The 2017 Senior Project Fair

Reza Bergemann
Share 3D: Developing a share-economy platform for 3D printing
Having gotten to use the 3D printers at Hopkins, and having gained an appreciation for their capabilities, I began work on a website to make 3D printing more accessible to others, using the share economy model of popular applications like Uber and AirBnB. I utilized Python web framework Django to form the basis of the website.

David Bian & Erin Earley
The Big Cheese: It’s the Gratest
Join us on a journey of spiritual enlightenment as a cheese monger. We have been perfecting the craft of creating the ideal balance between cheese and cracker.
Come to the fair and discover the beauty of aging cheeses and an inside look on the making of mozzarella. We have free samples too.

Phoebe Cardenas
On a Related Note: Collecting Family Stories
For my senior project, I interviewed three generations of my family about their lives. I compiled their stories into five podcast episodes about culture, family, friendship, love, and religion. Through this process, I have learned how core values are passed down through generations, and how my family’s past can affect my present.
Phoebe’s work will be on display Tuesday during G-H blocks in T214.

Ben Collier & Peter Neugebauer
We Tried it at Home
We tried, with varying degrees of success, to replicate at a reasonable scale our favorite physics experiments from Mythbusters. Interweaving SAT books? Vacuum gun? Check. Monster suction cup? You’ll have to come and see.

Hunter Congdon
Milford Station on the NHRR
I built a H-O scale model of downtown Milford, my hometown, as it looked in 1930. I did historical research on what Milford looked like at the time, and then built the model using modelling materials I inherited from my grandfather.

Sophia Cronin
Hidden Virtues
Have you ever wondered how different others’ values, beliefs, and perception of the world are compared to your own? In order to understand more about how we define our own purposes in life, I asked 25 people of all ages 15 thought-provoking questions about their lives using Erik Erikson’s psychosocial developmental theory as my foundation. I filmed each interview, created a video showcasing the answers, and have found Erikson’s theory to still hold much truth and relevance.

Robert De Berardine
“What?”
This spring I did detailed research on hearing loss in children, and how it has affected their ability to learn in the classroom setting. I have written a guide that provides suggestions for both the student and school, to better the Student's experience at Hopkins.

Christine Eberts
Hopkins Learns Resuscitation
Having earned my Instructor Certificate, I created two ways to teach Hopkins community members about resuscitation protocol: in professional-quality, hands-on classes, and also with a video I created on campus.

Ben Elbaum & Ryan Meury & John Sandberg
Locked ‘n’ Loaded Sports
We were each responsible for writing one article a week and doing a podcast as a group at the end of each week. Each of us specialized in a couple different areas of sports for the articles, and the podcast was a combination of all our sports knowledge in the format of thought-provoking debate and conversation. We were challenged to develop our own unique opinions on current sporting events, while also acknowledging the thoughts of other analysts in the world of sports journalism.

Matthew Fiedler
A Culinary Guide to the Jewish Diaspora
I researched the development of traditional Jewish foods during the two thousand year diaspora from Israel. This book consists of stories and the family histories of Jewish people from my community, it details their journeys to America, and it tells of what they brought with them. 
Many families came to America with nothing, so the only way they could continue to celebrate their old lives was through the recipes they brought with them.

Cecilia Giaimo
The Beauty of Cooking
I created short cooking videos in order to present the "Beauty of Cooking".  My project's goal was to have the average person enjoy the process of cooking, and feel inspired to do it themselves.  I experimented with different editing styles in order to find the most effective way to present the cooking process.

Timothy Halvorsen
ODDS
I have performed in fourteen theatrical productions during my time at Hopkins but I had never written anything for the stage, until now. Over the past few months I have been writing a short play entitled "ODDS" about a high school relationship-and all the drama, miscommunication, and heartbreak that goes with it. I have to thank everyone who made this project possible: Taty Rozetta for having the idea in the first place, everyone who participated in my focus groups, and especially my project adviser Mr. Calderone.
Tim will be presenting a reading of his play on Thursday, 5:45-6:15pm, in Lovell Hall.

Will Hartog
Fracking Fractals
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you started doing something, and kept doing it, but forever? Have you ever thought to yourself, "I really wish I could know what would happen if I took a function and applied it over and over until infinity"?
Well, you can't really do that, but you can get a glimpse of what that might be like through the enlightening study of fractals, and maybe even find out what Jeff Goldblum was talking about in Jurassic Park, if you come to check out my fracking fractals.

Angelique Hodge
Learning the Keys
I decided to use the convenience of technology to start learning how to play the piano. 
In my six week journey, I not only started grasping the names of keys and gaining knowledge about rhythm, but I learned a complete song: Photograph, by Ed Sheeran.

Alexa Kaplan
This is the TIME for Social Media
I spent the duration of my project investigating the impact that social media has had on marketing and advertising. During each of the eight weeks, I  traveled to New York City and worked at Time Inc., one of the largest media companies in the country. I spent over a hundred combined hours between my independent research into the topic and time spent working in the two New York offices.

