ORAL PRESENTATION
Wildlife Conservation, Carnivore Conservation, Collaborative Conservation Policy, Data Sharing, Habitat Connectivity
HONORABLE MENTION POSTER PRESENTATION
Jiuzhai Valley National Park
Sichuan, China, Jiuzhai Valley National Park, Zharu Valley, Ecotourism, Sustainable Development, Environmental Education
HONORABLE MENTION POSTER PRESENTATION
HONORABLE MENTION POSTER PRESENTATION
West Seattle YMCA | Kelli Katzer | Environmental Education, Outdoor Education, Ethnobotany, Engagement, Curriculum Development, Teaching | |
| Sound Salmon Solutions | Kiana Smith | Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Environmental Education, Indigenous Knowledge, Environmental Ethics, Stewardship |
HONORABLE MENTION – ORAL PRESENTATION | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | Alexandra Doty | Creative Solutions, Citizen Action, Interviews, Place-based Education |
BEST POSTER PRESENTATION
| CleanScapes | Elizabeth Szorad | Community-Based Social Marketing, Environmental Education, Environmental Outreach, Multicultural Communities, Waste Diversion |
BEST ORAL PRESENTATION
| Stewardship Partners | Nicole McThewson | Environmental Education, Environmental Outreach, Rain gardens, Instructional Frameworks, Stormwater Management |
Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center | Natalie Oppliger | Environmental Education, Learning Standards, Informal, Experiential | |
West Seattle YMCA & Seattle Parks and Recreation | Iris Albert | Curriculum, Environmental Education, Experiential Learning, Environmental Ethic, Online Survey, Site Preparation, Restoration | |
Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center | Tory Johnson | Human-wildlife Interaction, Education, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Wildlife Education, San Juan Islands, Wildlife Tourism | |
Auroville Botanical Gardens | Jennifer Dwyer | Environment, Education, Ecological Art, Interdisciplinary Methods, Emotional Connection, Terra Cotta Vessels | |
BEST POSTER PRESENTATION
| Ballard Bee Company | Katherine Game | Beekeeping, Environmental Education, Urban Agriculture, Stewardship |
City of Bellevue, Parks | Sara Stevens | Environmental Education, Environmental Interpretation, Stewardship, Technology | |
Seattle Aquarium | Carrie Howell | Science Education, Summer Camp, STEM, Marine |
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways | Robyn Kwon | Race, Gender, Bias, Public Safety,Pedestrian, Crosswalk, Compliance, Social Justice, Environmental Justice, Discrimination | |
| University District P-Patch | Marissa Baker | Community Garden, Accessibility, Social Justice, Environmental Justice, Food Security, Greenspace, Food System |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Hannah Avrin | Environmental Justice, Collaboration, Communities, Equality, EPA, Intermediary Parties | |
Islandwood | Stephanie Ung | Environmental Education, Multicultural Education, Environmental Justice, Children, Diversity | |
Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC) | Ruben Chi Bertoni | Environmental Justice, Environmental Racism, Community Involvement, Policy, Leadership | |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Sarah Sanborn | Tribes, EPA, Woodstove, Emissions, Pollution, Regulation, Sovereignty, Environmental Justice, Health | |
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – POSTER PRESENTATION
| University of Washington | Sophie Hart | Sustainability, Environmental Justice, Prisons, Agriculture, Gardening, Food Systems |
Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center | Kiddy Emmanuel | Food Insecurity, Environmental Justice, Urban Agriculture, Community Garden, Outreach, P-Patch | |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Lydia Minehan-Tubic | Erosion, Tribal Government, Environmental Justice, EPA, Mitigation, State, Federal, Programs, Funding, Assistance | |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Kara Tebeau | Goods Movement, Freight, Diesel, Environmental Justice, GIS, EPA | |
BEST ORAL PRESENTATION
| US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Shanese Bien | Trade, Goods Movement, Environmental Justice, Air Toxics |
Puget Soundkeeper | Daniel Salka | Stormwater, ArcGIS, Salmon Conservation, Water Pollution, Data Analysis | |
King County | Josephine Strauss | Renewable Energy, PACE, Grid Integration, Energy Policy | |
HONORABLE MENTION POSTER PRESENTATION
| Cascade Power Group | Duncan Clauson | Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Combined Heat and Power, Wastewater, Policy, Washington |
BEST ORAL PRESENTATION
| US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Marie Curatolo | Consumption, Sustainable Consumption, Environmental Protection Agency, Behavior, Law, Policy, Government, Institutions, Independent Research, Analysis |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Aaron Elefson | Mercury, Methylmercury, Environmental Remediation, Contamination, Freshwater, Superfund, Data Management, Analysis | |
Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition | Sarah Geyer | Stewardship, Volunteers, Habitat, Recreation, Policy, Public Land, Community | |
Seattle Aquarium | Samantha Herman | Citizen Science, Data Quality, Policy, Aquarium, Volunteering, Aquarium, Analysis, Excel, Access | |
