Capstone · Sessa · Wed — Science Leadership Academy @ Center City

Shaina-Nicole Keenan Capstone

Posted by Shaina-Nicole Keenan in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Friday, May 19, 2017 at 12:03 am

Over the course of the past few months, I decided to interview my fellow peers and a few college students. The importance and purpose of these interviews was to highlight the subject's story and experiences. An issue most adolescents and teens struggle with is the idea of self-assurance, or confidence. I wanted to highlight this issue because it is ever present and relevant in society and within our own communities. I wanted the project to reflect my love for telling people's stories (for them) and how confidence is a concept neglected by present in our everyday lives. Therefore, using simple technologies I created an interview forum that was relaxed and allowed the interviewees time to consider their answers and the experiences they were willing to share. The pace for this project was slow, but rewarding. I took time to ensure the people were comfortable with what they were choosing to share. They reviewed their own work, selected their own picture, etc. The final product was an issue I was trying to conquer and finalize throughout the entire process of completing this project. I wanted to showcase these stories the best way I could, doing them justice and not distract away from the content. I figured the best way to do so, was a simple website with the piece on each subject and a photobook to follow to pass to SLA students to review and hopefully learn from. CAPSTONE WEBSITE: http://confidence-capstone.weebly.com/ https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1JxEIiwXjAP_VCnVMRiYb1SmDvbnXkpAZtWABcWVouBA/edit?usp=sharing

Therefore, using simple technologies I created an interview forum that was relaxed and allowed the interviewees time to consider their answers and the experiences they were willing to share. The pace for this project was slow, but rewarding. I took time to ensure the people were comfortable with what they were choosing to share. They reviewed their own work, selected their own picture, etc.

The final product was an issue I was trying to conquer and finalize throughout the entire process of completing this project. I wanted to showcase these stories the best way I could, doing them justice and not distract away from the content. I figured the best way to do so, was a simple website with the piece on each subject and a photobook to follow to pass to SLA students to review and hopefully learn from.

CAPSTONE WEBSITE:

http://confidence-capstone.weebly.com/

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1JxEIiwXjAP_VCnVMRiYb1SmDvbnXkpAZtWABcWVouBA/edit?usp=sharing

Cameron Samodai Capstone

Posted by Cameron Samodai in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 10:00 pm

In 2011, my dad and his friends built a race car for the 24 Hours of Lemons, an endurance race for cars worth $500 or less. Gradually, I became more and more involved as the car became more modified. An engine is basically an air pump, and anything effective one might do to make an engine more powerful will simply make the engine flow more air. However, a key component of engine performance that is neglected when improving airflow making sure that the right ratio of fuel to air is ignited in the combustion chamber. With our original fuel injection system, maintaining this ratio (actually a bit “richer” or more fuel-heavy than stoichiometric) was impossible. In an attempt to rectify this, we first purchased a “black box” for the ECU that claimed to resolve our issues. It was better, but still not very good. I took it upon myself to research the ins and outs of tuning the 1980s-era (even outdated for its time) fuel injection system using an EPROM emulator, leading myself down a path involving a collaboration with an electrical engineer in Bulgaria, a rejection email from a massive German company, and most importantly, improved power and fuel economy for the race car.

Bibliography

The car, after a successful 2nd place finish out of 114 cars at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

The lovely response I got upon asking under which engine conditions a certain sensor operates.

I'm worth 5% more power! And 9% more range on a tank of gas!

Jaiye Omowamide Capstone

Posted by Jaiyeola Omowamide in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 9:59 pm

Towards the end of my junior year, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Havana, Cuba for an interdisciplinary trip. Beyond excited, I had already decided that my capstone would revolve around this trip. It was required by our chaperones (Senorita Manuel, Ms.Jonas and Ms. Sessa) that we have some sort of project or theme that we would learn about during our time in Havana. I immediately decided that I revolve mine around the people of Cuba. Because of the embargo enacted by the U.S, Cuba has been very closed of to U.S citizens. We only know of Cuba for communism and cigars which isn't fair; what about the people! Being a big fan of "Humans of New York", I thought it would be good to translate that concept over to Cuba, thus me creating "Humanos de Cuba"! Cuba shouldn't be recognized of of stereotypes, but of it's people and culture. So for 9 days in Havana, I interviewed several individuals and made sure to hear their stories and thoughts and also to take an expressive picture of them to display back in Philadelphia like the pictures under the 22nd street bridge. I wasn't able display them that way but decided that an Instagram page would be the best way. From this project, I learned so much of Cuba’s culture and that Cuba and it's people are just like any other people on this planet.

