Click an interdisciplinary theme to see how Porter’s students are shaping a changing world:
Elle Choi ‘20 explores the complex intersection of advertising, image, and industry in her Capstone project about the influence of cosmetic marketing in South Korea. She confronts the unrealistic standards pushed by cosmetic companies and searches for ways the Korean beauty industry can become more inclusive.
We now know social media and bite-sized content is more than just a connection to friends or a welcome distraction. Businesses need to use social media and do so effectively, but how? Madyn Singh ’20 explores the cross-section of creative writing, economics and tech in her Capstone project.
In their presentation “Life on Land,” Rania Notowidigdo ‘21 and Sydney Cheng ‘21 dig into the many ways trees shape our ecosystem and agriculture. Deforestation and desertification of our environment are having dire effects on our ability to feed ourselves and maintain access to clean water.
Inspired by the natural beauty of her home state of California, artist Evelyn Usich ‘20 uses a variety of art pieces to highlight the peril of endangered species and awaken others to see the same urgency.
Jackie Mack ‘20 explores how the scientific community navigates biology, ethnicity, and race. In underlining that 96% of genetic studies are based on people of European descent, she exposes a crucial bias in the research, which affects treatment for certain ethnic groups.
From Black Lives Matter to the March for Our Lives, activists are reshaping society as they push for social change in the United States and around the world. But how do social change movements actually happen? This is the question McKenzie Roller ‘20 works to answer in her podcast series, “Voices of Change, For Change.”
Sometimes dance has the power not only to floor us with physical genius, but to demand we sit up and engage with a profound message. Kristabel Kenta-Bibi ‘22 commands the stage with her performance set to Andrea Gibson’s poem, “Letter To The Playground Bully.”
Whether through painting, drawing, or digital art, 2020’s AP Studio Art Exhibition showcased a tremendous range and depth of creation. Engaging with themes of identity, environmentalism, gender, pop culture, beauty, dreams, and more, this grouping of work demonstrates the power of art.
How do the experiences of Mexican and Filipino immigrants to the United States compare and contrast? Using the book “Dear America” by Jose Antonio Vargas as her guiding text, Isabella Heath ’20 crafted this video that compiles her thoughts and research about two influential ethnic groups.
France was one of the most prominent European empires to conquer much of Africa through colonialism. What are the lasting effects of that harm today? Lauren Schramm ‘20 answers that question in her Capstone project through case studies of Algeria, Nigeria, and Sudan.
Students in Miss Porter’s engineering class began tackling solutions to an urgent issue: how to make low-cost ventilators using “off the shelf” parts. Students are using a virtual program called TinkerCAD Circuits to design their ventilators. Applying learned skills to this problem is a fitting example of a curriculum designed around bettering humanity.
We all enjoy music, but the field of music therapy brings the melodies of our favorite songs into the world of psychology. Tyler Smith ‘20 strives to identify connections between health and music with her research on music therapy. She also focuses on how the Farmington community could benefit from her work.
In African nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo, “conflict diamonds” sold to western companies finance violence. This project from Amy Wang ’20 examines how Tracr uses blockchain’s decentralized tech to aid the diamond industry in preventing the sale of conflict diamonds.
“Bringing Technology into the World Without Being a Terrible Person: A Guide” is the aptly titled Capstone project from Jami Biddle ’20. A budding computer scientist, “she was fascinated by the intersection of ethics and business in the tech world.” So she set out to shape a framework for measuring those ethics.
