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Welcome!
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first met Pat Clements during opening faculty meetings when I started at Peddie. At faculty meetings Pat served as de facto master of ceremonies, opening each with his signature "Yo yo yo!"
"Who here is new to Peddie?" he asked. Myself and several other new teachers cautiously raised our hands. A grin spread across Pat's face. "You just signed up for the bike trip!" I had never ridden a bike for any extended period of time before. I wasn't even sure what my lessons plans looked like for the first few days. Nonetheless, the following July myself, some sophomores, and several other faculty members found ourselves biking through Amish country while Pat offered fist pounds, campfires, guitar sing-alongs, and questions like, "Do the people make the land, or does the land make the people?" It was an educational experience unlike any I had before. For Pat, education was experience, and the more educaion you could pack into an experience, the better. So the campfires, the biking, the philisophical questions, the guitar strumming--they were all part of it. This philosophy helped Pat and others form Peddie's Principo Project in the 1990's, an innovative and experiential approach to education that eventually morphed into Peddie's various Signature Experience Programs, which Pat oversaw. The Summer Signature Experience encompassed projects which didn't easily fit under other umbrellas-each experience was unique, and Pat loved that. It's fitting, then, that we dedicate this inaugural issue of the Summer Signature Magazine to Pat, and to all the work he put into making Peddie's Signature Programs happen. His vision helped hundreds of students (and teachers) rethink what an education could be. We wish him a very happy and well-deserved retirement! Kurt Bennett Coordinator, Summer Signature
Kakum National Park (page 18)
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6 Patagonia Investigating the effects of beavers in Karukinka, Chile by Lucia Middleton
11 Castles, Kilts and Novellas Studying world literature at the University of St. Andrew's, Scotland by Aimee Wiencek
13 Question Everything Discovering truth and beauty through number theory by Briana Macedo
16 Hope on Horseback Exploring the efects of hippotherapy in children with Cerebral Palsy by Yoyo Wang
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Contents
18 Confronting the Past, Presenting the Future Increasing health awareness in Ghana by Winston Yau
23 The Puzzle Children Learning how children with learning disabilities can thrive by Samantha Scott
26 Cinematic Drones Building a company from the ground up By Jesse Wallace
29 Silent Assassins Investigating the effectos of tobacco farming in Mysore, India by Ashwin Amardeep
Photo: Karukinka National Park (page 7)
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BY LUCIA MIDDLETON
PATAGONIA STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF INVASIVE BEAVERS IN KARUKINKA
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look out a mud-splattered truck window, ignoring the loud rumbling. Several shades of brown grass cover the pampa, with clumps of shrubs and cacti dotting a sparse landscape as far as the eye can see. There are no animals except herds of guanacos, a type of camel larger than their llama cousins.
breathes. Second, there is Miguel, a mountain man with a passion for teaching young people about nature. Quiet and thoughtful, Miguel is a man of many talents. He is an expert with power tools, extremely knowledgeable about Karukinka’s flora and fauna, and, in the words of Jorge, can “fly” across the hardest hiking trail without breaking a sweat.
My father pulls over and cuts the engine. Getting out, we both stretch our stiff limbs. Silence, thick and cold as milk, coats my skin and gently mutes our voices. The wind playfully tousles my hair, dancing through the pampa as it breathes life into those immobile shrubs, whistling a low tune that reverberates against eardrums. I inhale cold air and expand my chest, then exhale slowly. The wind ceases, touches cheeks in farewell. I close my eyes. So this is what the end of the world feels like.
Finally, there is Danilo, a talkative guy with a talent for baking. He jumps headfirst into a situation without thinking, and rivals someone much younger in terms of energy level. He is interested in my life back in the States, and wants to know why I have come to Karukinka. “I want to investigate the damage caused by beavers here,” I tell Danilo on my first day at the park as we’re painting trail markers.“The beavers?” Danilo nods his head, eyes wide with interest, “A few other people have come here interested in the beavers as well.”
We are traveling to a park called Karukinka, located in the southernmost tip of Chile, about five hours from the nearest town. The park is twenty times the size of Manhattan, and because it has only been a decade since the Wildlife Conservation Society established the park, over half of it has yet to be explored. I first feel its magnitude when my father and I drive past a tall wooden sign with the words PARQUE NATURAL KARUKINKA in carved letters. Miles and miles of woodland, pampa, and mountains splay across as far as the eye can see.