Taylor Kendall
Refurbishing Computers
I collected and refurbished used computers from Hopkins and towns near me. They will be deployed to classrooms across the country to teach STEM to inner city kids. I learned a lot about the magic behind the devices we use every day, and would love to show you some of these computers at the fair!

Arnaaz Khwaja & Ian Magil & Gwyneth Maloy
Hopkins Science Safety Video
Do you want to see Hopkins' own Brad cause some dolls to have their hair catch on fire? What about seeing the eyewash station in use? Come watch our safety video and learn all about proper behavior in the Malone classrooms!

Andrew Kindseth
SquareNet
For decades humanity has dreamed of creating an Artificial Intelligence, but until recently this has been impossible. Due to advances in machine learning and backpropagation I was able to create my own artificial intelligence, SquareNet. My network may not take over the world and almost destroy humanity, but it will find a square in a small image.

Liza Kottler
Sparking the Conversation: A reflection on Psychological Disorders
through talking and art
Through interviews, I talked to 16 Hopkins community members about their experiences with psychological disorders, ranging from OCD to depression, anxiety, PTSD, depersonalization, and many more. From these interviews, I cultivated ideas for photos, all of which I took and edited myself. This piece of art captures the human experience of mental illness, from an honest and experienced perspective.

Sophia Kyrcz
Why I Run
Over the past six weeks, I interviewed runners, read running books, and trained for the Providence Marathon. While doing all of this, I reflected on my training and Why I Run. I ran my first marathon on Sunday, May 7th. Through the interviews I conducted from the page OutRun the Odds, I have made so many running friends who supported me along my training.

Caroline Laplaca & Mia Ciardiello & Sam Steinberg
Senior Video 2017
After spending six years at Hopkins, we wanted to create a video that shows the people and personalities that make up the Class of 2017.
Throughout our senior year, we have been filming our grade.
The final video will be shown at the Senior Class Picnic on June 6th,
but be sure to watch the preview at the Senior Project Fair!

Hannah Melchinger
Purple and Staring: A Compilation of Essays I Needed to Write
Sarah Ruhl’s book 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write inspired me to explore topics I hadn’t discussed in my Hopkins english classes through several short essay pieces. I drew on the writing styles presented by James Baldwin in The Fire Next Time, and by Sei Shonagon, in her Pillow Book. After filling a notebook with between sixty and seventy pieces, I then picked my favorite twenty, revised and edited them, discussed them with my project adviser, and compiled them in a book, Purple and Staring. Enjoy!

Zane Meyer
A Myth-ical Anthology
So, I wrote my own myths. They've got dragons, sarcasm, and death. They might be funny, they might be ridiculous, or they might provoke a long, philosophical discussion if that's your style.

Paul Molter
Checkmate
For my senior project, I worked diligently on improving my skills in the game of chess. Over the six weeks, I memorized openings and defenses, worked with an expert chess instructor, and competed in tournaments to test my knowledge. At the fair, don’t feel shy to come up and play me in a game or ask me to demonstrate an opening!

Annie Nields
“You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go:”
A Study of Bob Dylan upon leaving Hopkins
My goals in this project were to understand Bob Dylan as a musician and poet, dissect and explore his language, and finally write my own prose and poetry inspired by his songs.
First, I researched Dylan as a musician and private figure, then I wrote three close readings of three songs from "Blood on the Tracks," and finally I wrote short stories and poems inspired by each song. In conjunction with my writing project, I taught three poetry workshops at St. Martin de Porres to a seventh grade class. At the fair I'm excited to perform the three songs that I studied along with Mr. Guthrie!

Anees Patwa and Alex Withers
Introducing Cricket to Hopkins
We, Anees and Alex, set out to introduce the great sport of cricket to the Hopkins community. Coming from Indian and English backgrounds, we both share a love of the game, and so we wanted to show the students and faculty at Hopkins how much fun it is.
We did so by making a website with rules, culture, techniques, and more, along with a video compilation of interviews from people in the Hopkins community.
We also had open sessions to play throughout the month of April!
Anees will be representing Hopkins at the Science Olympiad Nationals, but Alex will be here at the Fair!

John Pitkin
The Color of Sound
I did computer programming to make, essentially, a music visualizer.

Toella Pliakas
Listening, Learned
Over the course of several weeks I interviewed various people who disagree with me politically about their political views. We discussed their political views, how to engage in respectful dialogue about current events, and a lot more. I learned a great deal about stepping out of my bubble and listening to differing views.

Hannah Randazzo
Mural in the New Haven Lawn Club Squash Courts
Over the past six weeks, I have covered twenty-one feet of wall space with white, red, black, and grey paint. This mural captures the athleticism and anatomy of the human body playing Squash. Starting with an initial image in my head, I developed preliminary sketches, obtained approval from the New Haven Lawn Club Board of Directors, and turned my original vision into a reality.

Phil Ross & Michael Zhu
Training to be a WaPo Assistant Coach
Philip Ross and Michael Zhu put down the captains’ caps and picked up the whistle and the polo shirt to become coaches for a few months! They helped out the younger kids on the water polo team learn the fundamentals of the game, as well as a few more high level techniques. Ask them about their adventure, and the twists and turns along way.

Derek Socha
Capering Cavalier