Feel free to explore the instagram page!----> https://www.instagram.com/humanosdecuba/

"Cuban Culture - Learn More about Cuba | Don Quijote." DonQuijote. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

This website is an excellent source. It is an website that features different articles on Cuban culture including language, food, dance, film, monuments and more. I know this source is reliable because it comes from an organization, Don Quijote. I will use this source as a foundation for knowledge for Cuban culture.

Mannon, Travis. "12 Young Cubans Reveal What They Really Think of the U.S." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

This is a online article source that includes summaries on the views Cubans have on America as well as the actually dialogue and answers that they give. I didn’t think to ask Cubans about America but this article changed my mind about it. This article gives sample questions which is great and I could use those questions for my interviews.

Paterson, James. "How to Shoot the Perfect Portrait." TechRadar. Future Pic, 08 Aug. 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2017. <http://www.techradar.com/how-to/photography-video-capture/cameras/how-to-photograph-anything-best-camera-settings-for-perfect-portrait-photography-1320786>.

Since I will be photographing people and displaying their portraits/pictures, I need to know the skills to do so. I never took a photography course at SLA, so this source perfectly describes the aperture, lighting, depth of field, and exposure for the perfect picture. Although this source is very useful, one limitation that it has is that it just simply describes what to do but there’s no picture or videos showing how to do it.

Pérez, Louis A. “The American Historical Review.” The American Historical Review, vol. 99, no. 5, 1994, pp. 1786–1787. www.jstor.org/stable/2168582.

I wanted knowledge on Fidel castro since I know that there are mixed opinions of him inside and outside of Cuba. I would love to ask some of the Cubans on their opinions and their lives during his rule. This source gives a negative view on Castro which is the only downside but it is still useful because I can see the opinions of those who did not like him.

UCD- University College Dublin. “On how I approach strangers in the street | Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton | UCD, Dublin.” Online Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 1 Feb 2017. Web. 24 Apr 2014.

This is an online video source from the University College Dublin where “Humans of New York” creator, Brandon Stanton, gives his story on how he is successful at interviewing strangers in the street. For my Capstone, this is my biggest worry as people will possibly say “no”. Brandon’s advice is to stay as calm as possible and be as non-threatening as possible. His greatest advice in the video is the types of questions he asks strangers. This will help me formulate my own questions. This will be one of my most referenced sources for my Capstone.

Stanton, Brandon, and Brandon Stanton. Humans of New York: Stories. New York: St. Martin's, 2015. Print.

My goal to Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” is similar; to display the stories and faces of humans. Although his subjects are in New York and mine are in Cuba, my process will be the same as his. His book will be an excellent reference for the type of stories I want as well as the aesthetic I will like to have.

Vaughan, Umi. “Afro Cuba.” Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance: Timba Music and Black Identity in Cuba, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 2012, pp. 47–79, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.3355867.7.

Going to Cuba and interviewing people, I think it would be respectful to have prior knowledge of Cuba and it’s people. I have a deep interest in Afro-Cubanos and I would love to speak with one of them since they can sometimes go unnoticed in the social aspect of Cuba. This is a reliable source as it was found on JSTOR and it it gives the the context and significance of “contemporary Cuba” during the 90s and the evolution of dance as well as Fidel Castro’s reign.

Jake Norman Capstone

Posted by Jacob Norman in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 9:57 pm

The Capstone I created is a Photography club that combines a leadership experience with physical products. I will be teaching Freshmen and Sophomores the knowledge I have learned regarding photography techniques. This club will allow freshmen who are interested in photography to gain photographic skills and easy access to photography and film equipment. By the end of this project, I hope to share my experience and knowledge of photography and photo editing with underclassmen. I also plan on finding a continue supporting and running the club for future freshman classes. To get the word out about the club, I created flyers and made announcements in the biweekly advisory memo to advertise. After working for some time on my capstone idea, I realized it was failing and that I need to try something new. I still wanted to help future Dig Vid classes so I decided to take the lesson plans and activities I had planned for the club and turn those into educational tutorial videos covering the same subjects. I then created a blog where I posted all of the videos.

