capstone project ideas cooking

A Comprehensive Guide on High School Senior Capstone Projects (With Examples)

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 4/26/24

As you near the end of your high school journey, it's time to explore the world of senior capstone projects.

If you're a high school student, especially in your senior year, you're likely gearing up for the culmination of your academic journey: the senior capstone project. 

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about capstone projects, complete with examples to spark your inspiration and help you succeed. Whether you're just starting to explore project ideas or fine-tuning your plans, you've come to the right place!

What Is a Capstone Project?

A capstone project is like the grand finale of your academic or personal journey. It's a focused effort that you tackle within a set timeframe, bringing together everything you've learned or accomplished. Unlike a passion project , which you can work on whenever you feel like it, a capstone project has a clear deadline.

For instance, let’s say you're a culinary arts student nearing graduation. Your passion lies in sustainable cooking practices, and for your capstone project, you decide to create a cookbook featuring locally sourced, eco-friendly recipes. 

Your cookbook project demands months of research, recipe development, testing, and layout design. It's a big commitment that demonstrates your expertise in culinary arts and your dedication to sustainable food practices.

Similarly, in school, a capstone project could take various forms, such as conducting research on a scientific topic, developing a business plan, or creating a multimedia presentation. These projects all reflect your broader interests and passions, demonstrating your skills and knowledge in a specific area.

Overall, your capstone project in high school is a major milestone, allowing you to demonstrate your expertise, creativity, and dedication. It's a chance to bring everything you've learned together and show what you're capable of achieving.

Different Between Capstone and Passion Project

Capstone projects are typically a mandatory part of a school or college program. They're serious business involving thorough research, problem-solving, and often collaboration with teachers or experts. The goal is to demonstrate your mastery of the subject matter and readiness to tackle real-world challenges.

On the other hand, passion projects are all about following your interests and doing something you love. You could focus on writing a novel, starting a community project, or diving into a hobby—passion projects are driven by personal motivation rather than academic requirements. They're more flexible and allow you to explore your passions on your own terms.

So, while both capstone and passion projects are valuable ways to dive deep into a topic you're passionate about, capstone projects are more structured and tied to academic goals, while passion projects offer more freedom and personal expression.

How to Find Ideas for Capstone Project

Looking for capstone project ideas? Let's take a look at some effective strategies to spark inspiration and find the perfect project for you.

Follow Your Interests

Think about what excites you the most. Do you love helping the environment or dreaming up better ways to teach? Pick a topic that really speaks to you. When you're passionate about what you're working on, you'll stay motivated and focused from start to finish.

Use What You've Learned

Consider the subjects you've learned in school. Think about how you can use that knowledge to solve real-life issues. For example, if you've studied marketing, you could create a marketing plan for a nearby business. Or, if you're good at finance, you could analyze a company's finances and propose ways to make them better.

Don't hesitate to reach out to your professors, advisors, or mentors for guidance. They've been through similar experiences and can offer valuable insights and suggestions. They might even be able to connect you with industry contacts or organizations that could provide support or resources for your project. Their feedback can help you refine your ideas and ensure you're on the right track.

Check Feasibility

As you narrow down your options, it's crucial to assess the feasibility of each potential project idea. Consider factors such as the availability of resources, the complexity of the task, and your own time constraints. 

While you want to choose a project that's challenging and meaningful, it's also essential to be realistic about what you can accomplish within the given timeframe. Setting achievable goals will increase your chances of success and prevent unnecessary stress along the way.

Identify Current Issues

Keep up to date with the latest news and trends in your field of study or topics that interest you. Identify important issues or new challenges that you could focus on for your capstone project. By addressing relevant and current topics, you can actively contribute to important discussions and possibly have a bigger impact with your project.

Consider Community Needs

Consider the issues that matter most to your local community or a specific group of people. Is there a problem or something missing that you could help with through your project? By talking to people in your community through volunteer work or doing surveys, you can find project ideas that match real needs and make a positive impact.

Broaden Your Horizons

Think outside the box! Don't stick to just one subject for your capstone project. Instead, think about how you can mix ideas from different areas. By combining different perspectives, you can come up with creative and innovative solutions that you might not have thought of otherwise. This can make your project stand out and bring new insights to your work.

Look for Inspiration from Previous Projects

When searching for ideas for your capstone project, take a look at projects completed by students who came before you. Looking at successful past projects can give you helpful ideas about topics, methods, and how big your project should be. 

Remember, it's important not to copy someone else's work exactly, but you can use it to inspire your own unique ideas and ways of doing things.

Think About Long-Term Goals

Think about how your capstone project can help you achieve your long-term goals, both in school and beyond. Are there particular skills you want to improve or experiences you want to have during the project? By making sure your project connects to your bigger plans, you can make it even more meaningful and helpful for your future journey.

Stay Flexible and Open-Minded

Stay open to exploring new directions and adjusting your project as you learn and receive feedback. Sometimes, the best projects come from unexpected changes or improvements along the way. Stay flexible and welcome the chance to learn and develop throughout your capstone project. 

By blending your interests, what you've learned in school, and advice from mentors, you can create a capstone project that shows off your abilities and makes a difference in your field or community.

Tips on How to Execute Capstone Project

Ready to tackle your capstone project head-on? Here are some practical tips to guide you through the execution process smoothly.

Junior Fall

Brainstorm Ideas : This is your chance to explore a wide range of topics and ideas that pique your interest. Consider what issues or subjects you're passionate about, what challenges you want to address, or what questions you want to explore further. Keep an open mind and jot down any potential project ideas that come to mind, even if they seem unconventional at first.

Set Goals : Once you've generated some project ideas, it's time to clarify your objectives. Think about what you want to accomplish with your capstone project and break it down into smaller, actionable goals. Consider both short-term goals, such as completing research or gathering resources, and long-term goals, such as presenting your findings or implementing a solution.

Junior Spring

Recruit and Fundraise : Depending on the scope of your project, you may need additional support from teammates or financial resources. Reach out to classmates, friends, or faculty members who share your interests and might be interested in collaborating on the project. Additionally, explore fundraising opportunities to secure funding for project-related expenses, such as materials, equipment, or travel.

Hit Milestones : As you begin working on your project, set specific milestones to track your progress and stay on schedule. These milestones could include completing research, conducting experiments or surveys, drafting project proposals or reports, or presenting preliminary findings to peers or advisors. Regularly assess your progress and adjust your approach as needed to ensure you're meeting your goals.

Rising Senior Summer

Stay Busy : Although summer break is a time for relaxation, don't let your momentum wane. Dedicate consistent time each week to work on your capstone project, whether it's conducting research, analyzing data, drafting project documents, or refining your presentation skills. Establish a schedule and stick to it to maintain progress and prevent last-minute rushes.

Stay Connected : While you may be physically distanced from campus during the summer months, stay connected with your advisors, mentors, or project collaborators through email, phone calls, or virtual meetings. Keep them updated on your progress, seek their input or feedback when needed, and leverage their expertise to overcome any challenges you encounter.

Senior Fall

Keep Pushing : As the new school year begins, ramp up your efforts and focus on achieving your project goals. Set new objectives for the upcoming semester and prioritize tasks that will bring you closer to project completion. If your project involves organizing events, conducting experiments, or presenting findings, plan and execute these activities with diligence and attention to detail.

Senior Spring

Plan Ahead : As you approach the final months of your capstone project, take time to reflect on your accomplishments and consider the next steps. Evaluate the impact of your project, gather feedback from stakeholders or participants, and identify any areas for improvement or follow-up activities. Prepare for project completion by documenting your findings, finalizing project deliverables, and communicating your results to relevant audiences.

By following these guidelines and staying committed to your goals, you'll be well-equipped to execute your capstone project successfully and make meaningful contributions to your field of study or community.

Common Mistakes

Let's take a look at nine common mistakes students make in their capstone projects, along with tips on how to sidestep them.

Choosing a Topic That’s Too Broad

Your topic should be relevant to your field of study, but many students make the mistake of selecting broad topics that lack focus. To avoid this, consult with professors or career advisors to narrow down your focus and ensure your topic is both relevant and manageable.

Choosing a Topic You Don’t Really Care About

Passion is key to success. If you're not genuinely interested in your topic, your motivation and enthusiasm will dwindle over time. Select a topic that excites you and aligns with your interests to stay engaged throughout the project.

Not Doing Your Research Properly

Research is the backbone of your project. Skipping this step or relying on inaccurate information can derail your project. Take the time to conduct thorough research, cite credible sources, and ensure the accuracy of your findings.

Not Writing Your Paper in the Correct Format

A well-structured paper is essential for clarity and coherence. Follow a standard format, including sections such as introduction, literature review, methods, results, and conclusion, to ensure your paper is organized and easy to follow.

Not Taking Advantage of All the Resources Available

Don't overlook the resources at your disposal, whether it's the library, the internet, peers, professors , or academic advisors. Utilize these resources for research, guidance, feedback, and support throughout your project.

Not Proofreading Thoroughly Enough

Typos, grammatical errors, and formatting inconsistencies can undermine the credibility of your project. Take the time to proofread your work multiple times, or enlist the help of a peer or professional proofreader to ensure your paper is error-free.

Forgetting to Reference Your Sources

Proper citation is essential to avoid plagiarism and give credit to the original sources of information. Ensure you cite all sources accurately and consistently throughout your paper, following the required citation style guidelines.

Poor Presentation

Your presentation is the final show of your hard work. Neglecting to prepare adequately or rushing through your presentation can detract from the quality of your project. Practice your presentation, create engaging visuals, and rehearse your delivery to captivate your audience.

Waiting Until the Last Minute to Start Writing Your Paper

Procrastination is a common pitfall that can lead to rushed and subpar work. Start early, create a timeline, and break down your project into manageable tasks to avoid last-minute stress and ensure a polished final product.

By steering clear of these common mistakes and approaching your capstone project with diligence and dedication, you'll set yourself up for success and leave a lasting impression with your academic masterpiece.

Ideas and Examples of Capstone Projects

Need some capstone project ideas for high school? Let’s take a look at some high school capstone project examples. 

• Study green marketing strategies that promote sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Engineering

• Develop a system to detect red traffic lights using image processing for safer roads.
• Create a solar panel system with adjustable angles to maximize energy capture.
• Analyze how social media can be used to effectively engage and retain customers through content marketing strategies.
• Design educational programs for nurses on asthma care and point-of-care testing protocols for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Computer Science

• Develop a smartphone interface for managing medical records to improve accessibility and patient engagement.
• Design a web-based survey system for collecting feedback and analysis in academic or business settings.
• Evaluate the impact of project management practices on the success of political campaigns.
• Assess how technology influences accounting practices and the effectiveness of accounting software in improving financial reporting.
• Explore the benefits of virtual classrooms and digital engagement strategies for remote learning.

Information Technology

• Investigate cybersecurity issues and propose solutions to protect against threats like intrusion and data breaches.
• Create object recognition systems using machine learning for security surveillance and image analysis.

Looking to gain clarity on your senior capstone project? Here are some frequently asked questions to guide you through the process.

1. How Does a Capstone Project Differ from Other High School Projects?

A high school capstone project typically involves more in-depth research and interdisciplinary exploration compared to other projects.

2. How Do I Choose a Topic for My High School Capstone Project?

To choose a topic for your high school capstone project, consider your interests, skills, and academic goals, and seek advice from teachers or mentors.

3. Are High School Capstone Projects Required for Graduation?

High school capstone projects are not always required for graduation and can vary depending on the school or program.

4. Can High School Capstone Projects Be Related to Extracurricular Activities?

Yes, high school capstone projects can be related to extracurricular activities and allow students to integrate their interests and experiences into their academic projects.

Final Thoughts

In short, high school senior capstone projects are your chance to shine. By picking the right topic, steering clear of common pitfalls, and tapping into available resources, you can leave a lasting mark. Whether it's in marketing, engineering, education, or any other field, capstone projects let you show off your skills and get ready for what's next.

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Three-part Capstone Project Pulls Together a Culinary Education

End-of-year project summarizes recipe development, math, pricing, ordering, written and oral presentations, teamwork, and cooking skills.

By Chef Adam Weiner, JD, CFSE

My students do a Capstone Project which summarizes recipe development, culinary math, pricing, ordering, making written and oral presentations, teamwork, and cooking. This project can be used in all levels and types of culinary classes ranging from high school classes for cooking at home, high school professional level, vocational school or trade school.

The assignment is in three parts.

The first part is a written assignment in the form of a memo. (I have included a sample memo at the end of this article.) The memo is from me to my students and tells them they are going to play the role of young cooks at a major hotel. It also lets them know they will receive a second memo from the catering manager of a real hotel.

The second capstone project section involves following the instructions in a memo from the catering manager at the hotel. (I have included a sample memo at the end of this article.) Basically, students are told they are up and coming cooks and are expected to create a special party for 100 people. They are told to do research, create a menu from books (or the internet), scale the recipes for 100 people, and then draft an ingredient order form. This is a team project and I assign the teams. (Comment: I assign people who don’t work well together when creating the teams. As detailed in Working In Teams Needs To Be Taught and Picking Teams , when students go to work they don’t get to pick with whom they work. Whether or not they like other people isn’t relevant. The job still has to get done, done well and on time.)

For the third project part, I have the group actually make one or two recipes from their project. Note, when I do this I tell them to keep the ingredient size and number of portions exactly as in the original recipe to keep costs and time under control. (Of course, you could have them make 100 servings which helps teach volume production.)

One of the beauties of this capstone project is that it is infinitely adjustable and sizeable. You can change:

• Cuisines: I have used Hawaiian, Cajun, New England, Barbecue, French, Greek, Spanish, and even New Zealand. Try to pick a cuisine in which your students are not necessarily knowledgeable. (See Teaching International Cuisines .)
• Themes: You can create or vary themes to fit your class. You could range from a Thanksgiving Dinner for 8 to food at the senior prom.
• Head counts
• Buffet vs. plated
• Number of courses
• Research completed with a book, on the internet, or from your class work during the semester.
• You can have teams do the same project or different projects at the same time.
• You can adjust the amount of time you allow the project. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours but I’ve learned students will take as long as they are allowed.

As mentioned above, below are two memos I used with my students. The first memo is to them from me with the instructions for the project. The second is from the executive chef at the hotel to each team.

You are welcome to use these memos “as is” or tweak them in any way suitable for your class.

Example A Memo: From the Teacher to the Students  

To: All Students From: Chef Adam Weiner, JD CFSE Culinary Arts Instructor Date: March 6, 2019 Due: March 8, 2019 Re: LUAU PROJECT

As a student of the culinary arts, you should not only be knowledgeable in basic cooking skills, but you should also have a working knowledge of:

• Menu planning
• BOOK research to come up with recipes and menu ideas which you have never worked with before
• Product ordering
• Working in teams to complete all the above

To re-enforce what you have already learned and practice these skills we will do a bit of role playing. For this assignment, you will pretend you are people who cook at a Hyatt Hotel on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. You have just been given the attached memo. Your assignment is to give the completed project to me by the end of the class period on March 8, 2019. I will pick your groups.