The Local Hazardous Waste Management Program | Dylane Jacobs | Cosmetic Pesticides, Comparative Policy Analysis, Comparative Pesticide Policy, Anti-Pesticide Movements | |
Snohomish County Airport | Alexa Ramos | Climate Change, Communication, Values, Perspectives | |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Laura Shields | Top-down, Bottom-up, Standards, Technical Assistance, Incentive-based Environmental Policy, The Carrot, The Stick | |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Kara Van Slyck | Salmon Restoration, Shoreline Armoring, Permitting Gaps, Policy Recommendations, Automatic Approval |
Good Cheer Food Bank and Thrift Stores | Lola Behrens | Food insecurity, Sustainability, Community Outreach, Health, Food Bank | |
SnoValley Tilth | Megan Snowden | Farm, Farmers Market, Co-op, Agriculture, Sustainability | |
Set & Drift Shellfish | Ben Stamey | Shellfish, Sustainable Seafood, Education, Aquaculture, Oysters | |
Good Cheer Food Bank and Garden | Nicole Bergman | Community Development, Community Gardening, Food Security, Cultural Ecology, Sustainability, Urban, Agriculture, School Gardens | |
Puget Sound Regional Council | Libby Hollingshead | Food Policy, Holistic, Community Development, Growth Management, Comprehensive Plan | |
UW Farm | Bradyn Kawcak | Agriculture, Intercropping, Economics, Cost-Benefits, Soil Quality | |
Carnation Farmers Market | Leah Litwak | Food Security, Food Access, Nutrition Assistance, Food System, Education, Training, Food | |
Nature Consortium | Rae Moore | Agriculture, Cafeteria Food, Youth Arts Program, Local, Organic | |
American Farmland Trust | Emily Noyd | Food, Food Systems, Globalization, Organizations, Food Economy | |
University District P-Patch Community Garden | Mollie Tarte | Food Security, Community, Gardening, Food Systems Inequality, P-Patch Program |
Port of Seattle | Andrew Acker | Energy Efficiency, Lighting, Upgrades, Energy Efficient Technology, Watts, Environmental Policy | |
University of Washington Sustainability Office | Garrett Brooks | Renewable Energy, Energy, Solar, Solar-Thermal, Sustainability, Infrastructure, Heating, University Facilities, Carbon Reduction, Climate Action Plan | |
Pacific Northwest Economic Region | Victoria Choe | Sustainable Socio-economic Development, Russian North, Indigenous Peoples, Transnational Diplomacy | |
Cascade Power Group | Rachel Dussell | Energy Storage, Fossil Fuels, Policy, Regulation, Renewables | |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Sean Kennedy | Webinar, Biofuels, Sustainability, Biofuel Supply Chain, Biodiesel | |
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Tehani Montaron | Renewable Energy, Offshore Renewable Energy, Economics, Environmental Effects, Wind, Wave, Tidal, Ocean | |
HONORABLE MENTION – POSTER PRESENTATION | US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Ryan Ostrom | Biofuel, Technology, Supply Chain, Renewable Fuel Standard, Barrier to Production |
Center for Resource Solutions | Joshua Redhair | Renewable Energy, Energy Policy, Sustainability, Energy Markets, Data Analysis, Renewable Energy Certification | |
Northwest Sustainable Energy | Alexandra Sawyer | Environmental Education, Public Outreach, Puget Sound |
Port of Seattle | Andrew Acker | Energy Efficiency, Lighting, Upgrades, Energy Efficient Technology, Watts, Environmental Policy | |
Seattle Department of Economic Development | Amanda Alva | Energy Reduction, Urban Development, Cooperative Action Groups, Environmental Policy | |
BEST ORAL PRESENTATION
| Fairmont Olympic Hotel | Bridgette Burkholder | Hospitality, Sustainable Business, Energy Savings, Waste Diversion, Green Marketing |
HONORABLE MENTION – POSTER PRESENTATION | US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Terra Miller-Cassman | Federal Office, Business, Environmental Stewardship, Action, Communication, Strategies, EPA |
US Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 | Jane Cho | Community-Based Social Marketing, Sports, Business Sustainability, Transportation, Incentive Programs | |
University of Washington | Michael Ferguson | Laboratory Sustainability, Institutional Sustainability, Sustainability, Barriers, Marketing, Efficiency | |
US Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 | Christina Heinlen | Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, Motivation, Behavior, CSR, Green Program, Consulting | |
UW Department of Athletics | Allyson Jackovics | Sustainability, Responsibility, Initiatives, Sporting Events | |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 | Sarah Kiner | Stakeholder Salience, Greening Sports, Stakeholder Management, Sports Venues | |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 | Dominic MinHo Lee | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability, Sports, Greening Sports | |
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – POSTER PRESENTATION | Naked City Brewing Company | Chris Rehn | Life Cycle Analysis, Brewing, Sustainability, Efficiency, Environmental Impact |
Town and Country Markets, Inc. | Mikaela Winter | Sustainable Business, Sustainability, Social Responsibility Reporting, Food, Grocery, Sustainable Development |
UW Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Sydney Barnes-Grant | Marine Debris, Aquatic Trash, Pollution, Single-Use Disposables | |