Website: http://the-darkroom-tutorials.my-free.website/

Works Cited: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZHnEwsf-8yhQXisjGS_LXhF_a-GT9o6xpizJzfpNzTc/edit?usp=sharing

Jared Bauer Capstone

Posted by Jared Bauer in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 9:38 pm

Jason Greene II and I founded the Sports Statistics and Analysis Club in January of 2016. We wanted to expand our reach to middle schoolers and decided to teach basic lessons about sports statistic. Originally we targeted working with older eighth graders at Greenfield, however, they did return our calls. We turned our attention to fifth graders at Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLAM). We thus reinvented our idea for the content of the lessons. Instead of focusing on more complex weighted averages we began focusing on topics such as calculating averages (with and without a calculator) and bar graphs. For each lesson (excluding the last lesson where the children presented their final projects) we created a slideshow to go through with them. At the end of the first lesson we assigned them a project (which I will also put as part of this submission). In summary, the students were asked to calculate ten averages from either the MLB or the NBA. The final presentations were not as successful as we hoped due to the gap between our third and fourth lessons, as SLAM focused on PSSA prep for six weeks. By that time many of the students had forgotten about what we had taught them, which made the final presentations messy and not focused on the math. However, Jason and I firmly believe that if the lessons would have been closer together there would have been a great increase in the quality of presentations.

Project Description:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MM7lFjwAXWp5o9QNQi35hdaNxYYuUkJjC8AOLYq6DfI/edit

Lesson Slides:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/u/1/d/1dSYmI-b20-D2jT2tLBJM7BN0KOPlaD9RwvBe-m0iTn8/edit?usp=drive_web

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1y3H3vdKH-crrE7cSrvyAZZZxpVOKpgfoOz9w8tlLCaw/edit#slide=id.g1b3fa04b50_0_45

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_HWvShg834gYVdWHU3eTrzKzOO26U71k2bzI2PwMKbQ/edit#slide=id.p

Photos of Students Presenting:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx0m9poGPxVNNkxBUVpWUS1QUVU

Sianneh Vesslee Capstone

Posted by Sianneh Vesslee in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 9:33 pm

For my Capstone I had the chance to look at how Cuba reports it's news and what kind of information do the Cuban people have access to. I decided to do this project because I had the opportunity to go to Cuba with eight other girls and four teachers for a program. I chose this as my research project to cover while I was there. For my final project, I decided to write an article myself and talk about my experience and how they report their news and what the Cuban people see in the media. It was very challenging at first to get real answers from the people that we were able to talk to, which made sense considering how strict their government is. However, the more we got to interact with people like our tour guide and the speakers, the more I was able to understand that they word their answer in a certain way to answer my question. I was started to catch on and see that their problem are subtle and we can say whatever and do whatever you want, but it’s what you do and say that get you in trouble or labels you as trouble maker. It was a very eye opening experience and it made me want to not only visit Cuba again, but also travel to more places and learn about different cultures

For my Capstone I had the chance to look at how Cuba reports it’s news and what kind of information do the Cuban people have access to. I decided to do this project because I had the opportunity to go to Cuba with eight other girls and four teachers for a program. I chose this as my research project to cover while I was there. For my final project, I decided to write an article myself and talk about my experience and how they report their news and what the Cuban people see in the media. It was very challenging at first to get real answers from the people that we were able to talk to, which made sense considering how strict their government is. However, the more we got to interact with people like our tour guide and the speakers, the more I was able to understand that they word their answer in a certain way to answer my question. I was started to catch on and see that their problem are subtle and we can say whatever and do whatever you want, but it’s what you do and say that get you in trouble or labels you as trouble maker. It was a very eye opening experience and it made me want to not only visit Cuba again, but also travel to more places and learn about different cultures

Article: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MWHF2_IIlkYCCWX1JVQnhq2XLJ4dtVMjfdyrC1YFUSY/edit?usp=sharing

