Plate waste, in a generalized sense, is made up of the remnants of a meal thrown away, and is a specific classification of food waste, which can be defined by any food lost throughout the consumer chain. Plate waste is ubiquitous in nature and nearly impossible to eliminate, but when appropriate measures are taken, previous studies have shown that it is possible to minimize the loss. This study explores the most prevalent reasons why Gunn students create plate waste, and in turn will enable future measures taken at Gunn High School to reduce plate waste to be better suited to the needs of the campus and students.

Accessibility to healthcare and medication is an ongoing problem. This issue impacts developing countries in particular, as their standards of living may not be as high as in more industrialized countries such as the United States. I will be researching the affordability and accessibility of brand-name prescription drugs within Thailand, in order to study some of the possible similarities and differences between the quality of healthcare within developing countries and more developed ones.

“The conversion of socialized people into dedicated combatants is not achieved by altering their personality structures, aggressive drives, or moral standards. Rather, it is accomplished by cognitively restructuring the moral value of killings, so that the killing can be done free from self-censuring restraints” (Bandura, 1990). This research project will investigate different backgrounds that terrorists come from in the Middle East and analyzes the psychological effect of these backgrounds on individuals. The aim of the project is to compile unique findings that can frame a solution to reducing how many people become terrorists.

Social media has made its way into nearly every aspect of the livelihoods of adolescents. From influencing behaviors to serving as a platform to socialize, it has its share of positive and negative effects, and when it comes to the mental health of younger users, the negative aspects of social media manifest itself. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a clinical report surrounding the characterization of disruptive social media use in the following light: “'Facebook depression,' defined as depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression” (AAP 3). This term emphasizes the negative nature of overuse of social media platforms and how such behavior impacts adolescent wellbeing. Thus, when studying how usage of social media apps impact the mental health of certain individuals, it is of value to consider what approaches can be taken to ensure that users do not fall into the negative spiral that can lead to the development of symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Living in California, we all know what fire season means: lots of smoke and many homes lost. My goal is to determine if there is a correlation between income level and the impact of the wildfire, and to use that information to determine the role of community engagement.

I am studying the effects that trade war with China has on the United States, particularly our economic standing. Research of current events will be used to extrapolate likely outcomes. Maintaining an unbiased stance in collecting U.S. trade data is challenging, since the U.S. is so politically polarized, so I will draw equally from "conservative" and "liberal" sources.

I will research etymological, religious and cultural links between Thraco-Pelasgian with Lycian, a cadet language of Linear A, as a means to classify both languages. This has implications on the classification of Linear A.

Nestle has been bottling tens of millions of gallons of water every year since the 1980s, without a permit, in drought-stricken southern California. They are skating by with only having to pay a $624 fine for lack of permit, which is close to nothing compared to the value of the 62.5 million gallons of water they receive in return. I am interested in collecting the public opinion of the local population in the area. I hope to find a solution to this issue, whether that means raising the fine the company has to pay or finding other resolutions. I hope to synthesize other solution options through collaboration with locals through my survey.

Undocumented immigration from Latin America is a very politicized topic. With an estimated 240,000 undocumented immigrants living in the Bay Area, the issue of discrimination needs to be solved. I will record the perceptions of undocumented immigrants by Bay Area residents through a survey, then analyze the responses to determine the best ways to influence these perceptions through social media.

My project will be about political polarization. I want to see if political polarization exists in a certain age group. The aim of this research is to tie the psychological aspects of polarization and social media together. Previous studies have looked at these elements separately, but I want to tie social media, polarization, and the psychology of both to understand if and why polarization exists.