“Really? That’s cool,” I say. Danilo puts down a trail marker. “You’ll find plenty of evidence for your project,” he says, standing tall, “the beavers have caused a lot of damage.” I nod in agreement. The beavers of Patagonia were introduced to the area in 1946 by the Government of Argentina in an effort to start a fur trade in South America. Originally numbering o
When we arrive at our campsite, a cluster of wooden houses with peeling white paint, we are greeted warmly by three park rangers who will be our hosts for the week. First, there is Jorge, a budding photographer with a nose ring. At twentyfour, he is the youngest of the park rangers, and the least experienced, though his calm demeanor quickly reveals a vast knowledge of the birds and trees in the area; he can point out a bird species as easily as another person
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nly 20, the beaver population has exploded to over 150,000. Since their introduction, they have caused extensive damage to the Patagonian landscape, especially Lenga, a tree species that grows near and along the edges of rivers, where the beavers build their dams.I get my first experience of 7
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"SO THIS IS WHAT THE END OF THE WORLD FEELS LIKE”
damage the next day, while hiking through the woods with Miguel and Danilo. In a stretch of woodland with a steep trail, we stop at a high clearing, pausing to catch our breaths. Miguel gestures downwards with his hand. “Look.”Running down the center of the woodland is a long, winding river. Water would normally flow through it uninterrupted, but now there are hundreds of Lenga tree trunks lying around and on top of the river like broken toothpicks, causing the river flow to branch into several streams. Tightly packed piles of dirt, sticks, and rocks emerge from the streams to form a great wall, as wide as the river’s diameter. “That,” Miguel says, “is a beaver dam.” I inch closer to the dam, marveling at the
way the beavers place sticks just so to prevent unwanted leaks, the dirt molded around them to prevent them from falling away. Despite its impressive design, this dam would look puny compared to what I would see next.
Lot 10 used to feature an active river, yet all I see is broken up isolated ponds and trickling streams. The mountain La Cura looms in the background, shadowing Lot 10 with apocalyptic overtones.
A few days later, Miguel drives us to a site called Lot 10. The minute I step out of the truck, the air seems to stand still as I take in the massacre before me. Scrawny trees, devoid of all their leaves, desperately stretch their few remaining branches to the sky as if crying for help, many of them with trunks bearing the telltale scars of square-shaped beaver teeth. Many trees have already fallen, most of them broken into pieces and molded into the sprawling dams snaking around the quarter mile Lot 10 area. Like other dam sites,
This is just one of many sites in Karukinka Park that the park rangers are working on “de-activating”—trapping and killing as many of the beavers in a dam area as possible so that the dams are no longer active. Destroying or damaging the dams do no good, the rangers tell me, because within hours or days the beavers will have fixed the damage. In addition, the beavers are incredibly intelligent, having outsmarted the traps laid out for them on more than one occasion.
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For the rest of my time in Karukinka I scout out more dam sites with the rangers, noting the dams’ architecture as well as looking for signs of activity. Because I came in the middle of winter, the beavers are in hibernation, so I am unable to accompany the rangers trapping them. However, the park has recently acquired a grant from the Chilean government for higher scale trapping of the beavers, which will be going into effect in early 2018. I plan to return to Karukinka Park during college breaks to take a more active role in fighting against the spread of the Patagonian beaver population. The ecosystem will need all the help it can get.
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CASTLES, KILTS, AND NOVELLAS
“I was in a classroom learning from professors from France, England, Scotland and Wales”
STUDYING WORLD LITERATURE AT UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND
BY AIMEE WIENCEK
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Downtown St. Andrew's
looked out of the window of the plane and stared down. The trees looked like broccoli on top of the vast green landscape. My heart was pounding as we began to descend for landing. I was terrified. Successfully, I got off of the plane after landing and entered the small airport of Glasgow, Scotland. I was greeted by two college kids who took me to the car that would bring me to the University of St. Andrews. As I got in the mid-sized van, I was realizing the reality of the situation:. I was alone, on my own in a country I had never been to before.
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Scottish accent. But, since I was nervous, I was thankful for his babbling. I looked out the car window. It was only 7 a.m. here and I was absolutely exhausted from the flight. I noticed the bright greenery around me, dotted with sheep being herded by shepherds and their dogs. With the lull of my driver’s voice and the dizzying brightness pouring through the windows, I began to drift off into a deep sleep.
Before I knew it, I was in a classroom learning from professors from France, England, Scotland, and Wales. The collection of books we read were from around the My driver introduced himself and, as we world. We read the collected short stories of started driving, he began listing facts about Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia), Women Scotland. Half of the time I could barely without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur (Iran), make out what he was saying due to his thick Adaab by Samaresh Basu (Bengali), Heart 11
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of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov (Russia), and Clash of a Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous (Italy). Each book opened my eyes to an inviting story and a new culture. The stories jumped off the pages in our daily seminars and lectures. My classmates and I would discuss our different interpretations of the books during the seminars. Our professors would connect our readings to bigger pictures through the lectures, connections that included music, crime fiction, and even Harry Potter.Yet we always brought our stories back to our program’s main focus: ethics. Our travel was not limited to that of the literary kind. Each week I was immersed in Scottish culture. Adventures ranged from Ceilidh dancing with a traditional Scottish band, exploring the castle at Sterling, spending the day in the city of Edinburgh, hiking the Fife Coastal Path, visiting deer at the local Scottish Deere Farm, touring the rumored home of Macbeth at Glamis Castle, and, of course, playing a round at the famous St. Andrews Golf Course. Each day brought
new adventures and new experiences that helped me grow as a person through means of challenging myself and taking risks. And to make it even better, I spent these three weeks with amazing new friends. We laughed and shared stories over meals, trips to downtown St. Andrews, and stayed up late past lights out watching movies. The friends I made at St. Andrews are ones that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Before I knew it, my three weeks were up. There I was standing outside the dorm waving goodbye to my two new best friends, fighting the rush of my tears that began pouring down my face. The day was gloomy, but also a perfect depiction of the emotions we teens were feeling at that moment. I went back inside, once again alone, the same way I started the trip. My memories flooded back to the start of my journey, but things had changed. I am stronger, wiser, and more self-confident. In that moment, in between my happiness and sadness, I heard my name being called for my car and I suddenly realized I had just experienced the best three weeks of my life.
