Lake Barrett '23

Biology I.S. research contributes to scientific understanding of melanism in Aberts squirrels

A little black squirrel with tufted ears caught the attention of Lake Barrett 23, not because of the tufted ears, but because the squirrel […]

Glenna Van Dyke '23

Digital history I.S. adds Indigenous voices to local history records

History has been a part of life for Glenna Van Dyke 23 since being born into an Irish-American family in Pittsburgh. She took up […]

Megan Tuennerman '22

Wrong-way Icelandic puffins lead student researcher to follow the right path

When you love animals as a child, people often say You should be a veterinarian when you grow up. Megan Tuennerman 22 heard this […]

Khaylen Mahdi 22

Disciplined, creative thinker spotlights opportunitynot obstaclesin Black entrepreneurship

Living and breathing the game of basketball on a top-10 high school team gave Khaylen Mahdi 22 the dream of playing at the Division […]

Bang Nguyen 22

Siri-ously biased: Computer science major examines language models showing negativity toward LGBTQ+ terms

While studying at his Vietnamese high school, Bang Nguyen 22 wanted to pursue a liberal arts education in the U.S. that empowered him to […]

Karabella Hernandez 22

Future clinical counselor gathers trauma research data from internship counseling clients

Karabella Hernandez 22 knew she wanted to study psychology and become a counselor. She knew 91勛圖厙 was the place for her […]

group migration workshop

Uniting Different Worlds Through Dance and Independent Study

Every August, students come to 91勛圖厙 from various locations down the street, out of state, or even overseas to […]

Dante King '21

Connection revealed between epic poetry and toppling of confederate monuments

In his research on classical history and liter簫ature, Dante King finds relating the work to modern-day circumstances to be one of the most exciting […]

Jonas Short '21 with Pam Frese, professor of anthropology, and Tracy Cosgriff, assistant professor of art and art history, middle eastern, and North African studies

Perceiving artifacts from multiple lenses enhances meaning

For students with multiple majors like Jonas Short, Independent Study can act as an opportunity to combine multiple inter簫ests in a project theyre truly […]

Natalia Parra

Interviews reveal Latinx perception of BLM movement

When Natalia Parra ’21 decided to be a part of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in Atlanta after the death of George Floyd […]

Kelsey Stone

Intersecting interests in biology and religious studies inspire examination of how consumption affects success

Combining biology and religious studies, two fields that would seem to be at odds with each other, into one Independent Study project as a […]

Maresa Tat矇 '21

Analyzing the Other Race Effect through I.S. research

Maresa Tat矇 spent her senior year studying the Other Race Effect, which is the tendency for people to more accurately recognize faces within their race, rather than outside of their race. Tat矇 focused her research on how external features and hair alterations affect this perception. Tat矇 was able to develop a plan with her faculty mentor that met her needs specifically.

Cesar Lopez '21

I.S. explores the impact of queer identity on Central American family life

For his Independent Study, Cesar Lopez sought to answer the question of how queer Central Americans go about reimagining new familial units and negotiate meaning in new relationships when they are confronted with the need to reconstruct a family. The sociology major interviewed several people who identify as queer and/or Central American to learn more about how they experience family life in the U.S. and how they actively engage in family construction or homebuilding for themselves.

Olivia Proe '21

I.S. analyzes youth suicide prevention techniques in New Zealand

Using topics close to her heart to drive research, Olivia Proes Independent Study focused on government suicide prevention initiatives aimed at youth in New Zealand. New Zealand has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world, despite being ranked one of the happiest countries, so Proe set out to discover why that is and if the government does anything to address the issue.

Alayt Issak '21

Mathematics and art come together in this I.S. about artificial intelligence

Alayt Issak, a mathematics major with a minor in studio art, wanted to combine her lifelong interest in art with the intrigue that arose around artificial intelligence (AI) after watching a talk given by a research engineer in Machine Learning.

Claire Wineman 21

Scientific collaboration offers insights to farmers on soil health

Attracted to the idea of mentored research and the opportunity to delve deeply into a topic and become an expert, Claire Wineman 21 came […]

Delaney Zuver 21

Independent Study uses a narrative approach to document the summer of 2020

Delaney Zuver 21 collected and analyzed narratives of how people remember the summer of 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, mid-2020 election, and during the summer riots against racial injustice.

Stachal Harris 21

Independent Study analyzes the use of race-based appeals by Black politicians in hopes to gain Black votes

Stachal Harris 21 analyzes how verbal and visual race-based appeals affect voting habits of all racial groups

TongTong Wu 21

Shedding light on the impact of Covid-19 on mental health

TongTong Wu 21 studied the impact that COVID-19 news has on anxiety, depression, and empathy.

Isabella Ilievski 21

Psychology and Education major examines how social learners experience online instruction

Isabella Ilievski 21 investigates multimedia content delivery for social dependent learners