The trajectory of youth well-being is cause for concern. Now, more than ever, we must work towards building a sense of community before youth mental health deteriorates even more. This research project will address the lack of mental health recognition in high school and middle school students through art. A collaborative of students from a local high school and middle school will develop a mural on a middle school campus.

The Bay Area has some of the highest voter registration rates in the state. However, there is a severe voter turnout deficit from registered voters, especially among young people—the lack of motivation, education, and awareness results in minimal civic engagement. The absence of school-instated education about voting has failed democracy during a time when it is desperately needed. Fortunately, there are many ways to address the missing youth vote. Encouraging youth voices and participation in civic education will increase awareness around elections and other forms of civic engagement. Involving students in the voting process, such as working at polls or registration events, will build a bond to the voting system beyond simply filling out the ballot. This project will examine the confidence of students about voting before and after joining a student-led voting group at their school. With the help of outside organizations such as the League of Women Voters and Stanford Votes, the voting group will work to create a more civically engaged community and to increase voter education around the school campus.

Alcohol is a substance we associate with parties, having fun, vacations, and hanging out with friends. We are often blind-sighted with these activities due to alcohol abuse. Reports of alcohol poisoning are most common in colleges. The media often manipulates the destruction that alcohol can cause. It is easy to underestimate the hazards of alcohol abuse among other controlled substances in society. Alcohol abuse affects many aspects of life, including the workplace.

Although located in the heart of Silicon Valley, very few females enroll in high school computer science. Specifically, one high school reports an average of 20% of female students enrolling in computer science classes. This number is incredibly low and causes a problem as computer science is arguably an essential skill in the growing age of technology. This project will focus on influencing more females to feel comfortable pursuing a class in computer science to deepen their interest without feeling discouraged or judged by promoting computer science to middle schoolers, freshmen, and their families who are planning student enrollment for next year's courses.

Unhealthy relationships between patients and healthcare providers may occur when healthcare providers treat patients with inadequate empathy concerning pain tolerance. According to a survey by Forbes, 82% of clinicians believe that empathy is an important skill to exhibit to their patients. This study demonstrates the significance of empathy as essential for patients for various health benefits. Medicinal compassion serves to reduce stress and anxiety, as well as increase patient satisfaction and cooperation. While the healthcare industry is rapidly expanding and evolving, a few gaps in research are apparent in how empathy affects it. Empathy is not a thoroughly researched subject because it is challenging to design an experiment or study involving empathy. The complexity of empathy needs to be trained and practiced in an actual setting as it may not always be present. This research project aims to identify the significant gap in research on how a lack of empathy can negatively affect patients’ mental and physical health due to a lack of empathy.

On average, individuals in Oakland will have a life that is 10 years shorter than that of their Berkeley Hills counterparts(Alameda County Public Health Report). Social determinants enabling inequity across the Bay Area have defined the line that establishes whether communities receive the adequate healthcare resources they need. The severity of this contrast between areas of such close proximity has only been exacerbated further by the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through data derived from outreach work and the provision of accessible vaccine clinics in underserved communities, this project aims to effectively distribute credible health messages that highlight the interconnectedness of health between communities through impactful media.

The inquiry approach for this project will measure research and study how food waste can effectively combat hunger in a Bay Area community, especially among sub-minimum wage or unemployed citizens. The research will address this problem by tracking the average amount of food by pounds in the bins outside a high school cafeteria for two weeks. Quantitative data sampling methods include tracking the meals created, food donated (in pounds), and the CO2 emissions prevented will interpret the results—an experimental working process to halt hunger and food waste near the Bay Area community. Descriptive statistics will determine the mean of all factors tracked. The goal of this project is for the information will be more effective in creating a working measurement of food waste in a Bay Area high school.

Mental health crises have increased in youth, causing them to suffer at higher rates. Accessing mental health care is an expensive endeavor that is not affordable for all families, causing many children to rely on their school’s free resources. However, in many cases, students are unaware of these resources or how to utilize them. The way to address this issue is to publicize the schools’ services to increase student awareness.

This research is about students who participate in the Voluntary Transfer Program (VTP), also known as the Tinsley program, and the effects and outcomes that come from it. VTP involves a lottery process for the admittance of kindergarten students. The research will focus on short- and long-term outcomes and whether they are positive or negative. As for academic outcomes and how they have changed with the VTP, math and English scores have remained relatively high throughout, and the overall change is insignificant. However, there has been a significant increase in science, history, and college enrollment outcomes. In this regard, all the program outcomes need to be investigated, including long-term effects. Data collection will include reviewing documentation and interviewing a VTP parent/PAUSD employee, an elementary school principal, and a teacher. After data collection is complete, the findings will be provided for the district to enhance the program going forward.

In recent years there have been numerous widely publicized cases of bias policing, and the negative consequences are available for public consumption. This project examines left-leaning counties in the Bay Area to see if a similar bias and pattern of policing is prevalent. Data will be collected by interviewing experts to gain the perspective of police officers to learn the measures they are taking to prevent bias from occurring. This data will potentially reveal where the flaws in the system are and possible solutions for addressing police bias.