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QUESTION E VERYTHING DISCOVERING TRUTH AND BEAUTY THROUGH NUMBER THEORY
BY BRIANA MACEDO
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y introduction to number theory was a film by Darren Aronofsky. Pi tells a story about a mathematician and his obsession with numbers. The film hinges on two seemingly irreconcilable themes: the irrationality of our humanity and the rigor of number theory. It’s a fascinating film, one that weaves together religion, economics and philosophy. My first book on number theory was on Goldbach’s Conjecture, which, despite modern computers and algorithms, remains unsolved (and may never be, according to Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem). Next I read about the Riemann Hypothesis. By the time I got to Euler, I was hooked. I craved more, and the Summer Signature Experience program allowed me to alleviate that hunger. Through extensive research, I found a wonderful summer camp centered on Number Theory, one of Euler’s greatest loves. I was ecstatic to apply.
“I wanted to experience those eureka moments that can only come from struggling with a problem that fights back” I downloaded the questions for the PROMYS application, and my initial reaction was shock. The problems were unlike anything I had seen before. At first
glance, I didn’t think I would be successful. But strangely, as I spent time working on the problem set, it started to take on a life of its own. I found myself thinking about the problem set when I was walking around Peddie. Then I found myself thinking about the problems in between classes, at the gym, during robotics, at dinner. It took me hours, not only to complete the problem set itself, but to research the problem solving involved in this kind of math. Finally, I was ready to submit my application, and my wonderful teacher, Dr. Caglieris, wrote me a splendid recommendation for which I was, and still am, very grateful. When my acceptance came, I was absolutely delighted. My math background was strong, but number theory has confounded the greatest minds to ever walk the planet. Euler, Gauss and Galois all struggled with number theory. Nevertheless, I wanted the kind of mathematical insight that can only be found at PROMYS; I wanted to experience those eureka moments that can only come from struggling with a problem that fights back, pushing against a solution with a nearly immovable force. Number theory is like surfing the most massive waves in the ocean: it is intimidating, thrilling, frustrating, and, dare I say, sometimes even a little dangerous; you risk falling into an intellectual tsunami of obsession. Although I was aware that this task would not be easy before my summer
Friends and classmates at the University Above: Sign found in one of the MIT dorms
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began, I could not even begin to imagine my future mathematical endeavours at PROMYS. For four hours on my way to Boston with my mother, I was jittery with excitement. I was going somewhere new and exciting. When I finally arrived, I was blown away by the amazing city. Immediately, I met tons of new people, including my counselor for the summer, Samira, from Cambridge University. We got straight to business, receiving our first problem set. We started at the very beginning; nothing could be assumed. Ideas we often take for granted, such as unique prime factorization, were rigorously proven in the first two weeks. Every lemma needed to be proven before we could move on. At first, it was tedious, but eventually, I learned to appreciate it; my friends and I got to the point of questioning all assumptions, feeling uncomfortable without proofs or explanations for even basic ideas.
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We quickly progressed into new and fascinating realms of number theory; the problem set began to verge off into several different paths, all equally fascinating. Seemingly unrelated problems surprised us by becoming neatly interwoven. There were problems involving modular arithmetic, continued fractions, Fermat’s Little Theorem, the Chinese Remainder Theorem, and (my favorite) quadratic reciprocity. The problem sets encouraged us to design our own numerical experiments and to employ various powers of analysis to discover mathematical patterns. We formulated and tested conjectures and justified our ideas by devising mathematical proofs. We learned an important, common trend: the simplest conjectures required the deepest proofs, the most challenging to see without extensive time and experimentation. Patience and diligence were key. For the next several weeks, I was in a plane of existence different both
from that which I'm accustomed to and from that of the people surrounding me. Naturally it's difficult to describe such an experience in words, and all the more so retrospectively. It was a state of great intellectual focus and tranquility. I was filled with a sense of limitless possibility, as I learned how to harness frustration into something more useful. I was able to wrestle with the mathematical problems without growing discouraged. I gained tremendous mathematical insight and evolved intellectually. However, PROMYS not only realized my love for mathematics, it gave me a community; the friends I made at the camp will last forever. Our shared love of learning, our passion for mathematics and our unparalleled curiosity bonded us. To procrastinate, we would read math books, discuss the philosophical or learn each other’s first languages. Everyday, I learned-not only from the problem sets, but from my peers. On the rare occasion that we weren’t face-planted in our notebooks with our problem sets, we would adventure together on unforgettable journeys in Boston (which is now one of my favorite places on Earth). We embarked on treks through college campuses, rowed kayaks across the Charles, and toured shops on Newbury. The places to eat were endless-- from Thai to Greek to Italian, I was more than satisfied. Still, as fun as these strolls were, they always came back to math, and we loved it. It would have been a much more difficult and less exciting experience without their company. This was a key element of PROMYS that differed from other math camps: its value in community and collaboration.