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways | Raezel Ann F. Arca | Greenways, Active Transportation, Walking, Biking, Air Quality, Vehicle Traffic, Environmental Health | |
Seattle City Council, Office of President Richard Conlin | Elisa Christiani | Economic Stimulus, Urban Agriculture, Food Justice, Business, Policy, City of Seattle | |
Sound Transit | Drew Collins | Transit, Sustainability, Sound Transit, Light Rail, LEED | |
Snohomish County, Surface Water Management | Kathryn Davis | Urbanization, Urban, Stream Ecology, Development, Biological Integrity, Ecosystem | |
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways | Qiren Lu | Transportation, Environmental Health, Pedestrian Safety, Neighborhood Greenways, Motorist Compliance Rate | |
University of Washington | Anna Mines | Music, Place attachment, Civic Environmentalism, Green Spaces, Festivals, Urban Planning | |
Seattle Department of Transportation | Krystal Quijano | Transportation, Seattle, Placemaking, Sustainability, Policy, Summer Streets | |
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways | Ranju Uezono | Crosswalks, Active Commuting, Pedestrian Safety, Advocacy, Motorist Compliance, School Walk Zones |
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance | Stephanie Angelis | Coal, Coal Dust, Coal Discharge, Coal Export, Externality, Clean Water Act (CWA), Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT), Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), Powder River Basin (PRB) | |
Sustainable Seattle | Joel Kohlstedt | Recycling, Composting, Waste, Environmental Impact, Barriers | |
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Jasmine Lamb | Plastic Bag Policy, Solid Waste Management, Marine Debris | |
Auroville Community, India | Andrea Marcos | Auroville, Waste Management, Waste Management Integration, Stories, Participatory, Decision-Making, Systems, Needs | |
Sustainable Seattle | Alyssa Milo | Water Diversion Strategies, Composting, Restaurant Composting, Sustainability Practices, Municipal Solid Waste | |
Basel Action Network | Momoka Nakamura | E-Waste, Regulation, Solid Waste, Quantifying, Environmental Impacts, Calculation Tool, Mobile App, Human RIghts | |
University of Washington Recycling | Ana Pacheco | Pollution, Global Impact, Outreach and Engagement, Recycling and Composting | |
Surfrider Foundation Seattle Chapter | Kiley Sullivan | Cigarette Butt, Litter, Smoking, Signage, Oceans, Beaches, Cellulose Acetate, Surfrider, HOTYB | |
Sustainable Seattle | Anna Vance | Cell Phone, Recycling, Disposal, Procedures and Programs | |
Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County | Berit Wick | Property Owners, Long-term Investments, Sustainability, Awareness |
PEOPLE’S CHOICE – POSTER PRESENTATION | King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks-Wastewater Treatment Division | Matt Coy & Mitch Halliday | Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Stormwater, GIS, Pollution, King County, Feasibility Study |
Buddha Garden Community | Heather Clopton | Sustainable, Agriculture, Organic, Water, Watershed Management, Land Management, Auroville, India | |
People For Puget Sound | Maddie Foutch | Stormwater, Non-Profit, Community-Outreach, Engagement, Community-Building | |
The Arava Institute | Brian Hoefgen | Jordan, Water Quality, Amman, Middle East, Scarcity, Israel, Baqa’a | |
HONORABLE MENTION – POSTER PRESENTATION | US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Amber Johnson | Stormwater Runoff, Management, EPA Region 10, Pacific Northwest, Pollutant Runoff, Environmental Risk, ArcGIS |
The Ecology Foundation | Meaghan Kapinos | Climate Change, Population Growth, Overconsumption, Water Accessibility, Dublin, Conservation, Resource Planning | |
King County Wastewater Treatment Division | Shane McLaughlin | Public Impact, Wastewater, Water Quality, Survey | |
BEST ORAL PRESENTATION
| US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 | Alison Sienkiewicz | Stormwater, Policy, Regulations, Enforcement, Compliance, Industrial, Pollution, EPA, Government, ArcGIS |
BEST POSTER PRESENTATION
| Stewardship Partners | Emma Vowels | Urban, Green Infrastructure, Storm Water, Rain Garden, Stewardship Partners |
For students from the Philippines, by students from the Philippines. For strand, course, and admission questions, please post on r/CollegeAdmissionsPH
Hi! I am an incoming Grade 12 - STEM student this academic year. Hence, I would like to take this opportunity to ask and collect some great ideas/topics for our capstone research. Would you mind if you can drop some potential topics that could help and serve as the foundation of our research? I'm hoping for your prompt reply guys. Thank you!
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In athletics, there are competitive matches; in the performing arts, there are stage performances. If you imagine school as a series of practices, capstones are the “big game”.
They provide an opportunity for learners to get their ideas out into the world by working on a project they are passionate about while making an impact on their community.
Looking for advice skip to capstone project tips, what are capstone projects, capstone project definition.
