to elders, who were indiscriminately murdered. Despite
occurring over half a century ago, this tragedy is still a highly emotional and sensitive topic to many
people. However, historians still debate the question: What caused the 228 Incident? To answer this,
the investigation explores the buildup of events which eventually resulted in the 228 Incident.
To analyze what caused the incident, this investigation is broken down into three parts. First, accurate
contextualization is required by establishing the facts that are widely accepted by historians. Secondly,
the areas of dispute and uncertainty are identified. These areas are the intentions of the Chinese as they
first came to Taiwan, the role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the role of racism and
ethnicity. Finally, these disagreements are settled by examining primary and secondary documents on
this issue as well as applying reason to come to an answer. All the documents used address the events
that happened before February 28, 1947, which was when the massacre occurred.
This investigation reached the conclusion that the incident was caused by, to a large extent, the buildup
resulting from ethnic tensions between the Chinese and Taiwanese. The racial tension was only
exacerbated by the large amounts of stress caused by the terrible economic conditions.
TOYOTA’S UNEXPECTED RECALL RECOVERY
RAYYAN HUSSAIN
With Toyota’s recent high profile recalls of its products, how have their sales been damaged and how
can they most effectively boost sales through this period?
In this investigation, the question proposed was to analyze Toyota’s recent high profile of recalls and
how to effectively boost sales during this period. The question states that with Toyota’s recent high
profile recalls of its products, how have their sales been damaged and how can they most effectively
boost sales through this period? The purpose of this is to find out the necessary steps Toyota as a major
company is taking to ensure success. The investigation explores the possibilities in which Toyota gained
profits after the company went through major recalls. It also explores the ethical issue that Toyota has
had with their brand name and brand recognition due to their recalls. Recently the company was hit
with a wave of recalls, and the investigation is to analyze how Toyota rebounded from the loss to create
record profits for the company. There were some analytical tools used to analyze these issues. A force
field analysis and a decision tree were used to consider pathways for Toyota to take after these recalls.
The results were that Toyota lost a large sum of profits, but regained it due to brand loyalty and Toyota
having a strong brand name. Statistically, Toyota had around 18 billion in profits, which is record
breaking for the company. The investigation shows the ways that Toyota can prevent these recalls from
happening again.
DAVID HOCKNEY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CIVIL RIGHTS AND ARTISTIC COMPOSITION
DAVID HWANG
At the start of his professional career in the 1960s, critics had associated David Hockney’s signature
stylistic with vivid depictions of “American Paradise.” Drawing upon inspirations of Googie Architecture
plastered all over Southern California, David Hockney painted tranquil depictions of the Californian
Paradise ranging from the shimmering pools of Santa Monica, to lavish storefronts in Beverly Hills. But in
1965, David Hockney’s artistic style began to exude a “Trouble in Paradise” thematic. Pastel Colors
began to decline in brightness and saturation, healthy verdure and still waters gradually disappeared,
and the focus of pervasive tranquility gradually fell into the darkness of self-reflection and guilt. Notably,
this decline in his “paradise” thematic directly corresponds with the progression and violent episodes of
the Civil Rights Movements in the 1960s.
The scope of this investigation first touches upon a brief history of David Hockney’s beginnings, relevant
background information about the Los Angeles Civil Rights Movement, and some key distinctions in his
artistic style over the years. From then, the investigation analyzes several key early selections from
David Hockney’s Polaroid Collection; establishing some key corresponding themes and differences that
align with both the Los Angelean and National Civil Rights Movement timeline of the 1960s.
The investigation of David Hockney’s aspirations and artistic style have revealed that Hockney provoked
this correspondence not out of political correctness, but out of a vested emotional interest that he had
in racial equality, and indebtedness towards the many minority cultures of Los Angeles. Analysis of his
pioneering influence in the Insta-Photograph revolution and contributions to the Pop Art movement
reveal that his earlier works have made significant contributions in expanding the scope of the Pop
Genre to address racial and sexual minority grievances, and firmly concludes that David Hockney’s style
was indeed influenced by a Civil Rights Agenda.
TO WHAT EXTENT DID HOSTILITIES BETWEEN BLACKS AND JEWS IN NORTHERN PHILADELPHIA RACE RIOT OF 1964?
AUDREY IMMEL
The purpose of this essay is to determine to what extent the 1964 Philadelphia Riot was caused by
tensions between blacks and Jews in the city’s Northern neighborhoods. This issue is reflective of the
historical animosity between blacks and Jews in many American urban centers, based on claims that
Jews took economic advantage of their black neighbors.
In order to investigate whether the riot was caused by such tension, testimony from both the black and
Jewish population of Northern Philadelphia was analyzed. Because these testimonies are limited in their
perspective, they were cross referenced with both qualitative and quantitative data about the
conditions of blacks and the practices of the Jewish business class. This includes information involving
housing, unemployment and police discrimination in Philadelphia, and how these factors influenced the
black populations’ struggles.
The essay concludes that the disproportionate amount of Jewish merchants and landlords in the area of
the riot makes it difficult to discern if blacks were anti-Semitic, and not simply anti-white. Also, the
larger socioeconomic issues hindering the black community at the time played the most important role
in their frustration, leaving them originally vulnerable to exploitation.
QUANTIFICATION OF FREQUENCY OF HORIZONTAL GENE TRANSFER FOR VARIANTS OF K-12 ESCHERICHIA COLI
JOSHUA IP
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a process by which organisms can transfer genes without reproduction.
HGT may be a potential risk in genetic engineering, where human-made genes are introduced to the
environment. It is increasingly relevant to modern biotechnology because traits in engineered bacteria,
such as antibiotic resistance, may cause disaster if transferred to a pathogenic species. A key component
to understanding the risks of horizontal gene transfer is comparing the different mechanisms of HGT as
research suggests that some types of genes can be more effectively transferred by some methods of
HGT than others. This essay compares compare the frequency of the three primary methods of
horizontal gene transfer at transferring genomic genes. To quantify the frequency of HGT, strains of E.
coli were inoculated and incubated such that only one frequency of HGT was available to them.
Afterwards, recombinants, or E. coli that had undergone HGT, isolated by plating the bacterial
suspension on minimal media, which they could only survive on if they had undergone HGT. The number
of bacteria in the suspension was quantified by taking the percent transmittance on a
spectrophotometer and comparing it to McFarland standards. The percent of E. coli that had undergone
HGT was measured by dividing the recombinants by the number of E. coli originally in the suspension.
Though the results had far too much error to be conclusive, the results showed that close to 0.002% of
bacteria underwent each frequency HGT. The implications of this relatively high frequency is that
horizontal gene transfer is a significant safety risk and therefore that genetically modified bacteria
should be used in a laboratory environment instead of a natural setting.
LONG-TERM AFFECTS OF PLAYING AMERICAN FOOTBALL
ARNAV IYER
People commonly associate the NFL with brain traumas, and injuries. I am here to help explain what the
long term effects of brain trauma from playing American football can be. Throughout this essay, I will
talk about concussions, and how you receive them. I will go in depth on how repeated concussions can
cause a neurological disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. How chronic traumatic
encephalopathy is seen in the NFL, both in the past and the present. And a certain study that has been
taken to show how the memory of certain retired players are. I will be arguing how playing American
football can cause the brain to degenerate, and cause a football player to have worse memory in the
future, as well as how chronic traumatic encephalopathy can lead to early death in football players.
DOES HANDEDNESS AFFECT AN ATHLETE’S ABILITIES?
SHOBHIT JAIN
Sports sciences is an extremely under-researched topic which does receive the emphasis is deserves.
Researching handedness, in particular, can help professional athletes and lead to medical advances in
possibly treating disabled individuals or people with certain conditions. This paper is about the effect an
athlete’s dominant hand has on his or her ability to learn a sport and how that compares to the effect of
using their non-dominant hand instead. An experiment is conducted where an athlete is taught to play
ping pong with their dominant hand while another athlete is taught to play ping pong with their nondominant hand. Then both are tested to see which participant has been more successful in being able to
play ping pong in regards to ball control, ability to hit a target, and ability to perform specific tasks. The
results of these tests show that both participants ended with a, to some degree, similar ability in playing
ping pong. There were certain areas where the participant using their dominant hand excelled while
other areas where they did not perform as well. There are several aspects of the lab that could be
modified to ensure more accurate results but nonetheless, further research and experimentation on the
subject would be necessary to derive more specific conclusions that could be applied to the sports
sciences as a whole.
EFFECTIVENESS OF EXERCISE IN WEIGHT-LOSS
ARI JO
Despite the increasing prevalence and severity of overweight and obesity in modern American society,
sufficient counteractive measures have not been taken to combat the current obesity epidemic,
particularly for younger generations, who have the potential to break the habits contributing to the
weight-gain trend for future generations and are in the stage of life in which is easiest to lose weight, as
they are burning calories through growth, in addition to through daily activities. However there is also a
lack of consensus over what is and is not effective for fat loss. One common method that is traditionally
believed to improve overall fitness and work effectively as a weight-loss technique is aerobic exercise,
but after comparing multiple studies which investigated the effectiveness of consistent cardiovascular
exercise on decreasing bodily fat in overweight and obese (as defined by the CDC) adolescents, there
was a general consensus that aerobic exercise alone was ineffective for fat loss, having little or no effect
on the fat content of studied adolescents. Even looking at new studies verifying the effectiveness of
high-intensity intermittent exercise, though they proved more effective than aerobic exercise alone,
they unfortunately did not have a sufficient enough affect to be a practical method for bodily fat loss.
Therefore it was necessary to expand the scope of my research to briefly touch on other factors that
may affect bodily fat, and found that effective weight loss would require a complete change of lifestyle,
as the factors which contribute to obesity are so innumerable and pervasively entwined into American
culture, ultimately leading to the conclusion that regular aerobic exercise is excellent for improving
cardiovascular fitness, but ineffective as a fat loss method.
A DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL CRITICISM IN ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT’S CITY OF STAIRS.
ETHAN JONE
This essay investigates religious, racist, and colonial criticisms and how they are symbolically revealed
through “vanity” in City of Stairs, a dystopian novel written by Robert Jackson Bennett in 2014. The
world created by Bennett consists of a nation called the Continent, whose citizens were subjugated and
colonialized by a neighboring nation Saypur. Political Saypuri agent Shara Komayd investigates a
conspiracy in the Continent to revive a dead god to enslave Saypur. This plan, headed by a racist
religious fanatic named Volka, is foiled when Shara kills the god he revives. She seeks advice from a wise
goddess before returning home to instigate political reform.
Bennett’s careful choices in the world he built identifies the root cause of social oppression as “vanity.”
The differences in his world compared to ours is what creates the irony and symbolism that reveals his
message. This investigation concentrates on the analysis of two events. The first is when Shara is
kidnapped by Volka when he revives Kolkan. The second is her discussion with the goddess, named
Olvos, before returning to political power. Through Volka’s attitudes, Bennett identifies the motive of his
violent actions as the vanity he holds for himself and his religious group. In addition, through Shara’s
exchanges with Olvos, Bennett argues that religion is a human construct solely crafted for the purposes
of propagating vanity, and consequently instituting oppression.
Bennett’s solution to the crisis of vanity is to abandon it. We make our own luck and we do not need
religion or other social conventions to do it for us. Bennett poses a question: will we continue to choose
the path of vanity, or choose a new path of empathy and understanding?
WHAT ARE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SPORTS-RELATED INJURY ON AN ATHLETE AND HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE
ATHLETE’S RECOVERY?
JENNY KANE
The purpose of this investigation is to assess the psychological consequences of sports-related injury on
an athlete and their rehabilitation program success. In order to determine the psychological effects of
injury on an athlete, studies performed by sports psychologists were synthesized in order to label the
most prominent psychological consequences of injury. Subsequently, projected theories presented by
sports psychologists, backed with both quantitative and qualitative data, were compared in order to
determine why these mental shifts occurred, specific to athletes.
In order to determine why some athletes had more successful rehabilitation than others, information
from both web-based and print-published natural experiments were compared. The information from
these natural experiments suggested that a successful rehabilitation was indicated by the patient's
adherence to their suggested program. Thus, comparing published theories, I investigated the
psychological reasons for why some patients are more likely to adhere to rehabilitation. The results
showed that athletes with more prominent negative psychological consequences were less likely to
adhere to their rehabilitation programs, therefore resulting in a cyclical situation where athletes with a
negative psychological situation experienced a worse physical situation and vis-versa.
By discovering the importance of psychological effects on the athlete's rehabilitation and well-being, I
suggested that physical therapy clinics and general sports-medicine doctors place a higher emphasis on
engaging patients in psychological therapy as well as physical therapy.
HOW DOES THE TEMPERATURE OF THE MAGNET AND THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE MAGNETIC FIELD MEASURING DEVICE
AND THE MAGNET ITSELF AFFECT THE MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH OF THE MAGNET?
