The BioScience Center of Excellence (COE) Senior Capstone was held on the Impact Wednesday, April 23. Senior Capstone Presentations are an annual tradition of Shattuck-St. Mary’s Academic Center of Excellence. This year, three seniors in the BioScience COE Justin Kim ‘25, Alice Moon ‘25 and Rayna Johnson ‘25 – had the privilege of presenting their individual research projects and accomplishments.
The BioScience Program challenges students to develop critical thinking, research skills and deep understanding of science and medicine. Justin Kim said, “The BioScience program was very helpful but also very rigorous. I learned about a wide array of topics related to science and medicine. Science itself is a very large field of study, so getting exposure to a large portion of science helped me figure out what interested me the most. It also helped me find connections between the disciplines of science and medicine. Doing independent research projects in BioScience was rigorous, especially senior year, but I think it will be a lot of help in college.” The BioScience program not only deepened his understanding in science and medicine but also strengthened his ability to think critically and independently. Kim reflected on his Senior Capstone project. He said, “The Senior Capstone presentation was rigorous but rewarding. It was the culmination of what I have been doing all year. From obtaining approval from the Ethics Review Board (ERB), to meeting with participants to do the study, to writing a research article, I had to condense an entire year worth of work into a 10 minute presentation. I had to practice a lot as I needed to give the presentation without a script. But ultimately, it was great that I could share my hard work with the SSM community.” Kim said that the BioScience program was rigorous, but rewarding, providing him with broad exposure to science and medicine, valuable research experiences, and skills that will benefit him in college. Kim said, “Overall, I learned a lot about myself and about science/medicine through BioScience. I think the skills that I learned in BioScience will give me an edge over other students in college.”
Participating in a long-term research project allows students to gain hands-on experiences and valuable life lessons. Alice Moon ‘25, shares, “This is my third year in the BioScience program. My project was figuring out if preceding precipitation events affect the amount of microplastics observed from the falling rain or snow samples. Most of the samples had no microplastics which did not support my hypothesis. However, I learned the lesson that science doesn’t always turn out to be perfect, and experimental results sometimes don’t match with what we expect.” Her experiences highlight the importance of perseverance and adaptability in scientific research.
Dr. Cook praised the student’s dedication and excellence, feeling proud of their final paper and accomplishments. Dr. Cook, Assistant Director of BioScience COE, said, “I am very proud of their presentations and the final papers. The presentations were excellent, showing demonstration and passion about the topic. It is evident how much they practiced and worked for the conclusion for several years.”
The 2025 BioScience COE Senior Capstone showcased the impressive dedication, hard work and growth of the BioScience COE Seniors. Throughout the rigorous research and thoughtful presentation, Kim, Moon and Johnson demonstrated both their passion for science and their commitment to excellence.