A middle school or high school capstone is a culminating experience where students design and execute a significant and impactful project, often in their final academic year. This project requires students to apply knowledge and skills from various subjects while addressing real-world issues.
A typical capstone project includes the following stages: research, planning, execution, iteration, and presentation. It aims to showcase a student’s critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills while fostering a deep understanding of the subject matter and its practical applications.
Projects can take various forms, such as a product or service prototype, a community service initiative, an action research paper, a multimedia presentation, or a performance, depending on the educational context and the student's interests.
The value of capstone projects extends beyond academic requirements. They provide a platform for students to delve into their passions and take ownership of their educational experience. As students immerse themselves in these projects, they not only contribute to their personal growth as well-rounded students, but they also make valuable contributions to their communities.
Capstones provide an opportunity for students to learn for the sake of learning, where research is rooted in what they are actually interested in, and where all of the foundational skills built in prior years suddenly have relevance. They serve as a bridge between classroom learning and real-world application, empowering students to demonstrate their readiness to embark on their next chapter, whether that be in higher education or the workforce.
Capstones create meaning in a learner’s life that can be transformational. Our philosophy at Unrulr is: when learners see the relevancy of learning a technical skill— and it's documented, shared, and celebrated—they're going to learn it at a much faster rate than had they not seen the relevancy. Also, the data shows that capstones or senior projects can help 12th graders avoid "senioritis" by providing students with a reason to remain engaged.
The main goal of capstone projects is to promote comprehensive learning. They aim to nurture a wide range of 21st century skills that go beyond subject-specific knowledge:
Application of Learning: Capstone projects bridge the gap between theory and practice. They encourage high school students to apply what they've learned in various subjects to real-world situations, enhancing their understanding and retention of knowledge.
Deepened Understanding: By immersing themselves in a specific topic of interest, students gain a deeper understanding of complex issues and nuances that traditional classroom settings may not fully capture.
Interdisciplinary Learning: Capstone projects often require high school students to draw from multiple disciplines to address multifaceted challenges. This interdisciplinary approach nurtures a holistic view of problems and solutions.
Research Skills: Students develop research skills, from conducting literature reviews to collecting and analyzing data to interviewing key stakeholders, fostering a foundation for academic and professional pursuits.
Critical Thinking: The complexities of capstone projects demand critical thinking. Students learn to evaluate information, assess perspectives, and make well-reasoned decisions.
Problem-Solving: Engaging in capstone projects hones problem-solving abilities. Students encounter obstacles, experiment with solutions, and adapt strategies as needed.
Creativity: Students have the opportunity to explore creative solutions and innovative approaches, encouraging imaginative thinking and originality. Additionally, students have the opportunity to work on creative projects, such as art installations or performances.
Communication: Capstone projects teach students to effectively convey ideas, findings, and progress. Students refine skills in expressing complex concepts, adapting messages, collaborating in teams, and delivering confident presentations. Additionally, regular reflection moments foster self-awareness and a deeper understanding of their journey.
In an increasingly competitive landscape, college admissions seek students who exhibit not only academic prowess but also a commitment to growth and a willingness to embrace challenges. High school capstone projects provide a perfect platform for students to stand out.
Learners are able to showcase evidence of who they are and what they've worked on. Regardless of GPA or SAT score, when a college can see who a learner is and what they're capable of— what they care about— it’s so much more valuable than just a narrative essay.
When detailed in college applications, capstone projects showcase a student's dedication, initiative, and ability to see a long-term project through to completion. Admissions officers recognize that these projects demand a level of commitment and resilience that goes beyond standardized testing, and indicate a student's potential for success in college and beyond.
High school capstone projects have a significant advantage: they mirror the demands of the real world. From project planning and research to time management and effective communication, students gain practical skills that extend far beyond their classrooms. The collaborative nature of many capstone projects also cultivates teamwork and interpersonal skills, essential in today's interconnected world.
Also, capstone projects often require students to engage with their communities. This engagement nurtures civic responsibility and a deep understanding of the societal impact of their work. As they identify and address real issues, students learn the value of empathy, cultural awareness, and ethical decision-making—these are critical SEL skills.
We’ve seen capstones and the work that's come out of them be used for jobs and internships. A learner is able to showcase what they've built and how they worked on it. When projects are documented, this kind of evidence is appealing to potential employers, and can be more impactful than a generic resume that blends in with the rest.
Capstones can build confidence for learners by providing an opportunity to test out ideas in the safe environment of a school. Learners can launch entrepreneurial ventures, lead impactful campaigns, or champion social justice initiatives, and then they can carry that forward after graduation and into their future careers.
“Don’t let your age stop you." - Chris Blake (Trinity's teacher)
Trinity embarked on an environmental science capstone project during her senior year. Her challenge was to enhance the school's sustainability. She identified a major issue faced by her school and the larger community: the heavy reliance on imported food in Hawaiʻi.
Empowered by the agency to choose her own direction, Trinity initiated an on-campus, student-led farmer's market. Through this endeavor, she honed various skills, even delving into web design to create a website for the market. This experience ignited her passion for sustainability and farmers markets. It also boosted her self-confidence and taught her to leverage her age to her own benefit.
