Project by: Jane Olsen (12th Grade)
Project Advisor: Kara Luce
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Catherine Zhong

I’ve always been aware of the importance of vaccinations with my mom as a doctor, however, the recent politicization of the subject has drawn more attention to the topic in my mind. I was interested in learning more about the controversies surrounding vaccinations, how they began, and how misinformation was able to spread. Furthermore, while I have been somewhat aware of the politics surrounding vaccinations in recent years I also wanted to learn about the science behind how they work and why some diseases are not able to have vaccines. This also built on the work I was doing in my biochemistry class with Kara.

Over the course of this project, I learned a lot about how not only vaccines work but how the immune system works and how this relates to fundamental systems of cells work. This project provided me with a good foundation to continue the rest of my biochemistry science class. Now that I know more about the science behind vaccines, I will be better equipped to understand the politics and policy that I hear about in the news and in my daily life. I really enjoyed exploring the different perspectives on vaccines and I hope to continue this exploration as I go through life.

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PROJECT PROPOSAL

Critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and courage are essential LREI learning values. Explain how you’ll draw on at least one of these values to complete your proposed project?

Critical thinking will be a skill that is highlighted in this honors project because I will be examining the intersectionality of a topic and understanding how it affects not only me but the world around me.

What is your proposed outcome? How will you be able to demonstrate successful completion of this Project? How do you plan to share your learnings with the larger LREI community (e.g., exhibit of work, poster of learnings, performance, etc.)?

My proposed outcome is to have a poster of learnings with both the political/historical side to vaccines with also the science behind vaccinations.

Please provide a general outline that indicates your work plan for the trimester? What are some of the key project benchmarks (i.e., goals that will help to ensure that you finish the project)?

My plan is to begin with the political and historical side to vaccines. This gives me a background on how they have been important throughout history and the sentiment around them currently so I am properly informed when exploring the scientific side. Furthermore, it will be most beneficial to begin the scientific portion of my honors project after I have developed a deeper understanding of the biochemistry I am learning in class. This will allow me to do more advanced investigations of the material I will be working on.

When do you plan on meeting?
Monday X block

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