Last week, seniors in the Synaptic Scholars program presented what they have learned, produced, and discovered throughout their time in the program. The presentations featured seven seniors at Tufts University, each with their own unique interests, projects, and goals.
Nathaniel Tran started off the presentations with his focus on “Ethics and Ethnography” during which he spoke about how ethnography and the study of people was related to health, medicine and illness. In this way he asked: Why do stories matter in how we find care? Next year he will be entering a prestigious PHD program in the department of Anthropology at Rice University.
Khuyen G. Bui was the second speaker and spoke about his academic journey as a computer science major with a strong interest and passion for Philosophy. He spoke about his passion for bringing people together and his projects linked to that, like “Open call” which seeks to bring people on campus to form meaningful connections, and “Voices of the Hill” which seeks to highlight a range of students experiences.
Adriana Guardans-Godo spoke about her work with TEDxTufts as a speaker coach, her experience as a student in EPIIC, and her passion for learning. She spoke about her research in creating a comparative analysis of migration in Europe and the individual outreach and interview process she went through to produce her research.
Sean Chatman spoke about his personal journey at Tufts and about the value of being part of an intellectual community like Synaptic Scholars that pushed him to grow and learn in meaningful ways.
Charles Kelly chose to tell a story on “Spelunking the Anthrosphere”, the newest geological layer of earth created by humans. He explored various geographical landmarks and how they contributed to his story and the human experience more generally. Throughout his career at Tufts, he has explored the question of how we can use ingredients of reality to build fictions that are equally didactic.
Cynthia Chan spoke about her thesis on Annie Wong, “the actress who died a thousand deaths” -- the first Asian American actress to make it in Hollywood in the 1920’s. Chan spoke about her own family experience and understanding of diaspora, and chose to explore the feeling of having feet in two worlds, yet feeling at home in none.
Janeth Jepkogei, a computer science major with a political science minor, spoke about her passion for women’s empowerment. She shared how Synaptic Scholars facilitated her ability to explore and exchange new ideas to visualize trends and patterns in women’s empowerment around the world.
Overall, these presentations served as an outlet for scholars to offer feedback and support for each other’s project, and to reflect on their evolving intellectual interests and goals.