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Project Summary

For my capstone project, I aimed to combine my two interests/strengths: STEM and music. My first idea was a tuning tool, but it proved too difficult of a product to make unique. The second option, which I have now committed to, is an LED circuit featuring a Piezo Vibration Sensor that lights up when I play my instrument: The violin. Taking up the capstone project certainly was not easy. In the winter term, I opted to join the capstone project, knowing that I had a multitude of other academia waiting in the junior year. It would be unfair to call this decision an act of confidence in ability, because I knew that if I could complete it with relative success, it could stand out on my college application. By the spring trimester, despite the fact that I had completed my prototype and had achieved fair progress towards the end goal, the burden of work afflicted me intensely. By April, the stresses of standardized testing and the start of the Tennis season gripped me. The goal now is to
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What do you hope to deliver on the final deadline?

The end of the school year is always a stressful but blissful moment. The burdens of testing lessened by the imminent reward of vacation. As for my project, I have not been able to devote significant time to tinkering and fine-tuning. Standardized testing coupled with athletics and music really do weigh me down for time. Although progress has slowed, I am still committed to my goal. By May 20th, I hope to be able to present a finished and working device; fully welded and polished product with no exposed wiring.
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Which 21st Century skills that are part of Capstone do you think is your weakest?

Creativity:  During the early stages of planning, before I had conceived a suitable idea, creativity really seemed like an issue. However, enough stress has pushed me to form my idea, and thus I no longer see creativity as an issue. Managing ambiguity:  Settling and pinning down on a decision has always been a struggle. Many parts of the project have left ambiguous futures that will need to be dealt with. But again, with the push of stress and deadline, I feel that I can 'force' myself to 'do'.  Planning/time management:  Time management is the bane of most teenagers. In the process of maturing, planning and effectively using time is a requisite-level skill that one cannot dismiss entering adulthood. This has historically been my downfall, as work all the way 'til middle school necessitated so little of my time that I had never needed supervision or habit reinforcements. Now in the latter stages of high-school, with a mountain of work ever increasing, time manag
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What progress did you make on your project over spring break?

  Over spring break, I managed to shift my focus and settle on a concept which satisfied both my personal criteria and the 'rules' laid out previously. I knew that I wanted to apply some of the things I've learned in the class room and integrate it with a hobby.   The prototype of the project is complete, and over the next few weeks coming into deadline will be refinement and perfecting the vision set upon.
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What are your plans for working on your Capstone during Spring Break?

Spring-break is a busier time than the regular academic rotation, particularly during the Junior year. Obligations and ambitions compound exponentially as the college application process enters full swing. Kids often have college visits and other activities scheduled alongside their downtime, and this felt true to me. Over the three-and-a-half week vacation, I set out to create a prototype of my new idea: an LED strip that increases in luminosity with violin playing. The biggest struggle I had was not the logistics and mechanisms behind the design, but rather the commitment and resource prerequisites. Just because I knew how a circuit and its components worked does not equate to me understanding how to construct one. Finding and locating each individual part that I needed, as well as finding the tools needed (Solder, breadboards, etc...) proved to be a significant challenge. More than 10 hours were spent simply looking at components and comparing prices. Now with the parts and materia
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Explain how/why you think you’ve grown in terms of the 21st Century skills that colleges and employers say are necessary

As I continue to progress, the purpose in personal growth of committing to a capstone project has become more apparent, in contrast to the view that the end product was truly the end product. My capstone project began on a concept of a tuner, a device which varied countless and has had centuries of perfection. In order to create a unique product which fulfilled the criteria, I was forced to innovate and incorporate new elements. Another skill for which I've developed is planning. For most independent projects, setting aside a plan to execute is critical before actual work can go in. When one goes shopping for materials, it would be unfortunate to have to make multiple trips due to insufficient materials, but also to have spent way too much extra. Carefully planning out what the design will require is definitely the strategy to take.
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Is your Capstone project helping you think about your future?

  So far, my Capstone Project has taught me many quintessential lessons and struck me with difficult questions. On one-side, the case of an independent workload forces you to take responsibility in time management and diligence. But the application of a subject of interest in the real world may reveal to you of challenges and questions previously unseen. Is this really the path of career I want to choose? Is this process really the 'right one'? Doing this Capstone has opened my eyes to the previously tossed-aside possibilities. I was so committed to maths and physics due to various influences, that I never bothered with the humanities and social sciences.   While this realization is scary, it is also an opportunity. Through this project I may be able to identify myself in the way that I can faithfully commit to STEM major in college and career. Or it would allow me to find my way in other fields that suit me better.
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