Projects by year
STEAM
Finding an Optimized and Viable Solution for Improving Reliability Scores of the Current Power Grid in California
By Amol T.
California’s power grid is reaching the end of its life. In 2019 alone, there were 25,281 blackout events in California, a 23% increase from the 20,598 blackouts in 2018 (BloomEnergy, 2019). Based upon prior research, a household-level photovoltaic system that can power a single residential unit as needed and supply the grid for local redistribution when needed is the most economical and... Read More
Social Science
What Effect does the “Three Obediences and Four Virtues” Principles Have on Chinese Gender Inequality?
By Zihao L.
Chinese gender inequality has a history of two thousand years. Until 2014, 58.7 percent of women in China aged 25 and older had completed secondary education, while the counterpart statistic for men was 71.9 percent. Women's labor power participation rate in China was 63.9 percent compared to 78.3 percent for men. The paper tries to investigate the role “Three Obediences and Four Virtues”... Read More
STEAM
Planetary Environments for Habitable Kepler Small Planet Candidates
By Justin H.
Zodiacal dust produced mostly by planetesimal collisions is detectable in infrared excess emissions and is also an indication of an existing debris disk. I investigated the effect of Jupiter or small habitable planets within Kepler systems on the detections of zodiacal dust in my project. I probed for IR-excess in the habitable small-planet 47 Kepler Object of Interest (KOI) sample given by... Read More
Social Science
Educating Teens to Provide Support for Underaged Sexual Abuse Victims
By Allegra T., Katie H., and Justin S.
Action Research Project through Changemaker Project. Many students who have experienced sexual violence do not receive any support because they do not want to report the crime and therapists, teachers, etc. are all mandated reporters. These victims might not be mentally prepared to report which leaves them with no one to speak to. In collaboration with qualified therapists, we will create a... Read More
STEAM
Comparing Impacts of Deforestation Caused by Agribusiness, Logging Industries, and Oil Production on the Biodiversity Index of Vulnerable Ecosystems (Protected vs. Unprotected)
By Reed S.
Biodiversity loss remains the driving factor in the ecological shift seen today as a result of climate injustice globally. This study explores the relationship between deforestation and biodiversity indexes in order to make relevant connections on the increasingly urgent topic of a world in ecological crisis. This study will gather secondary data in order to ultimately synthesize which will... Read More
Social Science
What Effect do Nutrition Classes Have on Eating Habits of Food Desert Residents?
By Natalia C.
This study looks at surveys conducted by the Veggie Rx Program run by Fresh Approach and determines the extent of a relationship between participation in the program and eating habits of participants. Specifically program participants who reside in a designated food desert will be analyzed. Food deserts in low income communities are a large issue in the US; they contribute to the cycle of... Read More
Social Science
Fostering Low-Income Academic Success Through Group Tutoring
By Nico R. and Whitley S.
Action Research Project through Changemaker Project. In order to shorten the gaps in education between high and low-income schools, we will create a free, group-based tutoring service. We will work in low-income communities and recruit other high-school age tutors to help us run the program. In addition, we will create a website and a social media page to bring awareness to the issue and also... Read More
Social Science
Privacy in the 21st Century
By Samarth P.
The world as a whole is becoming more reliant on the internet. As innovations advance society, things like cell service and internet access are becoming more and more accessible around the globe, leading to an influx of users on various social media platforms. These sites, although they claim not to, often sell this data to third party companies, who may use it for malicious causes. The... Read More
Business
Exploring Alternative Methods and Strategies for Commercial Fishing Concerning Environmental Health and Industry Benefit
By Cade C.
Modern commercial fishing consists of industrialized processes and techniques that lead to overfishing of populations and destroying habitats at an increasing rate. Government bodies provide subsidies that prop up the industry in ways that are not economically or environmentally sustainable. The project explores ways in which we can adjust fishing techniques, fishery management strategies, and... Read More
Social Science
Imapct of New PMTA Regulation Policies on Tobacco Industry Marketing Strategies
By Partha K.
PMTA Regulations serve as gateways. They authorize a tobacco product to be on the market, considering factors like advertising and marketing as a whole. In the wake of new PMTA Regulations, tobacco companies likely will change the way they advertise in order to be authorized. The goal of this study is to highlight those changes by comparing product advertising before and after this year’s PMTA... Read More
STEAM
Applying Vortex Waves to Radio Communication
By Roy G.
