Center for the Arts and Humanities

Kaitlin Webster ‘25 (Neuroscience and Women’s and Gender Studies), “A Black Feminist Investigation of Fashion” (Advisor: Melissa Brown, Communications)

Social media has had a profound impact on daily life, but existing research on social media has not focused on young women of color's roles in shaping culture online. Kaitlin's project uses Black feminist frameworks and qualitative methods to investigate one aspect of culture we embody online and offline: fashion. As a signifier of cultural affiliation and expression, fashion and beauty niches present an exciting model of the generation and documentation of women of color's representation online.

Lauren Grover ‘25 (Studio Art and Marketing), "Hidden Treasures in Silicon Valley" (Advisor: Ryan Carrington, Art and Art History)

Lauren will be painting a series of 10 to 15 paintings highlighting the joys of the human experience and the commonalities we share in places we treasure. Her goal is to remind herself and others that we all have a common goal to find fulfillment, happiness, and community. Using mixed media with watercolor as a base, the paintings will consist of architectural, natural, suburban, and populated landscapes. These locations hold significance to the people of Silicon Valley, and she aims to capture the happiness associated with them and unify people with her paintings. To learn more about her work click here. 

Nathaniel Hirschtick ‘24  (Computer Science; Creative Writing Minor), "Poetry as Presence; Mindfulness Through Haiku" (Advisor: Daniel Summerhill)

Nathaniel will compile a manuscript utilizing a variety of poetry forms to capture the essence of mindfulness, exploring the meditative world of haiku. Titled "Poetry as Presence," this project seeks to delve deep into the practice of haiku as a form of mindful reflection and artistic expression. Nathaniel will craft a collection of insightful poetry centered around showcasing a complete view of the themes of mindfulness and presence that can be shown in haiku alone.

Katherine Ioffe ‘26 (Communication and Computer Science), “Beyond the Interface: An Ongoing Exploration of Design and Interaction” (Advisor: Heather Turner)

Katherine’s research project will focus on creating a user interface and experience that increases the ease of user education, experience, and learning. Each learning experience will be adaptive to each user, through a system of “Personalized Adaptive Learning”, or “PAL”. Specifically, this User Experience project will help teach the user to create a beverage through a series of steps and experiences.

Isabella Perlman ‘25 (Psychology; Italian, Spanish, and Retail Studies Minors), “Scrivere il Gusto: Cooking with Cura Personalis and Hand-Crafting Your Culinary Narrative in a World of Prefabricated Palates” (Advisors: Marie Bertola, Italian; Tim Urdan, Psychology; Melissa Donegan, English; Qiuwen Li, Graphic Design)

At the core of Isabella’s project, she will examine the difference between marketing faux “artisanal” food products labeled "Made in Italy," and the real, hand-crafted artisanal foods (cucina artigianale), with generations of tradition and history behind them. Isabella will explore how psychological concepts like cognitive bias and mimetic desire can shape marketing strategies. She hopes to empower her readers to recognize these false claims and encourage them to question any clichés, stereotypes, and biases they might engender about the country's culinary culture. Isabella’s project will consist of both physical and online components. The physical component will be a multifaceted recipe book with compelling stories, psychological research, photographs and sketches, and engaging activities. The other aspect will consist of a virtual exhibit, and an interactive version of the paper book. If time and resources allow, Isabella will also include an event aspect (for example, a book-release event or Q&A). By sharing these discoveries with her readers, she hopes to shift their mindsets on their purchasing decisions, eating practices, and the healing value of authentic (Italian) cooking. This all contributes to her overall effort to creatively and uniquely bring the text to life while breathing life into the text.

Samuel Cao ‘25 (History, English, and Religious Studies), “The Chualar Accident and Preceding Tragedies: Categorizing Bracero Worker Injuries in California and the Legislative Response” (Advisors: Mateo Carrillo & Meg Gudgeirsson, History)

Sam’s project delves into California's investment, employment practices, and legal representation of Braceros during the Bracero Program's tenure. With a primary focus on the Chualar Tragedy, the event that precipitated the national Bracero Program's abolition, this study unravels the layers of legal representation and classification of Bracero injuries. It examines how injuries were categorized overall, the similarities and potential preventions of other tragedies during the program, and interrogates the reactive nature of California's legislative decision-making. Alongside the legislative perspective, the cultural upheaval that often accompanied Bracero's injuries will help situate the identities and rights Bracero and the “wetbacks” had during this time in greater American history.