After graduating and attending a youth entrepreneurship summer camp, Trinity co-founded Mauka Market , the world’s first regenerative e-commerce and pop-up marketplace. Trinity's journey has culminated in her sole ownership of Mauka Market.
To learn more about Trinity's inspiring journey, listen to our podcast episode .
Here are a few more examples of middle school or high school capstone project ideas that highlight some of the possibilities:
1. Design a Sustainable Energy Solution for the School | STEM
Students in this project might investigate renewable energy sources, conduct energy audits, and propose innovative ways to reduce the school's carbon footprint and stem environmental degradation. They could then design and build wind turbines or set up solar panels and analyze the cost-effectiveness of their solutions.
2. Create a Social Impact Documentary | Humanities
Students interested in social issues might create a documentary that sheds light on a particular challenge in their community, such as mental health challenges or food insecurity. They would conduct interviews, gather data, and present their findings through a compelling film that raises awareness and encourages change.
3. Curate an Art Exhibition | Arts
Artistic students could curate an art exhibition that explores a specific theme, technique, or art movement. They would select artworks, write artist statements, and design the exhibition space to convey a narrative to visitors. Student could be encouraged to collaborate with their peers to coordinate a larger art show, providing the opportunity to develop their communication and cooperative planning skills.
4. Establish a Community or School Garden | Community Service
Students interested in a community service project might initiate a project to establish a local community or school garden. They would plan the garden layout, engage the community (or school), and document the garden's development, from seed planting to harvest. For an added STEM component, students could try different methods of gardening across multiple plots and collect and analyze data on growth rates.
5. Launch a Student-Run Business | Business & Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial students might start a business within their school, such as a student-run café or an online store. They would handle all aspects, from market research and product development to marketing and financial management.
Keep in mind, projects should be personalized to the interests and skillset of each student, while also taking into account your learning community's unique learning objects or portrait of a graduate. A well-planned capstone experience will help prepare students for college and their professional careers. Devoting class time to guide students through introspection and identity reflection will significantly aid in preparing them to generate project ideas that hold personal meaning and captivate their interest.
Successfully integrating capstone projects with your learners involves several crucial stages:
1. Ideation Encourage learners to explore their interests, identifying topics that resonate with them. In addition, have students consider what impact they want to create in their community. This phase is about sparking curiosity and allowing them to select projects that will hold their attention over the course of a semester or year. For a helpful exercise you can run with your students, check out our Heart, Head, and Purpose lesson plan .
2. Research: Guide students in conducting thorough research related to their chosen topics. This phase is essential for building a strong foundation of knowledge and understanding, which will inform the entire capstone journey.
3. Project Management & Planning: Teach project management skills that enable students to break their projects into manageable steps. Encourage students to create a quarter, semester, or year-long plan, depending on the duration of the capstone project. This stage emphasizes effective organization and time management, ensuring that progress remains steady.
4. Project Implementation & Documentation: This is the heart of the capstone journey. Students actively work on their projects, translating ideas into tangible outcomes. Simultaneously, they document and reflect on their progress, challenges, and successes to create a comprehensive record to draw from during their final presentations.
5. Final Presentation/Showcase: Offer students the opportunity to present their finished projects to an audience of key stakeholders at a culminating showcase event. This stage hones communication and public speaking skills, allowing learners to articulate their findings, insights, and the learning journey itself.
6. Reflection & Assessment: After completing their projects, encourage students to reflect on the entire experience. This process aids in recognizing personal growth, skill development, and the challenges overcome. Use these reflections to assess the overall effectiveness of the capstone process.
By carefully guiding learners through these stages, you create a structured and meaningful capstone experience that fosters skill development, critical thinking, and self-confidence.
Sold on capstones? Here are our tips for running successful capstone projects:
Tip #1: Cultivate skills ahead of senior year (or 8th grade)
Begin laying the groundwork for capstone success by nurturing essential skills well before students reach their final year.
By initiating skill development at an earlier stage, educators can effectively equip learners with the capabilities and confidence needed to excel in their culminating project.
Tip #2: Implement weekly check-ins for clear progress tracking
Consider incorporating a weekly check-in system to keep tabs on your learners' progress. It will be the first time that many students will be embarking on a long-term project or being tasked with transforming their ideas into tangible realities. This transition can be overwhelming. To smooth this process, offer supportive scaffolding and introduce project management concepts.
By establishing weekly check-ins, you create a valuable framework for following your learners' progress and providing timely guidance.
Tip #3: Embrace your learners' identities, skills, and passions
A crucial aspect of capstone success is aligning it with your learners' unique identities, backgrounds, and life experiences. To do this, foster a culture of openness and trust through thorough ideation and an emphasis on vulnerability. Give ample space for learners to explore their interests, skills, and capacities, as well as the problems they aspire to solve in the world.
By dedicating time to these aspects, you enhance the overall value of the capstone experience.