Radios are everywhere, and the demand to send more data over-the-air is increasing. Radio and information bandwidths are fundamentally limited when using transverse electromagnetic waves. However, vortex waves have fundamentally different properties that give them a major theoretical communications advantage. Through multiple experiments and simulations, this project determines the feasibility... Read More
Social Science
How Does the Lack of Ethnic Diversity in Genome-Wide Association Studies Contribute to Inaccurate Risk Estimates of Genetic Risk for Minority Groups as Opposed to Populations of European Descent?
By Sadie I.
Despite the great level of diversity that exists globally, most genetic disease studies are based on populations of mainly European ancestry. 78% of genome-wide association studies come from populations of European descent when in reality, these groups only make up 16% of the global population. This has negatively impacted members of minority (or non-European) groups because studies taken from... Read More
Social Science
Addressing Solutions to Mitigate Healthcare Turnover Rates
By Clarissa L.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in healthcare staff turnover. High turnover rates have a detrimental impact on hospitals, staff, and patients. Healthcare turnover causes stress within facilities to find replacements for terminated or resigned nurses. This project is focusing on finding solutions to mitigate healthcare staff turnover rates. The narrative research will focus on... Read More
Social Science
What Events Cause Changes in Partisanship in the US Congress?
By Nora D.
In recent years, increasing political polarization has been the subject of much discussion. There are several ways to measure aspects of partisanship, including surveys of voter attitudes, the voting behavior of politicians, and measures of political speech based on new text-analytic, machine-learning techniques. This study examines the trends in these distinct measures and assesses the likely... Read More
Social Science
Vertical Farming in Homes
By Ava K.
Food insecurity is a significant issue in the world today. Vertical farming is an extremely efficient and cost effective way to grow food and it takes up very little space. Vertical farms at home could be a possible solution or aid to the growing issue of food insecurity. This project uses experimentation by maintaining a vertical farm to analyze whether vertical farming could be a viable... Read More
Social Science
Improvement of Communication Devices for Children with Speech Impediments
By Ava R.
Currently, there is an issue with the costs of speech-assistive technology. With around 7.7% of all children in the US having some form of speech impairment, the accessibility of speech-assistive technology for children with speech impediments is vital. Unfortunately, the only products on the market are extremely expensive. Existing technologies are either very inefficient or very expensive,... Read More
STEAM
What Can COVID Trends Tell us About Future Response to Pandemics?
By Jinwoo J.
Since COVID hit the world, different countries used different strategies to combat the global pandemic. These different strategies showed different effectiveness of containing COVID and exposed some crucial problems. When a future pandemic strikes, strategies to counter the pandemic will be required. This research aims to discover the best and most efficient way of combating COVID by comparing... Read More
Social Science
What Makes a Teenager an “Early Bird” or a “Night Owl,” and How Should These Adolescent Sleep Preferences Factor into Our School Start Times?
By Melody X.
High school is a time where many students develop time management skills and find independence in falling into their own personal daily routines. In contrast, school start times are set in stone, can change from year to year, and are what dictate students’ schedules. This research study will explore what makes an adolescent an “early bird” or a “night owl,” and use attendance data to determine... Read More
Social Science
How Does Differing Access to Postpartum Care Between Black and White Mothers in California Impact Maternal Mortality Disparities?
By Dominique L.
The United States has the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths among all developed countries. Although most pregnancy-related deaths are considered preventable, Black mothers are around three times more likely to die from complications than their white counterparts, and this gap increases with age. This paper examines the difference in access and utilization of postpartum care between... Read More
Social Science
What Changes Need to Occur Within the Healthcare Training System to Ensure that Women's Health is Equally as Prioritized, Studied, and Researched as Men's Health?
By Dana T.
Medical institutions have been found to underestimate women's experiences with pain, consequently limiting the medical pain treatment which is available to them. This inequity poses a real threat to the health and wellbeing of women across the globe, restricting their access to adequate and ethical healthcare. Research has concluded that the only way to dismantle implicit biases on a broad... Read More
Social Science
Impact of Mindfulness and Meditation on Strengthening Teenagers Ability to Focus in Stressful Situations
By Isha N.
Meditation has proven many times that it is one of the most efficient and healthy ways to reduce stress. However, the research that supports these conclusions only studies the effects of meditation on adults, leaving out teenagers and other age groups. This project will resolve the lack of data around the correlation between mindfulness and focus levels in teenagers, providing a larger... Read More
Social Science
Creating a Website to Assist Disadvantaged Students with the College Application Process
By Sarika L. and Adele D.