I have samples of previous projects available for your review. Please ask.

If you have any questions, you must approach me as a team. You will not be allowed to ask individual questions since this is a team project.

Remember, a large part of this assignment is about following directions.

On the right side of my desk are 13 Hawaiian Books. You may use these books, and only these books. You will need to have a book title and page number on each recipe you use. You may not use your phones or computers.

Example B Memo: From the Catering Manager to the Students

To: Each Team From: Manager Hyatt Hotel Catering Department Re: Luau Event Sent: March 6, 2019 Due: March 8, 2019

The hotel has been hired to cater a beach luau for 100 people. The company holding the party has asked for a traditional luau-style event. The hotel’s executive chef has told me that each of you is a rising star in his kitchen and he thinks you can tackle this assignment. If you are successful, there is a promotion in the works for each of you.

Your assignment:

• Design a menu with two appetizers, two entrees, four traditional side dishes, and three desserts. Remember, traditional luau is the theme. Don’t offend the executive chef by putting something on the menu that doesn’t match the theme. (For example, Death by Chocolate is not a traditional luau dessert.)
• You must obtain everything from the 13 Hawaiian cookbooks made available to you and not from the internet. You need to scale the recipes to feed approximately 100 people. This must be done in writing. So, for example, if a recipe feeds 8 you would multiply it on paper times 12 to give you 96 servings. Do not write in the books. Your phones are off limits for this project.
• Watch food costs. Although you can use expensive ingredients like shrimp, steak, etc. try to minimize their use.
• You want to show off the buffet table for the guests with a wide variety of different things, tastes, textures, color, etc. DON’T have something like pork spring roll appetizer with pork chops with Spam potato salad, with pork fried rice, etc. Author’s Personal Note: Of all the issues of this assignment, my classes always seem to have the biggest problem with this one. We are currently doing this project as I write this article and one group—in spite of this paragraph - served linguica sausage with pineapple, Spam musubi (basically a Spam Sushi roll), oven style kalua pig, teriyaki sauce pork ribs and, yes even pork fried rice. I am relieved to say that the dessert, Haupia, which is a coconut milk pudding, did not contain pork.
• Write a complete order list with all ingredients including quantities.
• Write a memo to your culinary arts instructor explaining what you liked about the project, what you didn’t like, what was the best part of the project, what was the worst part and don’t kiss up.
• You may/might/possibly be cooking the food for your guests in the next several days.

Chef Adam Weiner, CFSE, teaches a 20-week Introduction to Cooking program for JobTrain on the San Francisco Peninsula, and is a frequent presenter at CAFÉ events throughout the nation. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Antonin Carême Medal.

Capstone Project Ideas: Inspiring Academic Journeys

Tips For Creating Capstone Project

Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

Engineering capstone project ideas, computer science capstone project ideas, cyber security capstone project ideas, data science capstone project ideas, final words.

As I begin the final phase of my academic journey, I am focused on finding compelling ideas for capstone project. This stage is not just a requirement; it is a canvas for innovation, a chance to synthesize years of study into a cohesive and meaningful work. Reflecting on my experience, I realized how important it is to choose a project that not only meets academic criteria but also awakens passion and curiosity. In this article, I want to share a collection of ideas spanning various disciplines in hopes of inspiring students to find a project that aligns with their aspirations and academic goals. Whether you are drawn to the sciences, arts, technology, or social sciences, the perfect idea awaits you to mark the culmination of your educational journey with significance and personal achievement. With tools like paper typer , students can refine their ideas and transform them into well-crafted projects that showcase the skills and knowledge they have gained throughout their academic endeavors.

5 Tips For Creating Capstone Project

• Leveraging these five strategies greatly enhanced my Capstone Project:
• Choose a Passionate Topic: Keeps motivation high.
• Plan Early: Ensures ample time for research and development.
• Seek Feedback: Offers new perspectives and refinement.
• Use Interdisciplinary Approaches: Broadens the project's scope.
• Focus on Practicality: Increases the project's real-world relevance.

100 Capstone Project Ideas For You

• Implementing a patient safety protocol to reduce medication errors in a hospital setting.
• Developing a community health program to address chronic diseases prevalence.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of telehealth services in rural communities.
• Creating a mental health support system for frontline nurses.
• Studying the impact of nurse-led interventions on patient satisfaction.
• Designing an educational program for managing diabetes in elderly patients.
• Assessing the outcomes of evidence-based practice in wound care.
• Analyzing the role of nursing in managing patient pain in palliative care.
• Investigating the effects of a new nursing handoff process on patient safety.
• Developing a strategy to improve vaccination rates in pediatric populations.
• Examining the impact of cultural competence training on nursing care quality.
• Creating a program to reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of a breastfeeding support program in neonatal units.
• Implementing a stress management workshop for emergency department staff.
• Analyzing the benefits of pet therapy in long-term care facilities.
• Developing a mobile app for patient education on preventive healthcare.
• Studying the effects of nurse-led initiatives on reducing hospital-acquired infections.
• Creating a peer mentoring program for newly graduated nurses.
• Evaluating patient outcomes of integrative therapies in oncology nursing.
• Investigating the impact of technology on nursing efficiency and patient care.
• Designing a solar-powered water purification system for remote areas.
• Developing a low-cost, efficient wind turbine for rural energy solutions.
• Creating a smart traffic control system to reduce congestion and improve safety.
• Engineering a portable, disaster-resistant emergency shelter.
• Designing an innovative waste-to-energy conversion system.
• Developing an autonomous drone for agricultural monitoring and analysis.
• Creating a wearable device for monitoring vital signs in athletes.
• Engineering a robotic arm for precision tasks in manufacturing.
• Developing a sustainable urban rainwater harvesting system.
• Designing an eco-friendly, modular housing solution.
• Creating a smart grid system for optimized energy distribution.
• Developing a mobile app for real-time public transport updates.
• Engineering a low-cost prosthetic limb with 3D printing technology.
• Designing a bridge health monitoring system using IoT sensors.
• Developing a biodegradable packaging material from agricultural waste.
• Creating a smart irrigation system to conserve water in agriculture.
• Engineering an efficient, electric vehicle charging station network.
• Developing a safety-enhanced, high-speed railway system design.
• Creating a pollution tracking and analysis system for urban areas.
• Engineering a compact, home-based recycling system for plastics.
• Developing a mobile app for personalized fitness and nutrition plans.
• Creating a virtual reality (VR) platform for immersive educational experiences.
• Developing an AI-based chatbot for customer service enhancement.
• Creating a blockchain system for secure voting in elections.
• Developing a machine learning model to predict stock market trends.
• Creating an augmented reality (AR) app for interactive learning in museums.
• Developing a cloud-based platform for collaborative academic research.
• Creating a smart home automation system with IoT devices.
• Developing a cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses.
• Creating a game that educates players on environmental conservation.
• Developing an AI assistant for managing personal finances.
• Creating a platform for real-time, collaborative code development.
• Developing a recommendation system for e-commerce websites.
• Creating an app for monitoring and reducing screen time.
• Developing a facial recognition system for enhanced security.
• Creating a predictive maintenance system for industrial machinery.
• Developing an app for tracking and reducing food waste.
• Creating a peer-to-peer file-sharing system with enhanced privacy.
• Developing a language learning app with AI pronunciation correction.
• Creating a system for detecting fake news using machine learning.
• Developing an intrusion detection system for IoT networks.
• Creating a secure, decentralized file storage system using blockchain.
• Developing a framework for assessing mobile app security vulnerabilities.
• Creating a cybersecurity awareness training program for organizations.
• Developing a tool for real-time detection of phishing attempts.
• Creating a secure authentication system using biometric data.
• Developing a privacy-preserving data sharing platform for healthcare providers.
• Creating a simulation environment for cyber-attack training exercises.
• Developing a secure communication protocol for remote work environments.
• Creating a compliance monitoring system for data protection regulations.
• Developing an AI-based system for detecting and mitigating DDoS attacks.
• Creating a blockchain-based identity verification system.
• Developing a smart contract audit tool to enhance blockchain security.
• Creating a digital forensics toolkit for analyzing network breaches.
• Developing a machine learning model to identify malware in real-time.
• Creating a secure voting system to prevent tampering and ensure anonymity.
• Developing a cybersecurity risk assessment tool for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• Creating an encryption tool for secure messaging on public networks.
• Developing a security framework for protecting against API vulnerabilities.
• Creating a system for automatic patching of software vulnerabilities.
• Developing a predictive model for forecasting economic trends based on social media sentiment analysis.
• Creating a machine learning system to optimize supply chain logistics.
• Developing a model to predict patient readmission risks in hospitals.
• Creating a data visualization tool for environmental change data.
• Developing a recommendation system for personalized learning resources.
• Creating an anomaly detection system in financial transactions to prevent fraud.
• Developing a natural language processing (NLP) tool to analyze customer feedback.
• Creating a predictive maintenance model for manufacturing equipment.
• Developing a system for real-time traffic pattern analysis to improve urban mobility.
• Creating a tool for genomic data analysis to aid in personalized medicine.
• Developing an AI-based platform for job market trends and skill gap analysis.
• Creating a model for energy consumption prediction in smart buildings.
• Developing a sentiment analysis tool for political election forecasts.
• Creating a system for predictive analysis of stock market movements.
• Developing an AI assistant for academic research paper summarization.
• Creating a model to predict the impact of climate change on biodiversity.
• Developing a tool for analyzing social network dynamics to identify influence patterns.
• Creating a system for detecting and classifying online hate speech.
• Developing a deep learning model for automatic image captioning.
• Creating a platform for real-time sports analytics and performance prediction.

As I reflect on these diverse capstone project ideas across nursing, engineering, computer science, cyber security, and data science, it's clear that the possibilities are limitless. Each idea presents a unique challenge that tests what I've learned and pushes me to innovate and think critically. I hope these suggestions inspire you to embark on a project that fulfills your academic requirements and fuels your passion and curiosity. Remember, the capstone project is not just the culmination of your studies; it's a stepping stone into your future career.

The Culinary Capstone Experience

Nov 12, 2015 | Class Reports | 0 comments

It’s hard to believe I’ve already made it to my senior year.  And now with my capstone done, May 7 seems to be creeping up faster and faster. But I digress ….

Students in the culinary arts and service management program put on a dinner for their capstone projects, including all the necessary planning and effort that comes with it. In previous semesters, these dinners focused on a single ingredient, such as tea or salt, which students researched and incorporated into every aspect of their meal. This time, we drew the names of famous chefs out of a hat. Many of us, however, hadn’t heard of the chefs we had drawn, including me, who got Chef Anne-Sophie Pic. Students rotated between positions, such as line cook, dishwasher and server, in the weeks before and after their dinners. And I had the honor to go first.

Unlike the old capstones, which required students to research one ingredient, the new version required us to get in the chefs’ heads and pick through every interview and article we could find. The assignment We looked back and analyzed how their experiences have influenced the way they look at food. The inspiration for some of their dishes was easy to figure out; Chef Pic’s French heritage led to a heavy French influence in her cooking, for example. Others required a little more digging, though: She occasionally uses Asian ingredients, which stem from a semester she spent studying abroad in Japan. She also uses caviar and sea bass together as an homage to her father, Jacques Pic, who was also a renowned chef that taught her to cook.  

When it came time to start planning the menu, we were able to use a combination of our chef’s recipes, if they had published a cookbook, and our own recipes based on our interpretation of the chef’s style. My dinner mostly used Chef Pic’s recipes. But her cookbooks usually feature recipes for single items, so pairing different recipes together to form a coherent dish was a challenge. Later, we had to calculate the costs of each recipe to determine whether we stayed within our budget.  After finalizing the menu and recipes, we had to submit a purchase order with every ingredient about a week before our scheduled dinner. In some instances, we has to use products that weren’t available through our normal vendors. I had to go to Nori’s to find matcha, a style of green tea, and many other students, whose chefs focused on farm-to-table, opted to buy their produce at the farmers market.  

The week of the dinner, we worked extra hours, outside of our regularly scheduled class time, in order to ensure that our product came in. We wrote prep schedules to ensure we would be ready. My turnips and sole didn’t come in in time, though, so I had to be put off that prep until later in the week. I noticed that the students who took the time to fully flesh out their production schedules had a much more efficient, coherent flow. Those who didn’t struggled all week.  While my planning in the kitchen was fairly thorough, I neglected to coordinate with my dining room manager, and we discovered that there were issues filling the seats.

But on the night of the dinner, the planning paid off.  As each course went out, it felt like another weight had been taken of my shoulders.  There were still unforeseen difficulties that I overlooked; the main entrée consisted of a fillet of sole, which had gone cold by the time I plated all 28 dishes. But at the end of the dinner, the guests’ overall reaction was positive. At the end of the day, we’re in this industry to serve the guests, so it’s their opinions that matter most.       

In short, the capstone’s not about being a cook.  After four years of culinary labs here, you’re expected to be a good cook. It’s about knowing how to plan, budget, manage people and resources, and lead. It’s about turning your experiences, even those not related to food, into a unique element.

It’s about being a chef.

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The Best 150 Capstone Project Topic Ideas

Table of contents

• 1 What is a Capstone Project?
• 2 15 Amazing Capstone Project Ideas for Nursing Course
• 3 15 Attractive Computer Science Capstone Project Ideas
• 4 15 High School Education Capstone Project Ideas for Inspiration
• 5 15 Capstone Project Topics in Information Technology – Search for Your Best
• 6 15 Interesting Psychology Capstone Project Ideas
• 7 15 Capstone Project Ideas for Management Course
• 8 15 Capstone Project Ideas for Your Marketing Course
• 9 15 Best Capstone Engineering Project Ideas
• 10 15 Senior Capstone Project Ideas for MBA
• 11 15 Capstone Project Ideas for an Accounting Course
• 12 Capstone Writing: 10 Essential Steps

The long path of research works ahead, and you can’t find any capstone project ideas that would be interesting and innovative? The task can seem even more challenging for you to feel all the responsibility of this first step. The top 150 capstone ideas presented below aim to make a not-so-effort-consuming choice.

You’ll be covered in major subjects with the list of the capstone project topics we’ve picked for you. Read on, and you’ll get ideas for capstone projects in information technology, nursing, psychology, marketing, management, and more.

What is a Capstone Project?

Educational institutions use the capstone project to evaluate your understanding of the course on various parameters. For the students, the work on the project gives an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their presentation, problem-solving and soft skills. Capstone projects are normally used in the curriculum of colleges and schools. Also called a senior exhibition or a culminating project, such assignments mark the end of a course.

