The end products come with titles such as, “Parallels in the Metamorphoses of Apuleius” and a study in “Ternary Process Efficiency.” Dig below the surface, however, and you’ll find much more than just a brain-twisting research project. Capstone gives students 90 minutes daily to learn as much about themselves as their chosen topic.
Candidates are identified near the end of their junior year, when they have typically taken every class offered at the school in a particular discipline. The students put forth a proposal for original interdisciplinary research that will help build knowledge in an area of specific interest. A faculty member serves as mentor and a relationship with an outside mentor is also created.
Projects combine a love of learning with important questions that students will need to answer affirmatively as they pursue their college and professional careers. Can I be effective working independently as well as collaboratively? Can I manage my time properly to get the job done? Can I think of new and creative solutions to problems? Can I uncover the right resources to help me succeed?
In addition to a substantive academic paper, the culmination of each student’s project is an oral presentation which also challenges them to effectively communicate sometimes complex academic information to a lay audience.
Capstones have included research on nanotechnology, brain functioning, fungi, politics, classical languages, film, music and more. One student’s associated work even resulted in an official Guinness World Record, when student Zack Gromko designed and built a robot that solved the Rubik’s Cube in 2.39 seconds.