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cu1uG3zGRvKO_m55ah9RFBzvmYUQd3lkmfFPr7AJyFs/edit

Husain Kegler Capstone

Posted by Husain Kegler in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 3:51 pm

Goal: Make tutorial videos for incoming freshman. These videos should be tutorials of tools that students usually have trouble using such as: Google drive, Google Docs, and Canvas. The Goal is for the students to watch the videos and be able to use the different tools with ease. Abstract: For my final project I decided to make tutorial videos on a few things that I noticed. I noticed that plenty other students and I struggled with working with online tools that can be used as shortcuts. Coming from a traditional textbook school, it was a major change when learning how to work with computers and to rely on them to perform basic functions like where to find my homework. As, time continued to move forward I basically became a pro at finding whatever I needed to make sure that my assignments were turned in on time and keeping up with work. Not even just that, but I made sure I followed the guidelines to projects so I wouldn’t get points deducted because of simple mistakes. Like a Freshman, I once was a freshman and I know how difficult it can be to work with computers. So I decided to make simple tutorial videos to help freshman coming into the SLA community, with these videos it will make their work process way easier than it would be without them. Although, I have faced many challenges with working with these things, I know that Teachers know what frequently asked questions are in their classrooms, and I know Teachers get tired of answering the same questions. So I decided to make a sample survey and I sent it out to the Teachers who work at SLA, asking them to give me ideas on what videos I should make for their students, and what do they see their students struggling with the most. The results came back and Teachers told me that I should make tutorial videos on Google Docs, Google Drive, and Canvas. The things that students struggle working with the most. Video #1: Teaching Kids How To Use Google Docs https://youtu.be/VqUHfdZXAvs Video #2: Teaching Kids How To Use Google Drive https://youtu.be/i5q7-K_Ehdo Video #3: Teaching Kids How To Use Canvas https://youtu.be/QVW6qZoQ5js Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/16ouyOer_D8HPWc5HLTwU-vjx-3FeSDncIW0hTi0aMGc/edit?usp=sharing

Goal:

Make tutorial videos for incoming freshman. These videos should be tutorials of tools that students usually have trouble using such as: Google drive, Google Docs, and Canvas. The Goal is for the students to watch the videos and be able to use the different tools with ease.

Abstract:

For my final project I decided to make tutorial videos on a few things that I noticed. I noticed that plenty other students and I struggled with working with online tools that can be used as shortcuts. Coming from a traditional textbook school, it was a major change when learning how to work with computers and to rely on them to perform basic functions like where to find my homework. As, time continued to move forward I basically became a pro at finding whatever I needed to make sure that my assignments were turned in on time and keeping up with work. Not even just that, but I made sure I followed the guidelines to projects so I wouldn’t get points deducted because of simple mistakes. Like a Freshman, I once was a freshman and I know how difficult it can be to work with computers. So I decided to make simple tutorial videos to help freshman coming into the SLA community, with these videos it will make their work process way easier than it would be without them. Although, I have faced many challenges with working with these things, I know that Teachers know what frequently asked questions are in their classrooms, and I know Teachers get tired of answering the same questions. So I decided to make a sample survey and I sent it out to the Teachers who work at SLA, asking them to give me ideas on what videos I should make for their students, and what do they see their students struggling with the most. The results came back and Teachers told me that I should make tutorial videos on Google Docs, Google Drive, and Canvas. The things that students struggle working with the most.

Video #1: Teaching Kids How To Use Google Docs
https://youtu.be/VqUHfdZXAvs

Video #2: Teaching Kids How To Use Google Drive
https://youtu.be/i5q7-K_Ehdo

Video #3: Teaching Kids How To Use Canvas
https://youtu.be/QVW6qZoQ5js

Bibliography:
https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/16ouyOer_D8HPWc5HLTwU-vjx-3FeSDncIW0hTi0aMGc/edit?usp=sharing

Stephen Buchanico Capstone

Posted by Stephen Buchanico in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 3:27 pm

