As part of the College Scholars Program, each student is required to complete a final project with some experiential learning and/or service learning component. Below is a small collection of recently completed projects.
Canting Guo
For my CSP final project, I helped prepare junior/senior high school students from underserved areas for the science and math sections of the Ohio Graduation test. I tutored them in test taking skills as well as science and math concepts. For the research portion of my project I examined previous literature in science and math tutoring and the psychology behind motivating students to learn. Then I applied my readings to my tutoring experiences and evaluated their effectiveness. I plan to create a small booklet of my findings.
Joe Gigliotti
"Disseminating energy-efficient technologies, even when they may appear to be technically perfect, is always a tough task" - Energy Policy, 2003
Increased Compact Fluorescent Bulb costs are more than offset by longer life, reduced direct energy costs, reduced indirect energy costs (cooling), and reduced labor costs. Aside from the upfront cost, another reason for lack of market penetration is that consumers perceive a lack of guarantee from the upfront investment. Particularly in Cleveland, there is local need for a push toward CFL and other advanced (eg LED) lighting solutions, and as such I started a company that looked for high-ROI opportunities in the local area, determined the potential returns accurately, and proposed to clients that they ought to switch. Additionally, because clients were effectively losing money each week they did nothing, I suggested that it was advantageous for them to contract the work to my company, who could more expeditiously enact the change. Additionally, starting in 2012, traditional incandescent light bulbs will encounter nationally-mandated obsolescence. In short, although more efficient energy technologies may exist, they are not utilized to capacity, and my project was an attempt to counter this.
Greg Wu
My project was to improve the Case Western Reserve community's sense of the history of the campus. To do so, I researched the existing historical records and accounts, as well as sought out first-hand witnesses and experts on various aspects of Case Western Reserve's long history. I then used my research to form stories that were both accessible and easily retold, written in the form of a story. The ultimate goal has been to make the stories both interesting and compelling enough to be spread to others. I published these stories both in newspaper articles and blogs, both of which have gained the attention of the Case community. It is my hope that the project now continues through word of mouth.
James Carlson
My final project brought together three local high school music programs in an effort to showcase the outstanding talent of the students, the importance of music education, and the role Case Western and the community could play in fostering these programs. Called "Case for Music," the event took place in the Thwing Ballroom at Case and included performances by 75 students from Warrensville Heights, the Cleveland School of the Arts, and Cleveland Heights High School. We also had Merry Peckham, then of the Cleveland Institute of Music, introduce the event with words on the importance of music education.
Jeremy Safran
Under the guidance of CWRU's poet-in-residence Sarah Gridley, I wrote a manuscript of poems and had seven of them published in Case Reserve Review (Case Western's literary journal). Many of the poems were written while I was studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. When I returned, I continued writing and organized a poetry recital for the second semester of my senior year. The recital included readings from Forrest Gander, a noteworthy Brown University poet who was flown in for the event, Sarah Gridley (poet-in-residence), and six CWRU students including myself. A diverse group of faculty members and students attended. In doing this project, I gained a lifelong hobby of writing and reading poetry.