The Boston skyline
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A"Table of Contents" from a PROMYS Lemma book
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“ We started at the very beginning: nothing could be assumed" The PROMYS program provided an environment that aroused my curiosity and encouraged a deep personal involvement with the creative and collaborative elements of mathematics and science. We were encouraged to work together and to bond with others over our passion for the subject. Peddie was instrumental both in giving me the mathematical foundation that I needed to build upon in order to maximize my PROMYS experience, but also for emphasizing this value of community. For that I am grateful. I especially want to acknowledge the incredible professors at Peddie who pushed me intellectually and helped me develop the discipline to handle the rigor of PROMYS. I especially want to thank Dr. Caglieris, Mr. Corica, Mr. Clements and Mr. Bennett for their unwavering support in my dream to attend this program; it was life-changing.
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HOPE ON HORSEBACK BY YOYO WANG
EXPLORING THE EFECTS OF HIPPOTHERAPY IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY
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Yoyo working at the Therapeutic Riding Center with one of the children
rowing up, my caring nature had always led me to various volunteering experiences, and childcare has always been the area I am most interested in. This past summer, I volunteered at the Therapeutic Riding Center in Taiwan, where I was introduced to hippotherapy, a form of therapy that uses horses to help children with disabilities or severe emotional stress improve their physical functions and self-esteem. The riding center was located in a remote rural area, but when I walked into the barn and smelled the hay and the horses, I immediately felt grounded and at ease.
Children at the center are recovering from brain injuries, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, and language disorders. During a typical 30-minute session, I would stride alongside the horse, securing on its back the child, whose body would otherwise slump over as they rode. The session also included entertaining activities such as tossing a ball or placing rings onto long rods and cones as the child rode; all the activities are designed to improve muscle control as well as aim and reach. “The kids don’t realize they are working hard on a horse,” said Lily, the director of the center and a physical therapist. “They never think it’s therapy. They simply think they are here for some fun every week!” April tended to pinch the volunteer when she was nervous, which was exactly what she Among all the children, I was most did. Despite her weak frame, the force of her impressed by April’s progress. She was a fourpinch brought me tremendous pain. Knowing year-old girl born with cerebral palsy and the removal of my hand could make April feel severely delayed in her speech development. insecure, I let her hold onto my hand despite The first time her mother lifted her onto the pain, but her tears did not stop flowing. Nelson, an enormous but gentle horse, April I felt as if the session had failed miserably, as uttered a scream that pierced through the she could not even make a full lap around the arena like a siren. Lily had warned me that arena. Afterwards, Lily gingerly took April in
her arms and laid her down on a padded mat. She then comforted April with soothing words, stretching and relaxing her body with classical music playing in the background. Within a few minutes, the sound of crying was replaced by April humming. I was amazed by Lily’s professionalism and realized that working with children with special needs required not only considerable patience and love, but also knowledge of child psychology.
hippotherapy. Spending the entire night reading the paper, I finally realized that the position was used to treat children with speech delays who couldn’t talk voluntarily. As the horse walked at an even pace, the child on the horseback could feel a steady oscillation coming from its tail to its neck, and the vibration of the oscillation would pulsate within the child’s chest, inducing the rider to produce sounds organically. “It’s like how cellos work!” I excitedly said to Lily.
During the fourth week, when April was getting ready for her session, I fit a riding helmet on her head and whispered into her ear, “I know you are scared, but you’ve got to trust me. I’ll always stay by your side.” When I led April to the mounting platform, she still seemed intimidated by Nelson. However, while I expected her to pinch my hand again, she only glanced at it and withdrew her fingers to avoid hurting me. After a few laps, April’s somber face began to light up. Lily then adjusted April’s position, putting her small body across Nelson to form a cross. To my surprise, April did not react negatively but remained relaxed with her chest pressed against Nelson’s backbone. I inquired with great interest about the significance of this arrangement, so Lily provided me with a research paper on
On my last day, while on Nelson, April bent down to pet him, and I was amazed by her transformation. I remember watching her crying with fear as she pinched me as hard as she could. I started out skeptical about how far she could go, but she did it! All of us were amazed at her progress and our accomplishment–it was such an inspiring experience. As her session came to a close, she flung her slender arms around my shoulders and smiled at me for the first time. April’s smile was pure sunshine. Here was a child who fell more than she walked, yet, through equine-assisted therapy, she had developed the core strength and balance to sit tall and proud on her horse. Before my departure, Lily allowed me to ride on Nelson. Sitting in the same position as April once did, I was moved as I reflected on how every child in the arena was able to let go of their daily struggles and let their bonds with the horses and one another create an environment where there is hope – a place where miracles could happen. Throughout my experience, I found that my talent in interacting with children with disabilities can help others embrace the value of every special needs child and enrich their lives. Furthermore, through further study of hippotherapy, I discovered the application of psychology in different fields. In the end, these experiences equipped me with both knowledge and insight for my future pursuit. Facing the luminous sunset, I propelled Nelson forward, and as he galloped across the land, I felt I was chasing my dream of improving these inspiring children’s lives.