Tip #4: Foster a capstone community
It’s important to engage essential players within the school ecosystem as you shape your program. This includes collaborating with college counseling, admissions teams, and the advancement office to facilitate mentorship opportunities for students. Equally vital is the participation of department heads (e.g. English and Social Studies) to co-create rubrics and align essential components of the capstone experience. By seamlessly weaving these elements into the fabric of existing courses, you create a continuous connection from ninth grade to twelfth grade.
Consider organizing several exhibition days throughout the capstone journey, rather than just at the end, to ensure that key stakeholders in a learner's academic journey remain informed and involved in the capstone experience. Capstones possess the remarkable potential to transform learning into a truly community-driven endeavor.
Unrulr addresses a common challenge for capstone educators: how to monitor students' progress without overwhelming them with assignments and rigid milestones.
Unrulr empowers students to shape their capstone narratives and share their ongoing progress by documenting the evolution of their projects and capturing their reflections throughout their learning journey.
Learners can delve into each other's posts and reflections and add comments, transforming their capstone experience into an active and collaborative community.
Book a demo or create an Unrulr account today.
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Welcome to your fall semester 2024. This guide has been developed to link you to selected resources from our library collections and services that should help you as you complete your Capstone, Senior Project experience.
Our library staff is committed to supporting your work as students. We realize that finding and retrieving information can sometimes feel overwhelming. Please let us know how we can assist you, now, and throughout your academic career at UW-Madison (and beyond).
The UW-Madison Libraries website library.wisc.edu will be the starting point for most of your searches, as well as providing links to our locations and services.
Steenbock librarian.
Affiliated faculty.
It is no secret that alcohol consumption, including underage drinking, has long been closely associated with the collegiate experience.
When taken to excess, alcohol use can lead to serious consequences for students, from academic difficulties to health emergencies.
Developing a better understanding of the issue could prove critical to crafting effective interventions, according to health officials.
That’s why the University of Virginia’s Department of Student Health & Wellness teamed up with the School of Data Science, working with two of its master’s students on a capstone project that aimed to shed light on drinking-related student health incidents at UVA in the years shortly before, during, and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Capstone projects are a critical component of the data science master’s degree curriculum. In them, students work with a faculty mentor and an external sponsor to tackle a real-world data science challenge.
For this project, master’s students Nicholas Cagliuso and Samy Kebaish worked with Dr. Christopher Holstege , senior associate vice president for student health and wellness at UVA; Dr. Rita Farah , lead epidemiologist with UVA Student Health & Wellness; and Rebecca Ferrara, a public health data specialist with Student Health & Wellness. Adam Tashman , an associate professor of data science and director of the capstone program, served as the students’ faculty mentor.
Their objective was to analyze whether the pandemic had a noticeable impact on the rate of drinking-related incidents and further examine whether certain student attributes or activities are linked with these cases. The project was a continuation of work UVA Student Health & Wellness had done in the previous decade.
By focusing on data to better understand this critical area of student health, Holstege and Farah are hopeful they can learn vital information that can be used to help address this challenge.
“It’s all about data. If we’re data driven, we can actually be more efficient,” said Holstege.
Added Farah, on the importance of the study: “We are able to understand better before COVID, after COVID, during COVID, or any event that is occurring that is impacting the student’s life, how this is impacting their well-being, their patterns, their habits, in order to have a targeted intervention.”
Cagliuso and Kebaish divided up the work, with the two looking at seven different data sets that spanned from 2018 — two years before COVID swept the globe — through the end of 2023, when pandemic-related restrictions had largely been lifted.
Cagliuso focused on a time-series analysis to see if there were any noticeable patterns in terms of alcohol-related student health incidents before, during, and after the pandemic. He found a clear takeaway in terms of high-acuity alcohol incidents.
“There seems to have been a spike since the pandemic ended and things returned to normal on Grounds,” he said. “The rate of alcohol incidents as a share of all medical incidents, to the point that they require emergency room visits, that seems to have increased.”
For less-severe alcohol-related cases, though, Cagliuso said the results were less clear whether COVID had any impact. Not surprisingly, he added, the rate of alcohol-linked health incidents declined during COVID-era shutdowns.
“You obviously think of something like alcohol as largely a social behavior. So, for there to be fewer people with each other in lockdown, it makes sense that it could become much less of a share of what’s happening medically,” Cagliuso said.
During a summer virtual presentation by student in the online master’s program, Cagliuso and Kebaish laid out their findings, methodological approach, and data, including how they were able to view not just the date a patient was admitted to the emergency department but also the hour, which helped in classifying an event as connected to alcohol.
Kebaish also explained how he was able to combine data sets, using a serial number that was unique to each student, to help sharpen the analysis.
Among the results Kebaish highlighted were that patients who engaged in alcohol abuse tended to be younger in each of the pre-COVID, COVID, and post-COVID eras.
Another finding: Patients admitted for alcohol-related incidents are more than 40 times more likely than those who do not abuse alcohol to use cocaine, he said.
Kebaish noted that their analysis showed that many patients who went to the emergency department because of an alcohol incident would in a short time return to the emergency department — in most cases, he said, the same month or the month after.