KALHANA KASINADHUNI
This experiment is about how the magnetic field strength changes with respect to some changes made
to the magnet and placement of the magnet. My question is addressing or questioning the relationship
between two manipulated variables and one responding variable. By answering this question I found out
the relationship between temperature, distance from the magnet and the magnetic field strength. The
manipulated variables in this experiment are the temperature of the magnet and the distance from the
magnet. From the results I concluded that the strength of the magnetic field is reducing always with the
increase in the manipulated variables. This experiment also conveys to what limit can the magnetic field
strength will decrease and to what maximum temperature it can reach. The controlled variables were
very limited and precisely controlled such as the water type, the room temperature influence on the
magnet’s temperature and the ruler measurement used to measure the distance. The scope of the
experiment is to find out the characteristics of the magnetic field strength when the atmosphere around
it is changed. In this lab the most challenging and most important factor is the pole chosen to measure
the magnetic field strength. If the North Pole is chosen then it is positive and keeps reducing to negative.
But, the South Pole grows stronger in the negative direction, i.e. the more negative it is the stronger. So
if it is positive then it is weaker.
A COMPARISON OF SYLVIA PLATH’S “DADDY” WITH ROBERT LOWELL’S “WAKING IN THE BLUE”
CLAIRE KIM
This essay analyzes and compares the writing styles, techniques, and goals of Sylvia Plath in her poem
“Daddy” and Robert Lowell in his poem “Waking in the Blue”. Both poems are “confessional,” meaning
that the purpose of writing them was to reveal thoughts and emotions that are typically repressed by
social norms, and this was the common goal that both poets were striving to achieve through writing
these two poems. Plath revealed her obsession and extreme fear of her father and Lowell confessed his
arrival and confusion to being admitted to a mental hospital.
Although they both aimed to confess their emotional states during stressful moments of their lives, the
techniques they used in their writing to attain that goal were different in structure and style. Plath
wrote strictly in cinquains and alluded to events that had strong stereotypical connotations while Lowell
wrote in free verse with a larger focus on chronological order than on structure and alluded to widelyknown establishments. However, the styles were similar as they juxtaposed a light-hearted tone with
the dark and more horrific aspects of life that are typically hidden.
Although their goal to reveal their confessions through a poem was the same, the contexts behind their
confessions were not, which impacted their choices in style. Plath wrote “Daddy” after 30 years of
repressed emotion, which would explain her outburst in this poem. In contrast, Lowell wrote “Waking in
the Blue” while he was trying to make sense of how he ended up in the mental hospital, explaining his
analytical approach. Ultimately, what determines that the work is confessional is the content and the
context of the poem rather than the choices in technique. Those choices, on the other hand, help
indicate the state of the poet’s mind as they express their situation.
ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF TRANSPARENCY ON SOCIETY IN DAVE EGGER’S THE CIRCLE
JIYOON KIM
After I read the novel “The Circle” by Dave Eggers, my purpose was to answer “How and why does Dave
Eggers portray the impact of transparency on society?” In order to produce an answer to this question, I
identified literary devices and analyzed how Eggers used them in his writing. Then, by tracking the
topics, which were privacy, dehumanization, the “unknown”, and social cues, and the main character, I
was able to observe the impact of these devices on the topics and Mae in order to determine the
themes and his portrayal of her. Relying on these depictions enabled me to determine the author’s
message with a greater degree of certainty. I concluded that using stylistic devices, Eggers implies that
transparency harms society. His arguments pointed out the invasive nature of transparency, its
destructive attempts to perfect human beings, its creation of paranoia and isolation, and its
dismantlement of socially acceptable behavior. These ideas were compelling, because they were
enhanced by his choices in diction, imagery, details, language devices, sentence structure, and structural
elements. Grappling with this was a powerful experience for me, because before, I struggled to
understand one of my best childhood friends’ reasons to keep her home life hidden from me, despite
her solitary suffering and my intentions to support her during her time of need. After reading and
analyzing this text, I became more open-minded, because it encouraged me to consider the implications
of her secrecy and especially understand that the missing details might have been insignificant in our
relationship. It motivated me to look back and to identify the trust that created the strong bond
between us.
GERMANY DIVIDED
BRIDGER KOLDE
The 1960s Space Race between the superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States stands as
one of the most heated technological competitions in world history. Beginning with the launch of the
first orbital satellite, Sputnik I, and ending with the Apollo Soyuz Test Project, an orbital rendezvous
between an American spacecraft and a Soviet craft, the Space Race heralded about a new era of
scientific development and exploration. However, these two nations did not rely solely on themselves
for this advancement of human knowledge. Germany, during this same time frame, was a powerhouse
of science, with much more advanced rocket scientists and rocket technology in comparison to either
the United States or Soviet Union. Because of this imbalance, during the period of divided control in
Germany, both superpowers raced to capture and acquire German technology and scientists in order to
accelerate their own space programs. Therefore it is interesting to wonder to what extent did the
struggle over Post-WWII German scientists affect the technological space race between the United
States and Soviet Union during the Cold War?
In order to come to a conclusion, research was conducted through analysis of military operations,
historical timelines of the Space Race, as well as research conducted by German scientists. The research
and data recovered by both the Soviet and U.S. programs were then compared on a basis of numerical
amounts of scientists, as well as discoveries of the scientists relating to the space program. Through this,
it becomes clear that both the USSR and the United States acquired a similar amount of scientists, and
while the USSR received more physical research, the United States placed much more trust into the
German scientists, allowing increased technological developments from their work, resulting with the
United States benefiting more overall from key research discoveries.
TOKYO FIREBOMBING BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR ENDING WORLD WAR-II
DEVI SUPRIYA KORUMILLI
Although Japan was considered a developing country prior to World War-II, Japan quickly developed a
powerful military which was used to bomb Pearl Harbor on 1941. With more than 2,500 people dead,
1,000 wounded, 18 American ships and nearly 300 airplanes destroyed, the naval and military strength
of the US was greatly reduced. As a result, President Franklin Roosevelt announced America’s
involvement by declaring war on Japan with the aim to end World War-II. In 1945, the US Army
firebombed Tokyo with B-29 bombers, dropping over 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs over the course of
a year. Often referred to as the Tokyo firebombing, this bombing is often considered a revenge attack on
Japan which registered more than 130,000 Japanese deaths. Finally, the US military nuclear bombed
Nagasaki and Hiroshima which prompted Japan to surrender even though the firebombing registered
more deaths than nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This essay focuses on the Tokyo firebombing and its effect on Japan’s withdrawal from World War-II.
Initially, I argued that the firebombing was to some extent more responsible for Japan’s withdrawal than
the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. I strengthened my argument by explaining the reasons for the
firebombing from the perspective of US, the effects of the firebombing on Tokyo and the Japanese
public response towards the Japanese government. Moreover, the political, naval, and military
conditons in Japan after the firebombing changed many Japanese politicians’ view about Japan’s role in
World War-II. Finally, after comparing the responses to other serious attacks on Japan with that of the
firebombing, I concluded that both nuclear bombing and Firebombing had the same consequences and
pressure on Japan to end World War-II.
INVESTIGATING THE SHAPE OF WINGS ON AIRPLANE EFFICIENCY
SIDDARTH KULKARNI
This essay addresses the question of can we design a compound wing that has a greater lift/drag ratio
when compared to the more conventional delta and swept wings. The goal is to test a couple of
alternative designs to determine whether or not they are superior or not, and thus whether or not it
would make sense to redesign the planes we fly in today.
The primary method of testing was designing a wind tunnel to test models of the four wing designs. The
initial goal was to also design the wind tunnel as well as several test models with foils. However, due to
design and budget limitations, there were only four, basic, scaled models, without even aerofoils.
The two main factors tested were the lift and the drag. Although there are many other factors that go
play a role in the designing of planes, this investigation focuses on the two most fundamental aspects of
the wing of a plane. Through the testing process it was determined that the swept wing has the best
lift/drag ratio, followed by the delta wing. Thus the designs that are used today are superior to the two
that were designed within the investigation.
AN IN DEPTH ARTICULATION ON VARIOUS THEMES AND STYLISTIC ELEMENTS AS INCLUDED IN STEPHAN CHBOSKY’S NOVEL
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
JOSHUA LAI
Organized by theme, this essay serves to answer the question of how and to what effect Chbosky’s
literary devices serve in the novel. The first major theme explored in this essay is the relation between
speech and silence. The relationships created between characters and how they grow and fall are used
by Chbosky to convey this theme. Beyond just relationships, the human connections between friends is
also explored in relation to this theme. Upon investigation, it was determined how taking either of these
polar qualities to an extreme is to be avoided and how a balance between the two is preferable. The
second major theme in this essay to be examined is the theme of isolation and addiction and the
connection between the two. Rather than just separate entities, Chbosky intrinsically links the two
together through juxtaposition and use of dialogue. This connection is created to suggest the dangers of
isolation tying back to the balance needed between speech and silence. The scope of this investigation
focuses primarily on the novel with far less research included pertaining to the history and background
of the author.
WHAT RHETORICAL AND STYLISTIC STRATEGIES DOES MACKLEMORE USE IN HIS MUSIC VIDEO “WING$” TO ADDRESS THE
ISSUE OF CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION IN AMERICAN CULTURE COMPARED TO LORDE’S MUSIC VIDEO “ROYALS”?
FIONA LARKIN
Consumerism is a significant aspect in American culture. The consumerist culture of American society
displays itself everywhere: on the television, on the internet, on the billboards, on apparel, and the list
goes on. Macklemore and Lorde, in their music videos “Wing$” and “Royals” respectively, take a stand in
opposition to this widespread consumerism. This essay critically compares the rhetorical and stylistic
strategies Macklemore uses in his music video “Wing$” to address the issue of conspicuous
consumption in American culture compared to Lorde’s music video “Royals.” The essay does this by
looking at the effects of each artists’ use of visual rhetoric, metaphors, symbols, allusions, and their tone
towards the topic. Macklemore attempted to break away from the materialistic world, but has failed at
doing so, and thus expresses his struggles to warn others not to go down the same path in his video.
Lorde, on the other hand, promotes the idea of a life free of caring for anything related to consumerist
culture. Nevertheless, both videos convey the following message: a consumer-driven lifestyle leads a
person to live an unhappy, unfulfilling, unexamined life devoid of meaning.
THE PHYSICS OF DANCE
BY ANNA LEE
Although many athletes enjoy playing the sport, only few know about the science, and specifically the
physics, behind all the different movements. This paper offers a new way at looking at a specific move in
dance: jumping vertically with pointed toes and straight legs. Not only should one be aware of the
theatrical portion of dancing, but one should also be aware of the multiple layers of physics that allows
dancers to be as graceful as he or she can be on stage.
More specifically, this paper will answer the question, “how does the height of a vertical jump affect the
change in momentum?” My hypothesis is that as the height increases, the change in momentum will
linearly increase. As the dancer, or the person jumping, jumps higher, she will be in the air for a longer
period of time. An increase in the amount of time in air will increase the change in momentum, or the
impulse, because impulse in this experiment will be the force exerted on the force plate multiplied by
the change in time the force plate takes to read 0 Newtons.
After jumping countless times, the data in the experiment shows that as the height of the jump a dancer
jumps increases, the change in momentum, or her impulse, also increases. Therefore, the data
supported the hypothesis because the relationship between the height and the impulse was positively
linear. In effect, this data shows that there is a relationship between a sport like dance and science.
Hopefully, after reading this paper, one will feel enlightened by the complex science backing up one of
the fundamental movements a dancer often performs.
THE RESEARCH QUESTION THAT WAS INVESTIGATED WAS: TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE “MODEL MINORITY” AN ACCURATE
LABEL FOR ASIAN AMERICANS?
CAYLA LEE
The term “Model Minority” was coined by American sociologists to convey that Asian Americans
enjoyed social and economic privileges far beyond any other racial minority in the United States of
America. More specifically, the label implied a middle to upper class, well-educated, and wellassimilated population not subject to social exclusion.
In response to this social phenomenon, this investigation aimed to take a multifaceted approach to this
question by using various methodologies under cultural anthropology. In opposition to the usual
ethnocentrism, the research analyzed data through the lens of cultural relativism. Furthermore, data
about the Asian American population was collected through a problem-oriented research, which
included questionnaires, key consultants and academics in the field, the life histories of particular
people, and previously gathered statistical data.
However, to effectively examine the question at hand in a more nuanced way, all of the data collected
were analyzed in three different ways. First, a structural functionalist mode of analysis focused
specifically on the role of social institutions in perpetuating the assumptions that Asian Americans were
the Model Minority. Secondly, a Neo-Marxist perspective allowed for the acknowledgement of
colonialism and economic relations’ roles in constructing the label. Thirdly, an Anthropological
Postmodernist perspective gave credence to the fact that each account of Asian American culture was
partial, indeterminate, and constantly changing.
At the end of the investigation, it was concluded that the “Model Minority” was an accurate label to a
very small extent. In fact, it was found that the term has violent implications including outright
discriminatory acts of violence, and disregard of the social needs of Asian Americans. Thus, the title of
the investigative paper is The Myth of the Model Minority.
EFFICIENT METHODS FOR INSULATING WINDOWS
JIHYUNG LEE
Glass has always been an important material in construction, architecture, engineering, and other fields.
While glass is primarily used to give access to natural light or a view to the outside, it has been a
mainstay in modern and contemporary architecture due to the popularity of a “machine aesthetic” with
the use of industrially produced materials, finding prominence in residential and commercial buildings –
two such examples being the Farnsworth House in Illinois with one of its most striking features being the
floor-to-ceiling glass, as well as the One World Trade Center in New York. However, there is always the
question of how to go about insulating glass – which way is the most efficient?
To come to a conclusion, research was conducted through analysis of various patents as well as usage of
various materials and techniques to insulate glass. The effectiveness of these materials were compared
to each other. Through this, it can be concluded that a sandwich of two sheets of glass, a vacuumed
space, and one thin sheet of aerogel is the most effective method of insulation, with the two sheets of
glass on the exterior sides and the vacuum as well as the aerogel in between the sheets. This method
gives plenty of thermal insulation without compromising the view or the amount of light let in.
Tammany Hall’s New Era
Alice Li
In this investigation, the question “what were the causes of Tammany Hall’s change from
corrupt graft to reform and honest graft in 1900s?” was explored. The primary method used in this
investigation was cause and effect. Political statements and media will be evaluated for reactions to
events. Records of events will also be evaluated for their influence on elections and how Tammany Hall
reacted to these events. Changes in the public’s mindset will be evaluated through voting results and
media reports. Changes in Tammany Hall’s mindset will be evaluated through records of political action,
legislation passed, and political speeches. Factors impacting changes in mindsets and reactions will
suggest that the factor was a cause in Tammany Hall’s overall change. The factor will then be evaluated
for its effect through the results of the event. The scope of this investigation will include Tammany Hall
politics in New York City from the late 1800s to early 1900s, reform legislation passed, the evolution of
public responses to politics, and major events that affected legislation during that period of time.
Through this investigation, it was determined that Murphy’s leadership, strong political opposition,
growing reform support, a strong media presence, the Triangle Waist-shirt Factory Fire, and an
increasingly independent immigration system were the main causes of Tammany’s changes. Through
these causes, Tammany was pressured to pass reform legislation, clean up their corruption, and availed
the leadership that allowed the organization to adjust to the demands. Because of these factors that
caused Tammany to change, Tammany was able to prolong its survival and become prosperous once
more.
FORCED STERILIZATIONS OF DISABLE WOMEN IN AUSTRALIA
CHRISTINA LI
This investigation seeks to explore the potential justifications for the forced sterilizations of disabled
women in Australia, and ultimately, whether it can be justified in the first place. The issue of human
rights has been one extending over centuries, and in the twentieth century specifically, human rights
controversies have come to range over a variety of issues and are interconnected with topics of
surveillance, torture, circumstances of mental illness, etc. Concerning this specific instance in Australia,
discussions today have also come to include discourse concerning the idea of human agency and the
concept of one population having control over another.
This paper considers forced sterilization and its relation to legal complications with Australian
jurisdiction over human rights, biological implications, and the interplay of individual agency in regards
to the forced aspect of sterilization. In addition, this investigation will examine potential philosophical
frameworks that could be used as justification, such as cultural relativism, radical universalism, and the
more informal social norms or cultural guidelines in our society today. However, this paper will not be
fully discussing the implementation of human rights law in the international community, nor will it
involve an in-depth exploration of how sterilization occurs and its history. Sources were pulled from
human rights books, case studies, and research coming from a variety of sources discussing human
rights jurisdiction.
Through a cost-benefit examination of each potential aspect of justification, it is concluded that while
legally the forced sterilization cannot be justified, especially when ideas of consent are brought up,
there appears to be an apriori moral question to prioritize the safety of the individual when considering
biological and philosophical ramifications.
THE RELIABILITY OF BALKAN AND OTTOMON ACCOUNTS OF THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE
JUSTIN LI
In the 15th Century, the adolescent Ottoman Empire founded in Anatolia seized the Byzantine Empire’s
last stronghold, the mighty city of Constantinople. The feat was monumental. Constantinople had been
taken only once in the past thousand years. Thus, the world of the Balkans was about to undergo a
massive shift. Historians, in particular those of the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans, would document it.
However, the Siege and Fall of Constantinople occurred over half a millennium ago, and historian’s
accounts must have faced limitations due to personal circumstance. To what extent are the accounts of
the Siege and Fall of Constantinople reported by Balkan and Ottoman historians of the 15th Century are
reliable?
To answer this question, the Balkan historians George Sphrantzes, Michael Doukas, and Laonikos
Chalkokondyles, along with the Ottoman historians Asikpasazade and Tursun Beg were analyzed for
their potential values and limitations. It was found, among other things, that most Balkan historians
were not present at the Siege of Constantinople, and that their accounts may have also been limited by
personal anger and writing styles, while most Ottoman historians faced censorship from the Sultan of
the time, Mehmed II, and that their accounts may have been limited by personal anger and excessive
praise of the Sultan.
Ultimately, however, a conclusion could not be reached. Limitations are simply incomparable, as there is
no tool or method to compare one set of limitations a historian faced against those of another and to
see which historians’ was greater in degree.
PESSIMISM AS EVIDENCE IN WILLIAM KENNEDY’S NOVEL IRONWEED
ERICH LIANG
This extended essay’s scope is William Kennedy’s novel Ironweed, and through analysis of its literary
elements and characters, conclusions were drawn about Kennedy’s largely pessimistic view on life and
its implications on how people should live.
Ironweed takes place during three days in the life of Francis, a wandering alcoholic bum, but Kennedy’s
use of an omniscient point of view, flashbacks, and ghosts put Francis’s troubling past in perspective,
conveying the unfairness and hardships of life. First, by drawing out a contrast between Gerald’s and
Sandra’s purity and helplessness with the dark and cruel manners of their deaths, Kennedy reveals the
unforgiving side of nature when it comes to taking life away. Additionally, Kennedy asserts that life is
hard to live due to the burden of guilt, which is symbolized by the appearance of ghosts. As Ironweed
take placed during All-Saints Day, a day when people can see the dead again, Francis begins to see and
talk to the ghosts of the people he has killed in the past, bringing back painful memories and the guilt
Francis has tried to keep buried for the past few decades.
But ultimately, life itself is unfair because oftentimes, people who try to uphold righteousness are forced
to resort to dubious methods, and people who attempt to act for the general good end up hurting
others. Sandra’s ironic death conveys this paradox well: when Sandra, a poor drunk in need of help, dies
due to the cold and dogs in the alley, she is lying underneath the illuminated window of a mission which
refused her free food and shelter just because she was drunk. Therefore, because life is so unfair and
harsh, Kennedy asserts that people must be willing to sacrifice anything to survive, including laws,
dignity, and innocence.
HOW LAUGHTER IS INFLUENCED BY COMPANIONSHIP
PATRICK LIU
Before analyzing research in order to answer the question, this paper first had to define laughter and
present the evolutionary history of laughter. Additionally, this paper presented the major theories
answering the research question: one theory asserted that because laughter is socially facilitated,
laughter can be called “contagious”; the other theory argued that since humans have so-called “mirror
neurons” that fire in the same way when they perform an action, such as laughter, and when they
perceive someone else performing that action, humans are predisposed to mimicry.
In order to weigh the two theories, two psychological articles were presented. The first source was a
study showing that laughter can be socially facilitated by comparing children in three different groups:
alone, audience, and coaction. Their times spent laughing and smiling while listening to humorous
material were recorded. The second source was a research article written about experiments done on
monkeys and the results—researchers found the presence of neurons in the brain that promote
imitation between them, suggesting a similar trait in humans. By evaluating the strengths and
weaknesses of both studies, a conclusion was met regarding to what extent social facilitation and
genetic play a role in laughter.
The conclusion was that the evidence attempting to prove that laughter is contagious was substantial,
albeit hindered by various problems with internal and external validity. The results from the two studies
arrived at the conclusion that laughter can be socially facilitated and that there is limited evidence of
neurological activity supporting the theory of contagious laughter. Therefore, we know that laughter is
contagious to a moderately high extent because most of our knowledge is based on personal experience
and not empirical evidence.
TO WHAT EXTENT WAS THE INITIATION OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION DRIVEN BY MAO’S DESIRE FOR POWER?
BRIDGET MA
The Cultural Revolution (CR) was a sociopolitical movement that wreaked havoc across China. The
subsequent destruction changed—and ended—the lives of millions of Chinese people and crippled the
nation. The movement lasted from 1966 to 1976 after Chairman Mao Zedong officially proclaimed that
the nation and the Communist party had to be purified of both traditional and capitalistic influences,
both of which were obstacles to Mao’s visions of Chinese greatness. Despite Mao’s claims of reform,
both the destruction caused by the CR and the events preceding the CR has led many historians to
hypothesize why Mao initiated the CR.
Thus, in light of this historical controversy, this essay focuses on whether power was the primary driver
of Mao’s decision to initiate the CR. I focused on the two primary interpretations of the initiation of the
CR: power and reform. The power interpretation focuses on how Mao wanted to reassert himself
politically after the Great Leap Forward. Meanwhile, the reform interpretation focuses on Mao’s desire
to improve the country and promote the conversion to true Communism. Because of language barriers, I
had limited access to primary sources. Thus, this investigation utilized the interpretations of different
historians, in addition to the account of Mao’s personal doctor, in order to compile evidence in support
of both interpretations, with the end goal of interpreting the evidence in light of each historian’s
background. Furthermore, I looked at the events preceding and during the CR in order to better
understand whether the CR was a power struggle or an attempt at reform. Furthermore, I sought
sources that could shed light on Mao’s personality and thus his motives. Through my analysis of Mao’s
action before and during the CR, the conclusion I reached was that the CR was initiated primarily for
Mao to enhance his power.
HOW DO ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC STYLES DIFFER BETWEEN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS?
CRYSTAL MA
There are thousands of different musical instruments all over the world. In the category of drums alone,
there’s over a hundred types--ranging from the Ashiko crafted in the West-African Yoruba culture, to the
Caixa Latin American snare drum, to the Middle Eastern Doumbek. Disparate musical styles have
emerged throughout history in even the most remote parts of the world. Local cultures have shaped the
use of different vocal techniques and the development of different types of instruments to define and
distinguish their respective musical trends. However, in our technology dominant world, even music has
become more and more homogenized in style. Anyone from anywhere in the world with access to a
computer is set up with the same tools to create music. However, can cultural differences still shape
music, despite the consistency in medium? This paper seeks to answer the question: How do Electronic
Dance Music styles differ between different geographical regions?
Subtle, but regular similarities identified from songs produced in the same region indicate that EDM
styles do differ between different geographical regions. There are identifiable musical techniques that
pertain to their respective regions; for example, heavy use of additive layering and slow transitions are
characteristic of Oceanic EDM, while a binary structured song with no fills indicate that the song was
most likely produced in East Asia. The bulk of this investigation delves into the relationship between
historical context and musical nuances. There are elusive details and compositional techniques that are
inconspicuous yet prominent when noticed. These aspects and characteristics, such as the movement of
the melody and of the harmony, the use of sampling, the interweaving of loops and layers, as well as
manipulation of tonal shifts, are what defines and differentiates musical cultures from one another
within a modern context.
THE DEPICTIONS OF THE “OTHER” WITHIN JANE EYRE AND WIDE SARGASSO SEA
RICHARD MA
Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 book Jane Eyre depicts conceptions of other individuals from the perspective of
the titular character in a way that reveals the protagonist’s emotions and motivations. The information
that the protagonist acts upon differs from reality. However, Brontë’s portrayal of race and gender
relations in Jane Eyre, when contrasted with Jean Rhys’ 1966 book Wide Sargasso Sea, reveals
differences in the attitudes toward the difference in power between individuals of varying classes and
sexes. The research question was: How did Rhys and Brontë differ in their conceptions of characters as
“Other” beings.
To define how ethics can be described in context of individual persons, the paper examines Emmanuel
Levinas’ ideas of how ethical relationships are formed, specifically how the ‘self’ differs from what is
‘other.’ Levinas’ idea that individuals in reality are distinct from the idea of the individual is used to
provide context for Rhys’ and Brontë’s respective portrayals of relationships between people. The scope
of the investigation included the effect of both author’s use of setting to show alienation, the portrayal
of race and gender dynamics, as well as the effect of the images of the human face.
In conclusion, Rhys’ more cynical portrayal of male domination in traditional general roles and alienation
between racial groups suggests a more progressive view in how disadvantaged minorities are exploited.
The “Otherness” of the characters is more central to the themes of Wide Sargasso Sea when compared
to Jane Eyre. Instead, Brontë focuses on the separation of gender roles and themes of selfempowerment.
WHICH OF MIKHAIL GORBACHEV’S POLICIES HAD THE GREATER INFLUENCE ON THE DISSOLUTION OF THE SOVIET UNION:
GLASNOST OR PERESTROIKA?
VIVIAN MA
On December 26, 1991, the rest of the world watched in surprise and shock as the Soviet Union (USSR)
disintegrated into a myriad of republics and nations, marking the end of one of the 20th century’s
greatest global superpowers. The dissolution of the USSR has since become one of the defining
moments of modern history with long reaching and lasting effects on global affairs. While many were
surprised by the USSR’s sudden dissolution, signs of trouble had been brewing even before, which the
General Secretary at the time, Mikhail Gorbachev, attempted to correct through his two most famous
reform policies: Perestroika and Glasnost. These policies were meant to restore the USSR to its former
glory by revitalizing a languishing economy while transforming the USSR into a more open society.