This assignment has several different objectives, among which are the following:

• to encourage independent planning,
• to learn to meet up deadlines,
• to practice a detailed analysis,
• to work in teams.

It’s not that easy to pick the right capstone paper topic. The problem intensifies as each student or separate team have to work on a single assignment which has to be unique. The best capstone project ideas may possibly run out. However, whatever topic you opt for, you’d better start your preparation and research on the subject as early as possible.

15 Amazing Capstone Project Ideas for Nursing Course

Studying nursing is challenging, as it requires a prominent theoretical foundation and is fully practical at the same time. You should have to do thorough research and provide evidence for your ideas, but what to start with? The preparation for your  capstone project in nursing won’t be overwhelming if you use these capstone title ideas:

• Innovation and Improvement in Nursing
• Vaccination Chart Creation
• The Role of Nurses in Today’s Society
• Shortage in Nursing and Its Effects on Healthcare
• Evidential Practices and Their Promotion in Nursing
• Global Changes in the Approach to Vaccination
• Top Emergency Practices
• Preventive Interventions for ADHD
• Quality of Nursing and Hospital Personnel Shifts: The Interrelation
• Ways to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Brand New Approaches in Diagnostics in the Nursing Field
• Diabetes Mellitus in Young Adults: Prevention and Treatment
• Healthcare in Ambulances: Methods of Improvement
• Postpartum Depression Therapy
• The Ways to Carry a Healthy Baby

15 Attractive Computer Science Capstone Project Ideas

Computer science is so rapidly developing that you might easily get lost in the new trends in the sphere. Gaming and internet security, machine learning and computer forensics, artificial intelligence, and database development – you first have to settle down on something. Check the topics for the capstone project examples below to pick one. Decide how deeply you will research the topic and define how wide or narrow the sphere of your investigation will be.

• Cybersecurity: Threats and Elimination Ways
• Data Mining in Commerce: Its Role and Perspectives
• Programming Languages Evolution
• Social Media Usage: How Safe Is It?
• Classification of Images
• Implementation of Artificial Intelligence in Insurance Cost Prediction
• Key Security Concerns of Internet Banking
• SaaS Technologies of the Modern Time
• The evolvement of Mobile Gaming and Mobile Gambling
• The Role of Cloud Computing and IoT in Modern Times
• Chatbots and Their Role in Modern Customer Support
• Computer Learning Hits and Misses
• Digitalization of Education
• Artificial Intelligence in Education: Perspectives
• Software Quality Control: Top Modern Practices

15 High School Education Capstone Project Ideas for Inspiration

High school education is a transit point in professional education and the most valuable period for personal soft skills development. As a result, high school capstone project ideas cover a wide range of topics. They may range from local startup analysis and engineer’s career path to bullying problems. It’s up to you to use the chosen statement as the ready capstone project title or just an idea for future development.

• A Small Enterprise Business Plan
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Learning in Schools
• Space Tourism: The Start and Development
• Pros and Cons of Uniforms and Dress Codes
• What is Cyberbullying and How to Reduce It
• Becoming a Doctor: Find Your Way
• A Career in Sports: Pros and Cons
• How to Eliminate the Risks of Peer Pressure
• Ensuring Better Behaviours in Classroom
• Cutting-Edge Technologies: NASA versus SpaceX
• The Reverse Side of Shyness
• Stress in High School and the Ways to Minimize It
• How to Bring Up a Leader
• Outdated Education Practices
• Learning Disabilities: What to Pay Attention to in Children’s Development

15 Capstone Project Topics in Information Technology – Search for Your Best

Information technology is a separate area developed on the basis of computer science, and it might be challenging to capture the differences between them. If you hesitate about what to start with – use the following topics for the capstone project as the starting point for your capstone research topics.

• Types of Databases in Information Systems
• Voice Recognition Technology and Its Benefits
• The Perspectives of Cloud Computing
• Security Issues of VPN Usage
• Censorship in Internet Worldwide
• Problems of Safe and Secure Internet Environment
• The Cryptocurrency Market: What Are the Development Paths?
• Analytics in the Oil and Gas Industry: The Benefits of Big Data Utilization
• Procedures, Strengths, and Weaknesses in Data Mining
• Networking Protocols: Safety Evaluation
• Implementation of Smart Systems in Parking
• Workplace Agile Methodology
• Manual Testing vs. Automated Testing
• Programming Algorithms and the Differences Between Them
• Strengths and Weaknesses of Cybersecurity

15 Interesting Psychology Capstone Project Ideas

Society shows increasing attention to mental health. The range of issues influencing human psychology is vast, and the choice may be difficult. You’ll find simple capstone project ideas to settle on in the following list.

• The Impact of Abortion on Mental Health
• Bipolar Disorder and Its Overall Effects on the Life Quality
• How Gender Influences Depression
• Inherited and Environmental Effects on Hyperactive Children
• The Impact of Culture on Psychology
• How Sleep Quality Influences the Work Performance
• Long- and Short-Term Memory: The Comparison
• Studying Schizophrenia
• Terrorist’s Psychology: Comprehension and Treatment
• The Reasons for Suicidal Behaviour
• Aggression in Movies and Games and Its Effects on Teenagers
• Military Psychology: Its Methods and Outcomes
• The Reasons for Criminal Behavior: A Psychology Perspective
• Psychological Assessment of Juvenile Sex Offenders
• Do Colours Affect The Brain?

15 Capstone Project Ideas for Management Course

Studying management means dealing with the most varied spheres of life, problem-solving in different business areas, and evaluating risks. The challenge starts when you select the appropriate topic for your capstone project. Let the following list help you come up with your ideas.

• Innovative Approaches in Management in Different Industries
• Analyzing Hotels Customer Service
• Project Manager: Profile Evaluation
• Crisis Management in Small Business Enterprises
• Interrelation Between Corporate Strategies and Their Capital Structures
• How to Develop an Efficient Corporate Strategy
• The Reasons For Under-Representation of Managing Women
• Ways to Create a Powerful Public Relations Strategy
• The Increasing Role of Technology in Management
• Fresh Trends in E-Commerce Management
• Political Campaigns Project Management
• The Risk Management Importance
• Key Principles in the Management of Supply Chains
• Relations with Suppliers in Business Management
• Business Management: Globalization Impact

15 Capstone Project Ideas for Your Marketing Course

Marketing aims to make the business attractive to the customer and client-oriented. The variety of easy capstone project ideas below gives you the start for your research work.

• How to Maximize Customer Engagement
• Real Businesses Top Content Strategies
• Creation of Brand Awareness in Online Environments
• The Efficiency of Blogs in Traffic Generation
• Marketing Strategies in B2B and B2C
• Marketing and Globalization
• Traditional Marketing and Online Marketing: Distinguishing Features
• How Loyalty Programs Influence Customers
• The Principles of E-Commerce Marketing
• Brand Value-Building Strategies
• Personnel Metrics in Marketing
• Social Media as Marketing Tools
• Advertising Campaigns: The Importance of Jingles
• How to Improve Marketing Channels
• Habitual Buying Behaviours of Customers

15 Best Capstone Engineering Project Ideas

It’s challenging to find a more varied discipline than engineering. If you study it – you already know your specialization and occupational interest, but the list of ideas below can be helpful.

• How to Make a Self-Flying Robot
• How to Make Robotic Arm
• Biomass Fuelled Water Heater
• Geological Data: Transmission and Storage
• Uphill Wheelchairs: The Use and Development
• Types of Pollution Monitoring Systems
• Operation Principles of Solar Panels
• Developing a Playground for Children with Disabilities
• The Car with a Remote-Control
• Self-Driving Cars: Future or Fantasy?
• The Perspectives of Stair-Climbing Wheelchair
• Mechanisms of Motorized Chains
• How to Build a Car Engine
• Electric Vehicles are Environment-Friendly: Myth or Reality?
• The Use of Engineering Advancements in Agriculture

15 Senior Capstone Project Ideas for MBA

Here you might read some senior capstone project ideas to help you with your MBA assignment.

• Management Strategies for Developing Countries Businesses
• New App Market Analysis
• Corporate Downsizing and the Following Re-Organization
• How to Make a Business Plan for a Start-Up
• Relationships with Stakeholders
• Small Teams: Culture and Conflict
• Organization Managing Diversity
• What to Pay Attention to in Business Outsourcing
• Business Management and Globalization
• The Most Recent HR Management Principles
• Dealing with Conflicts in Large Companies
• Culturally Differentiated Approaches in Management
• Ethical Principles in Top-Tier Management
• Corporate Strategy Design
• Risk Management and Large Businesses

15 Capstone Project Ideas for an Accounting Course

Try these ideas for your Capstone Project in Accounting – and get the best result possible.

• How Popular Accounting Theories Developed
• Fixed Assets Accounting System
• Accounting Principles in Information Systems
• Interrelation Between Accounting and Ethical Decision-Making
• Ways to Minimize a Company’s Tax Liabilities
• Tax Evasion and Accounting: Key Principles
• Auditing Firm Accounting Procedures
• A New Accounting Theory Development
• Accounting Software
• Top Three World Recessions
• Accounting Methods in Proprietorship
• Accounting Standards Globally and Locally
• Personal Finance and the Recession Effect
• Company Accounting: Managerial Principles and Functions
• Payroll Management Systems

Capstone Writing: 10 Essential Steps

Be it a senior capstone project of a high school pupil or one for college, you follow these ten steps. This will ensure you’ll create a powerful capstone paper in the outcome and get the best grade:

• One of the tips for choosing a topic that your professors would be interested in is picking a subject in the course of your classes. Make notes during the term, and you will definitely encounter an appropriate topic.
• Opt for a precise topic rather than a general one. This concerns especially business subjects.
• Have your capstone project topic approved by your professor.
• Conduct a thorough information search before developing a structure.
• Don’t hesitate to do surveys; they can provide extra points.
• Schedule your time correctly, ensuring a large enough time gap for unpredictable needs.
• Never avoid proofreading – this is the last but not least step before submission.
• Stick up to the topic and logical structure of your work.
• Get prepared to present your project to the audience, learn all the essential points, and stay confident.
• Accept feedback open-mindedly from your teacher as well as your peers.

Preparation of a powerful capstone project involves both selection of an exciting topic and its in-depth examination. If you are interested in the topic, you can demonstrate a deep insight into the subject to your professor. The lists of ideas above will inspire you and prepare you for the successful completion of your project. Don’t hesitate to try them now!

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• Capstone Project Stage 1

Gigi Richard, Colorado Mesa University

This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Reviewed Teaching Collection

This activity has received positive reviews in a peer review process involving five review categories. The five categories included in the process are

For more information about the peer review process itself, please see https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/activity_review.html .

The goal of the Future Food Scenarios capstone project is for the students to investigate the food systems in a particular region in depth, and in particular to identify the current situation, determine the projected temperature increase and population growth, and propose strategies to make the regional food system more resilient. The capstone project is broken into five stages, each administered after the completion of three course modules.

Stage 1 of the capstone project is completed following Modules 1, 2 and 3, and requires that students begin to explore their capstone regions in the context of the material covered in the first three modules of the course. Students explore their regions in Google Maps/Earth and make observations about the physical and human environment of their region from the satellite images. Students also explore the history of the regional food system and discuss diet and nutrition in their capstone region. The goal is for students to begin collecting data and information that will be used in their final capstone project presentation.

Expand for more detail and links to related resources

Activity Classification and Connections to Related Resources Collapse

Grade level, learning goals.

• Describe and assess the soil, biological, and water resources and climatic conditions that support food production systems.
• Analyze how human food systems significantly alter Earth's ecosystems, specifically the biological, soil and water resources.
• Evaluate the resilience of food production systems in the context of future climate, human population growth, and socio-economic factors.

Context for Use

The semester-long Future Food Scenarios capstone project assignment is broken down into five stages that allow students to develop their assessment of the current status of a regional food system gradually as they progress through the course material. At the end of every third module, students complete an assignment (or stage) designed to help them gather and organize the information they will need to assess the future food scenarios. Each stage has an associated worksheet, which includes a table containing questions and suggestions for where to go gather information or data.

In a traditional in-person or hybrid course, the instructor may use from one to two class periods for each stage. The capstone project can be conducted as a small group or individual project.

The capstone project is used in lieu of a final exam for assessing students' achievement of the course-level goals. Throughout the semester, students gather information and data which ultimately is presented in a website, blog or in-class presentation. The format of the final product is dependent on the instructor. Suggestions for web-based platforms are provided.

Description and Teaching Materials

Capstone overview.

The semester-long capstone project requires that students assess the current status of the food systems in an assigned region, and consider the food systems in their assigned region for the future scenarios of human population growth and increased temperatures.

• Capstone Project Overview - Student Materials

Students should select a region from a list of pre-approved regions, or can be assigned a region by the instructor. A list of suggested regions is provided: Capstone Project Regions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14kB Nov16 16) . This document can be used to allow students to vote on their desired region. The regions included in the list have been selected based on the diversity of climate, topography, crops and agricultural setting, and on the expertise of the course developers. Instructors may choose to assign local regions.

A rubric is included for assessment of each capstone stage.

The final product created by students is a web page about their food region. You can choose which format is preferable given your experiences with different media. The worksheets provided for each stage can be used in any of these scenarios. Some possibilities include:

• WordPress.com has a free version. Each student has to create an account and a site. Or you could create a website and give students the ability to author different pages. The free version creates a site with the .wordpress.com domain name ( WordPress.com ).
• Edublogs.org is a great site for creating a class blog. With an inexpensive one-year subscription (<$40/year), you can take advantage of their full class management tools. Using these tools, the instructor can either create a blog page for each student, or let the students create their own when they set up their account ( edublogs.org ).
• Wikidot.com – not designed for education, but there is a free option. Each student could create their own page. The free option does have ads. ( wikidot.com )
• Pbworks.com – their EDUHub platform has a free option with classroom management. For about $100 per year, you get more storage space. Within the class wiki page, you can create workspaces for each student. ( pbworks EDUHub )

Capstone Stage One

• Capstone Project Stage 1 - Student Materials

Teaching Notes and Tips

What works best?

• It's critical for students to work on their capstone project throughout the semester to avoid being overwhelmed at the end of the semester. Working in groups is a viable option for in-person and hybrid courses, while individual projects may be best for online courses. The worksheets provided for each stage can be used in any of these situations.
• For in-person and hybrid courses, instructors may elect to have students perform presentations of their projects at the end of the semester instead of developing a website. For online courses, the web-based assignment provides the opportunity for comments and online discussion through the semester. The worksheets provided for each stage can be used in any of these formats.
• Instructors may choose to have students begin developing their website or blog at the beginning of the course, or wait until the end when they can synthesize and migrate the data they've collected into an online format.

What students found difficult

• The international regions posed greater challenges to the students for data and information gathering and will likely require greater support from the instructor.

