By Abigale Paterniti, Co-Editor-in-Chief
On June 2nd, students in River Hill’s Independent Research Program will submit their long-awaited final projects. After months of hard work, especially in the weeks leading up to the final project deadline, students have been composing their year-long research projects in presentable manners.
In one instance, junior Sharvi Wankhade plans to present her research to a board of advisors who are experts in her topic of research. “My final product is a combination of a presentation to professionals in the field of psychology – professors and those who work clinically with patients.” Furthermore, Sharvi plans to “distribute brochures” intending to “outline research and rough guidelines to be followed by primary care physicians.” Similar to junior Sharvi Wankhade, Junior Brennen Wheeler has created informative pamphlets distributed to health clinics around the community. Each student has taken their own unique approach, and no two students’ projects are exactly the same.
Sophomore Logan Kreisl presented his research to the guidance center at River Hill. After finishing his presentation, he received feedback both verbally and through evaluation forms. For every student, a portion of their grade is reliant on the feedback they receive from the audience they are reaching out to. Whether it be a workshop, documentary, or presentation, a continuity among each student is receiving feedback from their intended audience.
“Remember, this is meant to make an impact.” Mrs. Sharbaugh, River Hill’s Research Teacher, iterates to her third-period Independent Research class, focusing on the importance of the final product’s purpose. Throughout the year, Mrs. Sharbaugh has emphasized the importance of taking every assignment to the next level of effort, care, and impact. Before facing the final product, students have worked hard to complete final drafts of their research papers, presented to classes across the school, and received advice from experts in their fields of interest. All in preparation to put their best foot forward when submitting their final product with the intended purpose of making an impact on the world around them.
Junior Freya Patel explains her final product as “a presentation to fellow researchers and doctors in the field of pediatrics/cardiology.” Her ultimate goal is “to further raise awareness of the importance of accurately detecting Congenital Heart Defects (CHD), bringing attention to the potential solutions, such as advanced diagnostic tech, and underscoring the research I had done to find these solutions.” Freya has been working on this project since the beginning of her Sophomore year and is excited to complete the final step of her research project on Wednesday, May 28th. Similarly her friend, Ria Johnson conducted her own experiment to collect data on dementia and music recognition, Freya expressed awe for her friend’s hard work, “Not only did she conduct an experiment she also presented her work to a board of experts which inspired me to do the same.”
Similar to her classmates, Brennan has been working hard on developing her final product. “My final product is going to be two versions of a brochure, educating people about chronic pain (both patients, and their caregivers)” Brennan explains. Furthermore, Brennan emphasizes how she plans to distribute these brochures, focusing on an anatomy class that she will also be presenting to. Her main focus is to “promote the importance of being educated about chronic pain as a healthcare provider.” The lasting impact she intends to have on her audience is, “to educate people who are going to be healthcare providers in the future, so that they’re more informed about what chronic pain patients face, and are more equipped to help them.” For Brennan she has admired the work of Ananya Khumbare, a sophomore in her class, who has been working on code for the better part of the year. “I think her coding is super impressive, and I love how invested she is in her work. She’s been working on the code for the better part of a year now, and I’m so excited to see how it works.”
Not only have these final projects spread awareness about various research topics, they have connected the class in admiration and support. These final projects are sure to leave a lasting impression not only on the River Hill community but beyond.