Therefore, this paper aims to compare Perestroika and Glasnost to answer the question of which of
Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies had the greater influence on the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
This essay focuses on the role of Perestroika and Glasnost in the dissolution of the USSR to determine
which policy had the greater influence. Due to the constraints of this essay, only Perestroika and
Glasnost will be examined even though there were many other factors that affected the dissolution. This
investigation will utilize accounts from Gorbachev himself and others involved in the reform process
detailing the goals and failures of both policies as well as sources that provide in-depth information on
the state of the USSR preceding the dissolution. Through analysis of both policies on their roles in the
dissolution of the USSR, I have reached the conclusion that while both policies exacerbated the
problems that plagued the USSR, Glasnost had the greater influence in the fall of the USSR.
THE EFFECT OF ROTOR DESIGN ON VOLTAGE GENERATED BY A WIND TURBINE
JAWAHAR MADAN
The aerodynamics of rotors have many applications in engineering, for vehicles, various machines, and
renewable energy; one of the most important applications of rotors is for wind turbines. The
effectiveness of wind turbines is dependent on many design factors, such as their fundamental design,
dimensions, and blade shape. It is vital to understand these factors and how they affect the
effectiveness of turbines.
This paper explores how these factors, specifically number of blades, length of blades, and angle of
blades, affect the ability of a wind turbine to generate voltage. To investigate this, various rotor designs
were 3D printed in plastic, to ensure precision, and affixed to a DC motor. When the DC motor’s
driveshaft is spun, it generates a voltage; by introducing a source of wind to cause the rotors to spin,
and connecting a voltmeter to the motor contacts, the voltage produced by each rotor was measured.
At the conclusion of the investigation, it was found that both very low and very high lengths of blades do
not effectively generate voltage—there is an optimal length of blades. Similarly, both low and high
angles of attack were unable to generate significant voltage; implying an optimal value for angle of
blades as well. Finally, increasing the number of blades on the rotor only caused a consistent increase in
voltage generated, suggesting that the number of blades is proportional to the voltage.
ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFERING OPINIONS PRESENTED BY WILLIAM GOLDING IN LORD OF THE FLIES AND SAM TAYLOR IN THE
REPUBLIC OF TREES ON HUMAN EVIL AND THE CAUSE OF FAILURE IN SOCIETY.
MAYA MALINOWSKI
Authors Sam Taylor and William Golding chose to address the complex argument about whether or not
human evil is the cause of downfall in societies through their allegorical novels The Republic of Trees
and Lord of the Flies. While both of these authors chose to take the same approach of using a group of
children to symbolize society as a whole, and having them put in a position of isolation where they are
forced to fend for themselves, they ultimately take their works in very different directions, and this
essay explores how these choices reflect their differing opinions about human nature by asking:
How do William Golding of Lord of the Flies and Sam Taylor of The Republic of Trees differ in their
opinions about whether or not human evil is the cause of failure in society, and how are these
differences communicated through their allegorical works?
The scope of this essay is limited to the two novels, drawing from textual evidence to analyze the use of
symbolism and specific plot choices of each author. The limitation of this essay lies in its basis in my own
personal analysis, however there is no way to know the authors’ intent with complete certainty without
talking to them directly, which is unrealistic for the purposes of this particular essay. This essay
concludes that while both authors are of the opinion that humans have some degree of evil in them,
Golding attributes the failure of whole societies to this innate evil alone, while Taylor acknowledges
innate evil, but mostly blames failure on the structure of specific societies.
HOW NETWORK LOAD BALANCING NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED
MASILAN MANAVALAN
Networked devices exist everywhere in the technological world, providing all kinds of services from
banking services to streaming a YouTube video. And though the whole world is becoming increasingly
technologically oriented, there are still many cases where networks are not able to withstand the high
volume of traffic that devices present, because their servers are not able to efficiently balance the load
of traffic from all of the users. Thus, load balancing algorithms need to be used in order to efficiently
balance data requests of various types from different users.
This research paper discusses various types of algorithms for different servers and the frequency and
volume of traffic, comparing the types and performances of specific algorithms based on the volume
and demands of users. YouTube for example would most likely have a central server connected to many
sub-servers, in order to delegate organization of data requests and the actual accessing of data to
separate servers which improves the efficiency of load balancing. However servers of all types that deal
with different volumes and types of traffic require different load balancing algorithms that make the
data accessing process much faster.
What this research concludes is that as these servers and websites gain more traffic and data requests
of different types and sizes, what servers need to do is not necessarily develop more complicated
algorithms that in turn have a lower success rate, but rather implement more nested servers and
algorithm switching in order to more efficiently balance data demands.
THE INFLUENCE OF FINLANDIA ON HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
JOSHUA MAUER
Most movie soundtracks are inspired by other, older works of music. How to Train Your Dragon—Music
from the Motion Picture is no exception. After first hearing the soundtrack in theaters and later playing
highlights from it in music class, I became greatly interested in it and sought to understand it better. This
Extended Essay sought to analyze the ways and extent that the works of Jean Sibelius, specifically
Finlandia, inspired John Powell’s How to Train Your Dragon. My research question was, “To what extent
and in what ways did John Sibelius’s Finlandia influence John Powell’s How to Train Your Dragon?”
The scope of my research was limited to recordings and sheet music from both pieces, and a few
scholarly analyses of Finlandia. To conduct this exploration, I listened extensively to both pieces, read
background on them, and sought to find significant musical similarities, (or links), between the two.
Though Sibelius wrote far more than just Finlandia, and the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack has
far more than the main titles I discuss, the scope of my analysis is limited to those few pieces. Finally,
How to Train Your Dragon is also inspired by several other works, including traditional Celtic folk music,
but that is also beyond the scope of this exploration.
After close-listening to both pieces and reading supporting material, I came to the conclusion that
Powell was inspired by Sibelius, to a moderate extent, in that there are four significant musical links
between the two pieces: rhythm, song form, melody and harmony, and timbre.
ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES
ALI MEMON
Silver nano-particles have long been used in treatment against illnesses. One reason for its popularity is
the antimicrobial property of Silver nano particels. The Oligodynamic effect explains the antimicrobial
properties of Silver nano particels. In the Oligodynamic effect, it is stated that to some bacteria and
viruses, Silver nano particels are toxic because of their ability to denature the enzymes of the target cell
and hinder the growth of the bacteria or virus (“Oligodynamic effect” 2015). Nano particles in general
are a hot topic for research and have various effects on bacteria and some viruses such as E.coli, algae,
spores, and fungi. Silver nano particels ’ mechanisms vary from facilitating apoptosis to inhibiting
catabolic processes inside the bacteria to even damaging the cell wall as well as the DNA (Reidy,
Bogumila 2013). Nano silver is widely used due to its antimicrobial properties. For example, Samsung
has come out with “Silver Nano” which they embed in many household items such as sinks and fridges.
It was known to me that oxidative stress on a bacteria can harm it as well due to the creation of reactive
oxygen species (“Reactive Oxygen Species” 2015). Through much of my research I have come to see that
there is relatively little literature claiming oxidative stress as a mechanism for Silver nano particels .
Therefore, this investigation focused on how increased or decreased oxygen levels affect the
antimicrobial properties of Silver nano particels . Oxygen levels were increased using the reaction of
hydrogen peroxide and manganese to produce gaseous oxygen inside of a sealed environment. This was
compared to a sealed environment which had standard oxygen levels, and one with lower oxygen levels.
The results showed surprisingly a higher efficiency in Silver nano particels as an antimicrobial agent
under conditions with high and normal levels of oxygen. The abundance of E.coli in the dish exposed to
lower oxygen levels is not bizarre due to the fact that E.coli is an anaerobe and does not require as high
levels of oxygen as other organisms to survive. Also, this observation supports the theory that the
creation of reactive oxygen species is an important consideration when looking at everything that
affects the E.coli as a whole when it comes to using Silver nano particels as an antimicrobial agent
because when oxygen was decreased, the efficiency of the Silver nano particels also decreased. It
should be understood that testing the Silver nano particels under high levels of oxygen was done to
create a higher probability that oxidative stress’ effects were shown if the normal levels of oxygen did
not allow for the creation of ROS.
US CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE CHILEAN COUP OF 1973
PRANAY MITTAL
The research question of the investigation is: In what ways did the U.S. contribute to the Chilean coup of
1973, and what was the impact? The scope of the investigation will include U.S. covert CIA actions
conducted in Chile itself, such as communication with and influence upon the Chilean military during
Allende’s presidency. Furthermore, the U.S.’s influence over politics in Chile through the sponsoring of
select candidates and parties will be investigated. In addition, U.S.-sponsored propaganda will be
investigated, before Allende’s election and during his presidency, along with economically destabilizing
actions made towards Chile while Allende was president. Therefore, the conclusion of the investigation
is that while the U.S. did not directly help in planning or fulfilling the 1973 coup removing Salvador
Allende, the U.S. had established itself as an authority in Chile’s politics through two decades of
sponsorship of Chilean parties, and its role in trying to prevent Allende’s election and selection as
President spread the idea of a coup to replace Allende, approved by the U.S., throughout the military
and Chile’s elite. Furthermore, the U.S.’s anti-Allende propaganda and economic destabilization of Chile
left Chile, and Allende’s government, weak and vulnerable to a coup.
THE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN MULTIPLAYER VIDEO GAME TECHNOLOGY ON GAMERS AND DEVELOPERS
WEN FENG (FERGUS) MO
Today, multiplayer video games are a global cultural phenomenon, with players of varied nationalities
and degrees of dedication towards gaming enjoying all genres, sharing their experiences with others and
participating in increasingly high-stakes skill-based competitions. However, this enthusiasm has not
always been the case. Merely two decades ago, video games appealed to a much smaller audience and
therefore had a much smaller target market, due in large to their lack of multiplayer functionality.
This essay traces the advances in technology that have made implementation of skill-based multiplayer
gaming possible, comparing the original programming techniques used to make games and what new
techniques developed to overcome challenges in making games more interactive and nuanced. The
impacts of these advances in a global society are also addressed, through detailed analysis of what
cultural impact new multiplayer video game technology has on gamers and what potential economic
impact such technology has on game developers. The question being researched is: how has multiplayer
video game technology changed over the years along with the nature of multiplayer games, and what
are the implications of this new technology on gamer culture and developers? The scope of this
investigation includes sources pertinent to the development of programming techniques integral in
developing multiplayer video games. It also includes business publications and data on the economics of
competitive video games.
This investigation concluded that the server-client model, enhanced physics engines, and 3D graphics
were the major technological changes which facilitated the growth of the multiplayer video game
market, making these games more detailed and skill-based. Such advances lead to the growth of a
vibrant competitive gaming community. Multiplayer gaming technology has spawned a massive
following which nobody could have envisioned, and therefore developers will need to adapt accordingly
if they are to profit from this phenomenon.
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF ANGLE OF ATTACK ON THE AMOUNT OF LIFT GENERATED BY AN AIRFOIL
ADEEB MOHAMMED
In ordinary steady flight, an airplane must be able to develop enough force to counteract the forces of
gravity. The fact that all of this upward force comes from the air is a defining feature of an aircraft.
Factors such as angle of attack, camber, and thickness of the airfoil all affect the amount of lift force
generated by the airfoil. However, this investigation solely investigated the effect angle of attack has on
the amount of lift generated by the airfoil.
In this investigation, angle of attack was manipulated between the angles of 0 degrees to 20 degrees
and placed in a wind tunnel created and designed at home. The angle of attack was measured by using a
system where the angle is measured in reference to a line parallel to the ground. The airfoil is attached
to two vertical stands which are attached to a precise jewelry scale. Air passing through the tunnel lifts
the airfoil and the scale shows the amount of lift generated by the airfoil.
I found that the results of the investigation warranted the use of two different approaches. Approaching
the initial part of the data with a linear model provided a better result than with a sinusoidal model. My
data corroborates research by NASA which states that for small angles, the relationship between angle
of attack and lift is linear. However, after 10 degrees lift becomes difficult to predict as a result of the
increased number of variables that must be taken into consideration, caused by vortices created at high
angles of attack. However, it is only angles between 0 and 10 degrees that have any application in any
useful scenarios, such as in the engineering of an airplane, because it is within this window that the
most controllable amount of lift is produced.
REASONS FOR NAPOLEON’S DECISIVE WIN AT THE BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ
ALAN MOORE
This extended essay/presentation is attempting to answer the question: what were the main reasons
why Napoleon won the battle of Austerlitz so decisively? To answer this question, a great deal of
evidence dealing with the circumstances of the battle and all that had to do with it has been compiled.
The scope of this investigation is all the information about the events and circumstances concerning the
battle of Austerlitz, which includes plans for the battle and the outcomes of the battle. By combing
through the evidence from multiple different sources and subsequently interpreting said evidence, it has
been determined that the main overarching reasons why Napoleon won this battle so righteously are his
innovative managing of troops, his taking advantage of the geographical features of the battlefield, and
having the element of surprise, along with a less than perfect plan and execution on the part of the
Allied armies. Each of these reasons will thoroughly be explained, covering the lead-up to the battle, the
battle itself, and to a lesser extent the aftermath of the battle. In addition, reasons why this decisive win
was so important in military history will also be discussed.
A COMPARISON OF THE CAUSES OF THE WAGE GAP BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND IN FRANCE
MADELEINE MOUSSEAU
The topic of this extended essay is a comparison of the causes of the wage gap between the male and
female genders in the United States of America and in France. Initially, I thought that they would be
quite different, due to France being a socialist system versus America being a capitalist system, as well
as France’s being a part of the European Union.
