Addison gets the opportunity to exercise a passion for science and math and apply it to understanding the growing phenomenon of marine heat waves in the Southern Ocean. The discussion covers the importance of understanding the relationship between these heatwaves and their potential future impacts on krill and the broader trophic web.

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Meet Andrew, a student who enjoys creative writing and is curious and concerned about the creative writing abilities of generative AI. He examined how well AI can explore the Hero's Journey in terms of character development and compared that with the work of human writers. We close with a discussion of how we feel about AI being involved in the very human work of creativity.

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This year we had three students—Tanvi, Jamila, and Rachael—who all completed meta-analyses. The focus of their work varied widely from cancer research to lab mice pup mortality to parental well-being. What is a meta-analysis? You'll just have to listen to find out.

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Wesley examines how headlines regarding the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict are framed in the top three most visited U.S. online news sources. We discuss how we see ourselves and others engaging with news, the power of headlines, and the implications of language for public perception.

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Stephanie and Emily join the program to discuss their experiences with seeking approval for their work with human subjects. Yes, surveys are a form of human experimentation and require the approval of an institutional review board (IRB) before going out to potential respondents. This process is unfamiliar to most high school students, so Emily and Stephanie offer tips on how to navigate the requirements for students who may be interested.

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Jacob sits down to discuss the misconceptions surrounding video games and violence. We acknowledge the ongoing debate around the topic and how research on causal relationships between gaming and violent behavior has yielded mixed results. Rather than seeking a causal link, Jacob analyzed YouTube engagement patterns in comments on popular videos discussing this controversial topic. We close by examining how powerful perceptions can impact policy, even when those perceptions are not supported by hard evidence.

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Chloe and Tessa discuss their content analysis projects focusing on very different aspects of the medical field. Chloe examines how medical student video content portrays burnout from a constant 'grindset.' Tessa looks at how educational and promotional content created by plastic surgeons presents the breast augmentation process on Instagram. We also discuss their future plans to take part in their respective fields of interest. This is the first episode to feature students from completely different sections of our Research course.

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Jenna and Sarah both examined President Trump's rhetoric for this project, but in very different ways. Jenna focused her analysis on violent rhetoric in all of Trump's presidential debates, while Sarah examined the use of misogynistic language at rallies during the 2024 campaign. We lead off with a game of 'Who Said It: Biden or Trump' and then dig into the patterns they identified in their examined political language.

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