Reflections

• Allowing students to select food regions that they are excited about helps to maintain interest in the project through the semester.

A rubric for assessment of Capstone Stage 1 is included on the Capstone Project Stage 1 - Student Materials

References and Resources

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• Course Overview
• Module 1: Introduction
• Module 2: History of Food Systems
• Module 3: Diet and Nutrition
• Student Materials

Teaching Themes

Already used some of these materials in a course? Let us know and join the discussion »

Considering using these materials with your students? Get advice for using GETSI modules in your courses » Get pointers and learn about how it's working for your peers in their classrooms »

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• Initial Publication Date: January 11, 2018 | Reviewed: March 3, 2023
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Student Projects

• Undergraduate Capstone

Creating a Photovoice Methodology: Documenting Food Insecurity Among UW Students

Students worked with UW researchers to outline a photovoice study examining food insecurity among college students. The team read and analyzed peer-reviewed journals on the photovoice technique, food

Project Type(s): Undergraduate Capstone

Author(s): Cholee Baldwin, Peter Le, Kadra Mohamoud, Lyn Tampi, Keegan Yorke

Program(s): Food Systems Major

Examining Research on College Student Food Security

Students researched food insecurity among college students (focusing on the past 5 years) and how racial plays a role, compiling their findings into an annotated bibliography that will be submitted for IRB

Author(s): Morgan Li, Ruby Price, Alexandra Selvester, Stefani Solorio, Kyla Tresner

Policies to Support College Student Food Security: Legislative Fact Sheets

Students worked with WashPIRG to advance the creation and support of a bill to sustainably address college student food insecurity. The team created three legislative fact sheets highlighting the severity,

Author(s): Aimee Bessette, Gillian Bactol, Norwin Laylo, Shrisha Menon

Policies to Support College Student Food Security: Legislation in Other Countries

WashPIRG sought support to investigate and present concise information about potential policies from other countries that could be implemented in Washington to support college student food security. The team

Author(s): Cindy Li, Hanna Lai

Equitable Food Security Policies in the U.S.

Students supported WashPIRG’s work to leverage the food policy system to address growing rates of student food insecurity by analyzing legislation from across the United States to synthesize possible campus

Author(s): Nadeen Baba, Manik Singh Bains, Amy Dang, Gurleen Saini

Identifying Funding Structures for the UW Food Pantry

Through extensive research and outreach, students investigated different funding models and support systems used by food pantries across the country to identify potential sustainable funding structures for the

Author(s): Khonnie Ecklund, Zoe Hazuka, Lindsay Lopez, Sarah Roberto, Jackson Zhao

Funding Food Security for the Local UW Community

Due to rising food insecurity rates on the UW Seattle campus, the UW Food Pantry – which provides low-barrier food access to all UW students, faculty, and staff – asked the team to help locate

Author(s): Sarah Early, Li Lin, Peggy Lopez, Cara Pedrosa, Zijun Ye

Rescuing and Gleaning: Creating a Framework for Building Community Partnerships

Students supported the UW Food Pantry’s mission of reducing food insecurity on campus by creating a “partnership-building framework” to help facilitate new relationships between the organization and

Author(s): Lindsey Carrasco-Morfin, Taylor Clementz, Bristin Green, Kaiyuan He, Selma Tausend

Guide to Gleaning: Enhancing Food Recovery at the University of Washington

In addition to sourcing food through donations and donor-based funding, the organization UW Food Pantry rescues and gleans food to increase the amount of resources they can provide for the community while

Author(s): Brooke Baker, Kaitlyn Duncan, Kendy Lin, Rachel Rosenberg, Jillian Techico

Food Security Beyond the College Campus

Students worked with the UW Food Pantry to investigate food security resources specific to students at the University of Washington. These resources and a brief introduction to food insecurity were

Author(s): Tiffany Chou, Elissa Fong, Emmy Wells, Skyler Young, Mengxin Zhang

UW Food Pantry: A Social Media Initiative for Food Security Awareness

Students worked with the UW Food Pantry to create social media content that amplified the organization’s online presence and informed audiences about the impacts of food insecurity on college campuses.

Author(s): Judy Lee, Jaden Low, Raina Manzano, Avery Minich, Hana Pham

Mobilizing Community to Support BIPOC Farms (Washington Farmland Trust Team 2)

The team partnered with Washington Farmland Trust (WFT) to research ways to mobilize federal, state, and local support for BIPOC farmers in emergency weather situations. The team also developed a set of videos

Author(s): Rosamarie Bateman, Allison Gray, Nicholas Heimbigner, Daniel Wen, Yuxin Becca Yang

Mobilizing Community to Support BIPOC Farms (Washington Farmland Trust Team 1)

The team partnered with Washington Farmland Trust to create emergency weather resources for BIPOC farmers. Deliverables include Instagram reels giving context to the inequities that this population faces, as

Author(s): Jordan Doan, Sophie Heeter, Daniel Lennon, Khylee North, Anne Yan

Conducting Surveys to Better Understand Urban Garden Contamination Across King County (Soil Health Justice Initiative Team 3)

In collaboration with two other partner teams, these students worked with the Soil Health Justice Initiative, an ongoing research project that examines soil health contamination in King County community

Author(s): ZhiJie Liang, William To, Hyesoo Won

Conducting Surveys to Better Understand Urban Garden Contamination Across King County (Soil Health Justice Initiative Team 2)

In collaboration with two other partner teams, these students worked with the Soil Health Justice Initiative, an ongoing research project led by Dr. Melanie Malone that examines soil health contamination in

Author(s): Tien Chi, Mei-Lin Mina Hung, Yuqing Li, Anna-Maya Sipila

Conducting Surveys to Better Understand Urban Garden Contamination Across King County (Soil Health Justice Initiative Team 1)

Author(s): Ethan Blight, Oscar Joya-Fernandez, Andy Ma, Hunter Wade

Farm to Preschool Farm Cards (Farm to Preschool Team 2)

The team worked with the Seattle Farm to Preschool Program to help address gaps in food security, promote local food production, and address the importance of preschool-aged nutrition education. They created

Author(s): Rachel Christensen, Michelle Hyland, Dakota Kesterson, Jinghong Harry Liu, Tala Soror

Local Farm Cards for the Seattle Farm to Preschool Program (F2P) (Farm to Preschool Team 1)

Author(s): Darieli Arroyo, Jayme Courtney, Andie Salgado-Martinez, Maddy Wiesenhahn

Network Development with Farm to Early Care Education (F2ECE) (Farm to Early Care and Education Team 2)

The team created and facilitated an online networking space to connect Farm to Early Care and Education providers in Washington State to enhance collaboration and communication, promote equity and inclusivity,

Author(s): Nancy Gallacher, Maeve Jacobs, Melissa Lin, Emma Tinsley

Farm To Early Care and Education (F2ECE) Forum Outreach (Farm to Early Care and Education Team 1)

The team created education and outreach materials to increase public awareness of Farm to Early Care and Education (F2ECE), a Washington state Farm to School program. F2ECE will be able to share the

Author(s): Kayla Evans, Kimberly Lopez-Villegas, Marisa McTighe, Dung Jojo Tran, Hannah Wheatcraft

Danny Woo Community Garden Traditional Knowledge Documentation (Danny Woo Community Garden Team 2)

The team sought to raise awareness about the Danny Woo Community Garden’s history and mission and document its senior gardeners’ traditional knowledge to pass on to new generations. They gathered

Author(s): Jiwon Lee, Laila Gin Pajimula, Rita Teng, Olivia Tubao, Hannah Whobrey

Danny Woo Community Garden Traditional Knowledge Documentation (Danny Woo Community Garden Team 1)

The team created a multilingual booklet documenting traditional knowledge held within the Danny Woo Community Garden. By conducting several interviews with the local gardeners, the team captured information

Author(s): Intana Cody Bounma, Rachel Capili, Dailin Li, Rebecca Mendelson, Yixun Lavender Wang

University of Washington Workplace CSA Benefit Feasibility Study (CSA Innovation Network Team 2)

Through surveys and interviews, the team investigated the market feasibility of a workplace CSA (W-CSA) program at the University of Washington. The team researched local producers and reviewed data analyzing

Author(s): Jewell Barnes, Alexandra Mahaffey, Danalin Gwenne Matro, Mirshaputri Talita Munir

Feasibility of a Workplace CSA Program at the University of Washington (CSA Innovation Network Team 1)

Collaborating with the CSA Innovation Network, the team sought to define the elements of a successful workplace CSA (W-CSA) program and determine the feasibility of implementing a W-CSA at the University of

Author(s): Alexandra Anthony, Elizabeth Fleck, Angela McCown, Hannah McDavid, Liran Zimand

Connecting BIPOC Farmers to Local and USDA Resources and Grants (Black Farmers Collective Team 2)

The team collaborated with the Black Farmers Collective to gather information on local and federal resources and grants, ranging from farm start-up processes to USDA grant applications to community engagement

Author(s): Kristine Nguyen, Kaila Red Bow, Xiaohan Lilith Ren, Emi Ufford

Connecting BIPOC Farmers to Local and Federal Resources (Black Farmers Collective Team 1)

The team aggregated resources for BIPOC farmers in a living, online database as part of a larger grant process for the Black Farmers Collective. This project was one part of a larger effort to address and

Author(s): Antonia Cai, Ashley Casmirri, Amy Doan, Lukas Motta

UW Farm Strategic Planning Capstone Projects, Winter 2023

Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health capstone projects for winter 2023 helped advance the UW Farm’s ongoing strategic planning process which was initiated in 2021. Students built upon Phase I of the

Ground Truthing Phase 1 of UW Farm Strategic Plan with UW Farm Advisory Committee

The team provided ideas and recommendations to benefit the UW Farm based on focus group feedback from members of the Farm Advisory Committee on Phase 1 of the organization’s strategic plan. Community

Author(s): Abdullahi Ahmed, Jheazelle Cadiente, Lily Gridyushko, Heteng Zhang

Ground Truthing Phase 1 of UW Farm Strategic Plan with UW Registered Student Organizations

The team partnered with the UW Farm and Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) on campus to uncover the importance of student engagement within Phase 1 of the UW Farm strategic plan. Feedback gathered through

Author(s): Wendy Celaya-Ibanez, Yawen Wei, IsabellaRose Anegbeode, Carmen Wilkinson, Sidney Johnson

Ground Truthing Phase 1 of UW Farm Strategic Plan with UW Campus Sustainability Fund

The team analyzed preliminary interviews and focus group results to help advance Phase 1 of the UW Farm’s strategic plan, focusing on strengthening collaboration between the UW Farm and the Campus

Author(s): Denise Elizabeth Korompis, Qingqing (Wendy) Zhang, Xi Peng, Dominic Madden

Ground Truthing Phase 1 of UW Farm Strategic Plan with UW wǝɫxǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House

The team utilized community feedback through qualitative interviews to integrate Indigenous food sovereignty and perspectives into recommendations toward the furthering of Phase 1 of the UW Farm Strategic

Author(s): Tajanee Chappel, Wen Huei (Vivian) Chen, Rodolfo (Rudy) Franco, Celine Liulamaga, Brenda Leyva Rojas

UW Farm Strategic Goal #4: Contribute to UW Food Security, Food Sovereignty, and Sustainability – Team 2

This project leverages established relationships to improve cross-campus buy-in and funding of Farm initiatives by visualizing the current and potential stakeholder network, uniting motivated students, and

Author(s): Lauren Schwartz, MaKayla Kelby, Makenna Schumacher, Olivia Meader Yetter

UW Farm Strategic Goal #4: Contribute to UW Food Security, Food Sovereignty, and Sustainability – Team 1

This team addressed one of the UW Farm’s strategic goals: Contribute to UW Food Security, Food Sovereignty, and Sustainability. The group developed educational deliverables for First Year Programs to

Author(s): Dana (Cameron) Baker, Kayla Guzman, Hannah Risher, Johnny Nguyen, Zerui (David) Liao

UW Farm Strategic Goal #3: Support Inclusive Community Building and Empowerment – Team 2

The team’s goal was to promote inclusive community building and empowerment through addressing the barriers that prevent student involvement at the UW Farm. This project brings the Farm to students

Author(s): Annete Alcantar, Ariana King, Megha Sonhi (*some members not listed)

UW Farm Strategic Goal #3: Support Inclusive Community Building and Empowerment – Team 1

One of the UW Farm’s strategic goals is to support inclusive community building and empowerment. In order to address barriers to engagement with the Farm, this team developed four events to promote

Author(s): Dawn Dang, Hwi Lin (Kevin) Kim, Qianqi (Kate) Wang, Nathaniel Lesure

UW Farm Strategic Goal #2: Deepen Student Understanding of Urban Food Production Systems – Team 2

This project focuses on the UW Farm’s strategic goal of deepening student understanding of urban food production systems. The team concentrated on strengthening the academic side of student engagement by

Author(s): Weiyi (Jeremey) Shi, Xuecheng (Snow) Yu, Cassadey Porter, Taylor Kesselring (*some members not listed)

UW Farm Strategic Goal #2: Deepen Student Understanding of Urban Food Production Systems – Team 1

The project goal was to deepen student understanding of urban food production systems by creating a well-rounded minor program in Urban Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Washington. The team

Author(s): Ayn Kurzenhauser, Danzengquying (Quying Danzeng), Sarah Armbruster, Shixi Zhang, Carson Strange

UW Farm Strategic Goal #1: Meet Academic Demand – Team 2

The UW Farm is a great resource for students across all disciplines at the University of Washington, yet there is a desperate need for funding and staffing to meet academic demand as presented in the

Author(s): Corey Maloney, Mckenzie Egan, Phoebe Chen, Renee Hopper

UW Farm Strategic Goal #1: Meet Academic Demand – Team 1

This project aims to meet academic demand for urban farming demonstrated by students as presented in the UW Farm’s strategic plan. The team delivered a UW Farm directory with university and local farm

Author(s): Della Floyd, Ayse Koyun, Lanxuan (Mary) Xu, Yongyi (David) Liu, Li-Ting (Lisa) Chou

Farm Connections to Culture, Identity, and Health: Food Justice Strategies for Restoring Historically Marginalized Communities in South Seattle-King County through Urban and Local Agriculture (Team 2)

Washington Farmland Trust expressed interest in impacts of displacement and land discrimination on historically marginalized communities, in addition to the impacts of reconnecting these communities to farms

Author(s): Henry Tran, Katie Kauffman, Maya Bui, Mikayla Blevens, Agustin Estrada

Paying Respect to the Unceded Land of the Duwamish Tribe (Team 1)

In partnership with Washington Farmland Trust, a case study focused on the Duwamish Hill Preserve, a park in the City of Tukwila that showcases historical seating areas, native plants and crops, and traditions

Author(s): Yusheng Yan, Kristin Tianwei Hu, Ruby Robins, Sammy Ruiz, Emily Kim

Climate Resilient Agriculture (Team 2)

Viva Farms currently does not have a climate resilience plan. Our project provides them with a plan that consists of future climate predictions, as well as mitigation and adaptation methods. Community Partner:

Author(s): Jennifer Phan, Katie Ehrig, Vicki Nguyen, Summer Cornell, Melanie He

Washington Cascadia Region Agricultural Resiliency Plan (Team 1)

Viva Farms, a Seattle-based non-profit incubator/training farm has already begun to see some of these negative impacts, including record heat waves and wildfire smoke. Micah Anderson, the Farm and Education

Author(s): Meredith Kruger, Amara Cunningham, Mizuki Suda, Eric Douangdara, Roy Junlang Lin

Developing an Equity Framework for the Viva Farms Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture (Team 2)

We developed a racial justice and equity educational plan to be implemented in tandem with the 9 month Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture at Viva Farms in Woodinville, WA. Equip farmers with the information

Author(s): August Burwell, Madi Huskey, Lizzie Zimmerman, Vickie Fang-Wen

Viva Farms Racial Justice and Equity Engagement Plan (Team 1)

A seven-module compilation of resources and practical steps to facilitate active and ongoing learning for the staff of Viva Farms as they identify their organizational commitment to racial justice and equity.