This research question was investigated through research with print and online sources, mainly journal
articles. Research also included data on salaries, data on employments and the genders of the majority
of their workers, and accounts of working women.
In conclusion, I found that the causes of the wage gap in both countries include historical, political, and
cultural factors. Other causes include occupational segregation between men and women, societal
stigmas against and expectations of women, maternity leave laws, and the traditional wage gap. These
factors all hurt women’s opportunities, career trajectories, and earnings. Overall, the causes of the
gender pay gap in the United States and France are nearly identical.
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND DEPRESSION
ANNIE MULLINS
While depression and creativity have been culturally linked for centuries, a causal psychological
relationship has never been officially established. A correlation, however, is the generally accepted
theory within the psychological community, based on generational research and case studies of various
types of creatives and creative behavior, attempting to prove the presence of the theoretical link.
Researchers have hypothesized about links based in structure, genetics, and behavior, to name a few
trends. This paper aims to analyze a variety of studies related to the correlative, and potentially causal,
relationship between depression and high levels of creativity. Several psychological studies will be
examined and incorporated with some information concerning mental illness and the brain from the
perspective of both neuroscience and cognitive psychology to further the investigation. By combining
behavioral psychology with neuroscience and cognitive psychology, the analysis will be more wellrounded and able to examine the studies from an increased number of disciplines to determine the
validity of the study, as well as the study’s contribution to the question being answered. The essay
discusses the potential causes of the correlation, recognizing that while psychology as a whole will need
an experiment that directly proves causation to claim such a direct link between creativity and
depression, a correlation can still be speculated about.
HOW SIGNIFICANT OF A FACTOR HAS ISRAEL’S TREATMENT OF ARABS BEEN IN CAUSING OR ENCOURAGING PALESTINIAN
TERRORISM TOWARD ISRAEL?
CLAIRE NAVE
This question is restricted to the geographical area of the country of Israel and its surrounding disputed
areas. Though other countries are mentioned, they are only discussed in relation to this geographical
area. The historical period in which the question is answered is 1948 (the year of Israel’s independence)
to present day, though some introductory information from before 1948 is presented.
The method used in this investigation can be conveyed by these steps: foreign policy from Israel and
Palestine toward each other is found and examined; acts of terrorism between the two parties were
researched and, when possible, connected to the foreign policies; other factors that may have caused or
encouraged Palestinian terrorism toward Israel were looked at.
The conclusion reached by this investigation is that Israel’s treatment of Palestine influenced Palestinian
terrorism toward Israel to a large extent. The six main causes for Palestinian terrorism against Israel
that this exploration found are: the long history of violence between Arabs and Jews that has left Israel
with military power over Arabs and therefore fewer options besides terrorism for Arabs to challenge
their control; the classification of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s actions as terrorist leading to
a very large number of actions and people being considered such; the very often unfair and cruel
treatment of Arabs by the Israeli government; Israel’s extreme reaction to Arab terrorism resulting in a
cycle of retribution from both parties; the disenfranchisement of the Arabs because of their religion; and
the seizing and assimilating of the property of many Arab refugees who have been classified with unfair
pro-Jew bias.
EMOTIONAL MEMORY RECALL AND ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSES
ANTHONY Q. NGUYEN
To what extent may emotional memory recall be attributed to the hippocampus and amygdala? In the
beginning, this paper explains the importance of understanding the biological factors in the process of
emotional memory recall. The primary reason to study emotional memory recall is to develop improved
treatments for mental illnesses such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which involves the uncontrolled
recall of fear-charged memories. The paper then goes on to define emotional memory and its retrieval,
exploring the historical development of research on emotions as well. The paper then introduce the
concept of the limbic system as part of MacLean’s Triune Brain hypothesis: the claim is that this specific
group of brain structures is all-encompassing of the emotional processes, and their relationship with the
anatomical brain. However, LeDoux disputes the validity of the hypothesis, claiming that MacLean’s
animal research is inadequate in proving the limbic system’s existence in the human brain.
Instead, LeDoux offers the explanation of emotional memory that is based, more specifically, on the
amygdala and hippocampus. In order to determine whether MacLean or LeDoux is correct, I examined
numerous studies, which range from laboratory experiments to case-studies. All of these studies
measure the extent to which the hippocampus and amygdala regulate emotional memory recall.
The conclusion of this essay demonstrates that while further research must be done to develop a
stronger understanding of how emotion cognition operates within the brain, the function of emotional
memory retrieval is largely based in both the hippocampus and amygdala. Therefore, developing antianxiety drugs designed to regulate function in the hippocampus and the amygdala is ultimately one of
the most probable contemporary treatments aimed to manage Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
ARTICLE NINE OF THE JAPANESE CONSTITUTION: A NEVER-ENDING BATTLE
ALEXA O’BRIEN
Question: Is it possible to pass a constitutional amendment to Article Nine of the Japanese Constitution
in the present political situation?
Article Nine of the Japanese constitution, which states that Japan will never engage in offensive warfare,
has been the forefront on the policy agenda for the last few years. After a long political battle, the
Japanese government did pass an informal amendment to Article Nine in late September of 2015. This
paper was written before that occurred and argues that it would be nearly impossible to pass any form
of amendment because of the mentality of the Japanese public. The paper investigates the views of the
political parties that are represented in the Japanese multi-party Diet and their views on article Nine. It
further investigates surveys of present public opinion of Article Nine.
BIG DATA
TARIK ONALAN
In the last decade, machine learning has taken centre stage in the computing field. With the advent of
increasingly powerful computers, giga-, tera-, and even peta-scale computations have become possible.
In this paper, we will investigate the applications of machine learning in these large-scale computations--big data---and how they can affect future development.
HOW DO THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON O2 SATURATION OF HEMOGLOBIN CHANGE AT DIFFERENT ALTITUDES?
JONATHAN PALAGASHVILLI
Mountain climbers and hikers have been battling the effects of altitude on oxygen saturation for
generations. As people go hiking in more extreme places, they try to maintain their body temperature
by wearing insulators. The problem with this approach is that the relationship between temperature and
oxygen in hemoglobin is roughly inversely linear. In other words, when the climbers heat themselves up,
their blood takes in less oxygen. As the climbers get higher, the partial pressure of oxygen also
decreases. When the temperature and the pressure are paired together, they can have extreme effects
on the climber’s blood oxygen saturation. That is why the many serious climbers check their blood
pressure and oxygen saturation. This lab was considering how altitude changes the effects of
temperature on oxygen saturation in hemoglobin.
This investigation was done in a field study and thus, the results are not at the precision of a laboratory
experiment. It was done with a group of 5, all male subjects that had varied and noted characteristics
such as race, weight, height, health concerns, etc. The experiment was done in the summer in
Washington State near the city of Bellevue and potentially affected by the weather conditions. These
conditions were also noted, but not compensated for. The conclusion of this experiment has been that
the effects of temperature on 02 saturation in hemoglobin are exacerbated as the altitude increases. The
correlation coefficient was not calculated because the potential error is almost greater than the effect
found by the overall experiment.
What this means for climbers is that if they want to ensure that they are taking in the appropriate
amount of oxygen, they may need to decrease their body temperature slightly in order to compensate.
THE EXTENT OF SUCCESS OF NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IN THE 1970S
FRANCESCA PASZKEICZ
I will be analyzing the extent of success of Native American rights activists in the 1970s. I will be
examining the effects of de jure and de facto racism on the successes and failures of these activists in
order to determine the extent of their success, and I will be focusing solely on the 1970s and mainland
America. Rights activism includes movements such as the American Indian Movement (AIM) as well as
individual people such as protesters and those filing for court cases. Throughout this investigation, I find
that although there are many de jure successes for Native American rights activists, de facto failures
hinder their intended effects, and render them less influential than they could be. This results in the
conclusion that Native American rights activists were successful in improving Native American rights in
the 1970s only to a small extent, due to the presence and hindrance of de facto racism.
THE PATH TO LIBERTY THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCED THE POPULATION OF FRANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION.
ARTHUR PEREIRA
The French Revolution was a turning point in French history which transitioned France from a royalist
system to a republic. The royalist regime, called the Ancient Regime, was based on blood ties, which
created multiple inequalities as only a small part of French society had the power and wealth of the
country, while the rest struggled to survive.
This paper focuses on what influenced the population to take part in the Revolution. During my
investigation, I looked at the three major groups of the Revolution: the workers, the bourgeoisie and the
politicians.
Many events happened during and before the Revolution that affected these three groups. In my
investigation, I used information gathered from historical papers about the time period which revealed
that the workers’ involvement was mostly due to the poor living conditions, the lack of food and the
abuse they faced from the ruling class of feudal system. Furthermore, while looking at the bourgeoisie, I
observed that there was a growing tension between them and the nobles as they gained economic
power. Finally, the politicians were pursuing their dreams of equality and freedom. All of this research
has led to the conclusion that, although each group was influenced by different outside sources and new
ideologies, they all had the desire to improve their daily existence.
CHALLENGES TO SOCIAL NORMS IN AUSTEN’S EMMA AND PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
ALEXIS PEREZ
Jane Austen is the author of many a timeless classic - classics that would not even exist if not for the fact
that her chosen career (and even the existence of any career at all) was distinctly counterculture and
completely improper for a lady of her time. My research question consists of a thorough analysis of the
works Emma and Pride and Prejudice to determine what extent Jane Austen challenged social norms
and to what extent she upheld them in her writing. The investigation focused on the works through a
feminist lens, in addition to brief applications of the Marxist lens. Sources outside of the works used
were historical context gathered in order to apply the analysis to the social norms of the time, and to
the life of the author.
The conclusion of the investigation is that Jane Austen used biting social commentary in order to
challenge the perception of both class and gender in her culture without actually challenging the
structure of her society. Austen objected more to the mindsets of her culture than to the systems that
created them, focusing on cause above effect.
THE ROLE OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IN REGARDS TO SEPTEMBER 11TH
TATJANA POE
On September 11th, 2001, Muslim extremist crashed 2 planes into the World Trade Center. 9/11 is
considered to be the most devastating terrorist attack in American History. Following the attacks,
Americans continued to ask the same questions: Were there warning signs? And could we have done
anything to prevent the attacks?
This essay is focused on the extent to which the United States government could have prevented the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. There were both American and foreign warning signs that
occurred before the attack. However, with regards to hindsight, the evidence only became obvious after
9/11, making the realization too late.
Although the government did make several changes in respect to counterterrorism, the changes did not
respond directly to the evidence at hand. Consequently, making the changes pointless. The government
was incompetent to stop such a threat, and their system was unsuccessful at adapting. The intelligence
agencies failed to share information between bureaucracy and within the branches of government.
In America’s defense, it was difficult to predict the intent of Al Qaeda. One could also argue that if
America did take action against Al- Qaeda before September 11th, citizens would criticize America for
interfering in other countries business. Therefore, with all of these reasons in mind, the government
could have only prevented September 11th to a moderate extent.
THE ARGENTINE TANGO IN NEW YORK: A SOCIAL TOOL FOR ARGENTINE IMMIGRANTS
RUHI PUDIPEDDI
The purpose of this investigation was to determine how the Argentine tango and its influence in New
York City affected the ability of immigrants to New York from Argentina to assimilate within
communities during the period of 1983 and beyond, exploring its development prior to 1983 to assess
context. Personal accounts from those who immigrated, statistical accounts of immigration, and books
and papers documenting the technique and trend of the tango throughout the period were among the
sources used to investigate the dance. The Argentine tango developed with the influence of European
immigrants in Buenos Aires, and became famous when it first appeared in film. This first global
exposition was quickly forgotten, however, and only the second time it stuck, aided by the numerous
musicals and films featuring the dance. Its quick rise in popularity caused great demand from New
Yorkers seeking to learn the dance. This allowed Argentine immigrants to New York an opportunity to
teach the New Yorkers an authentic form of the tango and gain success and prosperity as teachers and
performers, due to the heightened interest surrounding the dance. Because the Argentines had this
advantage of dance knowledge, they were able to use the tango as a tool to bypass foreign barrier they
would otherwise face as immigrants and become accepted and even celebrated by the New York
community. The area of profession also produced a higher salary than the immigrants would have likely
received had they not been tango artists. Finally, a form of the dance was incorporated into New York
social dance, adapted to fit American norms of social dancing and etiquette. Thus, the tango acted
primarily as a social tool for the Argentines to integrate themselves into the New York community.
LITERARY DEVICES IN ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON’S DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE
SUCHITA RAMAN
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a masterpiece that, decades after its first publication,
continues to entrance and terrify the minds of those who read it. The novel spans an impressive range of
genres, from Gothic to science fiction, and explores an even greater number of universal ideas. This
investigation focuses on the theme of human nature, and discusses the role of literary techniques in
conveying Stevenson’s message that humans are inherently dual in nature. The question posed by the
investigation is, more specifically, how does Robert Louis Stevenson employ literary devices to show the
duality of human nature in the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
The scope of this investigation was limited to the original work, published in 1886. As this essay focuses
solely on the literary devices present in the novel, no additional sources were referred to at any point in
the course of the investigation. The limitation of this investigation is that it only discusses the theory of
good and evil within oneself, and does not address the alternative theory that humans are inherently
evil and constrained by the bonds of civilization.