Yoyo with friends from the Therapeutic Riding Center
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Confronting the Past, Presenting the Future INCREASING HEALTH
BY WINSTON YAU
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s I sat nervously in the common area, waiting for the “doctor” to arrive for the meeting, I began to survey the room. Around me were elderly Ghanaians waiting patiently for the elusive doctor to see them. In front of me the staff directed their attention towards me, wondering why the hell I was there. I tried to look as professional as possible to keep my cover as a university researcher intact, even though my true goal was to see if the herbal treatment for cancer offered by the “doctor," Dr. D, was a scam.
The doorbell rang as a mysterious man walked in. A short and pompous man, his eyes had a yellow color to them, indicating malnutrition during childhood. Having seen his frequent exposure and mentions of awards for “pioneering cancer care” in the local press, I immediately recognized him. I introduced myself as a college researcher looking to research cancer treatments options in West Africa, and he invited me along with an associate for an interview in his office. It quickly turned sour. As we sat down, he immediately demanded that he review my questions before answering them. He then falsely claimed that my questions had baseless assumptions. He 18
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became dodgy and suddenly claimed that his clinic did not treat prostate cancer with herbal treatment, even though my research showed he had won many awards for “revolutionizing prostate cancer treatment.” He grew increasingly hostile as he went on a furious tirade against me, even going so far as claiming that I was a spy for multinational pharmaceutical companies. With his erratic behavior worsening by the minute, I was somewhat relieved when he told me to get out. So, you may ask, how did I land myself in this situation?
modern medicine more accessible and affordable to people across Africa. I was embedded within a department led by a Peddie alumnus, Elsie Sowah ’12, who devised a payment plan to make cancer treatment affordable. I was intrigued by Ghanaians’ response to the increasing prevalence of cancer, so I set out to uncover the deep roots behind their suspicion towards life-saving modern medical technology. My interview with Dr. Dogbatsey was simply one of many of my fact-finding missions to better understand the local population’s affinity for traditional medicine. As I tirelessly went around Accra to different hospitals, treatment centers, NGOs, and
This past summer I worked with mPharma, a social startup aiming to make 19
Above: Far from tourisst attractions lies a beach near Osu Castle, previously the colonial seat of government
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people offering “special services” like Dr. D, the challenges always circled back to old ideas, religious misunderstandings and superstitions. For several days after my meeting with Dr. D, I buried my head into the work of finding modern solutions to help tackle old ideas. With the insights gained throughout multiple rounds of interviews, meetings and visits, I began to find some solutions: Committing to community outreach at churches, creating dedicated staff to guide and support patients from the diagnosis to post treatment, and launching awareness projects about proper treatment, showing alignment between old and new.
Dr. D's office
It is difficult to describe how incredible this summer experience has been. As someone who is interested in studying African countries’ leapfrog into modernity, this glimpse into Ghana’s rapidly evolving medical realm was a great opportunity to prepare myself to engage this exciting opportunity with my entrepreneurial spirit in the future.
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f you exit the office of mPharma (where I worked) onto Park Street, then head out onto Bamboo Street, turn left, and continue onto Boundary Road, you will encounter some of the worst traffic in the entire world. Along the way, however, cars are not the only thing you see.
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Thinly clad, skinny, dirt-poor street children run around bare-footed, trying to navigate towards a car stuck in traffic. Once they locate their target, they bang on the windows, or they hop onto cars’ windows to clean them in hopes for some “gratitude” from the drivers. Most of them are turned away. Dazed and tired from these constant failures, they walk dispiritedly back to the roadside aluminum sheds where they will spend the night and repeat their efforts the next day. These children are forever stuck on this narrow path for survival, with no visible light at the end of the tunnel. Yet while these children are barely
"KNOWLEDGE CAN ONLY BE GAINED THROUGH EXPERIENCES [ ] OUR COMFORT ZONES"
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surviving in one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, several of my local teenage friends (one a Ghanaian/American, and the other a Lebanese born and raised there) lived in massive mansions that spanned several thousand square feet, with luxurious décor and the latest technology. These houses are becoming increasingly common around Accra, as its emerging economy starts to bear fruit for the local population. As I travelled around Accra and other parts of Ghana, I realized that this symbol of wealth disparity would be one of the many contrasts that characterized my experience. The bumpy, uneven dirt roads denoting the poverty of the neighborhood connected to newly laid asphalt highways paid for by residents of wealthier neighborhoods. The people enjoying 10-course birthday feasts at expensive restaurants with chandeliers, while prostitutes roamed outside the entrances trying to woo wealthy guests in hopes of getting enough money for a meal. I slowly gained a new understanding The statue of Ghana's founding father, Kwame Nkumrah
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THE PUZZLE CHILDREN
of Ghana and Africa that could not be learned from the news. The biggest problem was not bringing Africans out of their “backwardness”; it was an economic and socially rooted one similar to Gilded Age in America: how do we make sure that the newly painted thin gold lining does not obscure people from the underlying social problems like persisting poverty?
