Upper School Academic Symposium: A Celebration of Innovation and Inquiry

On Tuesday, May 21, the Upper School community celebrated the academic achievements of our Bioethics, Student-Designed Research, and Independent Study students. This highly anticipated event showcased our students' intellectual curiosity and dedication, providing a platform for them to present their findings and take part in meaningful discussions with peers, faculty, and guests.

The day began with registration and coffee in the CFI Lobby and Great Room, setting a welcoming tone. An opening presentation in the Great Room marked the official start of the symposium.

BIOETHICS PROJECT
The Bioethics Project is a signature program of the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School in which selected students engage in scholarly research and present on a pertinent topic in bioethics. Students are paired with mentors from Georgetown University’s Kennedy Institute of Ethics, who provide guidance on the broadest aspects of students’ individual topics and the ethical framework that must be considered during their research and writing. This year’s theme was The Medical Industrial Complex: Healthcare in 2023–2024. 

The 2023–2024 Bioethics Projects:

• Expanding and Restricting Individual Liberty to Solve Public Health Crises: The New York and Oregon Experiments, Louisa Gordon ’25 and Bridget Smallman ’25
• Beyond Blame: Rethinking Physician Accountability and Patient Trust in the Medical-Industrial Complex, Maya Hardy ’26 and Piper Mayes ’25
• A Prescription for the Future of Drug Pricing: What Are the Ethical Implications of Pharmaceutical Pricing?, Olivia Hand ’25 and Miranda Wang ’24
• One Heart, One Mind: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Tanseem Arampulikan ’25 and Miranda Kristina Santiago ’25
• Saving Lives, But at What Cost? The Ethics of Solutions to the Donor Kidney Shortage, Ava Builione ’26 and Olivia Zhang ’26
• Dying and Wanting to Live; Living and Wanting to Die: Reflections on Medical Futility and Medical Aid in Dying, Aarah Ali ’25 and Isha Talpade ’25

“A highlight of working on the Bioethics Project was communicating with other students and hearing different perspectives,” says junior Aarah Ali. “I also got a lot of insight into the medical field itself.” 

Adds junior Isha Talpade, her research partner, “We hoped people walked away with more knowledge about their decision-making capacity and how difficult it is for legislatures and healthcare professionals to tackle the subject. Decision-making capacity isn’t something people usually think about, so although it can be a scary topic, it’s important know that while we’re healthy, we can take precautions — such as advanced directives — to ensure that our decisions are respected.” 

Aarah says what surprised her the most is the ongoing occurrence of certain aspects of injustice — such as stopping a patient from receiving treatment due to a disagreement with a doctor. “I hope those in attendance were able to gain some insight into how the medical-industrial complex permeates all aspects of life,” she says.

INDEPENDENT STUDIES AND STUDENT-DESIGNED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Upper School students have the opportunity to design their own research projects and pursue an independent study on a passion or subject area of their choice. At the symposium, the community heard from nine students who presented their comprehensive findings.

The 2023–2024 Independent Studies and Student-Designed Research Projects:

• Evolution of Traditional Chinese Clothing and Its Impact on Modern Chinese Fashion, Sylvia Andrews ’24
• Exploring Filial Piety and Female Consumerism in the Beauty Industry, Angelica Nwachuku ’24
• Data Science and Machine Learning in Python: Applications in Finance, Sajni Shah ’24
• Regenerative Medicine in Neuroscience: Exploring Neurogenesis as a Therapy for Neurodegenerative Disease, Dvita Bhattacharya ’25
• Tremor Suppression: Integrating Exoskeleton Design with Machine Learning and PID Algorithms, Sajni Shah ’24
• Pancreatic Cancer And CAR T Cell Therapy: Developing a Targeted Immunotherapy Approach for Aggressive Tumors, Kaitlyn Wang ’25
• Genetic Sequencing and Biofuel Production: Applications and Advantages of DNA Analysis for Duckweed, Sophia Gandhi ’25
• The Development of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Device for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Julissa Beltrán ’25
• Twin Taste Test: A Study of the PTC Gene in Twins, Caroline Hand ’25
• Temperature Manipulated Starch Retrogradation and Its Impact on Blood Glucose as Measured by Biowearables, Aila Kennedy ’25

“I hope people walked away from my presentation knowing the differences between resistant and nonresistant starch,” says junior Aila Kennedy, “specifically, how resistant starch is able to lower glycemic response while unregulated consumption of nonresistant starch could contribute to prolonged negative health.”

What interested her the most, Aila says, was her discovery that “such a simple and accessible practice as refrigerating or freezing starchy foods could have meaningful health benefits.” 

After the morning sessions, attendees participated in a lively Q&A segment, which enhanced the understanding of the research they had heard about and fostered a collaborative learning environment. Following the symposium, a special luncheon was held for presenters and their families. 

The 2024 Academic Symposium — the culmination of the hard work and groundbreaking research of our Upper School students — was a resounding success. Thank you to all participants, faculty, and guests for making this event a fascinating and inspiring experience.