From the beginning of the school year, students in Independent Study and Mentorship have been gathering resources and information as well as interviewing professionals in order to help them prepare in showcasing their semester’s original work. 

“The ISM original work is essentially an end of the semester project in which we use all the information we gained throughout the research we have done so far through assessments and interviews,” senior Diya Mehta said. “We are supposed to spend about 12 hours on our work and have to informally present our research in class.”

Because of the flexibility and individual opportunities the project provides, each student is able to choose their own preferred method of presenting their research, depending on their area of study.

“This year for ISM my chosen career topic is global economics,” senior Riya Khosla said. “Although not exactly global, my original work is a research paper focusing on the economic effects of overturning Roe v. Wade as well as the social and political aspects and outcomes.”

For senior Visnu Vasudev, tying in business and economics to an area of scientific study is his topic of choice, allowing him to explore another type of platform other than a paper or brochure. 

“My topic is entrepreneurship as it relates to consumer electronics and biomedical sciences,” Vasudev said. “So, I am writing and filing a provisional patent application for my Original Work as knowledge of patenting is an important skill that one interested in my topic would want to learn about.”

By planning, creating, and finalizing his original work before the semester ends, Vasudev can begin thinking more about his objectives and goals for his final project next semester.

“Patents are an important area that I need to be aware of as I bring my company to the market,” Vasudev said. “In the second semester, I plan to focus more on product development and sales and marketing part, so the patent application I’m finishing up is laying the groundwork for that.”

Similarly, Khosla believes that her original work will provide her more insight in formulating a plan for her second big project. 

“My original work gives me a better idea of what specific aspects of global economics I want to continue focusing on this year in ISM,” Khosla said. “Either I can decide that I have researched enough about the interconnection of politics and economics and decide instead to look at the interconnection of philosophy or economics. Or, I could stumble onto an idea so fascinating that I decide to pursue it for my final product.”