Author(s): Tiana Powell, Zehraa Al-Hamad, Emily Waltenburg, Adriana Castaneda, Abby Ellis

Nourish and Inspire: Creating Communications to Connect Local BIPOC Farms, Culturally Relevant Cooking Classes, and Community Food Security (Team 2)

Plant Based Food Share, a local Seattle non-profit, was looking for ways in which they could improve their current communication methods and strategies to spread awareness about the organization and all that

Author(s): Wendy Yang Lu, Carina Yu Jong Chan, Alexandra Wei Nam Ma, Hannah Haojing Chen, Lily Kahane

Nourish and Inspire: Creating Communications to Connect Local BIPOC Farms, Culturally Relevant Cooking Classes, and Community Food Security (Team 1)

Developed marketing materials to increase community participation in The Plant Based Food Share and assisted the organization in its vision to reduce food insecurity by providing resources for low-income,

Author(s): Kayla de Vera, Christina Romeo, Tammie Cheung, Annie Nguyen, Nathaniel Dobosz

Yes Farm: Final Project (Team 2)

Engaged in community outreach by creating a survey to understand the demographic of those who interact with the YES FARM and what types of cultural plants they would want more accessible to them. Through our

Author(s): Eugene Yang, Alana Nguyen, Joyce Li, Steven Shan Marzan, Emma Baoxin Huang

Invitation to YES Farm: Utilizing Plants to Create Inviting Spaces That Promote & Celebrate Diversity (Team 1)

Researched and developed a plant map for Yes farm to navigate their work in redesigning Yes farm entrances. This project is geared towards incorporating plants in order to create an inviting space for

Author(s): Rahma Arale, Elizabeth Herrera, Kenny Rui Ou, Sandra Nguyen

Beacon Food Forest User Assessment: Discovering methods on building an informed survey

Conduct online research to help community partners learn about what to include in and how to write proper survey questions, and how to distribute and test the survey for usability Community Partner: Beacon

Author(s): Yuni Zhang

Beacon Food Forest User Assessment: Final Project

Generated an informed user assessment survey regarding Beacon Food Forest to understand who is using Beacon, what users gain from the garden, and what the garden is still lacking. The survey outcome will serve

Author(s): Yuri Hwang, Hafsa Mohamoud

Addressing Food Insecurity through Community-led Partners Proposal (Team 2)

Aimed to address Washington’s food insecurity issue through developing a community-based food assistance project. Created a food distribution plan for Farmstand Local Food’s We Feed WA proposal through

Author(s): Sage Yiming Guo, Hsin-Yu Huang, Hailey Menssen, Jacob Iyall, Justina Woo

Addressing Food Insecurity Through Community-led Distribution Partnerships: Farmstand Local Foods and Pacific Coast Harvest, Neighborcare Health, and Rising Star (Team 1)

We worked alongside Farmstand Local Foods/Pacific Coast Harvest and NeighborCare Health to address structural inequities that lead to food insecurity in the United States. This was achieved by developing a

Author(s): Katie Yee, Tansy Huang, Cindy Ziwen Sun, Kambria McDonald, Courtney Campbell

Danny Woo Community Garden: The Safety & Sustainability Guide for Gardeners to Reduce Rodent Infestation (Team 2)

Explored natural deterrent solutions to minimize rodent infestation in rural gardens. Our goal is to maintain a sustainable and equitable food system at the Danny Woo Community Garden free of rodenticides and

Author(s): Jackie Ramos, Christian David Stammer, Reem Abraham, Veronica Ritchie

Improving Food Safety and Sustainability: Minimizing the Effects of Rodents in an Urban Community Garden (Team 1)

For our Food Systems Capstone project, we collaborated with the Danny Woo Community Garden to suggest methods to decrease urban rodent infestations and their associated damage to gardeners’ crops. We

Author(s): Helena Wang, Zhiru Li, Michelle Davidson, Nima Sherpa

Community-Driven Consumer Behavior Change for City of Seattle Human Services Department (Team 2)

Researching, identifying, and analyzing effective methods to increase access to nutritionally dense and plant-based foods for the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department to help guide community-driven

Author(s): Valeria Uber Kellogg, Christina Gonzalez, Sophia Ching-Yu Yang, Delmaris Jones, Andrea Tang

Community-Driven Consumer Behavior Change Team 1: Moving Towards Culturally Relevant, Environmentally Friendly Whole Foods

For our capstone, we compiled multiple campaigns & research articles to evaluate how strategies can be implemented to increase access to healthy, environmentally friendly, and plant-based foods for

Author(s): Bingbing Xiaobing Zhang, Pam Napisa Chansiri, Ally Siu, Peyton Fairservice, Tania Aronowitz

Community Engagement: Incorporating Social Media into the Food Action Plan (Team 2)

Partnered with the City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment to develop a recommendation on the public engagement process for the final update of Seattle’s Food Action Plan. Assessed how

Author(s): Sophie Wolfson, Yuyan Chen, Yuchen Zhang, Catherine Oh

Designing Community Engagement for Seattle’s Food Action Plan (Team 1)

Research on different cities’ food action plans to increase public engagement. Developed 4 strategies to increase Seattle’s residence engagement with the upcoming food action plan. Community Partner:

Author(s): Nicolle Jingyi Zhou, Connie Kening Huang, Sindy Hsin Ying Hsieh, Sophia Danielle Mathews

Mapping the Garden: Creating sitemaps for current & future Green Square

Created three maps for the University of Washington Tower Green Square representing the current state, future expansions and a 3D model using Adobe Illustrator, Miro, Figma, And SketchUp. Community Partners:

Author(s): Bethany Wang, Sharon Feng, Crystal Luu, Talon Hull, Jeffrey Balaoing

True Cost Accounting: Document an ongoing budget to keep this project going in the medium to long term

Examined the financial and social resources required for the successful completion of the University of Washington Green Square Project. Developed a budget that includes income from the Campus Sustainability

Author(s): Yushu Xiao, Alessandra Lorence, Tia Flora, Nathan Tran

Finding the Money: Develop proposal for the next Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) grant

Utlized data, field trip experiences as well as new suggestions and ideas to write a proposal for the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) grant to support improvements to Green Square during the 2023-2024

Author(s): Francis Viloria, Kellie Weaver, Tyler Vongkhamchanh, Darcy Cai, Adrianne Lopez

Scope of Work: Create plan for the 2022 seasonal student worker position(s)

Investigated the scope of labor required for the forthcoming seasons of Spring, Summer, and Autumn at the UW Tower Urban Garden Space in order to develop a plan for the seasonal worker student position. By

Author(s): Kyra Bilgic, Lydia Leu, Terry Nguyen, Jessica Ruelas, Aarti Tandon

Living Systems: Support soil health through a practical plan

Assessed the soil quality at the UW Tower Green Square to help support both the soil and possible future urban agriculture practices. Understanding the soil and how to best amend the quality will set up a

Author(s): Ruohan Hong, Michael Li, Nghia Thai, Jessica Ketner, Jesus Mendoza

Mind the GAP (Good Agricultural Practices): Maximize the food donation potential of the space through crop planning & food safety

Developed a plan for how the UW Tower’s Green Square Garden will grow produce to donate to the UW Food Pantry. The goal is to grow produce year-round to supply the pantry with fresh produce, so that food

Author(s): Mia Luna, Erika Reinhardt, Adriel Liau, Hussain Al-Hamad, Avery Kennedy

Placemaking: Design & maintenance for multiple uses

Created a plan of action that would expand the appeal of the UW Tower’s Green Square and allow it to support multiple uses. This project includes welcoming diverse community populations, urban

Author(s): Jesus Untalan, Adrienne Quan, Anita Pham, Yuchen Cui, Leila Guerzon

Story-telling in the Garden: Create a communication plan for the garden

Researched effective means of communicating the stories of UWTower’s Green Square project. The goal was to increase engagement with the outdoor space by creating a welcoming area for all through the combined

Author(s): Sage Choi, Rumi Conley, Morgan Restivo, Chloe Huang, Anthony Lu

Why & For Whom: Vision ideal uses and determine accessibility

Engaged with the vision for UW Tower Green Square to contribute to food system sustainability and equity. Community Partners: Cheryl Wheeler (UW Tower Green Team); Jacinda Luna (UW Tower), Troy Swanson (UW

Author(s): Emma Washburn, Ashli Choi, Madilyn-Linh Lai, Sam He, Gian Hong

Building a More Resilient & Equitable Food System in Seattle

Community Partners: City of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment Analyzed resilience framework from Boston, MA in order to add recommendations to Seattle Food Action Plan and build more resilient

Author(s): Grace Kwak

The Making of Composting with College Roommates

Integrated research on the benefits of composting and experimentation by getting roommates to start

Author(s): Min Chang

The Organic Food Industry in China

Investigated the barriers that exist in the resilience and equity of Chinese organic food system and provided

Author(s): Ada Li, Siyu Zhao, Victoria Tran, Xinyu Wang

Analysis of Decreasing Arable Lands Issue in China and Korea and Strategies for Supporting Local Farmers

Assessed the impact of natural hazards and urbanization on the loss of arable lands in China Yangtze River region and Korean Gyeonggi province and introducing three possible solutions to help local communities

Author(s): Jingyi Yao, Regina Yin, Jingnan Yuan, Ji Eun Choi

An Exploration of Food Delivery Industry in Shanghai and Its Impact On Workers Welfare, Environment and Public Health

Explored and made recommendations for the food delivery industry in Shanghai, China during COVID-19 pandemic with intention to improve the system’s ability to respond to disruptions, strengthen and economy,

Author(s): Yide Cai, Ian Zhong, Siyi Guan

Where’s Our Food?

Community Partners: Plant Based Food Share; Farestart; King County Local Food Initiative Partnered with Farestart, Plant-Based Food Share, and King County Local Food Initiative with goal of improving food

Author(s): Sophia Lin, Shoka Araki, Madison Moore, Leah Nordberg, Janet Gebreselassie

Community Partners: Plant Based Food Share; Farestart; King County Local Food Initiative Created food map and pamphlet that highlights BIPOC farms in the greater Seattle area to increase awareness as well as

Author(s): Alaina Matsuda, Kimmy Kim, Adrian Rodriguez, Maddy Keegan, Taya DeLong, David Telix

Incorporating Food Justice as a Value within Homeless Youth Shelters

Community Partner: Youthcare’s Orion Project In partnership with YouthCare and the Orion Center, produced an interactive food justice document and editable food budget model, which seeks to encourage staff

Author(s): Christina Giang,Albert Kidd, Gina Simon, Amy Nguyen, Ebba Getachew

Community Partner: Youthcare’s Orion Project This project served as a beginner’s guide to food justice. Created poster and brochure to introduce the movement, the values, and the necessities of food

Author(s): Liz Elton, Brynn Bench, Mariam Khalil, Jessica Garnica, and Jingjin Zhao

Viva Farms Farm Safety and Injury Prevention Training Program

Community Partner: Viva Farms Provided clear and concise materials addressing disability and injury prevention for students and

Author(s): Anna Sahlin, Jin Sun, Aidan Collins, Anna Chan, Sal Sepulveda

A Growing Need for Accessible Agriculture at Viva Farms

Community Partner: Viva Farms Collaborated with Viva Farms in Woodinville, Washington to investigate the community’s need for increased accessibility on the farm site with a focus on disability and injury

Author(s): Tessa Hignight-Roberts, Zoe Valencia, Laura R. Valle, Naomi von Ruden, Emily Sakaida

Building a Digestate Distribution Pathway in our Community

Community Partner: University District Food Bank Designed pamphlet, infographic, and comprehensive map to better distribute nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer from the University District Food Bank (UDFB)

Author(s): Sierra Einarsson, Jingwei Gong, Melody Guo, Havik Kouroupis, Taylor Strozyk, Guanlin Yu

Expanding Culturally Relevant Food Choice

Community Partner: University District Food Bank Partnering with the University District Food Bank to focus on providing resources for the food bank to obtain customer feedback on experience and food

Author(s): Katya Bloom, Hongzhou (Philip) Liao, Casey Chong, Danielle Lam, Ronan Spannuth

Community Partner: University District Food Bank In partnership with the University District Food Bank, focused on expanding culturally relevant food choice in food banks. Research methods included direct

Author(s): Richard Wu, Maryam Ahmadi, Brian Le, Yida Gao, Gyurme Lhazey

Policy, Systems & Environmental (PSE) Strategies at Food Banks: What’s been successful?

Community Partner: Solid Ground Partnered with Solid Ground, an anti-poverty and social services organization based out of Seattle, Washington, to research what policy, systems, and environmental (PSE)

Author(s): Eva Anderson, Kaley Chen, Curtis Harris, John Jin, Julissa Salas

Community Partner: Solid Ground A Collaborative Project with Solid Ground showcased a conglomeration of national strategies through various case studies. Used Solid Ground methods to implement and

Author(s): Varenna Knowles, Leina Seeley, Ian Grant, Mylynn Prak, Chase Raines

Creative Land Tenure Options for Farmers in King County

Community Partner: SnoValley Tilth In partnership with SnoValley Tilth, researched and proposed two creative land tenure options for application to King County which would provide farmers in King County an

Author(s): Isabella Danilyuk, Mercedes Lam, Ari Lui, Chloe Moore, Adela Wang

Community Partner: City of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment Part of the goal of building a more resilient and equitable food system for the City of Seattle, this project identified the

Author(s): Tessa Jantz, Pamela Chan, Anna Xu, Jingzhou (Jimmy) Wang, Tammy Nguyen

Community Partner: City of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment Partnered with the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment to give recommendations on the City’s next Food

Author(s): Kwan Yee Vivian Leung, Raisa Bermudez, Nikki Hogan, Ruihan Xu, Kathy Nguyen

An Exploration of Local vs. Industrial Meat Production

Community Partners: City of Seattle Farm to Table Program Worked with Farm To Table to create an infographic for educators at partner schools, encouraging the purchase of locally raised foods and identifying

Author(s): Charlie Sonmore, Kelsey Summers, Julia Meyer, Kiana Rose Camilon, Connor Pittman

Community Partners: City of Seattle Farm to Table Program; Nourishian for Life  By researching local and industrial meat production’s environmental impacts and creating an infographic and fact sheet,

Author(s): Alyn Sanchez, Brandon Liebmann, Mia Williams, Rain Jiang, Wenyan Ma

Building Food Systems Towards Food Sovereignty

Community Partner: Yes Farm In partnership with Yes Farms, created a community-owned digital map of local food systems across South Seattle, West Seattle, and the Duwamish Waterway. The map consists of local

Author(s): Anthony London, Diane Vivio, Sarah Capetillo, Fotima Ibrokhim, Hannah Jordan

Community Partner: Black Farmers Collective; Yes Farm In collaboration with Yes Farm, created a gardening curriculum targeted at middle school and high school-aged BIPOC urban youth. Curriculum includes

Author(s): Ally Womack, Chris Dang, Zhane Spates, Katie Schroder, Jane Karumba

Natural Disaster Subsidy for Farmers in Taiwan

Assessment of existing Taiwanese Council of Agriculture protocols that support farmer subsidies following natural disasters and research into strategies to improve the quality of that support and overall

Author(s): Kai-Yu (Carrie) Hsueh, Yu-Wei (Vernnica) Tseng

Washington State Farmer Resource Map

In partnership with Washington Farmland Trust (formerly PCC Farmland Trust) and Farm to Farmer, creation and distribution of a survey to inventory and map available resources needed by farmers and landholders

Author(s): Morea Daley, Quinton Hazen, Jill Ann Leszynski, Ashley Rose Valle, Huiyu (Stella) Zhou

Protecting Native Pollinators

In partnership with Viva Farms, production of educational outreach materials for farmers and consumers that increase awareness about services provided by native pollinators, research into successful native

Author(s): Wendy Chi, Emily Kwong, Esther My Nguyen, Lily Xu, Ellie R York

Immigrant Senior Meal Site Resource Guide to Local Foods

In partnership with Tilth Alliance, creation of resources for immigrant seniors to find affordable, locally grown foods in their

Author(s): Yuting (Zoey) Han, Billy Lee, Wesley Howard McLain, Siena Isabella Ruelas, Megumi Sara Tamai

Growing Rooftop Roots Across the Community

In partnership with the University District Food Bank, creation of a compelling case for developers to incorporate rooftop agriculture to extend access to local

Author(s): Elena Fazeli, Eric Lin, Estelle Yeri Park, Julia Y'Nhi Tran, Brendan James Welzien

Food Web or Food Trap

In partnership with City of Seattle Farm to Table Program and Nourishian for Life, production of an infographic and a one-pager examining the effect of industrial and local food systems on the environment and

Author(s): Jaehyun Kwon, Kimberly Nicole Lum, Mengyu Ma, Som Maya Subba

Food and Farm Business Support Center – Survey and Analysis of Collaborations and Partnerships from Across the US to Support Food and Farm Entrepreneurship

In partnership with King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks and Business Impact Northwest, research and analysis of partnerships and collaboration between nonprofits and public agencies from

Author(s): Carolyn Christensen, Erykah Holland, Karissa J Marshall, Yiyin (Kathryn) Zhang

Development of a Grassroots WA State Sustainable Agriculture Resiliency Survey

In partnership with Washington Young Farmers Coalition, development of a survey of Washington farmers to understand the economic role of smallholder agriculture in Washington and the threats farms are facing

Author(s): Molly Lane Evans, Luis Israel Fernandez, Julia Mikulikova, Katherine Thuy Trang Nguyen, Alondra Vaca

Creating Accessible Food Systems Through Education and Community

In partnership with Yes Farm, a project of the Black Farmers Collective, production of materials and resources for about healthy food systems in Seattle, using storytelling to share via social media and use as

Author(s): Kamariee Alcaraz, Dasom Chung, Rachel C Goodall, Nicole Lazar, Elena Marie Noyola

Capturing the Benefits of Regional Food Systems to Impact Policy and Practice in Early Learning Food Access Programs

In partnership with City of Seattle Farm to Table Program and Farmstand Local Foods, production of materials explaining the benefits of locally grown food, with consideration of regional food systems

Author(s): Hui-Hsin (Coco) Chuang, Cielo Gatmen, Rachel Lee, Sierra Brianne Marlow, Cindy Zhu

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Capstone Project Ideas: 150 Top Picks for Students

Are you nearing the end of your school journey and feeling stuck on what to do for your big final project? Don't worry! Capstone projects will help you show off everything you've learned in a practical way. But with so many options out there, how do you pick the right one?

Whether you're into computers, engineering, business, healthcare, or something else, there are capstone project ideas for you. You could make new technology, solve a real problem, or help people in your community. The trick is to find something you're interested in, and that fits with what you've learned so far. Let's check out some easy-to-understand ideas to get you started!

How To Choose Topic For Capstone Project?

Picking the perfect capstone project topics is like choosing your favorite ice cream flavors—fun but needs some thought! Don't just go for what's popular or easy. Find something that really interests you and fits your school and future plans.

To find the best capstone project topics, there are a few things to keep in mind. Let's break it down together, or if you're in a hurry, you can request to write my capstone project and save time.

Reflect on Your Interests and Passions:

• What topics have you enjoyed studying the most?
• Are there any pressing issues or problems in your field that you're passionate about solving?
• Consider your hobbies and extracurricular activities. Is there a way to incorporate them into your project?

Assess Your Skills and Strengths:

• What are your areas of expertise?
• Do you have any specialized skills or knowledge that you can leverage for your project?
• Consider projects that allow you to showcase your strengths and challenge you to learn new things.

Research Current Trends and Developments:

• Stay updated on the latest trends, innovations, and challenges in your field.
• Explore recent research papers, industry reports, and news articles to identify emerging topics and areas of interest.
• Is there a gap in the existing literature or a problem that hasn't been addressed yet?

Consider Feasibility and Resources:

• Assess the time, budget, and resources available for your project.
• Can you realistically complete the project within the given timeframe and with the available resources?
• Consider the accessibility of data, equipment, and expertise needed to execute your project.

Consult with Advisors and Mentors:

• Discuss your ideas with them and get their input on the feasibility and relevance of your proposed topics.
• They may also suggest potential avenues for exploration or provide valuable insights based on their experience.

Define Your Project Goals and Objectives:

• Devise a capstone project outline about your goals and objectives.
• What do you aim to achieve with your project? Is it to address a specific problem, contribute new knowledge to the field, or create a tangible solution?

Evaluate the Impact and Significance:

• Will your capstone make a meaningful contribution to your field of study or address an important societal need?
• Aim for topics that have practical applications and relevance beyond the academic setting.

Best Capstone Project Ideas

Now that we've laid down the groundwork, let's check out some cool topics to kickstart your imagination:

• Smartphone App Development for Local Events
• Green School Garden Design
• Teenagers' Mood Study on Social Media Impact
• Small Business Recycling Plan Creation
• Hometown Tourist Spots Mapping
• Music's Impact on Study Time Investigation
• Charity Website Building
• College Cookbook Creation with Easy Recipes
• Mind-Body Connection Exploration through Exercise
• Environmental Short Film Production in Your Area

Good Capstone Project Ideas

Let's keep the ideas flowing! Here are some more fantastic topic ideas to consider:

• Alternative Energy Solutions Research for Local Communities
• Health and Wellness Program Design for Senior Citizens
• Meditation Effects Investigation on Stress Reduction
• Marketing Strategy Development for Small Business
• Online Course Creation for High School Students on Financial Literacy
• Virtual Reality Impact Analysis on Education
• Sustainable Housing Prototype Building
• Relationship Exploration Between Diet and Mental Health
• Mobile Health App Design for Remote Patient Monitoring
• Artificial Intelligence Role Examination in Healthcare

Creative Capstone Project Ideas

Let's get even more creative with these topic ideas! Here's a list to inspire you:

• Eco-Friendly Fashion Line Design
• Interactive Storytelling Experience Creation for Children
• Virtual Reality Museum Exhibit Development
• Community Garden Building with Recycled Materials
• Podcast Series Production on Local History or Culture
• Environmental Awareness Board Game Design
• Cultural Festival Organization Celebrating Diversity
• Children's Book Writing and Illustration on Science or Nature
• Handmade Instrument Crafting from Recycled Materials
• Positive Message Mural Painting in Your Community

High School Capstone Project Ideas

Here, we tailored some capstone ideas specifically for high schoolers! These are designed to be engaging and manageable for your level.

• Charity Fundraiser Organization for Local Cause
• Educational YouTube Channel Creation for Science Experiments
• Sustainable School Garden Design
• Historical Events Play Writing and Performance
• Teen Stress and Coping Mechanisms Survey Conduct
• Mental Health Awareness Website Building
• Cookbook Development with Healthy Recipes for Students
• Community Clean-up Event Hosting
• STEM Workshop Design for Middle School Students
• Environmental Conservation Documentary Production for Local Area

Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

Alright, nursing students, it's time to put your skills to the test with some captivating capstone ideas. Let's see what's on the map:

• Health Education Program Creation for New Parents
• Patient Pain Management Protocol Development in Hospitals
• Impact Study on Nurse-Managed Clinics in Community Health
• Medication Adherence Intervention for Elderly Patients Design
• Telehealth Program Implementation for Rural Communities
• Fall Prevention Strategies Effectiveness Evaluation in Long-Term Care
• Nursing Staff Training Program on Cultural Competence Development
• Benefits Investigation of Music Therapy in Palliative Care
• Protocol Design for Sepsis Early Detection and Management
• Resource Guide Creation for Nurses on End-of-Life Care Options

Don't Let Your Capstone Project Overwhelm You!

Our experienced team is here to help you conquer your BIG project.

Cybersecurity Capstone Project Ideas

For cybersecurity enthusiasts, it's time to flex those digital muscles with these interesting capstone ideas:

• Secure Messaging App Development with End-to-End Encryption
• Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) Design & Implementation
• Penetration Testing on Local Small Business Network
• Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program Creation for Employees
• Threat Intelligence Platform Development for Cyber Threat Monitoring
• Security Implications Investigation of Internet of Things (IoT) Devices
• Secure Password Management System Development
• Secure File Sharing Solution Design & Implementation for the Company
• Forensic Analysis of Cyber Attack Incident
• Secure Online Voting System Building for Student Organization

Computer Science Capstone Project Ideas

Ready to cook up some cool computer science capstone topics? Let's stir up some creativity and see what delicious ideas we whipped up for you:

• AI-Powered Chatbot Development for Customer Support
• Virtual Reality Application Design & Implementation for Education
• Online Shopping Recommendation System Creation
• Machine Learning Model for Stock Market Trend Prediction Building
• Delivery Route Optimization Algorithm Design
• Blockchain-based Voting System Development for Student Elections
• Social Media Trends Data Visualization Tool Building
• Cybersecurity Simulation Platform Creation for Training
• Cloud-Based Document Management System Design & Implementation
• Mobile Application Development for Mental Health Tracking & Support

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Project Ideas

Let's now rev up our engines and explore some awesome mechanical engineering capstone ideas!

• Solar-Powered Vehicle Prototype Design & Build
• Automated System for Recyclable Material Sorting Development
• Smart Irrigation System for Agriculture Creation
• Portable Wind Turbine Design for Off-Grid Power
• Industrial Automation Robotic Arm Building
• Low-Cost Prosthetic Limb Development for Amputees
• Miniature Rocket Design & Atmospheric Research Testing
• Water Purification System for Remote Communities Creation
• Biomechanical Exoskeleton Development for Rehabilitation
• Hydroponic Vertical Farming System Design for Urban Areas

Data Science Capstone Project Ideas

Here's a lineup of engaging data science topic ideas to get you inspired and motivated. Using these capstone topics will allow you to tackle real-world problems using your data skills.

• Predictive Maintenance for Industrial Machinery
• Sentiment Analysis for Customer Reviews
• Healthcare Data Analysis for Disease Prediction
• Financial Fraud Detection
• Traffic Flow Prediction
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) Chatbot
• Image Recognition for Medical Diagnosis
• Energy Consumption Forecasting
• Recommendation System for Personalized Content
• Social Network Analysis for Influencer Marketing

Mental Health Capstone Project Ideas

Here, you can discover meaningful ways to support mental well-being with these thoughtful mental health capstone topic ideas.

• Predictive Model for Suicide Risk Assessment
• Mental Health Chatbot for Support and Counseling
• Analysis of Social Media Trends and Mental Health
• Early Detection of Mental Health Disorders in Adolescents
• Personalized Intervention Strategies for Stress Management
• Analysis of Mental Health Services Accessibility and Utilization
• Gamification for Mental Health Education and Awareness
• Emotion Recognition from Facial Expressions
• Virtual Reality (VR) Therapy for Phobias and Anxiety Disorders
• Analysis of Mental Health Data from Wearable Devices

MBA Capstone Project Ideas

No matter where your interests lie—whether it's entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, or operations—there's a perfect capstone topic waiting for you. Let's explore some exciting ideas together:

• Market Entry Strategy for a New Product or Service
• Financial Analysis and Business Valuation of a Company
• Strategic Marketing Plan for a Small Business
• Operations Optimization in the Manufacturing or Service Industry
• International Expansion Strategy for a Global Company
• Sustainable Business Practices Implementation Plan
• Supply Chain Management Improvement Initiative
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program Development
• Merger or Acquisition Analysis and Integration Plan
• Entrepreneurial Venture Business Plan

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Education Capstone Project Ideas

Your project is your big chance to make a difference in how we learn. Whether you're all about making lesson plans, tinkering with tech, or finding fun ways to teach, there's an idea waiting just for you.