LEARNING HOW STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND LEARNING DISABILITIES CAN THRIVE
But, thankfully, contrary to popular media portrayals, Africans are spearheading changes to better their own conditions. In Rwanda, for instance, people are using drones to pioneer a medical delivery system
With the invaluable insight gained through my travels in the country, I realized that knowledge can only be gained through experiences outside of our comfort zones. As much as the internet or articles I’ve read helped me become more knowledgeable in African affairs, these observations told the true story I could not have learned from behind a screen. And as cheesy as it may sound, the more I learned, the more I became aware of how much I did not know. I am more curious about Ghana and Africa now that ever. And my summer in Africa was just the beginning.
Treading the daunting canopy walk at the Kakum national park Above right: Fisherman ready for the day at sea near the inamous Cape Coast clave catle, where Ghanians were once tormented
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Samantha with students at Villa Maria
that will drastically improve access to medication for people in hard-to-reach villages. And back in Accra, there is an up-and-coming coding school open to locals in order for them to learn crucial technological skills; in fact, several of their graduates were working at my company during my time there. These signs signal a bright and hopeful future.
BY SAMANTHA SCOTT
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hy do they call you Reed if you can’t read? They should call you RE-tard!”
Picture a seven-year-old red haired boy hearing this on the playground of his elementary school from his peers in response to his obvious struggle to read. Because of this teasing, this little boy would sit in the classroom, petrified of getting called on by his teacher to read aloud and having no idea what to do. In this regard, he received no encouragement or support from his teachers; the principal of the school even told the boy’s parents that their son wouldn’t graduate from high school. This little boy, Reed, is my father. What he didn’t know then, but would find out just a few years later is that he has Dyslexia, a disorder that involves difficulty in learning and interpreting words, letters, and symbols. This discovery was made once it was apparent that my father would need help in the classroom that went beyond his public school’s capabilities. During his latter years of elementary school, he was fortunate enough to attend Villa Maria
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Students at Villa Maria working with playing cards
in Stamford, CT, a school that specializes in teaching children with learning disabilities grades K-8. Receiving special attention and help in an environment where he was surrounded by other children with similar needs, my father thrived at Villa Maria and credits his teachers for teaching him how to read, and for his academic success in later years of schooling. The bullying that he faced at his old school stopped once he entered Villa Maria’s warm and loving community, where he felt respected and cared for by his teachers and peers.
with Bill Bixby and Julie Andrews. In the video, my father wrote all of the letters of Although I knew my father attended the alphabet and numbers 1-10 backwards. It was a heart-warming video for both my Villa Maria, it wasn’t until the winter of father and I to watch because it was moving my junior year when I had really begun to see how far he's come. With this personal to learn about the school. In December of connection to the school with my father, and 2016, my father was in contact with one my interest in pursuing a career in helping of his old teachers (who is still involved at others, I got in contact with Sister Carol the school) and she was able to find a PBS special from 1976 that my father took part in Ann, my dad's old teacher that showed us before going to Villa Maria called the "Puzzle the "Puzzle Children" video. I told her about my interest in doing my Summer Signature Children," a documentary on dyslexia Experience at Villa Maria over the summer, and she invited my father and I to the school to get a better understanding of what I would be doing there. My tour of Villa Maria exemplified the warmth and care of the school, and I planned to come back in the first two weeks of June to help and observe the way in which children with learning disabilities and special needs are taught. My experience at Villa Maria was even more amazing than I thought it would be, and it included a whole other side to the experience beyond helping the children that I didn’t anticipate would impact me so greatly. Since the commute to Villa Maria was too far to travel there and back every single day, I stayed in an empty room in the convent attached to school with four Bernardine Franciscan Sisters: Carol Ann, Joanne Helen, Deb, and Phyllis. On the Sunday evening I arrived at the convent,
I watched From Prada to Nada with the Sisters in recliner chairs while eating microwavable dinners- definitely not what I imagined I'd be doing on the first night of my Summer Sig let alone ever in my life, but I am forever thankful for the time the Sisters spent with me, and the relationships I got to develop with these wonderful women. I spent every meal with them and occasionally attended daily mass with them, along with watching two more movies together: Woman in Gold and Just Go With It. They are some of the nicest and most
were spent with the 6/7 graders, then 1/3, 4/5 and the 8th graders. I loved working with all of the different age levels. Each student was unique and interesting in their own way, but I particularly loved working with the 6/7 group. This group had some more severe learning disabilities compared to those in other grade levels, but over the two weeks I got to spend with them, it was truly wonderful watching them grow and interact with one another. Their kindness and willingness to help one another was inspiring and beautiful to watch.
