Environmental Issues and Future Zoonotic Diseases

Christian Puccio, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Biology Health Science

Over the past 2 years, we have lived through the most devastating pandemic that humanity has witnessed in over a century since the 1918 Spanish Flu. During this time, we have seen the incredible progress and speed at which medicine is being developed and provided to the public. The COVID-19 vaccines were available to the public less than a year after the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was found in the United States. The pharmaceutical companies Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna used brand new technology in using messenger RNA to elicit an immune response in their vaccines.
The achievements in medicine that occurred during the last 2 years have saved countless lives and it is nothing short of being remarkable. However, even with this progress and growth in medicine, millions of lives were still lost. This gruesome fact is what made me decide the topic of my capstone project: Preventing Future Zoonotic Diseases and Pandemics by Correcting Environmental Issues.
Currently, the emphasis in most media has been primarily on post emergence pandemic control. However, as the pandemic seems to be coming to an end, it is evident that more proactive approaches in prohibiting zoonotic diseases from emerging in the future is of utmost importance. After performing ample research, it was apparent that the environmental issues we are currently faced with are a major factor in increasing the incidence of zoonotic diseases. With the help of my mentor, Dr. Esposito, I was able to produce a 32-page research paper on how environmental issues caused by human activity, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, unplanned urbanization, deforestation, wildlife trafficking, and anthropogenic factors, were contributing to the emergence and reemergence of zoonoses.
As I look back at my college career and all the courses I have taken as a biology major, I feel my capstone project was a perfect way to culminate much of what I learned throughout college into an informative and educational presentation that could potentially be used to save lives.

 

A Look at Anti-Semitism Within Italy Before WWII

 Michael Bruno, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in History and minor in Psychology

As a student of history, the work that I completed for my capstone project has allowed me to extend my appreciation for this field. The attainment of historical knowledge is a necessary component in understanding the world that we inherit.

For me personally, my capstone project taught me to dedicate myself to the mastery of understanding such a minuscule aspect of history in regard to its limitless range of possible exploration. The area of research for my capstone focused on anti-Semitism within Italy before and during the events of the Second World War.

I have always had a liking for history since I was a child. What particularly interested me was the history behind the Second World War and how the landscape of that war truly laid out the foundations of today’s society. We were always taught that during World War II the axis powers included Italy, but this was usually the only time their involvement in the war was mentioned and it seemed as if their role in the war was left hidden in the background. I wanted to understand their involvement in this anti-Semitic sentiment that has plagued Europe for nearly two thousand years.

During my research I discovered that the Italian state had already developed anti-Semitic rhetoric within its political agenda before Nazism, which permitted Italy’s collaboration in the Holocaust. I also learned that previous waves of anti-Semitism throughout European history had permitted many Italians to be complacent with policies against their fellow Jewish neighbors.

From the standpoint of a researcher, I was burdened with the fact that there was a limited amount of Italian-Jewish primary sources that I was able to discover. My mentor Dr. Catherine Lavender directed me toward Primo Levi, an Italian Jew who had survived captivity in the notorious concentration camp, Auschwitz. It was comforting to know that although this capstone delved into the worse of human nature, beyond all of this hate is the story of perseverance and survival.

Once my work was completed I was satisfied with my conclusion that Italy should be held accountable for its crimes against humanity and its complacency towards this extreme wave of anti-Semitism.

If I was given the opportunity, I would have extended my research by further investigating the European phenomenon of anti-Semitism on a larger scale that led to the Holocaust. I could have also explored the role of the Catholic Church more closely in regard to them supporting a fascist and anti-Semitic state.

My capstone project allowed me to understand how much research and dedication is involved in creating a historical story. To those that have dedicated their lives to deciphering historical events and texts, I give you my respect and gratitude.

Trust the Process!

Christian Giaimo, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Corporate Communications and minor in Business Marketing 

Throughout the process of orchestrating and cultivating my final capstone, “Social Media’s Effect on Sports Journalism”, I learned many things. One of the most pivotal things that I grasped was the importance of understanding a process. This process doesn’t necessarily have to be specific to the writing or research/communication process, rather it has to do with the significance of allowing yourself to build upon your ideas over time. Any substantial work needs to be constructed over time, like a complex puzzle. You must allow yourself to make mistakes and then, in turn, use them to aid in growth.

During my development and completion of my capstone, I have done just that. This comes from a place of accepting the task at hand and trusting the process. In more specific terms, this experience allowed me to deep dive into something I am extremely passionate about: sports media. I was able to gain a well-rounded in-depth understanding of the media landscape as a whole, while also focusing on how the past has led to this modern mold of sports journalism through social media.

This project could definitely be developed further if I continued to pursue this research. In theory, I can attack sports media from a larger scale and study how it compares or competes with other industries within the same medium. It would be key to grasping an even more widespread understanding of what exactly goes into the umbrella of social media as a whole.