Action Research Project through Changemaker Project. Without a privately hired college counselor or a parent/guardian who has attended college, navigating the college application process can be confusing and complicated. There are online resources, but none that pull all the information together in a clear and easy to navigate way. We want to create a website to simplify and streamline the... Read More
Social Science
Exploring the Intersection of Cognitive Science and Jane Austen's Novels
By Vandana R.
The intersection of science and literature is a space which has captured the interest of readers and researchers for centuries. Studies which aim to link the works of Jane Austen with cognitive science and sociological topics serve as an example of the various methods which might be applied to this... Read More
Business
Green Marketing vs Traditional Marketing Strategies and their Compared Effectiveness in Increasing Business Profits
By Nupur K.
Customers often link green marketing with terms such as recyclable, refillable, ozone friendly, and environmentally friendly, but the core of green marketing goes much deeper than that. With more and more brands and corporations catering to consumers' interest and want for clean and environmentally friendly goods, there are no measurements on whether these efforts to market green actually... Read More
Social Science
Using Game Theory to Change the Booster Vaccine Distribution and Lower COVID-19 Deaths
By Shuya L.
As of January 6th 2022, only 8.8% of people in developing countries have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (Our World in Data, 2021). Despite the low amount of COVID-19 vaccines are being administered in developing countries, developed countries continue to promote booster shots. An alternate vaccine distribution could change the percentage of immunity worldwide. Game theory... Read More
Social Science
How Can Ocean Therapy be Utilized to Lessen the Repercussions of Anxiety Disorders for U.S Citizens in the Bay Area?
By Diego D.
In the United States, over 40 million adults have an anxiety disorder in a given year (Nami, 2017). With this, 7% of children aged 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year, and most develop symptoms of a disorder before the age of 21. As traditional therapeutic methods to treat said Anxiety disorders have remained the same in the last 10 years (Department of Veterans Affairs), the study... Read More
STEAM
How Can we Improve the Coverage and Efficiency of Algorithms for the Automated Testing of Android Mobile Applications?
By Arul M.
In the past decade, the smartphone industry has blossomed into one of the biggest markets in modern technology. Over 6 million people own smartphones in 2021, so the rapid detection and elimination of any errors is important. There are millions of mobile applications on these phones, and the average smartphone user has over 80+ applications. With software so widespread, it is critical that... Read More
Social Science
How Does the Cost of Healthcare in America Affect Marginalized Populations, such as Indigenous Ones, as Compared to the Caucasian Population?
By Giulia L.
The health disparities that have formed in our society, have adversely affected groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group.The large disparities that are present in health insurance coverage related to race and ethnicity have been a part of the United States for a long time, also being a cause for concern among... Read More
Social Science
Empowering And Instilling A Growth Mindset Into Young Girls Through Youth Mentorship.
By Adrienne Y. and Kirsten R.
Action Research Project through ChangeMaker. During the last school year, Kirsten founded Ate (ah-teh: Tagalog word for Big Sister), an all-girls mentoring program in which high school girls offered virtual courses to middle school girls in a range of interest areas. Ate’s goal is to build leadership skills and support girls’ confidence. This year, Adrienne joined while Ate began pivoting by... Read More
Social Science
The Disproportionate Effects of Climate Change on BIPOC and Low-Income Communities
By Rowan E.
We only have eleven years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. Despite increased awareness about how to mitigate climate change, systemic racism has already caused low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to face the greater burden of its consequences. From extensive droughts to increased flooding, to intense air pollution, the lives of minorities are... Read More
STEAM
Point-of-Care Testing
By Roy J.
One problem impacting many low-income countries around the world is the continued prevalence of diseases that have largely been eradicated in more wealthy countries. While treatment techniques for these diseases have evolved significantly, many of them can be prevented through faster diagnoses. One way to accomplish this is using point-of-care testing, which provides faster results near the... Read More
Social Science
Arts for Opportunity
By Owen R.
In the world of education, our right to learn is based upon the upkeep and funding of standardized programs in math, literature, sciences, and history at the expense of art programs. This is even more true in lower income schools where arts programs are given less attention and have a greater risk of being cut. This project aims to gain more insight into finding a solution that to help keep... Read More
Business
COVID-19's Impact on Working Mothers
By Cate B.
For most people, access to a steady income through employment is a vital part of their independence and autonomy. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus pandemic has caused thousands of mothers to lose their opportunity to support themselves and their families. New studies show that women, especially mothers, are experiencing unemployment (voluntary and involuntary) at rates much higher than their... Read More
Business
Impact of Multinational Corporations on Revenue and Sustainability of Businesses in Non-Globalized Countries
By Rohan S.
