For my Senior Capstone project, I created a web-based, full-stack chess engine in which users can play against AI opponents with adjustable difficulty levels. Throughout eighty hours, I built a JavaScript engine with 64-bit bitboard representations, a depth-limited minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning, and handcrafted evaluation heuristics for position scoring. I combined this with a React frontend that utilizes Chessboard.js for interactive play, and a Node.js/Express backend with WebSocket support to sync game state in real-time.

The project demonstrates Science Leadership Academy’s five core values: I used Inquiry to define driving technical questions, Research to learn about algorithms and network communication, Collaboration to work with classmates and gain feedback online, Presentation to present progress through code and blog entries, and Reflection to record problems and insights in a development journal.

Key milestones involved developing the core engine, altering evaluation logic, constructing a complex user interface in terms of CRAP design principles, real-time server communication implementation, and debugging performance. Issues like search bottlenecks and asynchronous message sequencing require technical problem-solving through pruning strategies and sequence tracking.

The project instilled in me fundamental skills in algorithm design, software architecture, and user-driven development. It also made me further appreciate the application of abstract theory through practical engineering.

GitHub Link: https://github.com/wosorio25/ChessEng

LINK TO MY GOOGLE SITE: https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/lyev-pitram-capstone/

This capstone was a sports analytics project related to ultimate frisbee at the professional level. I learned about a sport completely new to me, collected and manipulated data from the UFA (Ultimate Frisbee Association) website, and used code in R Programming to answer an analytic question I formulated from watching the sport. The topic I chose to explore was relating the distance of a frisbee pass to the likeness of its completion. The introduction to my research is the following:

The sport of Ultimate Frisbee centers around passing a disc across a 100 yard field, trying to score while an incomplete pass almost guarantees a turnover. When practicing, strategizing, and making split second decisions, players have the choice between “hucking” the disc deep downfield or playing it safe and “dishing” or “swinging” it to a closer teammate. Naturally, a shorter pass is more likely to be completed, while a longer pass is riskier, and could lead to a significantly more beneficial outcome. But by how much? This project seeks to measure the true risk of throwing a longer pass, and the variances in the abilities of different teams and players in professional frisbee as it relates to passing distance. This project, focusing on the 2024 UFA season, hopes to not only discover the true relationship between pass distance and success rate, but also highlight teams and players that find more success in these areas than the league average.

My capstone is a two-and-a-half-foot by eight-foot mound for the SLA baseball team for when it is to cold to practice outside, but pitchers still need to train. Also attached to the side of the mound is a QR code with a separate Google document about learning how to pitch, the mechanics side, arm care side, mental side, pretty much everything I know about baseball, in one neat document.

PROCESS PAPER https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lkmR_kHetMDlOUzWgi6140hXVUsdWo7ziRryug1cZTc/edit?usp=sharing

PRESENTATION https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z—ODPcahh-AUNbpyo76dHo992GPjtRO7dEdvT-VNu0/edit?usp=sharing

BIBLIOGRAPHY https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZS_WMT9jqDnlKxo4R3U4hUFII3P3qJhiWGQ3I44V118/edit?usp=sharing

My capstone project is a mix of my two passions. I sought to create something that I could hold physically, an object I could brainstorm, test, build, innovate, and refine until I was proud of what I had accomplished. To integrate my love of medicine, I decided to design a healthcare robot. Using an Alexa Echo Dot and face-tracking system, the goal was to develop a device that users could easily communicate with. This robot would not only assist in diagnosing symptoms but also offer various treatment options, ranging from over-the-counter remedies to prescription medications. Oftentimes, when people research their symptoms online, they get an automated response, which can lead to anxiety. For instance,e someone might look up information on a cough they might be experiencing and end up fearing they have a life-threatening condition. I want to take away this anxiety by creating a user-friendly device that provides comfort and clarity. I aimed to develop a tool that helps individuals who may find it difficult to read and/or write, allowing them to gain peace of mind regarding their health. Ultimately, I hope to bridge the gap between the medical field and everyday people, making healthcare more accessible and understandable.

For my Capstone, I combined my passions for social justice and crafting with my engineering education. I designed and fabricated necklaces, keychains, and stickers to support three causes: Palestinian liberation, climate justice, and trans rights. The necklaces were laser cut, the keychains were sewn from upcycled clothes, and the stickers were drawn and printed. I sold these items at my school’s art show and donated all the profits to the following organizations: the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Philly Thrive, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Trevor Project. The total amount donated was $270. Overall, the process was more difficult than I had anticipated, due to several obstacles that came up. Luckily, I was able to overcome these, and still create a project I was proud of. The process taught me a lot about time management, creative skills, business, and advocacy. I am proud not only by the donation amount I collected, but by knowing people feel empowered through my art, and will continue to show it off even after I am gone.

Some pictures are featured below. Click this link to see the full folder of images documenting my project: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sDc3XRf2qhWirj0URFzNVv3dUJSShmve?usp=sharing

For my Capstone, I decided to make a website filled with educational games dedicated to elementary and middle schoolers. To first tackle this project I had to learn about Unity, a game engine. This required me to learn a new coding language, C# (C Sharp). My mentor guided me through this as I created my first game, Odds or Evens. Once I was in good standing I then moved on to my second game, Type Zombie. This game required me to learn about 3D models, model animation, and level building. Since this game was more complex than Odds or Evens I ran into a lot of bugs, which stemmed from coding errors. During this time I was also working on my website. This required me to learn about HTML, the coding language used for building websites. However, I used a website template and adjusted the HTML code to suit my website vision. Once I was in good standing with both of my games I was able to upload them to my website and have my SLA peers test and review my games. Though I worked hard to make these games fun and functional, the reviews showed that there are always improvements to be made. Through this capstone I was able to learn not only about game development but the education of kids today as well as how to make learning more enjoyable.

My Website: pandaproductions.net

Bugs I Encountered:

CTE Testing Day:

For my Capstone, I created sample projects for each of the more “intimidating” tools in the shop—like the CNC, mill, lathe, and water jet. I displayed these projects to inspire incoming students and help them envision what’s possible with each machine. Alongside the displays, I added posters that briefly explain each tool, outline its limitations, and offer pro tips for beginners. Each project includes a plaque crediting the designer and their graduation year. While not all the projects were my own designs, I intentionally included work from members of our community to show the diverse creativity within our community. By highlighting a range of creativity, I wanted to remind new students that great work isn’t made alone—it’s built by a community.

For my capstone project I tried to learn more about and get involved with bike infrastructure in Philadelphia. This capstone project combined my interest in transportation systems in cities with my strong passion for cycling. I wanted to combine these and do something that could have a positive and real impact on the cycling community, as well as help me learn more about my favorite form of transportation and its infrastructure. My final project ended up being a site called a Story map, which displays multiple different maps that I made online using a software called ArcGIS. These maps show a map of Philadelphia, where I added annotations, a map of current initiatives by a local cycling advocacy organization called Philly Bike Action, and current city projects found online. This offers an interactive and easy way to find out more about bike infrastructure projects and helps people to figure out how they can get involved. The final aspect of this project is a paper that synthesizes all of the research and interviews I did around bike lanes and specifically the process for building them in Philadelphia. I link this paper at the bottom of my site to make it easily accessible for anyone interested in learning more about biking in Philadelphia and around the world.

Link to StoryMap I made including maps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/020bafe0e9dc4473b63b1b1f4a51c1c4 Screenshots from it displayed below: