Original Ideas

This page, "Original Ideas," contains the post relating to the brainstorming process for the subject of my Twenty-Percent Project.  Included here is the list of possible topics that I considered using for inspiration behind my project.  There were (and still are) many questions in life that I seek to answer, so I used such inquiries for the basis of the possible topics that I could use for my project.  I ended up choosing Topic #2, which is the behavioral differences between social introverts and extroverts, as I believed that the resources would be best provided to me and I could be most successful if I pursued a subject relating to this idea.  


OCTOBER 1, 2014 

Twenty-Percent Project Possible Topics

EDIT:  For my AP English Literature & Composition (AP English II) class, students must create a Twenty-Percent Project related/specific to an interest.  The following are five possible topics/subjects for my Twenty-Percent Project for the class:

1.)     Why do people choose to reject religion?  Why do others choose to switch from one religion to another/Why do others choose one religion over another?  Why do individuals of religions sometimes portray feelings of hostility?  Do the majority of the members of a church truly accept the values of that church?  Do some values differ between members and leaders of the church?  Are there any genetic/mental factors that drive these differences between individuals?

2.)     Why do social introverts and extroverts behave the way that they do in group situations?  What thoughts run through their heads in different group situations?   Do their behaviors draw influence from nature or from nurture (experience)?

3.)    Why do dogs (usually) report to their owners when their name is called, and why do they keep a normal routine (recognizing timeframes for sleeping and eating)?  Do they still obey individuals calling their name, even if those individuals are not their owners?  What drives the factors behind their recognition of routine/tradition?

4.)     Why do individuals decide to join a branch of the armed forces?  After their term(s) of service, do most individuals still recognize that these reasons were valid for their participation?  During their term(s) of service, do most individuals continue to serve for the same reasons?  Is there a certain genetic/mental factor that drives these individuals to join the armed forces?

5.)     What are the effects of aluminum on crayfish metabolism?  Why do varying aluminum concentration levels affect crayfish metabolism?  (This was a research study I considered conducting this past summer so that I could add it to my credentials for college and to my resume for later job interviews.)

            EDIT:  To clarify my interest in Topic 5, I find chemistry to be extremely fascinating.  After completing undergraduate and graduate school, I hope to either find a job as a chemical engineer or as a pharmacist (I am currently planning on completing a major in chemical engineering and some graduate degree in pharmacy).  In addition, I have been considering biochemistry and molecular biology as a possible minor in college.  There are so many scientific fields to explore, and I would like to learn as much as possible.  So as to increase my chances of being accepted into graduate school, I was planning on conducting the study on crayfish with the guidance of my father, a professor at Penn State, so that I could begin to add published works/studies to my resume.  The crayfish would have been relatively easy to work with, and the tests that I would have had to conduct would have been relatively simple to carry.  If I do decide to carry out a study of this caliber, however, it likely now will relate to a new (yet similar) topic, as crayfish are difficult to get at this time of the year.