"I WATCHED FROM PRADA TO NADA WITH THE SISTERS IN RECLINER CHAIRS WILE EATING MICROWAVABLE DINNERS" compassionate women I have ever met, and it was wonderful to learn from them as I heard their stories and experiences as special ed teachers and nuns. But most of all, it was nice getting to know the Sisters as people and realizing they too are ordinary just like me. But when I wasn't with the Sisters, I was with the Villa Maria students during their school day from 8-3. Every morning I would stay with a teacher and observe the subject that they taught. The three different subjects taught at Villa Maria are math, reading, and writing & language. After observing the teacher's methods, I would go around and help the students when needed. Their daily class schedule consisted of three periods in the morning, and students with similar needs would have classes together so that the teacher could move along at roughly the same pace for each class. In the afternoons, students participated in electives and social activities outside the classroom. Every three days I would switch which age group I worked with. My first few days
Overall, my summer signature experience at Villa Maria was amazing. Not only because I learned methods and strategies to teach children with learning disabilities and was given the opportunity to help children with the same struggles as my dad, but because of what the Villa Maria community was able to give to me. Between witnessing the kindness and hard work ethics of the Villa Maria students, and being taken in for two weeks by the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, I gained more from this experience than I ever thought I would.
Samantha and her father with Sister Carol Ann
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his Summer's Work:
Building a drone company from the ground up
Looking South along the Snady Hook coastline
Cinematic Drones
I knew, from speaking with my father, that the company needed to have a website, and it needed publicity and marketing. I began compiling all of the (usable) footage and images we had taken over the years and putting them onto a hard drive, so that all of our information could be in one place. I also spent some time cutting the videos and editing the images to perfect them. With both of my parents, who have experience as producers, we worked on
company: Cinematic Drones. I spent about a week sketching ideas for a personalized logo, with the help of an artistic friend. Using the money I made from a part-time job, I got business cards made. Then, we got to work uploading videos and images to Wordpress, and filling the first draft of the website with information. I used social media as free advertising, making a Facebook and Instagram account for Cinematic Drones. I soon began to reach out to local real estate agents and other venues to share information about the company. One of the more
BY JESSE WALLACE
T
he Beginning:
more substantial - at this point, it didn’t even have a name!
Peddie’s Summer Signature Experience helped me make one of my long-time hobbies into a real-life company. My Sophomore and Junior years at Peddie, I used to come home most weekends to fly my drone. Friends and family often asked me to shoot video or take pictures for various reasons, and I soon found myself doing a lot of real estate work. These projects were relatively informal, but because of my busy life at Peddie, I could not find the time to expand the company. While sticking to small projects for family friends and practicing on the weekends did make me happy, I always told myself that I would get around to making the company
Above: Drone shots looking out from Sandy Hook Beach
The summer of my Sophomore year, I studied relentlessly for the FAA Drone Pilot’s Test. I took online courses, watched videos, and made flashcards in order to prepare for the test, which I took at the end of my Sophomore summer. After memorizing a plethora of cloud variations, wind current vocabulary, and information about when it is safe to fly, I took the test and passed. I am now the youngest FAA Certified Drone Pilot in the country, and this means I can fly drones commercially. "I AM NOW
THE YOUNGEST FAA CERTIFIED DRONE PILOT IN THE COUNTRY" 26
putting together advertising information and making package options for future clients. For the website, my father and I spent a few days buying a URL and setting up the WordPress domain so that we could log on and off whenever we wanted. I picked a general theme, called Universe, to help guide me in building my first website. I spent a big chunk of the summer learning Wordpress, the tool we used(and are still using) to put the website together. After some brainstorming, my father and I thought of a name for the
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challenging tasks I had was to make an email template to send to potential clients. I leaned on my experience reaching out to corporate employees with the Finance sub team of the Peddie Robotics Team. I worked with what I knew about writing to corporate sponsors to advertise to them effectively. Although I have finally made a business plan, an email template to send to potential clients, and a website, Cinematic Drones will always be a work in progress. Wordpress alone is a lot to learn, and I am
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still currently learning details of it. I am glad I got to take the time to set a real foundation for the company over the summer, because now improving on it will be much easier.
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about and the next part focuses on a mother and son whom the charity helped aid. We focused on the second part: My father and I met the two at a botanical garden in the area, and we filmed them walking around together
"THE VIDEO HELPED RAISE OVER $300,000 TO HELP THE CAUSE"
A
Highlight:
One of my favorite projects was a shoot that my father and I did for a local charity called 180: Turning Lives Around. It was founded with the mission of aiding victims of domestic violence, and we were tasked with getting footage for an upcoming event that they were hosting. We helped film an informative narrative: The beginning describes what the charity is
SILENT ASSASINS
with the drone. Sadly, the banquet in which the video was shown was on the Sunday before my one of my winter exams, so I could not attend. My father went, and he said our aerial clips impressed the audience! The organization later informed us that the video helped raise over $300,000 to help the cause, which means a lot to me. I am grateful that I had the chance to help others.
INVESTIGATING HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS OF TOBACCO FARMING IN SOUTHERN INDIA
BY ASHWIN AMARDEEP
“W
ell done, extra cheese, pickles, lettuce, and some onions,� had to be the thought of the ravenous mosquitoes who looked at me like juicy hamburger. Peering out the open car windows, flourishing emerald leaves caught my eye as they danced in the breeze. My outlandish Ray-Bans suddenly felt ridiculous as I passed a trio of oxen being led by a shoeless man. With the sweltering Indian sun hanging over me, my mind drifted to the homely scent of the Jersey shore.
