Junior Year Research Project
Throughout their time in both middle and high school, Meridian students undertake research projects in all of their core classes. They learn to identify strong sources, read and analyze a variety of texts, interview experts, take effective notes, and synthesize their research into a cohesive product. They also cultivate the curiosity, perseverance, and flexibility to undertake lengthy and in-depth academic endeavors.
The culmination of this training is the Junior Research Seminar. Each junior, with the support of an adviser and seminar with their peers, carries out an original year-long research project on an academic question of their choosing. Previous research questions include:
How can zoo design positively impact captive animals’ mental and physical health?
How did women’s roles in ancient Greece and Rome reflect the way they were viewed on economic, social, religious, and legal levels?
How have architects incorporated therapeutic goals in the design of psychiatric hospitals?
How can hip-hop, as a cultural experience, alter the course of an individual's life?
How do money and commercialism affect the education, opportunity, and psychology of college athletes?
How does the “model minority myth” affect the mental health of Asian Americans?
How can the principles and relevance of neural networks be taught as part of a liberal arts secondary school education?
Why do we deliberately seek out experiences that frighten us, and how do horror movies provide that fear?
Students' responses to these questions take a variety of forms, including laboratory experiments, documentary films, literary analyses, research papers, comic books, and works of art.
Past Junior Year Research Projects
Celine asked, "How have laws and government policies, and the ways in which these policies are implemented, helped to cause high recidivism rates, and what programs can be instated in order to reduce those recidivism rates? " For her final project, she created the PROMIS Project, a website that serves to connect people to organizations that work to reduce recidivism.
Jade asked, "How has Art Deco architecture been used throughout Boston, and how does its influence still persist in the city?" Following her research, Jade generated two new architectural styles and used Adobe Illustrator to produce six original travel posters representing three cities and their most celebrated structures.
Sam asked, “What cultural, historical, political, and socio-economic factors define Appalachia and how do they contrast with American's perceptions of the region?” For his final project, Sam traveled to towns in Kentucky and Tennessee to interview Appalachians about their experiences and perspectives. Listen to excerpts from these interviews below.
Tara asked, "Which is more environmentally sustainable: organic agriculture or local agriculture?" For her final project, she interviewed and photographed farmers throughout New England and generated a long-form magazine article.
Max asked, "What are the social implications and challenges faced by children of LGBTQ parents in recent U.S. history?" For his final project, he interviewed the children of gay and lesbian parents about their experiences and produced an original podcast.
Katie asked, "How do men and women experience pain differently on a biological level, and how does this difference affect the health care that women receive?" For her final project, she created a series of public service announcements to educate providers and patients about best practices.
Emmanuel asked, "What are the evolutionary and genetic differences between humans and schistosomes?" For their final project, they created a series of infographics—including charts, illustrations, and detailed descriptions—explaining the lifecycle of schistosomes and how they coevolved with humans.
