Seniors of the Edison High School STEM Academy took to the auditorium on May 2 to present their capstone projects, which they had been working on for over a year. Developing and proposing the idea a year earlier, these students continued to work in groups or pairs to create entirely new and innovative projects. With underclassmen, advisors, administrators, teachers and parents watching; they concluded their hard work with presentations that included the timeline, logistics, demonstrations, and real-world applications of their projects. They later continued to present their projects at the Capstone Expo in the Media Center.
The capstone project ended up being a useful learning experience for both students and viewers alike. Collaboration was key for each group of students, who spent months working together, to create something innovative.
“We learned how to collaborate as a team and come up with solutions to various obstacles that showed up,” said Stephen Hu ‘24.
There was also appreciation for the administrators, mentors, and teachers who played an important role in providing this opportunity and guiding the students.
“Making sure I communicated with Mr. Kerins and our mentors were critical in ensuring that our project went smoothly, and that we accurately hit project check deadlines,” said Madhav Mandala ‘24.
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Devam Mondal ’24 speaks about his Senior Capstone. Both parents and teachers attended to see each senior groups’ year-long work filled with experimentation, research, and development.
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Atharva Inamdar ’24 expands more on DataScribe, his Capstone project done with Devam Mondal ’24. Utilizing AI, the program is able to answer questions based on user-given datasets.
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(from left to right) Ishaan Shetty ’24, Vincent Liao ’24, and Symanatak Rout ’24 showcase their Capstone project titled “Navigate Mate.” The product was designed for visually-impaired individuals in the track sport hurdling.
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Ishaan Shetty ’24 demos the lane-departure warning system of Navigate Mate as Vincent Liao ’24 and Symanatak Rout ’24 observe. The project uses lidar sensors and TensorFlow to detect when an athlete should jump or when they begin deviating from their lane.
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Rhianna Bose ’24, in a project done with her sister Rithika Bose ’24, propose using Archetype to reduce overcrowding. The duo used data analysis and developed a 3D model of EHS that will be stored for future reference.
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Rithika Bose ’24 explains their Capstone project titled “Archetype.” Designed to reduce overcrowding, Archetype designs a personalized route for students to ensure they arrive to class on time.
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Mei Kim (at left) ’24 speaks alongside Ragamayi Puli ’24 to introduce BlotQuant, a quantification tool of Western Blots, an analytical technique commonly used in biology.
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Roneel Shah ’24 presents his Capstone project done with Madhav Mandala ’24. Titled “RiskEase,” the pair uses the tool to provide guidance in an ever-changing economy and stock market.
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Madhav Mandala ’24 expands on RiskEase and its capabilities. Using a questionnaire, the tool is able to analyze a client’s risk tolerance and generates suggestions on how their assets should be redistributed.
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Stephen Hu ’24, in a project with Parth Gundani ’24 and Ashutosh Behura ’24, introduces PyroBot, a fully-autonomous robot capable of extinguishing flames without firefighters entering homes.
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Parth Gundani ’24 and Ashutosh Behura ’24 explain PyroBot’s autonomous capabilities, featuring a neural network and sensors that allows the robot to fully extinguish fires on its own.
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In collaboration with Agastya Kalagarla ’24, Jeet Jagtap ’24 presents the Capstone project BuildIt, targetted at protecting wetlands using drone imagery and AI analysis.
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Sushanth Balaraman ’24 introduces the backend of the project, which uses Apple’s MapKit in order to generate the most efficient map routes. The program is designed to sync with daily attendance to minimize travel time and distance.
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Varsha Piskala Dinesh ’24, Ananya Pandey ’24, and Samarra Saravanan ’24 introduce The Eco Loop, a capstone project designed to reduce the amount of wastewater sent back to the environment.
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In collaboration with Agastya Kalagarla ’24, Jeet Jagtap ’24 presents the Capstone project BuildIt, targetted at protecting wetlands using drone imagery and AI analysis.
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Agastya Kalagarla ’24 expands on the technical specifications of BuildIt. Using an algorithm, drone imagery is able to be analyzed by AI and given a score determining the safety of development on given land to promote conscious building choices.
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During periods 11 and 12, Rithika Bose ’24 and Rhianna Bose ’24, present their project, Archetype, displaying a model of the Edison High School, to students part of the STEM Academy and other guests.