Throughout it all, Cagliuso and Kebaish checked in with Tashman, who, in addition to consulting on the data analysis, counseled the students on how to effectively work with their sponsors at UVA Student Health & Wellness. They, in turn, would offer suggestions about other angles the students could explore and helped guide them along to ensure the project was meeting its objectives.
“Their collaboration and communication and insight were always great,” Cagliuso said.
Farah and Holstege are both hopeful the work the group produced will reach a wider audience through publications.
“We are trying to dissect their findings into thinking, how many abstracts and how many papers?” Farah said, adding that there was a “Iot of potential” for follow-up works.
“I see a bigger manuscript just building on what we have published in the past and where we’re at right now,” added Holstege, noting that he also anticipated that there could be numerous other abstracts focused on specific areas of the group’s work.
At the presentation event, Tashman commended the collaboration and the possibilities it might lead to in the future.
“This was really exciting and an interesting data set and an opportunity for our students to help other students at UVA and to start up an exciting partnership,” Tashman said.
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The golden age of offbeat arctic research, the cold war spawned some odd military projects that were doomed to fail..
Paul Bierman, Undark Magazine - Sep 8, 2024 11:12 am UTC
In recent years, the Arctic has become a magnet for climate change anxiety , with scientists nervously monitoring the Greenland ice sheet for signs of melting and fretting over rampant environmental degradation . It wasn’t always that way.
At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, as the fear of nuclear Armageddon hung over American and Soviet citizens, idealistic scientists and engineers saw the vast Arctic region as a place of unlimited potential for creating a bold new future. Greenland emerged as the most tantalizing proving ground for their research.
Scientists and engineers working for and with the US military cooked up a rash of audacious cold-region projects—some innovative, many spit-balled, and most quickly abandoned. They were the stuff of science fiction: disposing of nuclear waste by letting it melt through the ice; moving people, supplies, and missiles below the ice using subways, some perhaps atomic powered; testing hovercraft to zip over impassable crevasses; making furniture from a frozen mix of ice and soil; and even building a nuclear-powered city under the ice sheet.
Today, many of their ideas, and the fever dreams that spawned them, survive only in the yellowed pages and covers of magazines like “ REAL: the exciting magazine FOR MEN ” and dozens of obscure Army technical reports.
Karl and Bernhard Philberth, both physicists and ordained priests , thought Greenland’s ice sheet the perfect repository for nuclear waste. Not all the waste—first they’d reprocess spent reactor fuel so that the long-lived nuclides would be recycled. The remaining, mostly short-lived radionuclides would be fused into glass or ceramic and surrounded by a few inches of lead for transport. They imagined several million radioactive medicine balls about 16 inches in diameter scattered over a small area of the ice sheet (about 300 square miles) far from the coast.
Because the balls were so radioactive, and thus warm, they would melt their way into the ice, each with the energy of a bit less than two dozen 100-watt incandescent light bulbs—a reasonable leap from Karl Philberth’s expertise designing heated ice drills that worked by melting their way through glaciers. The hope was that by the time the ice carrying the balls emerged at the coast thousands or tens of thousands of years later, the radioactivity would have decayed away. One of the physicists later reported that the idea was shown to him, by God, in a vision .
Of course, the plan had plenty of unknowns and led to heated discussion at scientific meetings when it was presented—what, for example, would happen if the balls got crushed or caught up in flows of meltwater near the base of the ice sheet. And would the radioactive balls warm the ice so much that the ice flowed faster at the base, speeding the balls’ trip to the coast?
Logistical challenges, scientific doubt, and politics sunk the project. Producing millions of radioactive glass balls wasn’t yet practical, and the Danes, who at the time controlled Greenland, were never keen on allowing nuclear waste disposal on what they saw as their island. Some skeptics even worried about climate change melting the ice. Nonetheless, the Philberths made visits to the ice sheet and published peer-reviewed scientific papers about their waste dream.
Channel ars technica.
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STEM capstone topics are typically broad and interdisciplinary, and they allow students to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned throughout their STEM education to solve a real-world problem. Some examples of capstone topics for STEM students include: Developing a new way to generate renewable energy.
Organized Chaos: Keep your space tidy. A clutter-free workspace is like a calm sea—smooth sailing for your project ship. Confidence Showtime: When it's showtime, strut your stuff. Share your journey, the highs, the lows—it's your moment to shine like a rockstar. Executing your Capstone Project is a gig to remember.
Tips for Choosing and Executing a Capstone Project for STEM. Check out the best tips for choosing and executing a capstone project for STEM:-Pick a Relevant Topic. Choose something related to your field. Make sure it solves a real-world problem. Start Early. Begin planning and research as soon as you can. Give yourself plenty of time. Set Clear ...
Robotics and Automation Project Ideas for STEM Students. Autonomous drone for agricultural monitoring. Robotic arm for industrial assembly line. Self-driving car prototype. Telepresence robot for remote communication. Automated greenhouse for precision agriculture. Robotic exoskeleton for rehabilitation. Automated sorting system for recycling ...