A mansion along Sandy Hook beach at sunset
downfall of this once prosperous agrarian town. Researching further, I found that not only do these issues go unnoticed, but there has been a devastating spike in suicide rates amongst farmers in recent years. As an itch developed to shine a light on this matter, this summer I set up a grassroots project to further investigate the plight of tobacco farmers; however, the buzz for my project soon started to dissipate when I was struck by the language barrier. Who I am has always sprouted from my voice, and from an early age I learned the things I say can be used as a valuable tool. As my actions have continuously been instigated by my voice, my voice has provided me with confidence,which I wore like a cape. However, as my voice became foreign to the locals of Mysore, I was stripped of my cape, and my confidence in my project soon began to wilt.
The seed to have come here was planted years prior when a family trip followed the roots of my great-grandmother to the modest agricultural town of Mysore in southern India. Upon exploring Mysore, I came across the harsh conditions tobacco harvester faced: lack of education and climate change have contributed to the Above: Muthu explains concerns he has for his children as a result of growing tobacco
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movement of his dancing fingers from the sky ended in a closed palm revealing the lack of rain in recent years, while his deep howling and frantic arm motions indicated the wildfires carrying on for acres destroying crops. As he pointed to his neck, making visible the discoloration of his skin from deadly pesticides, his powerful cry for help grew into the foundation of my project. With my project once doubtful, I knew if the world could see the genuine concern Muthu had for his family, my project would carry more weight. This is where I decided to create a documentary, encapsulating the compelling story of Muthu and is concerns for his children.
Having to do a charades act just to find the bathroom made me sheepish.
As my initiative raised awareness on the plight of tobacco farming, it revealed that these farmers typically not only become engulfed in debt when the annual tobacco yield is too low, but also face extreme discrimination from being at the bottom of India’s caste system. As the immigrant-heavy pocket of New Jersey I grew up in proved to be the crossroads of cultures, I have recognized that people are much more connected than different. Though I once struggled to find my voice, I realized that my voice can only be truly confident when it stems from those who oppressed and unheard in this world.
Determined to break the language barrier and vindicate my project, I was whipped in the face with the sharp scent of raw tobacco. As the car door was drawn open, an elderly man with chestnut colored skin gleaming in the sunlight welcomed me with his warm few teeth smile. Muthu, as I learned was his name, was willing to piece together the scene of growing tobacco in Mysore for him and other farmers. With the little English he knew, his gestures spoke a tirade. The swift
For online readers: Click to play Ashwin's documentary Above: Interviewing a local religious head about the devastation of tobacco farming
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Acknowledgements Ashwin Amardeep: I would like to thank my dad, mom, sister, grandmother, and the rest of my family who continuously encourage my passions and service to others. I would also like to thank Ms.Nair and Mr.Vasanth Kumar who made my project possible with their contacts. I would also like to thank Mr. Bennett for giving me the opportunity to be alongside such diverse Summer Sig projects. Lastly, I would like to thank Mr. Clements who first sparked my curiosity to go on this journey. Briana Macedo: Thanks to Peddie for giving me the mathematical foundation that I needed to build upon in order to maximize my PROMYS experience, but also for emphasizing this value of community. I especially want to acknowledge the incredible professors at Peddie who pushed me intellectually and helped me develop the discipline to handle the rigor of PROMYS, Dr. Caglieris, Mr. Corica, Mr. Clements, Mr. Bennett, and my parents for their unwavering support in my dream to attend this program; it was life-changing. Lucia Middleton: To my dad: thank you for accompanying me to the end of the world--there's no one else I would want as a travel companion. (I guess all those times you made me walk around in the cold paid off!) To Miguel, Jorge, and Danilo: Thank you for opening up your home to us and treating us as a part of the team. I learned so much from you and I can't wait to come back. I hope to someday be as knowledgeable about nature as you are. Samantha Scott: I’d like to thank my family for their support and encouragement throughout my entire Summer Signature Experience, as well as Mr. Clements and Mr. Bennett, who helped me to plan and reflect this journey. And most importantly, I would like to thank the faculty of Villa Maria for granting me the opportunity to work with their amazing students, and to the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters for housing me for two weeks. Jesse Wallace: Thank you to Mr. Clements and Mr. Bennett for giving me the opportunity to complete this once in a lifetime project. I would also like to thank my dad and the rest of my family, who have supported me from the beginning. Yoyo Wang: I would like to thank PJC, my parents, and every staff member and child in the Therapeutic Center of Taiwan for helping me complete my Summer Signature Project. Aimee Wiencek: I would like to thank Mr. Clements for helping me make make this once in a lifetime exerience happen, as well as for supporting me throughout the entire process. I would also like to thank everyone at the University of St. Andrews for an unforgettable three weeks! Winston Yau: I would like to extend my gratitude to those who helped make it happen: Sangu Delle '06, Elsie Sowah '12, George Keese, Efua Edusei, Gregory Rockson, PJC, Mr. Bennett, and my mother.
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