RE Log - Fall 2022

Summer Study Bowden fellows undertake humanities research Blast Off Students prepare rocket payload Eight seniors spent the summer doing research supported by Dan Leslie Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities, and they have begun preparations to present their work to fellow students this fall. Ian Barnett ’23, Lucia Rose Dahn ’23, Olivia Drulard ’23, Sofia Gudino Ruffa ’23, Jack Harris ’23, Kyle Ng ’23, Mason Signorello ’23 and Liv Steinhardt ’23 examined the question “what makes us human” through their summer exploration in a variety of fields. The fellowship program was created in honor of revered English teacher Dan Leslie Bowden in 2016 by Jeffrey Miller ’79 , who provided the seed funding for the Dan Leslie Bowden Endowment in the Humanities. Since then, 52 students have been named Bowden fellows. All have worked under Associate Head of School John A. King Jr., who directs the program at Ransom Everglades. For more information, see https:// www.ransomeverglades.org/academics/ signature-programs/bowden- fellowships-in-the-humanities . STUDENT PROJECTS Ian Barnett ’23 Innovations in Composition Pedagogy: Encouraging Expression through Classical Music Barnett created and taught a two-week music composition course for the Greater Miami Youth Symphony this past spring. Lucia Rose Dahn ’23 Facilitating the Art of Storytelling: Why Encourage a Culture in Creative Writing Dahn explored the impact of writing programs and competitions on the development of young writers. Olivia Drulard ’23 Menstrual Health Education: Is it Effective? Drulard created a website designed to provide important information to adults and adolescents experiencing menstruation. Jack Harris ’23 Operation Peter Pan (Pedro Pan): The Jewish Experience Harris worked to shed light on the Jewish stories within a primarily Catholic operation known as Operation Pedro Pan. Kyle Ng ’23 Seeking the “Human” in Reimagined Mythology Ng researched various world mythologies in preparation for his fellowship’s final product, an original short story collection drawing from ancient stories, contemporizing them and reintroducing them to contemporary audiences. Sofia Gudino Ruffa ’23 The Evolution and Societal Implications of Monetary Systems Ruffa outlined the evolution of monetary systems from the beginning of time, from the barter system to the gold standard. She is outlining the timeline of the banking system and its implications on modern-day society. Mae Signorello ’23 The Soul of the Small Town: Discovering Humanity in Castine, Maine After spending eight summers visiting the small Maine town of Castine, Signorello set out to explain how the small-town experience aids in the discovery of our shared humanity. Liv Steinhardt ’23 Of the Land: A Glastonbury Documentary Steinhardt filmed a documentary about Glastonbury, a small town in southwest England with more than 81 active faith groups, examining how sacred spaces in the region influence the town’s uniquely expressive and accepting community. Five former physics students of Paul Natland ’02 put the finishing touches on a science experiment that will travel to the edge of space on Blue Origin spacecraft sponsored by NASA. Arjun Badwal ’23, Dadly Leon ’23, Theodore Ma ’23, Sofia Paraoulaki de Miranda ’23 and Adrian Stone Perez ’23 spent the summer and early weeks of the school year finalizing the experiment, one of 57 from around the nation selected last winter for a rocket ride in the NASA TechRise Student Challenge. In 2021-22, Natland encouraged students in his AP Physics classes to send proposals to the inaugural challenge, prompting the students’ proposed study of capillary action – the movement of liquids in narrow spaces – in a microgravity environment. Since the selection of their project last January, the students have met virtually with NASA engineers on multiple occasions. They also gathered to build the experiment, which had to fit in a small flight box provided by NASA, and write programs to illuminate and record the experiment while in flight. The launch is scheduled for early in 2023. FALL 2022 Ransom Everglades LOG 37 L-R: Kyle Ng ’23, Jack Harris ’23, Mason Signorello ’23, Olivia Drulard ’23, Lucia Rose Dahn ’23, Sofia Gudino Ruffa ’23, Liv Steinhardt ’23, Ian Barnett ’23