The investigation concludes that through his unconventional use of figurative language, narration, and
structure, among other literary devices, Stevenson argues that humans are both good and evil, and that
society must learn to embrace this duality in order to function properly. Indeed, Dr. Jekyll’s death at the
end of novel effectively portrays the dire consequences of not doing so. Imbalance, in the form of
excessive dependency on a single aspect of human nature, he warns, can be dangerous both to oneself
as well as to society. The investigation could be further extended to discuss the effects of these literary
devices in relation to other themes, such as expectations of Victorian society.
HOW DID FLAPPER CULTURE CHALLENGE SOCIETAL PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN’S ROLES IN THE 1920S OF AMERICA?
ANUSHRI RAMANATH
The flapper movement is often considered as a sub-culture of the 1920s which embodied the women’s
rebellion of Victorian social norms in favor of individualistic freedom and societal recognition through a
free spirited lifestyle. Recognizing the flapper movement and its impacts helps us reflect back on the
past when understanding reasons for changing cultural norms over time and pursuing radical social
change.
Even though they were often looked down on as outcasts, flappers persist as an example of women’s
changing socio-economic and cultural interests over time as they shaped new societal roles for
themselves. Unfortunately, the radical social presentation at the movement’s core was met with stark
controversies and opposition. The movement’s various perceptions surprised me; and so my research
paper investigated how flapper culture challenged society’s perceptions of women’s roles in the 1920s
of America. This paper compares the viewpoints and dual controversies of the flapper movement that
challenged pre-existing social norms. This will be achieved by comparing primary and secondary sources
that were for and against the movement, in order to analyze the movement’s challenge on societal
perceptions. The roots and causes of disparity between the viewpoints on flapper culture will also be
discussed in order to determine to what extent it challenged perspectives.
As a result of the flapper movement, women’s individuality and ability to embrace self-expression was
recognized– regardless of the older generation’s opposition to the means. Through economic
involvement and social rebellion, the idea that women had to live dependent on men was harshly
challenged, transitioning towards acceptance of increased self-sufficiency and greater personal
freedoms for women.
THE EFFECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRONIC ON INDIA.
AMELIA REYNOLDS
This extended essay is a historical investigation starting in 1948 at the first year of Jawaharl Nehru’s
administration, in addition to being the end of Britain’s reign over India and the first year of India’s
independence from Britain, and ending in the most recent year for which data is available, which is
2007. The question that it seeks to answer is: “How was India affected by the development of electronic
technology?” The main body of the investigation is focused on the 1980s in India and the technology
during the above time period, as well as the years around it. The scope of the investigation is the history
of the development of electronics and computer technology, and their effects on India. It also examines
the effects of various Indian Prime Ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Atal Bajpayee on the Indian
Government’s policy towards advancement of technology, and on the advancement of technology itself.
This is done by analyzing facets of India’s economy, and their possible relation to increased computer
technology, as well as analyzing the successes and failures of electronics-centered companies, in
addition to workers in technology and India’s well-known IT sector, which is now responsible for a large
portion of its industry. This essay also covers the influence of other countries on technology in India,
from trade agreements for computer chips from the United States to the phenomenon of India’s
exported technology workers, who are farmed out to work for companies in first world countries to
send money back home.
HOW DO AUTHORS DOERR AND ZUSAK COMMUNICATE MESSAGES ABOUT HUMANITY IN THEIR NOVELS ALL THE LIGHT
WE CANNOT SEE AND THE BOOK THIEF, AND WHAT MESSAGES DO THEY COMMUNICATE?
CORINNE RUTLEDGE
Anthony Doerr’s novel, All the Light We Cannot See, and Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, both set
their fictional stories within the very real historical calamity of World War Two. Doerr makes use of
poetic, lyrical language that frequently describes the beauty of nature and the interconnectedness of all
things, while Zusak makes use of a unique narrator, Death, when demonstrating the extreme poverty
and struggle of citizens caught in a war. This essay examines the literary devices used by the authors in
order to deliver a message to the reader, leading to the question:
How do authors Doerr and Zusak communicate messages about humanity in their novels All the Light
We Cannot See and The Book Thief?
This essay covers only the two books in a compare and contrast method, without the inclusion of any
outside sources regarding the authors or circumstances of production. Therefore, the essay only
discusses the language used within the two in order to create meaning for the reader.
This essay concludes that in All the Light We Cannot See, Doerr conveys that humans act according to
laws of nature, which control their actions toward either good or evil, while in The Book Thief, Zusak
presents the argument that a person is the captain of their own actions, yet subject to the constant
conflict of good and evil within themselves. The author’s messages bring to light many questions
regarding the responsibility for human evil – why humans do what they do, especially in war. This paves
the way for discussion on how the world may be improved, if such change is possible.
THE REPATRIATION OF COSSACKS TO THE USSR POST WORLD WAR II
PAVEL SAMSONOV
The question that was investigated is why did Britain and the United States of America repatriate the
Cossacks to the USSR after World War II? The potential reasons investigated in this paper are economic,
moral, and concern about their own prisoners of war that were being held by the USSR. I was looking
into all these potential reasons as to why hundreds of thousands of Cossacks where sent back to the
USSR to their deaths. The conclusion that I reached from my research is that the most likely reason as to
why the Cossacks were repatriated is because of Britain’s concern about having their prisoners of war
returned by the USSR. As a result they were willing to compromise the rights of thousands of Cossacks
for the hopes of having their prisoners of war returned by the USSR. Tragically however very few British
troops were repatriated and many remained unaccounted for the USSR claimed to of returned all the
troops they had. Thousands of Cossacks, many of whom were not even Soviet citizens were repatriated
against their will to the USSR where certain death and torture awaited. For what one might ask? For the
potential of having their own prisoners of war returned by the USSR which was carried out only
marginally as it is suspected that many prisoners of war were stuck in the USSR and never repatriated.
THE INFLUENCE OF EDWARD BURNETT TYLOR ON ANIMISM
KOROK SARKAR
This paper’s topic is the influence of Edward Burnett Tylor on the study and general opinion of animism,
both publically and scientifically, beginning in the late nineteenth century, until the present era. Sir
Edward Burnett Tylor, in his definitive work, Primitive Culture, was the first to produce a definition of
and a name for the practice of worshipping spirits in animate and inanimate objects, which he termed
animism. He held a less than complimentary opinion of animism and considered it a hallmark of a
primitive culture which had not yet achieved sufficient spiritual development to reach the idea of an
almighty Creator. His work was hailed as a masterpiece, and he was considered the father and foremost
scientist of the discipline. His work remained influential for the next few decades, and most research
done concluded that he had been entirely correct, and that all of his findings were the complete truth. A
few works argued to the contrary, but were in the minority. As time went by, the influence of Tylor
began to decrease. Fewer and fewer people continued to express that animism was for savages, and it
began to experience a resurgence. However, even as it experienced a resurgence, Tylor remained a sore
spot for practitioners of animism and a rallying point for people who maintained his viewpoint of the
culture, thereby remaining relevant to the public practice of the paradigm, even if he was considered a
source of interest only for his historical value in the scientific community. As such, it appears that while
Edward Burnett Tylor was upheld as a model of scientific understanding in earlier times, he has
generally lost prominence as the science of anthropology has advanced.
AN ANALYSIS OF PATIENT BENEFITS IN NATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL POLICY
DIVYA SETH
The successes of the pharmaceutical industry have made it a highly valuable asset to both national and
international healthcare. However, in recent years, rising drug costs in the United States have brought
up the issue that expensive industry research and high markups are limiting the accessibility of drugs to
patients by not making them affordable. The United States, with a government for and by the people, a
democratic republic, has the responsibility to legislate for the benefit of its citizens according to the
Constitution. This brings us to the question: Given the recent grievances against the pharmaceutical
industry, to what extent does the current national pharmaceutical policy in the United States benefit the
patient as opposed to pharmaceutical companies, and why?
In my extended essay I pinpointed specific sections of current policy and analyzed the effect that these
specific policies have had directly on patients. Afterwards, I aligned the policies on both a political and
economic spectrum to measure whether or not these current policies are for the benefit of the patients.
To reach my conclusion, I referenced numerous healthcare statistics, case studies on specific drugs
product cycles, financial statistics, business information, and political guides.
It is the patient that is burdened with high healthcare costs because of current patent laws, R&D
regulations, trade protections, and other litigation methods approved by the U.S government. The
pharmaceutical companies on the other hand reap large financial benefits from government regulations
overall, even after taking taxation and other fees under consideration. In the end of my investigation I
realized that society must make trade-offs to have better quality healthcare and that our left-leaning
pharmaceutical policies are not as left-leaning as seem.
HOW DO VARYING TEMPOS OF MUSIC AFFECT ALPHA WAVE FEEDBACK FROM THE BRAIN?
GAYATRI SHANDAR
How do varying tempos of music affect the alpha response of neurofeedback? Alpha waves, a
component of the brain’s electric response are normally indicative of a person’s relaxation “level.” A
common belief held is that certain genres of music are less conducive to focus, relaxation, and result in
shifts in academic performance. This investigation pinpoints one element of said genres: tempo.
The experiment focuses on the correlation between tempo of certain music ranging from 80 beats per
minute to 200 beats per minute and the amplitude of alpha waves. For numerous decades alpha wave
measurements have been correlated with a subject’s level of “relaxation”. This investigation relies on
the EEG method, measuring the alpha frequency of the electric activity. Typically, EEG’s are expensive
and difficult to operate but recent advances in technology have opened new fields of portable,
affordable EEG technology. In this particular paper, EEG signals are measured with Mindwave, a cutting
edge instrument making EEG measurements affordable and accessible to students. It measures all raw
neurofeedback, including alpha waves at frequencies of eight to twelve Hertz.
The design of this experiment required subjects to perform simple math operations and listen to music
at increasing tempos to observe changes in the alpha wave amplitudes. The hypothesis was that as
tempos increased, the alpha wave amplitudes, an indication of a level of relaxation, would not change.
And, that there would be a distinct decrease in alpha wave amplitude when subjects were performing
arithmetic operations.
Ultimately, this investigation found a slight decrease in the average alpha wave amplitude in correlation
with subjects listening to increased music tempos. This indicates that there is perhaps a more agitated,
and less relaxed state when we listen to music with higher tempos.
THE EPIDEMIC OF THE GRAPHITE INDUSTRY AND ITS EFFECTS ON CHINA
ARMEEN SHASTI-NAZEM
To answer the question, “To what extent is the graphite industry causing a socio-economic and
environmental issue for China and what implications does this have for the future of China as a world
superpower?” I will need to gather data of graphite distribution throughout the world and relate that to
various social, economic, and environmental issues within China.
To begin, China suffers from a wide range of environmental issues that stem from various sources of
pollution. In this essay, specifically, I focus on the pollution of poorly regulated acids used in the
processing phase of graphite purification that end up in many water sources and other ecosystems. On
top of this, the graphite mining industry poses a large threat to human societies, as it extorts cheap
labor for large monetary gains, at the expense of the health of many surrounding people.
Research studies in the fields of study relating to Lithium-ion batteries will be reviewed to pose possible
replacements for graphite-based products. The two leading viable replacements for Lithium-ion
batteries that will be reviewed are Lithium-Sulfur batteries and Sodium-ion batteries, both have had
difficulties in the past, but have made recent breakthroughs in development. I will also focus on possible
improvements for China, as a nation, to show how regulation of pollutants can benefit them in the
future, as they will likely ruin many important parts of the world if they are to continue at their current
rate.
HOW HAS HIGH FREQUENCY TRADING IMPACTED ELECTRONIC TRADING IN U.S. STOCK MARKETS SINCE ITS ADVENT?
ROHAN SHASTRI
Electronic trading has completely revolutionized Wall Street. Every aspect of the stock market has been
impacted by this technology, especially in the potential amount of money that can be made through
these new methods of trading. The biggest impact of electronic exchanges? High Frequency Trading, the
act of trading high volumes of stock at rapid speeds. Since its conception, HFT accounts for 50 to 70
percent of all US trading volume. But the impact of this technique on the various demographics of
traders throughout the market, as well as the specific ways HFT firms make their profits remains at the
forefront of this investigation.
Upon beginning this investigation, I first approached the question through a computer science context.
However, if one possessed the information to see the algorithms used by HFT firms, it will prevent such
firms from continuing their strategies. Because of their competitive nature, HFT firms invest a great deal
of resources to protect the programs they have built their businesses around, so the scope of this
investigation shifted to a conventional economic lens. Most of the information surrounding High
Frequency Trading has been gathered from an outsider’s perspective, yet this knowledge provides a very
sufficient understanding of the main components in HFT.
The investigation has concluded that there are several unique and lucrative methods within High
Frequency Trading which firms use to profit. HFT is not solely limited to “front” running, which is well
regarded as the “definitive” technique in the field. Although many of these outputs have been put under
restrictive guidelines by the SEC, they still persist because of the speed at which the firms’ programs
operate. The main impacts of HFT is that it provides liquidity to the stock market, in exchange for
making the overall economy much more volatile.