• Project-Based Learning Curriculum Design & Implementation
• Educational App Development for Learning & Assessment
• Blended Learning Effectiveness in K-12 Education Evaluation
• Professional Development Program for Teachers Creation
• Impact Assessment of Inclusive Education Practices
• School-wide Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS) Program Implementation
• Parent Engagement Initiative Design & Evaluation
• Role of Mindfulness Practices in Student Well-being & Academic Performance Investigation
• STEM Education Program Development for Underrepresented Groups
• Effectiveness Analysis of Flipped Classroom Models in Higher Education

Social Work Capstone Project Ideas

Your social work capstone project can make a lasting impact on individuals, families, and communities. Check out some compelling ideas below:

• Needs Assessment & Program Development for Homeless Shelters
• Effectiveness Evaluation of Family Therapy Interventions
• Community Resource Mapping for Vulnerable Groups
• Mental Health Awareness Campaign in Schools
• Analysis of Racial Disparities in Child Welfare
• Trauma-Informed Care Training for Social Workers
• Impact Evaluation of Youth Mentorship Programs
• Advocacy Campaign for Affordable Housing Policy Change
• Support Groups for Domestic Violence Survivors
• Effectiveness Assessment of Restorative Justice in Juvenile Systems

Marketing Capstone Project Ideas

Are you passionate about digital marketing, branding, consumer behavior, or market research? Then you're in luck! Below are some cool ideas waiting for you.

• Integrated Marketing Plan for New Product Launch
• Market Research & Segmentation for Niche Market
• Social Media Strategy for Small Business
• Brand Audit & Positioning for Established Brand
• Consumer Behavior Trends Analysis
• Content Marketing Campaign Design & Implementation
• Influencer Marketing Effectiveness Evaluation
• CRM System Development for Service Company
• E-commerce Conversion Rate Optimization
• Competitive Analysis & Market Expansion Strategy

Accounting Capstone Project Ideas

Lastly, browse through some topic ideas tailored to your interests if you're curious about financial reporting, auditing, tax planning, or forensic accounting:

• Financial Statements Analysis & Performance Metrics for Public Companies
• Internal Controls & Risk Management for Small Businesses
• Audit of Nonprofits' Financial Compliance
• Tax Planning & Strategy for Individuals/Businesses
• Forensic Accounting for Financial Fraud Investigation
• Impact of Accounting Systems on Organizational Efficiency
• Cost Analysis & Budgeting for Government/Public Institutions
• Ethics in Accounting & Corporate Governance
• Financial Modeling for Investment Decisions
• Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting Assessment

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Capstone Project Overview

Future of Food Capstone Assignment: Analysis of Regional Future Food Scenarios

Course-level learning goals.

• Describe and assess the soil, biological, and water resources and climatic conditions that support food production systems.
• Analyze how human food systems significantly alter earth's ecosystems, specifically the biological, soil, and water resources.
• Evaluate the resilience of food production systems in the context of future climate, human population growth, and socio-economic factors.

Summary of Capstone Assignment

 At the beginning of the semester, you will select a food region. Throughout the semester, you will study different aspects of the food systems of your assigned region. By the end of the semester, you will have prepared a paper about your assigned food region that explores and analyzes the current status and the future resilience and sustainability of the food systems in your assigned region.

Capstone Overview

In order to assess your understanding of the interdisciplinary topics covered in this course, The Future of Food , you will need to demonstrate your mastery of the course learning objectives via the completion of a capstone project. The capstone project requires that you assess the current status of the food systems in an assigned region, and consider the food systems in your assigned region for future scenarios of human population growth and increased temperatures.

The capstone assignment is broken down into five stages that allow you to develop your assessment of the current status of the regional food system gradually as you progress through the course material. At the end of every third module, you will complete an assignment (or stage) designed to help you gather and organize the information you will need to assess future food scenarios. Each stage has an associated worksheet, which includes a table containing questions and suggestions for where to go to gather information or data.

During week 2, you will decide on a capstone region and gain instructor approval. In deciding this please consider a region with (a) significant agricultural production, (b) clearly defined boundaries of interest, (c) enough information published in reputable sources to collect enough information related to course content, and (d) are not too big of an area. To clarify the last point, usually, people choose a selection of small states or provinces that around about 100 miles in diameter.

Outline of capstone stages

You will find a worksheet associated with each stage that outlines in detail the data and information you should be gathering at that stage. The final Stage 5 document provides details regarding what should be included in your final paper or on your final web page. The stages will progress through the semester as outlined in the diagram below (please ignore parts about individual assessments and websites, as these have been removed from the course):

This image is an outline of the Capstone Project as follows:

Stage 1: Introduction to your region, history and diet/nutrition.

• Complete at the end of Module 3
• Initial data gathering (ppt & worksheet) documents

State 2: Water, nutrients, and crops

• Complete at the end of Module 6
• Continue work on data gathering -submit ppt and worksheet

State 3: Soil/crop management, pests, and climate change

• Complete at the end of Module 9
• Submit updated ppt and worksheet

State 4: Food systems and resilience, adaptive capacity and vulnerability (RACV)

• Complete at the end of Module 11

State 5: Final future food scenario website production

• Submit a rough draft for peer review
• Submit your final Capstone Paper

Capstone Grading

At the end of the semester, you will create a paper or website about your region. more details are provided in the stage 5 worksheet. your paper will include the following information:, the final capstone assignment (stage 5) - paper on your region's future food scenario, grading information and rubric for final capstone paper:.

• Summarize the data and information that you’ve gathered throughout the semester about your assigned regional food system(s) and the interaction between those food systems and the environment, as well as any relevant socioeconomic, cultural and policy factors.
• Provide an overview of the current status of your assigned regional food system(s). Summarize the data and information that you acquired in the previous modules to present the current status of your regional food system. Details are provided in the Stage 5 worksheet document.
• What are projections for regional human population growth in your assigned region?
• What are the projections for temperature increases in your assigned region?
• Provide a discussion of the resilience of your food system given the potential of increasing human population growth and increasing temperatures.
• Consider possible impacts of climate change and human population growth on the regional food system and the resilience and/or vulnerability of the food system to those changes.
• Propose strategies that contribute to the increased resilience of your assigned regional food systems in the face of human population growth and rising temperatures and evaporation rates.

News from the Columbia Climate School

How to Scale Food Justice: A Capstone Project

By Nick Schiff

Students from Columbia University’s Sustainability Management program recently presented Teens for Food Justice , a nonprofit focused on equitable access to healthy food, with an ambitious report that includes a plan to enhance nearly every aspect of the organization’s operations.

Over the previous months, they had spent hundreds if not thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and authoring the exhaustive document, aiming to convert their previous eleven courses into real-world service.

Their project began when Susanne DesRoches , a Sustainability Management faculty member, approached SUMA ‘13 alum Henry Gordon-Smith with the idea.

Gordon-Smith, who serves on the nonprofit’s board, was immediately interested. “I really care about Teens for Food Justice as an organization and at that time I knew they needed an outside perspective on using agtech [agricultural technology].”

He was particularly focused on assuring that the organization, which works in Title 1 schools training youth to be urban farmers , would be able to most effectively work towards its mission and keep up with the pace of technological change in its industry. “They needed the insight that these students could deliver to make them scalable and to stay well-positioned for funding,” said Gordon-Smith.

The students faced their own version of the problem: narrowing the scope of their research into several vast fields.

“The trick to a good capstone project outcome is marrying research from  academic literature with what’s happening in practice—and then to analyze all of that to find the best practices that are the right fit for the client,” said DesRoches, who led the project.

Indeed, the report synthesizes a massive trove of information, from investigations of American hunger (“in 2015, 1.25 million New York City residents were food insecure”) to an array of recommendations for their client (“track information from seeding to distribution for each crop”).

In the end, Soll spoke in glowing terms about the team’s work. “I cannot stress their professionalism enough. They took the time to understand our needs and delivered.”

Which recommendations did they implement? “Pretty much all of them,” said Soll. “Right there, during the presentation, we all had a brainstorming session about how to start putting the report to work.”

In the end, Gordon-Smith envisions far-reaching consequences of the report. “Our ultimate goal is to produce results for the at-risk population that the program works with,” he said. “The kids in the program will get the benefit of everything from better safety measures, to learning computer literacy, to an understanding of how to thrive as young professionals” said Gordon-Smith.

“Ultimately, they’re going to eat healthier, be better prepared for the career world, and I would even say we’ll see an impact on the public school system in New York City.”

The M.S. in Sustainability Management , co-sponsored by the Earth Institute and Columbia’s School of Professional Studies , trains students to tackle complex and pressing environmental and managerial challenges. Visit our website to learn more.

Related Posts

Congratulations to the 2024 Graduates of the Columbia Climate School

The Impact of Stalling the SEC Climate Disclosure Rule

Questioning Mayor Adams’ Commitment to Protecting NYC’s Environment

Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School MA in Climate & Society Class of 2024! Learn about our May 10 Class Day  celebration. #ColumbiaClimate2024

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Capstone Project Ideas: 20+ Examples You Can Work On in 2023

by  Antony W

January 2, 2023

Like the proverbial journey of a thousand miles, the secret of getting ahead on your capstone project is taking the first step.

In this case, that first step involves selecting the right topic and narrowing it down sufficiently, hence the need for an outline of some handy capstone project ideas.

At Help for Assessment, we understand the need of every student. Since you’re reading this, chances are you’re stuck with your capstone project and don’t know where to start.

This article will give you capstone project ideas in various fields that you can use to get started. We will cover:

• Nursing capstone project ideas
• Senior capstone project idea examples
• BSN nursing capstone project ideas
• Capstone project ideas for high school students
• Technology and technical background capstone project topics.

This guide has been put together by the team of academic writing experts at Help for Assessment. We understand that capstone projects are a make or make it kind of thing, given their bearing on your graduation and future success.

That is why these experts are willing to teach you how to do a capstone project , not to mention help you with it so that you can ace your final year of school.

Choosing Your Capstone Project Ideas and Topics (From Scratch)

Instructors don't always give you the freedom to select your own capstone project idea. However, if you are free to choose one, it is a unique chance to prove yourself. 

There are simple steps to choosing a great topic idea and refining it to a proper thesis statement or research question as the case might be.

We already have a detailed guide for this here on our blog , as well as step-by-step guides on how to carry out your capstone project to completion.

In brief, however, this is how you should go about choosing the right capstone project idea.

• Brainstorm ten or so topics inspired by your course and the material you have covered in the past 4 years. You can get these ideas from your classmates, online sources, or even from what other students have done in the past.
• Narrow down the topics as guided by the checklist you will find below.
• With the few remaining ideas, explore the available knowledge for each. This will help you determine how easy or challenging it will be to conduct the intensive research needed for your capstone project. If any of the ideas seems to have sparse published material, discard it. Quantity trumps quality in this case.
• Find an unsolved problem, a solution that can be improved significantly, a new avenue of exploration, or a completely new solution you feel might work. This will be your "angle" which you will develop in the project. Remember that unlike a thesis, the goal of a capstone project is to provide a practical solution to a real-world problem.
• Formulate a hypothesis and write down your capstone project proposal , which you will submit to your instructor for approval.

Checklist For a Good Capstone Project

Will it meet the requirements of your degree satisfactorily? It needs to cover a significant, preferably interdisciplinary portion of your senior studies.

Is it relevant to the profession you intend to join?

Is it interesting and provoking? Choosing a fascinating topic helps capture the interest of your audience and instructor. It also helps to keep you motivated even during the rough patches.

Does it have enough research, data, or supporting material already published? A novel idea may be good at first glance, but you will have a very hard time doing the necessary groundwork. The idea needs to be doable with the available resources.

Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

• Best strategies for treating children with diabetes.
• Shortage of nurses in (public) health care institutions.
• Critical care practices for terminally ill patients.
• Changing behavioral practices in society to combat non-communicable diseases e.g. HIV, Cancer, Diabetes.
• Educating students on sexual health to prevent teenage STDs and pregnancies.
• Patients with mental health issues - addressing stigma and care for those without autonomous decision-making skills.
• Compassion fatigue among operating room nurses.
• Unconventional art therapy for managing depression in youths.
• Nurse safety in psychiatric care centers.
• Lyme diseases.
• Technology in nursing: reliance on ventilators during the
• Coronavirus pandemic.
• Point-of-care testing.

Senior High School Capstone Project Topic Examples

• Tax breaks to religious organizations: should they be withdrawn?
• Do students spend too much time at school? Track your own school schedule and document its impact on your social and personal development.
• Gender inequality in sports. Tell the story of how you or a friend has been affected by gender discrimination in sports.
• Puerto Rico’s bid to become a US state.
• The role of robots in medicine/factories/our homes today.
• Fashion trends through history and how they have changed the human perception of clothing.
• Music therapy and its benefits in treating teenage depression.
• Study the effects of Shakespeare on culture and write your own play/poem/short story.
• Tell a story in photos, e.g, a favorite rock band, or the development of air transportation. Explore how technology in photography has transformed over time.

BSN Nursing Capstone Project Idea Examples

• Cardiac skills among teens
• Role of anesthesia nurses in palliative care.
• Review of nursing roles.
• HPV community awareness and vaccination.
• Prevention and management of dementia.
• The role of probiotics in preventing diarrhea caused by antibiotics.
• Monitoring of patients with sleep apnea and/or heart conditions.
• Professional training and development of nurses.

Capstone Project Topics In Technology

• Smart object recognition in surveillance systems.
• Software testing and quality assurance.
• Text and voice recognition algorithms.
• Use of customer management systems in e-commerce.
• Recovery of deleted commercial information.
• Online testing and evaluation.
• Stock prediction systems.
• Secure collection, analysis, recording, and storage of client data online.
• Safeguarding against digital identity theft.

Capstone Project Ideas in Business and Finance

• Franchising and management of franchises from the parent company perspective.
• Marketing strategies of non-profit organizations.
• Integration of e-commerce and traditional brick and mortar businesses.
• How cash flow/liquidity impacts a company’s profitability.
• Cross-cultural/multinational company management and policy driving.
• Work ethic in Japan/China/US.
• Conglomeration of major business (Walt Disney and 21st
• Century, for example) and the effect on consumers.
• Role of advertising in changing consumer perceptions.
• Analysis of the commercial, regulatory (tax), and legal business environment of a country of your choice.
• Running business/business accounting ethically.
• Issues faced when outsourcing business processes. (pick an industry/company to focus on.)
• Managing diversity and conflict in large organizations/companies.

These capstone project ideas are meant to be just that - ideas. They will help you get you on the right track and serve as a springing board to help launch your own.

Even then, these are only a very small sample given how wide the field of possibilities is. In essence, your imagination is the only limit when it comes to developing a magnificent capstone project.

Developing a good capstone project idea is only part of the battle. The challenge is only beginning, and how you implement it determines the outcome. We at Help for Assessment are committed to helping you achieve your academic dreams.

Our offer is always open - whenever you want a helping hand with your project, turn it over to us and rest assured that we will not rest until you have achieved your goals.

We stand by our promise of always delivering authentic, unplagiarized work written from scratch by our professional academic writers. If you ever need to have corrections done, we will do so for free and maintain constant, friendly communications throughout.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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Nutrition capstone projects.

NUNM nutrition students complete a capstone project for which they are required to draw on all aspects of the curriculum to develop a final project, research paper, or complete an internship. Here is a glimpse of the excellent capstone projects completed by some of our undergraduate nutrition students.

