Humanities III: Modern Cultures Reflection

Danie Duka, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in SLS (Birth-2)

In the SLS 303 Humanities III: Modern Cultures, we delved into an exploration of the significance of "love" as a symbol of personal liberation and gender equality in the early 20th century China and Japan.

Through this course I engaged with the complex ideas surrounding love and its manifestations in early modern China and Japan. I reflected on topics such as the formation of the self and individual subjectivity, and how women's romantic experiences and gender roles are represented by male authors in response to changing historical, political, and socio-economic circumstances.

This course involved an analysis of a range of media including fiction, film, autobiographies, and documentaries produced in China and Japan during the early 20th century. Through these texts, we explored vital issues such as women's lives, education, and experiences in China and Japan, as well as the portrayal of gender and identity in literature; both through the lens of female writers and male authors. We investigated the patterns, politics, and contexts that inform these narratives, as well as how national movements intersect with the construction of gender identities.

In examining these texts and documentaries, I strengthened my analytical and critical thinking skills, enabling me to better question and engage with an author's intentions. Writing and presenting my thoughts on the readings, I gained insights into how to analyze, support, and relate to the ideas of others on this topic, providing me with an enhanced understanding of modern-day implications.

 

The Effects of COVID-19 on K-12 Education

Nicholas Marino, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Psychology

While thinking about what to research for my Capstone Project, I knew I wanted to make it about something that was current and relevant. I wanted it to be something that I experienced, connected with, and related to. After I set those standards for myself, the research topic became abundantly clear. Myself, my graduating class, my friends, and family all experienced the pandemic, and all had to adapt to the unfortunate circumstances. However, at that time I was in my second year of college and wasn’t quite aware of the effects that COVID-19 had on students in grades K-12. The change from in-person learning to remote learning changed how education had to be given to students. Taking everything into account; my interest in this topic, and my personal connection to it, it was an awesome experience being able to depict the specific effects of the pandemic on education.

To perfectly capture the long-term effects on education, I had to categorize and separate each role individually. For example, in my research I had sections dividing students, teachers, and faculty. Each role had their own breakdown of the negative effects that COVID-19 had on them, ranging from performance to mental health. Essentially, I learned that the pandemic had only negative long-term effects on these groups. Students experienced an alarming decrease in grades, paired with an increase in mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Teachers experienced a change in their motivation and dedication towards their job, with an increase in mental health issues.

My capstone project allowed to me understand the importance of the education system and what the implications would be if the normal routine is changed. Switching from in-person learning to remote learning has an long lasting impact on society. Students will be expected to carry on to the next grade without being prepared, creating a domino effect that will roll over in their future education. However, with proper attention and providing essential services to students, it is possible to give every student a chance to get back on track with their curriculum. Without a doubt, further research will be needed in the following years to evaluate how students who withstood the pandemic are tackling their future education or careers.

The Impact of Mentoring on Undergraduate Students' Admittance into Medical and PA Schools

 Mina Soliman, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Psychology and minor in Biology

Mentorship is a crucial aspect of any student's academic journey, and its impact on undergraduate students' admittance into medical and PA schools. Many of the students who wish to attend medical and PA schools have no guidance in their undergraduate years causing many to give up on their dreams and even drop out of college. Dr. Grozdena Yilmaz explained to me that the lack of mentoring students in their undergraduate years can lead to a students’ failure in any career.

During my studies and research, I found that having a mentor can help you launch an early successful college career. I believe that schools should establish a mentoring program for undergraduate students to assist and remove some barriers, which will guarantee a college students' success in professional schools. By offering undergraduate students a mentoring program that benefits them and points them in the proper direction, these issues might be resolved. The mentors can educate their students by working with undergraduate students and make sure the students fulfill all the requirements for admission to the graduate program in healthcare of their choice. They might also be familiar with the employment prospects for various healthcare professions.

This research experience with Dr. Yilmaz helped me understand the impact of mentorship on an undergraduate students' admittance into medical and PA schools. Through this research were able to understand how mentoring provides guidance, support, and encouragement, while also helping students achieve their goals and succeed in their academic and professional pursuits.

Creating a Smart Cane for the Elderly

Jeremy Bodin, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Electrical Engineering

When coming to the College of Staten Island to study Electrical Engineering my goals were to work hard and acquire enough knowledge in the field to be able to make a difference in people’s lives. In my senior year I spoke with Asher, a fellow Verrazzano student, about research pertaining to the elderly and the issues they go through on a day-to-day basis. It was really eye-opening to learn about the elderly’s struggles with falling and how many of these falls result in injuries and/or worse, and about their struggles with keeping a healthy Beats Per Minute (BPM) and the issues than an elevated BPM can cause.

The research led Asher and I to create the “Smart Cane”. We were inspired to create a cane with multiple technological enhancements that would mitigate the issues that we had learned about. The plan for the project was to create three different subsystems that could help the elderly in their day-to-day lives. The first subsystem was denoted as the Distance Monitoring Subsystem, which can observe upcoming obstacles using an Ultrasonic sensor and alert the user of the cane using vibration motors and a buzzer that work at different frequencies depending on the distance measured. The second subsystem was the Beats Per Minute monitoring subsystem which can measure the user’s Beats Per Minute (BPM). If the measured value is greater than 100 BPM it sends a message to an application that a caretaker or relative can monitor. The third subsystem was denoted as the LED Flashlight subsystem, which utilized a push button on the handle of the cane to turn on and off LEDs contained at the ground level of the cane to assist the user in the dark.

There are many things Asher and I talked about doing with the “Smart Cane” that weren’t achievable due to time constraints and with having a very limited budget. If the project were to be continued, we would have added a speaker to subsystem 1 that outputs the distance of the objects detected by the Ultrasonic sensor through verbal direction. Our original plan was to utilize 3D printing to create the model for the cane; however, we ultimately opted to use a Swiffer as it offered us the ability to store the circuitry at the bottom of the “Smart Cane”. There are other issues that the elderly face that we could have looked into developing subsystems for.

The development of the “Smart Cane” not only provided me with information I was unaware of in relation to the elderly, but also with knowledge pertaining to the field I studied for four years. The capstone project helped me learn how to code using Arduino IDE. It also helped me learn about components such as the Ultrasonic sensor, HC-05 Bluetooth module, and Pulse sensor, all which have fascinating inner workings and could be components I work with as I continue my journey deeper into the field of Engineering.