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Chalotte Blasi ’26 and Professor of Mathematics Chris Towse

By Caitlin Antonios听听

• Scripps students showcased months of independent research and interdisciplinary collaboration during Capstone Day, presenting senior theses that reflected the skills and passions they developed throughout college.
• Several projects tackled meaningful social and cultural issues across disciplines, including math, psychology, art, and more.
• Faculty praised the confidence and growth of student researchers, with Capstone Day continuing to serve as one of the college鈥檚 most celebrated academic traditions.

After months of sleepless nights and eye-straining research, Scripps graduates celebrated the culmination of their senior theses with staff, faculty, and peers at Capstone Day.听听

At Scripps, every student must complete a thesis prior to graduation.听Working closely with two faculty advisors, students often begin working on their project in their junior year or even earlier. The process varies by major but requires rigorous independent research and collaboration that leads to a听substantial听written, creative, or scientific project that听demonstrates听the skills students developed throughout college.

Interdisciplinary work on display听

Charlotte Blasi 鈥�26, a dual math and French major, constructed her thesis by drawing on her favorite components of each subject. Her thesis, 鈥淢odeling French Language Preservation: An Example of Optimal Control Strategy,鈥� examined听the global spread of the French language through media efforts, the nation鈥檚 imperialist history, and a model for language preservation.听听

While French is not currently an endangered language, UNESCO cites 2,500 languages as 鈥渧ulnerable.鈥� Blasi says her model can be more听broadly applied听to protect threatened tongues from disappearing.听听

鈥�I loved using this research to construct my own mathematical model, building upon concepts I鈥檇 learned in my math classes,鈥� Blasi says. 鈥�We have the resources to preserve these endangered languages, we just have to think more deeply about the framework.鈥澨�听

Hannah McKie 鈥�26

Filling in the gaps听

For some students, their research is deeply personal. Hannah McKie 鈥�26, a psychology major with a minor in music and Africana studies, focused on the role gendered racial identity plays in the 鈥渁ngry Black woman鈥� stereotype.听Her thesis aimed to address a gap in psychological research on Black women that she noticed during her time as an undergraduate鈥攚ork she plans to pursue beyond her time at Scripps.听听

鈥�Getting the opportunity to design and carry out research aimed at understanding and improving the lived experiences of Black women and other marginalized groups was incredibly meaningful for me,鈥� McKie says.听听

Kaya Rae Savelson 鈥�26, an art major who minored in German studies, also plans to continue their thesis project after they graduate. The project, 鈥淏ounds of Expression,鈥� examined gender and expression in a display at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery.听听

Part of the听piece hung from the ceiling, allowing the viewer to move around it to observe.听

鈥淚t鈥檚听fragmentation is a physical representation of gender constantly in flux,鈥� Savelson says.听听

Kaya Rae Savelson 鈥�26

While most students who present at Capstone Day are seniors, some students who double-major opt to complete at least one thesis their junior year.听听听

Han Na Shin 鈥�27, a physics and math double major, presented her math thesis as a junior during Capstone Day. She began her research as a sophomore, working with Professor Konrad Aguilar at Pomona College to look at the math structure of quantum physics, which she was drawn to because of her interest in condensed matter physics. She has interned somewhere different each summer, including with the Department of Natural Sciences of Pitzer and 糖心TVs, USC, and听CalTech, to further explore her interests within the field.听

Han Na Shin 鈥�27

鈥淚 found my passion for it by exposure to different things,鈥� Shin says. 鈥淪ometimes I hit a wall, but that鈥檚 okay because that still teaches me about what I don鈥檛 like.鈥澨�听

Jam-packed听with multiple presentation sessions per hour, Capstone Day continues to draw a crowd each year. It听remains听one of the most meaningful events for Scripps鈥� academic community.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazingly fun to see the wide variety of topics,鈥� Professor of Mathematics Chris Towse says. 鈥淚 had most of these students as first-years in calculus, and now听they鈥檙e听presenting on topics beyond my area of study and do so with confidence. My goal is for them to be听really proud听of their work and in five years say, 鈥業 can鈥檛 believe I did that.鈥欌��听