Capstone Scholars 2024

5/17/2024

Nine members of the Class of 2024 completed and presented Capstone Projects. The program offers students the opportunity to explore an academic passion that goes above and beyond the courses normally offered at the Frist Campus. Following the investigation and approval process for a specific Capstone project, scholars continue with independent research or participation in internship programs, workshops, or seminars related to the topic of interest.

View the full presentations at the bottom of this page.

The following students presented in January:

Camilla Garza
Claire Gracey
Blythe Needham
Alara Weitkamp

The following students presented in May:

Alex Crews
Estelle Denker
Dean Goodman
Owen Jackoboice
Gennie Philpott

Alex Crews

Women Behind the Wheels: The Ever-Growing Role of Women in Motorsports

Through both research and photography, I aim to explore the increasing role of women in motorsports. I plan to incorporate research and interviews as well as action shots and portraits taken of women in their roles into a larger work that combines art and research, culminating in a book and an installation in the arts building. I plan to complete this project with the foundational guiding questions of: How has recent growth in media affected the role women play in motorsports? What problems do women face working in a male dominated industry such as this? What routes did prominent women in motorsports take to get where they are now? What is the outlook for women in motorsports?

Sponsor: JC Johnson

Foundational Coursework: Photo 1, 2, 3, 4 & English American Studies

Estelle Denker

Comparing the Protein Expression Between Fibroblast Sarcoma Cells and Normal Cells

My Capstone aims to compare select protein expression between mouse fibroblast sarcoma cells and normal cells. Building on a previous cell culture effort at Ensworth, I wanted to further this research by quantifying differences in cell cycle protein expressions between the two cultured cell lines. Mouse fibroblast cells will be cultured and sub-cultured in a sterile environment, proteins will be extracted, gels will differentiate protein products, and the results will be analyzed via western blotting.

The final products of my research will be presented in the form of an academic poster and at the formal Capstone presentation.

Sponsor: Christopher Thompson

Foundational Coursework: AP Biology, Biology Honors

Camilla Garza

Guerrera: The Story of Immigration through the Eyes of

Latin American Immigrants

As we walk through everyday life, we pass by people that come from millions of different backgrounds and have millions of different stories. Each one has an important message and each one can provide new perspectives and change one’s outlook on life. For this Capstone, I am exploring the experiences of Latin American immigrants to the U.S. through interviewing people from different countries, families, ages, genders, etc. to further educate people and break down cultural barriers. My main goal throughout this process is to learn, to empathize, and to give voice to just a small amount of people who each have their own story to tell through a documentary and presentation.

Sponsor: Sara Bostwick

Foundational Coursework: AP Spanish, Spanish 3 Honors, Spanish 2

Dean Goodman

Creating a Concept Album

A concept album is a cohesive musical work in which all songs revolve around a central theme and work together to tell a story. Over the course of this year, I will be creating one of my own, taking inspiration from artists like Pink Floyd, Muse, Steven Wilson, and Dream Theater. Throughout the first semester, I will be creating a story, writing lyrics and music, and making demos. In the second semester, I will start by finalizing arrangements, dialing in tones, and recording the bass, drums, rhythm guitars. Then, I will finalize melodies and solos, and record the vocals, synth, and lead guitar. Once everything is recorded, I will be mixing and mastering, then releasing!

Sponsor: Jim Aveni & Dina Marks

Foundational Coursework: AP Music Theory, Music 2, 3, 4, Fictional Worlds, Poetry

Claire Gracey

Analysis and Recommendations on U.S. Tariffs of Goods in Four Industry Sectors

Throughout the semester, I plan to analyze tariffs on U.S. imports within four sectors - the production inputs sector, agricultural sector products, transportation sector products, and consumer sector products. Through research of previous tariffs, analysis of domestic consumer and producer benefits of specific tariffs, and analysis of domestic consumer and producer costs of specific tariffs, I hope to gain a clear understanding of the significance of tariffs to a large population of consumers and producers and also determine what the best tariff is to place on goods within these sectors to maintain a balance between domestic production and consumer satisfaction. The final product of my research will be both a paper discussing my findings and a formal recommendation to the U.S. government covering what tariffs I believe to be most beneficial.

Sponsor: Danny Wright

Foundational Coursework: AP Economics, AP U.S. History, History World Studies

Owen Jackoboice

Study of Choral Composition and Arranging

The goal of this year-long Capstone is to go above and beyond the music curriculum offered at Ensworth in studying and applying various composers’ styles in choral music. I am spending the first semester conducting research into a wide range of composers in choral genres such as Gospel, Barbershop, Jazz Choir, and Contemporary A Capella. I will spend the second semester composing works aided by the composition techniques I learned from score analysis in the first semester. This Capstone will culminate with a final presentation and performance of my works on the Capstone Evening in May.

Sponsor: Elias Salazar

Foundational Coursework: AP Music Theory, Music 1, 2, 3, 4

Blythe Needham

The Evolvement and Impact of the Culture of Dance

My 16 years of dance has created a strong foundation of curiosity and respect for the dance world. In this Capstone, I plan to represent the dance community proudly. I am interviewing dancers, dance teachers, and choreographers around Nashville to get their take on dance. Secondly, I will be designing and hand making a custom costume to perform in for the two solos I am choreographing for myself. Finally, I am gathering my fellow dancers to choreograph the group dance they will perform as well. My goal is to leave the audience feeling inspired by the impact dance has on one’s soul, while also being more aware of the work ethic and life as a dancer.

Sponsor: Lindsay White

Foundational Coursework: Music Video Dance 1, 2

Gennie Philpott

Writing a Feature-Length Play

My English and acting classes at Ensworth have shaped my passions for creative writing and performance into a love of storytelling. Through stories, we can step into other lives, worlds, and times, experiencing something outside of our own perspective while discovering a truth about ourselves. I believe theatre as a storytelling artform can be a tool for empathy and unity, and I want to use that tool to articulate the beauty I find in the world around me. I will be drafting, revising, and staging an original play, in order to better understand the process a playwright goes through to create a piece of theatrical art.

Sponsor: David Berry

Foundational Coursework: Acting 1, 2, 3, Shakespeare, English World Studies, English American Studies

Alara Weitkamp

Testing the Effects of Heat Shock to Cardiomyocytes with and without the Hikeshi V54L Mutation

Often, doctors do not know whether death is caused by brain failure or heart failure.

To explore this question, I will expose pluripotent stem cell-derived heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) to heat shock stress to see how they respond. I will then compare that response to cardiomyocytes with the Hikeshi V54L mutation. The Hikeshi V54L mutation is associated with the absence of a nuclear heat shock protein (HSP70). HSP70 protects cells from stress-induced injury by inhibiting apoptosis (programmed cell death). The essential guiding question I will pursue is: Are cardiomyocytes with Hikeshi V54L mutation more susceptible to heat shock compared to cardiomyocytes without the Hikeshi V54L mutation. If they are more susceptible, death would be caused by heart failure. I plan to gather this data in a laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, working with Dr. Kevin Ess, MD, PhD.

Sponsor: Christopher Thompson

Foundational Coursework: AP Biology, Biology Honors