There is a problem with the longevity of small businesses following increases in the number and size of multinational corporations. Multinational corporations or “MNCS” often move into a country and significantly decrease prices to acquire customers. They can afford to do this due to their high level of cash flow from other places, whereas small businesses often can't afford to drop prices.... Read More
Social Science
Do Concussions and Major Brain Injuries from Physical Sports Affect High School Student Athletes Grades to a Level That Would Warrant Accommodations?
By Alex B.
In the US there is an average of over 3.8 million sports related concussions a year (CDC 2007). Concussions do not just affect you on the field but will affect your well-being in the classroom too. If not given the right treatment or accomodations, students will be at a major disadvantage in school. Concussions can cause individuals to be more distracted, tired, suffer headaches and even have... Read More
Social Science
What is the Process of Independently Designing and Producing a Purchasable Fanzine?
By Lydia C.
With the rising popularity of the game Genshin Impact produced by miHoYo, a company based in China, there has been a growing misconception that the game is Japanese with its anime-esque art. By creating a zine centered about traditional Chinese clothing, it clarifies the game’s Chinese roots as well as educating... Read More
Social Science
Investigating the Susceptibility to Misinformation Through Behavioral Factors
By Sally L. & Jasmine W.
With the surge of social media usage in the past decade, misinformation has become increasingly prevalent, especially among the youth. In 2017, 31% of kids aged 10 to 18 have reshared at least one false news story on the misconception of its reliability. The spread of fake news is not a new problem nor an easy problem to solve; current fixes, including both AI and human filtering sources, have... Read More
Social Science
How Can America's Foster Care System be Improved in Order to Ensure the Safety of Children Under the Age of 18?
By Isa M.
The foster system has served as a great way to keep children safe in homes under trusted adults, however, the flaws surrounding this system have yet to be addressed. As a result, a fraction of vulnerable children become victims. Some victims feel silenced. This research project aims to discover the main cause of this issue and how it can be improved, including giving children under the age of... Read More
Social Science
Effectiveness of Art in Activism
By Evan A.
Groups spark social movements for equality and equity, in a system historically designed to exclude them, leading to several obstacles to social progress. Art has an opportunity to reach beyond these obstacles. Using a historic and narrative based inquiry approach, this project will examine social movements to determine whether their artistic or non-traditional methods of protest yielded... Read More
Social Science
What are the Impacts of Instagram on Teenage Mental Health Compared to Individuals Above 20?
By Tiffany S.
One of the major problems of Instagram is its target audience being extremely young individuals. Without properly understanding the potential dangers of social media platforms, these young teenagers may end up being drawn into a world of online dependency, resulting in isolation, negatively impacted mental health, and an overall lowered self-esteem. This project aims to identify the specific... Read More
STEAM
Economic and Pathologist Effectiveness of Point-of-Care Diagnostics in Low-Income and Developing Countries
By Jaehyun J.
As more and more people become immune to common communicable diseases, the need for remedies to noncommunicable diseases is growing. One way to solve this issue is to diagnose diseases early. But especially in low income countries, going to a hospital to get a diagnosis can be both expensive and impractical. Point-of-care diagnostics can identify preventable diseases early and at lower costs.... Read More
STEAM
What Effect Would a Ban on Gas Cars Have on the Economy and Working Class Americans?
By Edwin E.
In today's world we live in such a technologically advanced society where so many of our past problems are fixed due to advances in technology. But our biggest problem, global warming, is hardly being dealt with. For example, contamination from gas cars and their fumes. This is why bans on production of gas cars would offer a solution to a big problem. The effects it would have on the working... Read More
Social Science
Big Brothers Big Sisters: High School Students Preparing Middle Schoolers for High School Through a Mentoring Program
By Zoe W., Anna T., and Cameryn H.
Action Research Project through Changemaker Project. We will create a mentoring program in which Gunn High School students go to Fletcher Middle School to co-teach SEL lessons to the middle school students. We will prepare them for the transition to high school while also establishing a positive relationship with them. Essentially, we hope to create the type of relationship where the younger... Read More
STEAM
How Can we Help Save our Forests in Third World Countries and Help Lessen the Spread of Deforestation?
By Kathryn M.
Deforestation- "The act of clearing out an area of trees". Deforestation in third world countries is relevant right now because it's harming citizens and animals, by clearing out forests your killing the habitats of animals and by over watering the forests they are getting too much water. This project is to collect data, and survey people to see what they think about deforestation and wha they... Read More