Hockey is something I have become very passionate about and has continued to make a huge impact on my life as I grew up so I knew I wanted to do something related to hockey for my senior capstone. My initial idea was to attempt to raise money for Snider, the organization that has allowed me to play hockey from a young age regardless of my family's financial standing. This was difficult for me because I couldn’t think of a practical way to raise a substantial sum of money that would be useful to the organization while also struggling with the logistics of paying for ice time. With this defeat, I sparked the idea to organize a roller hockey tournament, being since all outdoor roller rinks are free for public use. I used my Snider contacts to gather the children who would participate in the tournament and then the rest was a breeze. I discussed rink times with those in charge of the playground rink to coordinate which days the rink would be in use and when it would be open for the tournament. Once the day was decided, I contacted all of the children involved, who were excited to participate. The young boys, aged 12-15 years old, had experience with hockey so they got right into playing while I supervised and refereed the games. It was wonderful to have organized an event where my passion created a sense of community and happiness.

This is a photo of some of the children getting ready for the tournament, tying skates and taping sticks

This is a picture of tournament in mid play.

In this picture I am helping warm up some of the kids before the tournament began.

This is another picture of play from the tournament

Bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FrgPz_u-dOJWH8vPNexnwq5US__xzhAkWWgiVIp6Rac/edit

Sherell Messing Capstone

Posted by Sherell Messing in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 1:20 pm

Abstract

For my capstone I wanted to create an ILP that was different from all I have encountered and heard about from my peers. This ILP would not only further a group of individuals way of thinking but way of communicating. No other learning topic can express SLA’s core values in complete silence than American Sign Language (ASL). As a community we are strongly opinionated and often forget to focus on a voice, or idea, other than our own. By learning ASL you use your eyes to listen, a talent many have concurred. A language as beautiful as this can truly make you see the world from a different view. There is history that is not taught in schools and a community that is separated due to lack of communication.

To inform our community and make a change I held multiple bake sales to bring the SLA community together in a creative way. During this time I also deeply searched for an instructor to teach ASL classes next year. Sadly, I was not successful due to the classes being too expensive or unavailable. At the moment I am waiting for a response from my final contact, which is Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. If they are able to provide their services then I will communicate with Jeremy to get a list of 10 students who are interested. I will finalize the process by organizing a schedule and providing welcoming bags filled with notebooks and stationery.

Digital Piece https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/18w0Ovg1W9H3PB-6ykBrYKpxWyAO26jo4i47uwtb3IzU/edit?usp=sharing

Bibliography https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CbkH6gEfY319HBIBeUYpuMdpGsGA39_NjK5ftI0ZpJs/edit

Ella Petersen Capstone

Posted by Ella Petersen in Capstone · Sessa · Wed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 9:32 am

My capstone is a website, a video, and a panel. Ari and I worked together to shed light on the representation of women in the workplace, specifically STEM and business. Ari and I both want to go into underrepresented fields for women: I want to go into business and she wants to be an engineer. First, we interviewed women at the petrochemical company, Braskem, about their experiences being women engineers. We made a video of the interviews as well as messages that they have for young girls going into an underrepresented career. Then, we researched what it was like for women in our fields, and we held a panel of women in business and STEM in the drama studio. We had an information session with underclassmen where they could ask women about what it is like, and they were able to hear advice about working in an underrepresented field. Finally, we made a website where you can see all of this and a piece about how important our fields are to us. I benefited greatly from this project. I was able to hear really important women speak about what it is like in my career field and I received some advice from them that will stay with me as I enter this new chapter in my life. http://editor.wix.com/html/editor/web/renderer/external_preview/document/c7a6f084-29c4-4d88-bf02-06d8694f68f8?metaSiteId=67101350-c96c-43c3-bfce-534c2d8657c7

First, we interviewed women at the petrochemical company, Braskem, about their experiences being women engineers. We made a video of the interviews as well as messages that they have for young girls going into an underrepresented career.

Then, we researched what it was like for women in our fields, and we held a panel of women in business and STEM in the drama studio. We had an information session with underclassmen where they could ask women about what it is like, and they were able to hear advice about working in an underrepresented field.

Finally, we made a website where you can see all of this and a piece about how important our fields are to us.

I benefited greatly from this project. I was able to hear really important women speak about what it is like in my career field and I received some advice from them that will stay with me as I enter this new chapter in my life.

ahaven0.wix.com/capstone

CAP-035

Term: 2016-17

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