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 Staff Advisors Sasha Swerdloff Phil Allen Doug Calvert Lindzee Alvarez Matt Daniels Daniel Becker Jay Kilby 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 re- organize 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 non- dominant 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 widely- known 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 well- assimilated 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 self- empowerment.

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 well- rounded 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 anti- anxiety 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 post- war 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.