35 Capstone Project Ideas for Stem Students. Develop a new way to conserve water. Create a new type of biofuel that is more efficient and environmentally friendly. Design a new way to recycle plastic. Develop a new way to detect and treat cancer. Build a robot that can help to perform surgery.
A capstone project refers to a final or culminating project high school or college seniors need to earn their degrees. It's usually a project that takes several months to complete and should demonstrate students' command over particular subjects within an area of study. It may be similar to master's thesis writing.
Capstone projects are key experiences in the final year of a STEM program. They bridge theoretical knowledge and practical application, allowing students to: Deepen understanding of a specific STEM field. Apply skills in real-world contexts. Develop critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.
September 28, 2023 by Rupam. Check out our blog for amazing capstone project ideas for STEM students! It's like the big finish to all the cool stuff you've been learning. We'll help you find a fun project idea whether you like robots, nature, making apps, or solving puzzles. We'll talk about making things that help the Earth, inventing ...
The capstone project for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students is like the grand finale of their academic journey. ... You're on a mission to uncover the treasures (previous research and studies) related to your topic. The literature review helps you chart your course, showing what's already been discovered and ...
Conclusion: The possibilities for Capstone projects in STEM are endless, with opportunities to explore cutting-edge technologies, address real-world challenges, and make meaningful contributions ...
7. Water Conservation IoT Platform: Create system for efficient water usage. 8. Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Planning: Design infrastructure for disaster resilience. 9. Space Exploration Robotics: Develop robots for space exploration tasks. Explore innovative capstone project ideas for STEM students to foster creativity and problem-solving ...
Completing a capstone project enhances students' readiness for future careers in STEM-related industries or academic research. Through their projects, students gain practical experience, build a portfolio of work, and develop a deeper understanding of their chosen field, making them more competitive candidates in the job market or graduate ...
Here are some innovative capstone project ideas for STEM students: Also Read: 90+ Inspiring Capstone Project Ideas For Civil Engineering: Building Dreams. Smart Home Automation System: Design and ...
STEM Capstone. STEM combines science, technology, engineering, and math to enhance a student's ability to think like a scientist when approaching a problem. STEM students use the Engineering ...
149 Capstone Project Ideas & Examples - 2024
Here is the list of the top 111+ most amazing capstone project ideas for computer science, please take a look: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Make a talking computer friend using words. Suggest movies, books, or music you might like. Figure out if people are happy or sad in their messages.
The STEM Capstone Project is designed to prepare STEM students for lifelong learning and effective and productive citizenship through the opportunity to plan, complete, and present a self-directed culminating project reflecting their personal interest. Projects may be done in the area of science, mathematics, engineering or computer science.
that it demands a dedicated course to capstone. That also requires creating a new course in the school curriculum, which is a non-trivial task. The science fair competition is a better mechanism to implement capstone projects where students work on the project all year long and compete in the fair with other students from different schools.
Here are 10 capstone project ideas tailored for STEM students: Autonomous Drone Delivery System: Develop a system that uses drones to autonomously deliver packages, emphasizing obstacle avoidance, GPS navigation, and payload handling. Smart Agriculture Solutions: Create a system that combines sensors, data analysis, and automation to optimize ...
A capstone project is a culminating academic experience typically undertaken during the final phase of a degree program. Capstone project topics span various fields, such as economics, public health, and information technology, emphasizing the importance of selecting relevant and innovative themes for academic projects.
Here it is. Top-quality and security are guaranteed. The capstone project for the STEM strand is designed for technology, engineering, and math. This is necessary so that the student can think critically in the future. The teacher can suggest the topic for the project, or you can formulate it yourself.
Past Capstone Projects. Student Capstone projects address pressing environmental issues. Most fall within the following topic areas. Because of the interconnected nature of Environmental Studies as a discipline, many projects address more than one topic area. Browse the lists below for sample Capstone project summaries to give you an idea of ...
Think of a problem you have and then research on possible solutions. The point of the capstone is to make you innovate. You may also reflect on a current system that you think can be improved. Example: For my grade 12 project, my group and I built a system where in a lightbulb would be powered by gravity using a pulley system, a dc motor, and a ...
The complete guide to High School Capstone Projects! This comprehensive guide explores the purpose, benefits, and implementation of capstone projects, from ideation to presentation. Discover how capstones foster holistic learning, skill development, and real-world application. Get insights, tips, and success stories for creating impactful capstone experiences.
Welcome to your fall semester 2024. This guide has been developed to link you to selected resources from our library collections and services that should help you as you complete your Capstone, Senior Project experience. Our library staff is committed to supporting your work as students.
Adam Tashman, an associate professor of data science and director of the capstone program, served as the students' faculty mentor. Their objective was to analyze whether the pandemic had a noticeable impact on the rate of drinking-related incidents and further examine whether certain student attributes or activities are linked with these cases.
cold war dreamers — The Golden Age of offbeat Arctic research The Cold War spawned some odd military projects that were doomed to fail. Paul Bierman, Undark Magazine - Sep 8, 2024 11:12 am UTC