THE QUALITY OF FILM RATING SYSTEMS
NICK SKINNER
The Academy Awards are viewed as one of the most prestigious in Hollywood, but are they the best
judge of film quality out there? To begin with, we looked at what it takes to create a high quality film in
order to establish what exactly a good film is. Afterwards we examined the process of selection and
voting for the Oscars to look for any flaws. Some of the major flaws that presented themselves were the
fact that the Academy is not racially diverse and it is made up of mostly males. Another issue that arose
was the very complicated system of voting that could lead to movies winning due to receiving the most
third or fourth place votes. The final step was to compare the Academy Awards to other kinds of review
systems to determine whether it still had an edge over other systems despite its issues in selection. The
review systems examined were Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, the Golden Globes, the LA Film Critic’s Awards,
and the British Academy Awards. By comparing the Academy Awards to other systems, we had a better
idea of what other systems were out there and compared their flaws with the flaws of the Academy. The
other systems all had their own flaws that were similar or worse than the flaws of the Academy Awards.
Overall, the other judges out there had even more flaws or still chose almost all of the same films as the
Academy. Despite flaws in its system of voting and selection, the Academy Awards are one of the better
judges of film quality if not the best one currently.
THE EFFECT OF PLANT EXTRACTS ON E. COLI GROWTH
BEATRIZ SOUSA
Due to the rise of bacterial diseases and increased immunity of people’s blood to the effects of many
common antibiotics, the possibility of using common ingredients, such as apples, to replace antibiotics,
was established. An experiment was conducted to test the antimicrobial properties of different parts of
an apple and to compare their effectiveness with an antibiotic at inhibiting the growth of E. Coli to draw
conclusions about the feasibility of using apples to inhibit growth of bacteria. The research question was
thus established as: Do the plant extracts of different parts of Malus Sylvestris reduce the growth of E.
Coli and do they show similar effects as the antibiotic Ampicillin?
The extracts of Malus Sylvestris were prepared using a pestle and mortar and a blender. The cultures
were massed on sterile Ziploc® bags, and then introduced to the Petri dishes via a sterile scoopula. The
dishes were then incubated for two days. Then their zones of inhibition were compared using color
threshold imaging to see how effective the different parts were.
When analyzed, the zones of inhibition for both the core and seeds of the Malus Sylvestris had not
inhibited the growth of the E. Coli in any manner. The flesh and the skin had a moderate effect on the E.
Coli as shown by a minor, yet visible, zone of inhibition. The Ampicillin however, had the greatest effect
on the growth of the E. Coli, creating the largest zone of inhibition.
The results indicated that the flesh and skin of the Malus Sylvestris were the most effective at inhibiting
the growth of E. Coli, while the seed and core had little to no effect at all. When compared to the
antibiotic Ampicillin, no part of the apple was nearly as effective at inhibiting the bacteria’s growth.
CELLS, HEXES, AND CABLES: IS MOBILE INTERNET A VIABLE REPLACEMENT FOR CABLE INTERNET?
BRENNAN STEIN
In today’s increasingly interconnected world, internet access can be an incredibly important resource.
However, this dependence creates a weakness. Inability to connect to fast internet, or even internet in
general, can severely limit how effectively people can use their personal computers. Cable internet, the
de-facto standard for fast internet, is costly to expand and maintain, leaving rural areas to use much
slower sources of internet service. Furthermore, cable connects to a fixed point. You cannot move very
far from a cable internet access point before you lose connection.
Another common source of internet does exist, though, which regularly covers, and often exceeds, the
coverage of cable internet: cell networks, the infrastructure through which cell phones are able to
access the internet while on the go. The presence of this system of internet access raises a question.
How viable would it be to use cell networks as a source of internet for personal computers, which are
generally more stationary than cell phones?
Over the course of my research, I investigated cell network internet versus internet access through two
other methods of internet access: DSL and cable internet. DSL is used primarily in rural areas, using
telephone wires to transmit and receive internet signals. Traditional cable internet uses television
cables. In terms of speed and usability, cell networks are superior to DSL, but are inferior to high-quality
cable internet, though cell networks do have greater coverage than cable.
While the technology for adopting cell networks as a primary source of internet already exists, the
viability of adopting it as such at the current time is questionable. Cable internet is generally faster, it is
less expensive, and perhaps most importantly, it will respond better to more users: cell networks will at
some point reach an unavoidable capacity. Cable will not.
WHY DID THE LEND-LEASE FAIL TO CREATE A LASTING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE
SOVIET UNION DURING THE COLD WAR?
SEAN SU
Lend-Lease was a WW2-era aid program that allowed the lending of American goods, such as munitions,
vehicles, or ships, to the Allied nations, in exchange for the ability to lease land in the territory of the
recipients of said aid after the war. The Soviet Union benefitted greatly from American aid. However,
after the war, relations between the two countries broke down rapidly. This breakdown originated in
the Allied refusal to reopen the Western Front, the aggressive foreign policy measures taken by both
countries during the war, and the way Germany and Berlin were divided.
The scope of my investigation was the period lasting between the invasion of the USSR by Nazi Germany
and the beginning of the Cold War. To understand the impact of Lend-Lease on Russo-American
relations after WW2, I researched historical documents from the period, as well as later documents
written about the Cold War. I encountered difficulties during my research with getting access to the
historical documents, as most of them had not been digitized or otherwise made easily available.
Furthermore, many documents from other countries remain classified and inaccessible. However, I was
eventually able to find the relevant information. As a result of this investigation, I improved my
knowledge of international diplomacy and the factors that would cause the Cold War, as well as my
ability to research.
Lend-Lease, while effective at achieving its wartime goals, did not create a friendly international
environment after the Second World War. I found that the Marshall plan, the Turkish Straits crisis, and
the development of the atomic bomb outweighed any goodwill created by Lend-Lease, as shown by the
development of the Cold War.
THE EFFECTS OF ORIENTALISM IN WESTERN MEDIA ON ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S SELF-PERCEPTION
JASMINE SUN
Orientalism, in terms of feminized, exoticized portrayals of Asia by the Western world, has existed since
Marco Polo’s first expeditions to China in the thirteenth century. Later, it manifested itself in American
policymaking towards Chinese immigrants, and women in particular, who were characterized as a
danger to traditional cultural values: whether in terms of immoral prostitutes or potential mail-order
brides, known only for their ability to be seen and not heard. The legacy of Otherization of Asian women
continues today. Although it is no longer reflected as clearly in concrete national policy, Orientalism is
instead constructed by Western commercial media. It remains difficult to find multidimensional
depictions of Asian women in film or television, where they are often relegated to being a white man’s
love interest or a wily “Dragon Lady.” Unfortunately, the media’s far-reaching power in American society
ensures that these homogenizing portrayals become cultural expectations for how Asian American
women should act.
Therefore, this investigation aims to analyze the extent of Orientalist portrayals in media on Asian
women’s self-perception. Franz Boas’s anthropological theory of historical particularism is utilized to
explain how the tortured history of the West’s interactions with the East has constructed American
cultural attitudes towards Asian American women today. In addition, a combination of methods is
utilized to answer the investigational question: a questionnaire of women about their views on media
and their own identity, problem-oriented research about rates of eating disorders among Asian women
specifically, the life history of Anna May Wong, and a synthesis of other ethnographies of Asian
American women.
Ultimately, the investigation concludes that Western media portrayals of Asian women as either
ascribing to the “Dragon Lady” or to the “Lotus Blossom” trope produce self-surveillance among Asian
American women, who monitor their behavior and appearance to conform to these stereotypes.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HOW WOMEN ARE PORTRAYED IN PLATH’S SELECTED POEMS?
YAN SUN
This extended essay examines selected poems by Sylvia Plath that address the topic of women to
answer the question, “What is the significance of how women are portrayed in Plath’s selected poems?”
Plath’s depiction of women conveys that they cannot be complete and fulfilled if they are dependent on
others. This message is demonstrated through four examples: women as sexual beings, wives, mothers,
and workers. Essentially, Plath asserts that a woman cannot let a single aspect of her identity define her
(for example, that she cannot be simply a mother or a wife or a worker) because these aspects are
unstable on their own. Plath illustrates in her poems the devastating demises of a wife who is so
devoted to serving her husband that she has no other use in life, or of a mother who obsesses and
subsequently anguishes over her child. In contrast, a woman who does not depend on a single aspect of
her identity can lose her husband and still rely on her children and her financial stability. In conclusion,
women cannot depend on others, and must balance their roles and aspects in life in order to become
complete and fulfilled.
PIGS IN SUITS
AUSTIN TAN
In 1945, George Orwell first published Animal Farm, an allegorical depiction of life under the rule of a
single-party state. These governments exercise absolute control over their subjects in a tyrannical
fashion, and are nearly identical to totalitarian governments or autocracies. Opposing totalitarian rule
throughout his career and life, Orwell criticized these systems in virtually all his works. In my
investigation, I analyzed the various ways Orwell highlighted issues with totalitarian rule within Animal
Farm.
I first examined a secondary message that Orwell wished to impart on readers. Orwell not only attacks
totalitarian governments, but encourages civilians everywhere to remain politically active and
knowledgeable in order to prevent such governments from arising. His portrayal of animals that felt no
connection to the political state of the farm is reflective of citizens who make no effort to improve their
political situations: they are harmful to the society they live in and allow for autocracies to form.
Afterwards, I took a broad look at the scope of totalitarian issues that Orwell presented in Animal Farm,
including the tendency for totalitarian governments to rely on violence and manipulation.
Then, I closely analyzed two motifs and a theme that Orwell developed throughout the novel. I
discovered how Orwell utilized the motifs of the windmill and the seven commandments to better
represent the innate evilness of totalitarian governments; I made the same conclusions with his theme
of linking humans in the novel with tyrannical behavior. Finally, I examined how the dismal ending, in
which the pigs came to resemble humans, testified to the corrupt and cruel nature inherent in
humanity.
Thus, almost every literary decision Orwell made in writing Animal Farm contributes to describing
totalitarian rule as negatively as possible.
TERMINATOR OR MAN’S BEST FRIEND?“WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND IMPLICATIONS OF
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?”
EDWARD TAN
The investigation question is “what are the advantages, disadvantages, and implications of artificial
intelligence?” This investigation focuses on the existing progress, theories, and future possibilities of
artificial intelligence. This investigation explores the advantages, disadvantages, and possibilities of
artificial intelligence development by investigating the current progress and future speculations made.
The conclusion of this investigation is that we cannot speculate on what artificial intelligence will be like
with certainty without further development in the field.
THE HETCH HETCHY WATER PROJECT CONTROVERSY IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
BRYAN VAN DRAANEN
The Raker Act of 1913 provided federal legislative authority for the city of San Francisco to dam the
Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park to provide water and hydroelectric power to its citizens. The
passage of the Raker Act created a controversy that continues to this day and this paper seeks to answer
the question: What major factors and forces lead to the passage of the Raker Act?
Four major forces shaped the Hetch Hetchy controversy. First, opposition to the project was rooted in
the emerging environmental movement that sought to preserve the natural world for the enjoyment of
all and prevent the exploitation of natural resources for the benefit of a few. Second, religious
constituencies opposed the project based on a biblical-based perspective which sought to preserve the
natural world as God created it rather than viewing the natural world as having been created for the
dominion of man. Third, national political forces, and specifically the election of Woodrow Wilson as a
result of a rift in the Republican Party, created a dynamic that led to the passage of the Raker Act.
Finally, the persistence of the city of San Francisco to develop water and power resources at Hetch
Hetchy, in addition to the substantial resources it was able to devote to meeting its objectives, proved
overwhelming to the environmental, religious, and national political forces which opposed the project.
In the end, the dam largely proceeded due to a political process that favored the established and
entrenched economic interests of the city of San Francisco and overwhelmed the opposition.
GETTING A PROJECTILE TO FIRE FARTHER IN PNEUMATIC PROPULSION
BRYAN VAN HORN
Historically speaking, pneumatic weapons have been less effective and less lethal than their firearm
counterparts. However, due to pneumatic weapons’ weaker impact upon contact and relatively easier
operation, they are becoming popular toys for teenagers and adults who seek a safer and non-lethal
approach to guns than firearms allow. As a result of this growing trend towards pneumatic weapons,
many people ask: how can I make my gun fire farther or to what extent does air pressure in my airsoft
gun impact its range? From these questions and other research, this experiment investigated the
question: “How does air pressure and barrel length of an air cannon impact the distance a projectile can
travel once fired?”
In this experiment, five different air pressures and five different barrel lengths were used to determine
what effect these variables had on the displacement of the projectile. The different barrel lengths were
each individually attached for each trial, whereas the separate air pressures were changed through an
electric air compressor. The main condition observed was the distance the projectile traveled over a
football field. After observation of the differentiation of the distance traveled by the tennis ball in each
trial, greater air pressure and longer barrel length both propelled the ball further. Comparing these
results to the equations for pressure and work, I concluded that greater barrel length and greater air
pressure will increase the distance traveled by a projectile in a pneumatic weapon. To all airsoft
enthusiasts, these results present two variables that can be manipulated to give a pneumatic weapon
greater range.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CLOUD COMPUTING, WHAT IS IT LIKE NOW, AND WHERE IS IT
HEADED?
AMITH VANMANE
Cloud computing is quite broadly viewed as the next step in the evolution of computing. This is
evidenced by the time and resources put into it by big technology companies like Amazon, Microsoft,
and Google. However, a main question is where cloud computing itself is headed. This paper will
investigate what the future of cloud computing might look like, along with mentioning what its present
state is and its benefits and drawbacks. This paper will look into the pros and cons of cloud computing
for both consumers and the industry. It will also discuss the current forefront and economical state of
cloud computing.