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Parth Gundami ’24, Ashutosh Behura ’24, and Stephen Hu ’24 present their capstone project, PyroBot, a robot intended to help firefighters by utilizing a neural network to navigate a maze and extinguish fires autonomously.
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Ragamayi Puli ’24 and Mei Kim ’24 display their project, “BLOTQUANT,” utilizing various tools in western blotting and gel electrophoresis, a topic covered in AP biology.
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Ishaan Shetty ’24, Vincent Liao ’24, and Symanatak Rout ’24, present their capstone project, “Navigate Mate,” intended to assist visually impaired athletes in the hurdling aspect of track and field.
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Roneel Shah ’24 and Madhav Mandala ’24 present their capstone project, “Risk Ease,” intended to assist investors in the stock market through a questionnaire.
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Varsha Piskala Dinesh ’24, Ananya Pandey ’24, and Samarra Saravanan ’24, present their project, “The Eco Loop” intended to benefit the environment and prevent excess wastewater.
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The presented projects included the following:
DataScribe:
Atharva Inamdar ‘24 and Devam Mondal ‘24 introduced their inventive chatbot program that automates data science and machine learning by taking in datasets and user questions in order to produce an intelligent answer based on industry standards. They foresee DataScribe enabling companies to use personalized large language models for better intake.
NavigateMate:
Ishaan Shetty ‘24, Syamantak Rout ‘24, and Vincent Liao ‘24 addressed the problem of hurdling for blind athletes by designing a navigation system that alerts the athlete of their proximity to a hurdle. Using Arduino, an open-source hardware and software provider, and a lidar sensor, they showcased a working demonstration of their project, which holds potential in increasing the inclusivity of sports.
Archetype:
Rithika Bose ‘24 and Rhianna Bose ‘24 designed and printed a three-dimensional model of Edison High School to scope out possible changes to address overcrowding problems. Created with TinkerCAD, data collection, and 3D printing, the model—which included many intricate details of the school—is intended to stay at EHS for future reference. Additionally, this project supported their idea of breaking up students into groups when creating schedules and assigning each a designated route to travel from class to class.
BlotQuant:
Mei Kim ‘24 and Ragamayi Puli ‘24 dedicated their capstone to creating an easier, more efficient, and more accessible way of analyzing and interpreting western blots, especially for younger researchers who don’t have access to the already sparse information and quantification sites. They programmed a website that allows users to upload an image to determine protein concentration.
RiskEase:
Roneel Shah ‘24 and Madhav Mandala ‘24 created a tool that relies on form response, backend data compilation, index processing, calculations, and email of financial asset distribution to give personalized guidance into investment.
PyroBot:
Parth Gundandi ‘24, Ashutosh Behura ‘24, and Stephen Hu ‘24 built a robot that can detect, navigate to, and put out fires. This robot is intended to help firefighters with their jobs and allow them to avoid dangerous and deadly situations as much as possible. They shared a demonstration in which the robot had to navigate through a windy maze in order to put out a candle at the very end.
School Bus Route Software:
Alvin Wu ‘24 and Sushanth Balaraman ‘24 programmed an application that generates the most efficient routes for school buses by compiling all the necessary stops for any respective bus riders. Going further, they expressed the potential of syncing the program to Genesis Parent Portal for student addresses. Their primary goal was to optimize school bus routes around daily attendance to minimize the currently long travel time and distance required for most commuters.
The Eco Loop:
For their capstone, Samarra Saravanan ‘24, Varsha Piskala Dinesh ‘24, and Ananya Pandey ‘24 focused on the environment, specifically the large amount of wastewater that is thrown back into the environment. By desalinating water through reverse osmosis membranes, they aimed to reduce waste production in the cleansing system. They developed an open-loop system wherein products from the desalination process power hydroponics. Due to its functionality, their model is kept at the school and is currently used to filter water for plants.
BuildIT:
Agastya Kalagarla ‘24 and Jeet Jagtap ‘24 aimed to help make premeditated building choices through their program by identifying areas that do or do not have potential for construction. They developed an artificial intelligence (AI) and drone imagery-based solution to detect regions of poor build capability in wetlands to help future developers. Furthermore, they tested their project with pictures of our very own EHS land and shared potential applications of this program on wetland ecosystems, wildlife conservation, and water pollution.
