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Fantastic Fall Academic Showcase
Sophie Liu ’27 in News | November 15, 2024
On the evening of November 6, Lawrentians presented their research at the Fall Academic Showcase in Kirby Math and Science Center and Woods Memorial Hall. Their research covered a variety of topics, including social justice, history, literature, biostatistics, genetics, and more.
Arya Vishwakarma ’25, a Merrill Scholar focusing on literary research and creative writing, presented her study about Rabindranath Tagore’s classical plays and Hindu myths. “It was nice to see people from all forms as well as teachers, and some Merrill scholars from last year came back to see us,” Vishwakarma said. For Vishwakarma, not much additional preparation was needed for the showcase, explaining “We’re always explaining our research to each other in class or in the hallway, so I knew what to say during my presentation.”
As a Hutchins Science Scholar, Arisa Okamura ’25 researched the interaction between music and computer science. Her study aims to characterize people’s music preferences accurately through an interactive system. “To prepare for the showcase, I worked closely with mentors and peers in the [Hutchins Scholars in Science Research] program . We had opportunities to present to each other and share feedback,” Okamura recalled. Setting up a demo of her project during the presentation, Okamura further noted how “it was exciting to see other people playing around with the model I came up with over the summer.”
Alongside Okamura, Hutchins Science Scholar Antonia Comaniciu ’25 investigated genes that contribute to potato ripening at Cornell University. Comaniciu reflected, “I really enjoyed presenting at the academic showcase! I love sharing my research with students who are interested in science, especially those applying to Hutchins Science this year.”
Lola Afari-Martinson ’26 conducted independent research about restorative justice over the summer. “It was a fun experience engaging with curious audiences and answering questions about the work I did,” Martinson shared. During the event, she learned from science teacher Stephen Laubach H’03 P’23 P’27 that some faculty members are working on implementing restorative justice at Lawrenceville. “It was very interesting to learn that my work is closely related to our campus life,” Afari-Martinson concluded.
Michelle Zhang ’25 also showcased her independent work on Medusa’s representation in contemporary art. She presented her findings in the evolution of artists’ portrayal of Medusa, making conclusions about society’s shifting attitude towards women over time. “One of my favorite moments was when my Latin and Greek teacher came along, and they suggested concepts to me that I used in later renditions of my presentation,” Zhang explained.
During the showcase, Annabelle Yao ’26 both presented her research and engaged with her peers’ presentations. “Many of my friends had interesting research, and we were discussing future works we could do related to their research,” Yao described.
The Academic Showcase provided a great platform for students to share their research and learn more about Lawrenceville Scholar programs.
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