After investigation, the conclusion reached is that in the future, people will be much more invested in
cloud computing, eliminating the need for lots of hardware and software. Moreover, the cloud
computing industry will continue to grow at the explosive rate it is growing at now, as its shows no signs
of stopping in the near future and is only gaining popularity. Lastly, people will be more connected, as
aided by newer concepts like the Internet of Things.
VOLUMETRIC RATE OF FLOW THROUGH A SYPHON SYSTEM
MAX VEITH
What effect does the displacement of water reservoirs have on the flow rate of water through a syphon
system?
Syphons consist of one reservoir with liquid and an upside down U shape tube with an end partially
submerged in the liquid. What sets a syphon system apart from a regular pump is that it flows on its
own without assistance from an outside force, other than gravity. The implications of potentially free
energy is tremendous, and physicists have tried to exploit this trait. Unfortunately, through their
attempts they discovered that there are many limitations on a syphons ability to move liquid. Although
syphons cannot be altered to create a free energy producing system, aspects of the system can be
altered to change the characteristics of the syphon system.
This investigation covers the relation between altering a syphon system and its affect on its rate of flow
using water. Syphons are regularly mistaken to work through air pressure, though this is not the case. A
syphon has the ability to move water due to the force of gravity, gravitational potential energy, and
cohesion. The change in the vertical displacement of the water reservoirs increased the rate of flow and
which is shown through the directly proportional data between increased vertical displacement and an
increase in flow rate derived after raw data collection. The investigation concludes that the flow rate is
increased when the vertical displacement of the two sources in increased because the gravitational
potential energy is increased. The water will do more work to reach a lower energy state if the when the
initial energy level is systematically increased.
TO WHAT EXTENT COULD THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAVE INTERVENED TO PREVENT THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE OF
1994?
CHARLOTTE VIDIL
In 1994, the Hutus in Rwanda slaughtered their fellow Tutsis in a genocide that turned out to have killing
rates of a greater magnitude than that of the Holocaust. Rwanda had previously been colonized for a
long period of time, under a regime that favored Tutsis, laying ground for the internal conflict. Before
and during the genocide, the International Community, including Rwanda’s colonial masters as well as
the United Nations, abandoned the African country in its misery. This is why I ask: to what extent could
the International Community have intervened to prevent the Rwanda genocide of 1994?
This essay focuses on what events built-up to the genocide, such as the colonial period, demographics in
Rwanda, and the civil war, among others. It then investigates the actions that were taken by foreign
counties to come to help to Rwanda during the genocide, including how they responded to the crisis.
Then I used evidence such as reports and telegraphs that signaled a soon to come genocide in Rwanda
that fell in dead ears back in the Western countries capable of coming to help, to prove that Rwanda
truly was abandoned, and that not all necessary measures were taken. I reached the conclusion that
even though some help was sent to Rwanda, even if too late, it was not nearly enough to stop the
genocide and help its victims. All the signs that prove it could have been prevented also reinforce my
conclusion that the International Community highly failed in intervening to prevent the mass killings.
A COMPARISON BETWEEN CALCULUS-BASED OPTIMIZATION AND ALGEBRAIC INEQUALITIES
PATRICK WANG
Upon comparing calculus-based techniques such as Lagrange multipliers and multivariable analysis with
algebraic inequalities such as AM-GM and the Cauchy-Schwartz inequality, it is clear that calculus-based
optimization is consistent and formulaic, but often requires great amounts of computation. For example,
when using calculus to optimize, it is often necessary to derivate extremely complex expressions or solve
systems of equations with an enormous number of variables. On the other hand, algebraic inequalities
can be used to optimize expressions both quickly and elegantly without a great amount of
computational power. In fact, a proof of optimizing a function using algebraic inequalities often appears
comically short when compared to the long-winded brute-forcing of calculus, doing the same job in a
few simple lines. However, it is worth noting that the effective use of this technique requires great
amounts of creativity to develop. The application of algebraic inequalities is nowhere as straightforward
and formulaic as calculus, limiting its potential as a practical method for use by computers.
By attempting to find a trendline for a set of data through both methods, it is clear that calculus is far
more practical than algebraic inequalities. Algebraic inequalities often have a specific set of
requirements that must be fulfilled in order to be used; however, in reality, these conditions are seldom
met. Thus, such algebraic inequalities are for the most part used for aesthetic pleasure rather than
practical applications. On the other hand, calculus is applicable to any function in any situation, and
therefore it is almost exclusively used when dealing with real-world optimization problems.
SOPHIE WANG
This essay explores George Orwell’s portrayal of mental manipulation in 1984, and its subsequent
effects on Orwell’s message regarding individuality, or what makes one unique as a sentient human
being. The essay will primarily focus on Orwell’s portrayal of controlling thoughts through usage of
language, as well his portrayal of manipulation of emotions through romantic and familial relationships.
Overall, Orwell’s 1984 conveys that one’s individuality should remain inviolable, and while humans have
the cruel capacity to exert great amounts of control over another’s individuality, it is not morally correct
to do so. Throughout the novel, he conveys this message by appealing to the emotions of the reader to
try to encourage them to empathize with the characters.
WHAT IS THE CORRELATION BETWEEN VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AND CERTAIN CANCERS IN THE UNITED STATES
POPULATION ACROSS ETHNIC AND GEOGRAPHIC GROUPS?
BENJAMIN WU
This paper correlates the incidence and mortality rates of certain cancers in the United States
population with their vitamin D deficiency rates across ethnic and geographic groupings. The research
question is: Does vitamin D deficiency have a statistically significant impact on the incidence and
mortality rates of certain cancers?
The paper was based on numerous scientific studies from well-known scientific databases, with some of
these studies being metastudies. The information used was about groups within the United States that
have historically suffered higher rates of vitamin D deficiency, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and
those who live in the Northeastern United States, and their cancer incidence and mortality rates. Several
scientific studies were also referenced to biologically explain the connection between vitamin D
deficiency and those cancers.
The conclusion was drawn that vitamin D deficiency rates do have a statistically significant impact on the
incidence and mortality rates of specific cancers such as uterine and colorectal cancers, directly shown
by the high correlation between vitamin D deficiency rates and cancer incidence and mortality rates in
certain population groups in the United States.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF DIFFERING HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS OF THE NANKING MASSACRE TOWARDS SINO-JAPANESE
TENSIONS
JERRY XU
One of the many atrocities of World War II was the Nanking Massacre or the Rape of Nanking. It is
undeniable that Chinese civilians suffered at the hands of Japanese soldiers, but since the end of the war
there have been disputes regarding the accuracy of historical accounts of the event. This paper
investigates how differing historical accounts by Japan of the Nanking Massacre have contributed to
tensions and conflict between China and Japan.
Differing historical accounts of the Nanking Massacre have spanned from the end of World War II with
the international military tribunals held regarding Japan’s wartime crimes to late-twentieth century
Japanese educational texts. This paper first examines and acknowledges the specific differences that
have occurred between Japanese accounts and alternate historical accounts. Numerous factors have
influenced Japan’s acknowledgement of their actions in the Nanking massacre from Japan’s own postwar victim mentality to unique Japanese cultural traits such as ancestor worship. The resulting tension in
Sino-Japanese relations from conflicting views of the crimes of the Nanking Massacre can often be seen
in Beijing’s response to Japanese officials’ public remarks that build off these differing historical
accounts. As China has pursued disputes with Japan over international matters such as territorial
conflicts over the southern seas and even attacked Japan’s domestic policies, Beijing has drawn on these
tensions as fuel and justification for its actions.
Japan’s reluctance to unconditionally accept responsibility for its actions during the Nanking Massacre
and their refusal to acknowledge certain alternate historical accounts has only strengthened the Chinese
view of the Japanese as unrepentant aggressors. Following the end of World War II, these
disagreements between the Chinese and Japanese have continued to fuel Chinese disgruntlement with
Japan in foreign relations.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE OUTPUT OF THE GRATZEL CELL
ANDREW XUE
This investigation attempted to answer the question: “How does changing the anthocyanin used to
sensitize the Gratzel cell affect the cell’s performance and how is this reflected in the mechanisms of the
cell and the dye’s molecular structure?” The Gratzel cell is a thin film solar cell that utilizes a sensitizing
dye and light-induced reactions in a pathway similar to photosynthesis to generate an electrical current.
Because the Gratzel cell is able to overcome some of the drawbacks of traditional solar cells, identifying
structural changes in sensitizing dyes that may lead to better solar conversion efficiency in the cell could
allow it to become competitive with traditional solar cells.
The various factors that influence cell output were investigated using a class of organic dyes known as
anthocyanins because of their variety and simplicity to extract. Various solar cells of constant size were
sensitized with different dyes that were picked for their structural variations, specifically size of dye,
groups on the C ring of the dye, and the electron delocalization of each dye. A current vs. voltage curve
was charted for various loads, allowing for the ranking of the performance of the different dyes, and
thus allowing for conclusions to be drawn about how structure of the dye affects performance in the
cell. The data supported the hypothesis that variations in the groups on the C ring of the dye would
affect the performance of the dye, but was largely inconclusive for the other factors. As a result of high
random error in the cell output as well as low precision in the measuring instruments, no conclusion
could be reached about the effect of dye size and the delocalization of electrons on cell output.
THE CHANGE IN HUMAN INVOLVEMENT IN COMBATING HIV AND AIDS OVER TIME
ALAN YANG
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the disease it causes, Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS) is deadly and presently without a cure. A pressing issue on a global level, organizations from all
levels of government, ranging from local to state, national to international, have made efforts towards
addressing the issue. The focus of this extended essay is to address question “how has human
involvement in combating HIV/AIDS changed over the course of the original introduction into the
medical community in 1986 to the public demonstrations around the globe in 2002?”
It is extremely difficult for different organizations to formally coordinate all of their efforts or actions,
even towards a specific goal. Even so, organizations can take actions that can gqreatly influence others.
For example, if the medical community releases information about the symptoms of HIV and AIDS, the
public will respond, causing government agencies to pass legislation in the interest of limiting the
disease’s spread. Despite the lack of formal connection, the informal influence between organizations
result in the cooperation of human involvement in combatting HIV and AIDS.
The conclusion reached is that human involvement in combating HIV and AIDS is separated into three
sections; the medical community, the public and the media, and government-based organizations. The
medical community was geared towards ensuring that HIV and AIDS would eventually be eradicated
while profiting in the process. The public and the media in general have operated with the intent on
slowing down or stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS, a goal that has not changed throughout the time
period. Governmental organizations are the same as the public and the media in that in general their
goal is the same and has remained relatively the same throughout the time period.
AN IMPENDING CRISIS, IS AMERICA HEADED FOR THE SAME FATE ROME SUFFERED?
KELAND YIP
Nearly two thousand years ago the Romans were living in prosperity atop the global hierarchy. And
today America widely regards itself to be of the same stature, at times even drawing criticisms to be
more of an Empire than a Republic. Since these civilizations are characteristically so similar, people
naturally draw connections between the two, hence the question of “How well do the similarities
between American and Rome serve as predictors for America’s future?”
First, this essay evaluates the similarities and differences between the Roman Empire and the United
States. Understanding these factors establishes the basis for determining whether America is bound for
the same fate as Rome. The more popular reasons for the fall of Rome are then analyzed in the context
of current day America. I arrived to my conclusion by comparing the problems that led to Rome’s
collapse to problems America faces today, and subsequently by determining whether the similarities
between Rome and America had future implications in the problems that led to Rome’s downfall.
The main reason why people look to history is to learn from the mistakes of the past in order to better
the future, and hopefully America will do the same. From the current state of affairs in America, in
comparison with Rome’s just before its fall, it is evident that the United States currently does not share
the same problems. The similarities between the two civilizations do have disturbing connections to the
chain of events precipitating Rome’s undoing. But, the overshadowing fact that they lived in such
different time periods with very dissimilar global affairs needs to be considered. In the end, Rome’s
history however, should still serve as a precautionary warning to America.
HOW DOES NEIL GAIMAN ADDRESS THE SUBJECT OF ADULTHOOD IN HIS NOVEL THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE?
TERESA ZHAN
This essay investigates how Neil Gaiman addresses the subject of adulthood in his book, The Ocean at
the End of the Lane.
The approach of this investigation was inspired by Gaiman’s repetition and continuing motif of
childhood and adulthood that was threaded in the unique structure of the novel itself, as it is narrated
from the perspective of an adult who gets lost in the flashback of his own childhood experiences. The
scope of this investigation is limited to the book and an online review to determine the intended
audience of the book.
The investigation was carried out through careful analysis of Gaiman’s use of literary devices, in
particular, symbolism and juxtaposition. This essay concludes that Gaiman addresses adulthood by
criticizing its multiple facets that are so different to a child’s own. He adeptly conveys to the reader that
adults are unaware of the magic behind everyday objects that children are able to see, and have unfair
authority over them. Additionally, he condemns adults for having such complex needs in comparison to
children while trying to hide their own vulnerabilities. Although Gaiman’s argument is quite nuanced, it
reflects the complexities of distinguishing what it means to be a child and an adult in the world today.