Throughout my time at NUNM, I have become increasingly interested in childhood nutrition, particularly in relation to the food our vulnerable population of low-income children are receiving at school. For my capstone project, I implemented a healthier version of the free-breakfast program at a local elementary school here in Portland. Post-graduation I plan on continuing to evolve my passion for childhood nutrition by finishing the clinical portion of my lactation consultant program and becoming an internationally certified lactation consultant.

I am the generator and visionary of the year-long group project, “The Reforestation and Beautification Capstone.” From my background in horticulture, and observation of campus I had the ideas to grow mushrooms on the north side of the academic building and to create a large container garden in the south facing corner of the East parking lot. I inspired action, created the proposals, the fundraising campaign, and organized our efforts. This capstone is the first actualization of a greater vision: to reforest every urban and suburban center in the world to end food insecurity and mitigate poverty. Follow the full story on Instagram @regenerativecapstone or my  website.

I am graduating this June with a BS in Nutrition. These past two years at NUNM have been wholly enriching as I learned about the food insecurity epidemic in the U.S., what action I can take to make a difference, and how to cope with inequity on a personal and spiritual level. The motivation of my capstone project was to address the food insecurity issue on campus by designing and building several permaculture-inspired installments. It has shown me what is possible with food production in an urban landscape, and my hope is for all of us to share in its benefits as a community. Next fall, I plan to dive deeper into the spiritual power of medicine in the MS of Oriental Medicine, and look forward to seeing all your familiar faces.

For my senior capstone project, I partnered with three classmates on the “Reforestation and Beautification of NUNM campus” project with a vision of eradicating food insecurity through the implementation of high-yield, low-maintenance, food system designs. I specifically focused on community outreach: sourcing musicians, live artists, food donations, creating posters, and tabling information sessions leading up to the event. Next year, I will be continuing studies in the M.S. in Nutrition here at NUNM with a focus on community nutrition.

Navigating the constant onslaught of diet advice in our everyday lives can leave us feeling exhausted, confused, and frustrated, with no idea who or what to trust. One minute, we are hearing that coconut oil is our golden ticket to health. The next minute, the American Heart Association is releasing a report condemning the saturated fats in coconut oil, claiming that they can lead to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Keeping up with, or even understanding, the newest research can be difficult for the average person. Therefore, they often rely upon the knowledge of their healthcare providers to help them discern what eating style is genuinely healthy and what is hype. As a future nutrition-focused healthcare professional, it is likely that many of my patients will ask for my opinions on various diets. I need to not only understand the latest scientific arguments surrounding the particular diets, but it would also be beneficial if I could supplement that knowledge with my own first-hand experience of the diets. Therefore, my capstone project is a pair of video episodes that document my experiences with two popular diets. By combining the most up-to-date research along with my own personal opinion, these episodes will help create a more well-rounded approach for me to work with my patients when faced with their concerns about various diets.

Erian and Rachel joined forces for their undergraduate capstone project. The goal of their project was to bring awareness to the community by offering a perspective much of the population has been steered away from, using food as medicine. To do this, they hosted two screenings of the film, Food as Medicine, in partnership with the Food as Medicine Institute. During their time at NUNM, they both learned how impactful the food system, personal nutrition, community/ public health, and poverty are.

I began volunteering for The Aphasia Network in August of 2017. The Aphasia Network provides support for stroke survivors and their families by hosting events that bring the Aphasia community together, by offering resources and support groups, and much more. For my senior capstone, I created a Nutrition Needs Assessment Survey for the Aphasia community, and am using the results to create nutrition resources, such as meal plans and recipes, for The Aphasia Network website. Meeting stroke survivors and seeing how having Aphasia impacts nearly every aspect of one’s life, and having the opportunity to use my education to support this community, has been a truly, humbling experience.

Kjell Cravens

While completing his BS in Nutrition at NUNM, Kjell embarked on a journey through the Portland permaculture scene as his capstone. A theme throughout has been connection: to the soil, instead of ubiquitous “food products,” as the foundation of good nutrition; to our neighbors in the built environment as part of thriving community; and through sharing work and meals with community members to provide a quality life experience. This process involved: completing an industry standard Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) course; volunteering with NPO City Repair as part of planning for the Village Building Convergence (VBC), an annual week-long event happening in June 2018; and working with three NUNM students to further manifest permaculture on the NUNM campus in June as one of nearly 30 plus VBC “Placemaking” sites across Portland. Kjell’s next steps are to provide expertise to others using permaculture principles on their urban sites, to continue volunteering with City Repair, and to attend a master’s degree program in environmental science in the next year.

For my capstone project, I am working with two fellow students to create a cookbook focused on plant-based, seasonal, and local recipes. Our aim is to encourage and inspire others to get into the kitchen, get cooking, and launch into a healthy lifestyle. After graduation, I would love to use this project as a stepping stone for creating my own nutrition education business in the future.

For my capstone, I worked with the Age Wise Institute teaching a series of nutrition workshops at a low-income aging community in Northeast Portland. The workshops were funded by Mary’s Woods, at Marylhurst University. The goal of this project was to help an underserved population gain the knowledge they need to improve their self-management of various health concerns and improve their loneliness through cultivation of community around food. In the future the Age Wise Institute has a plan to bring more nutrition workshops to multiple sites in Portland, making more work-study positions.

I collaborated with two classmates (Danica Marsh and Venessa Ordorica) to create a Pacific Northwest inspired cookbook as our final capstone project. This unique cookbook consists of mostly plant-based breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, dessert, and drink recipes with a focus on foods that are grown during the spring and summer seasons. My specific contribution toward the establishment of this cookbook was creating the 24 recipes. The sole purpose of this cookbook is to provide nourishing recipes that will in turn promote optimal health and deepen ones connection with food through a whole-food nutrition approach.

As a member of the Cherokee Nation I chose to focus my capstone project on assessing food security and food sovereignty within the urban Indian community. I am currently working with NAYA, who supports over 300 different tribes, in creating a culturally supportive Food Security and Sovereignty questionnaire. My goal is to share this questionnaire with other organizations who support urban Indians. After graduating with my BScN I will be returning next fall to NUNM to earn my MScN.

Want to see more student capstone work? View additional Capstone Projects .

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Past Capstone Projects

Student Capstone projects address pressing environmental issues. Most fall within the following topic areas. Because of the interconnected nature of Environmental Studies as a discipline, many projects address more than one topic area.

Browse the lists below for sample Capstone project summaries to give you an idea of the projects students work on as part of the Environmental Studies Capstone

If you’re interested in hosting a Capstone internship apply here .

If you are seeking more examples of Capstones in a particular category, email Sean McDonald , the Capstone instructor.

Climate Change

Communications/advocacy, conservation/restoration, environmental education, environmental justice, environmental policy, food systems, renewable energy, sustainable business, urbanization, waste management.

10 Unique Data Science Capstone Project Ideas

A capstone project is a culminating assignment that allows students to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired throughout their degree program. For data science students, it’s a chance to tackle a substantial real-world data problem.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Some great data science capstone ideas include analyzing health trends, building a predictive movie recommendation system, optimizing traffic patterns, forecasting cryptocurrency prices, and more .

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore 10 unique capstone project ideas for data science students. We’ll overview potential data sources, analysis methods, and practical applications for each idea.

Whether you want to work with social media datasets, geospatial data, or anything in between, you’re sure to find an interesting capstone topic.

Project Idea #1: Analyzing Health Trends

When it comes to data science capstone projects, analyzing health trends is an intriguing idea that can have a significant impact on public health. By leveraging data from various sources, data scientists can uncover valuable insights that can help improve healthcare outcomes and inform policy decisions.

Data Sources

There are several data sources that can be used to analyze health trends. One of the most common sources is electronic health records (EHRs), which contain a wealth of information about patient demographics, medical history, and treatment outcomes.

Other sources include health surveys, wearable devices, social media, and even environmental data.

Analysis Approaches

When analyzing health trends, data scientists can employ a variety of analysis approaches. Descriptive analysis can provide a snapshot of current health trends, such as the prevalence of certain diseases or the distribution of risk factors.

Predictive analysis can be used to forecast future health outcomes, such as predicting disease outbreaks or identifying individuals at high risk for certain conditions. Machine learning algorithms can be trained to identify patterns and make accurate predictions based on large datasets.

Applications

The applications of analyzing health trends are vast and far-reaching. By understanding patterns and trends in health data, policymakers can make informed decisions about resource allocation and public health initiatives.

Healthcare providers can use these insights to develop personalized treatment plans and interventions. Researchers can uncover new insights into disease progression and identify potential targets for intervention.

Ultimately, analyzing health trends has the potential to improve overall population health and reduce healthcare costs.

Project Idea #2: Movie Recommendation System

When developing a movie recommendation system, there are several data sources that can be used to gather information about movies and user preferences. One popular data source is the MovieLens dataset, which contains a large collection of movie ratings provided by users.

Another source is IMDb, a trusted website that provides comprehensive information about movies, including user ratings and reviews. Additionally, streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime also provide access to user ratings and viewing history, which can be valuable for building an accurate recommendation system.

There are several analysis approaches that can be employed to build a movie recommendation system. One common approach is collaborative filtering, which uses user ratings and preferences to identify patterns and make recommendations based on similar users’ preferences.

Another approach is content-based filtering, which analyzes the characteristics of movies (such as genre, director, and actors) to recommend similar movies to users. Hybrid approaches that combine both collaborative and content-based filtering techniques are also popular, as they can provide more accurate and diverse recommendations.

A movie recommendation system has numerous applications in the entertainment industry. One application is to enhance the user experience on streaming platforms by providing personalized movie recommendations based on individual preferences.

This can help users discover new movies they might enjoy and improve overall satisfaction with the platform. Additionally, movie recommendation systems can be used by movie production companies to analyze user preferences and trends, aiding in the decision-making process for creating new movies.

Finally, movie recommendation systems can also be utilized by movie critics and reviewers to identify movies that are likely to be well-received by audiences.

For more information on movie recommendation systems, you can visit https://www.kaggle.com/rounakbanik/movie-recommender-systems or https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221364567_A_new_movie_recommendation_system_for_large-scale_data .

Project Idea #3: Optimizing Traffic Patterns

When it comes to optimizing traffic patterns, there are several data sources that can be utilized. One of the most prominent sources is real-time traffic data collected from various sources such as GPS devices, traffic cameras, and mobile applications.

This data provides valuable insights into the current traffic conditions, including congestion, accidents, and road closures. Additionally, historical traffic data can also be used to identify recurring patterns and trends in traffic flow.

Other data sources that can be used include weather data, which can help in understanding how weather conditions impact traffic patterns, and social media data, which can provide information about events or incidents that may affect traffic.

Optimizing traffic patterns requires the use of advanced data analysis techniques. One approach is to use machine learning algorithms to predict traffic patterns based on historical and real-time data.

These algorithms can analyze various factors such as time of day, day of the week, weather conditions, and events to predict traffic congestion and suggest alternative routes.

Another approach is to use network analysis to identify bottlenecks and areas of congestion in the road network. By analyzing the flow of traffic and identifying areas where traffic slows down or comes to a halt, transportation authorities can make informed decisions on how to optimize traffic flow.

The optimization of traffic patterns has numerous applications and benefits. One of the main benefits is the reduction of traffic congestion, which can lead to significant time and fuel savings for commuters.

By optimizing traffic patterns, transportation authorities can also improve road safety by reducing the likelihood of accidents caused by congestion.

Additionally, optimizing traffic patterns can have positive environmental impacts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By minimizing the time spent idling in traffic, vehicles can operate more efficiently and emit fewer pollutants.

Furthermore, optimizing traffic patterns can have economic benefits by improving the flow of goods and services. Efficient traffic patterns can reduce delivery times and increase productivity for businesses.

Project Idea #4: Forecasting Cryptocurrency Prices

With the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, forecasting their prices has become an exciting and challenging task for data scientists. This project idea involves using historical data to predict future price movements and trends in the cryptocurrency market.

When working on this project, data scientists can gather cryptocurrency price data from various sources such as cryptocurrency exchanges, financial websites, or APIs. Websites like CoinMarketCap (https://coinmarketcap.com/) provide comprehensive data on various cryptocurrencies, including historical price data.

Additionally, platforms like CryptoCompare (https://www.cryptocompare.com/) offer real-time and historical data for different cryptocurrencies.

To forecast cryptocurrency prices, data scientists can employ various analysis approaches. Some common techniques include:

• Time Series Analysis: This approach involves analyzing historical price data to identify patterns, trends, and seasonality in cryptocurrency prices. Techniques like moving averages, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), or exponential smoothing can be used to make predictions.
• Machine Learning: Machine learning algorithms, such as random forests, support vector machines, or neural networks, can be trained on historical cryptocurrency data to predict future price movements. These algorithms can consider multiple variables, such as trading volume, market sentiment, or external factors, to make accurate predictions.
• Sentiment Analysis: This approach involves analyzing social media sentiment and news articles related to cryptocurrencies to gauge market sentiment. By considering the collective sentiment, data scientists can predict how positive or negative sentiment can impact cryptocurrency prices.

Forecasting cryptocurrency prices can have several practical applications:

• Investment Decision Making: Accurate price forecasts can help investors make informed decisions when buying or selling cryptocurrencies. By considering the predicted price movements, investors can optimize their investment strategies and potentially maximize their returns.
• Trading Strategies: Traders can use price forecasts to develop trading strategies, such as trend following or mean reversion. By leveraging predicted price movements, traders can make profitable trades in the volatile cryptocurrency market.
• Risk Management: Cryptocurrency price forecasts can help individuals and organizations manage their risk exposure. By understanding potential price fluctuations, risk management strategies can be implemented to mitigate losses.

Project Idea #5: Predicting Flight Delays

One interesting and practical data science capstone project idea is to create a model that can predict flight delays. Flight delays can cause a lot of inconvenience for passengers and can have a significant impact on travel plans.

By developing a predictive model, airlines and travelers can be better prepared for potential delays and take appropriate actions.

To create a flight delay prediction model, you would need to gather relevant data from various sources. Some potential data sources include:

• Flight data from airlines or aviation organizations
• Weather data from meteorological agencies
• Historical flight delay data from airports

By combining these different data sources, you can build a comprehensive dataset that captures the factors contributing to flight delays.

Once you have collected the necessary data, you can employ different analysis approaches to predict flight delays. Some common approaches include:

• Machine learning algorithms such as decision trees, random forests, or neural networks
• Time series analysis to identify patterns and trends in flight delay data
• Feature engineering to extract relevant features from the dataset

By applying these analysis techniques, you can develop a model that can accurately predict flight delays based on the available data.

The applications of a flight delay prediction model are numerous. Airlines can use the model to optimize their operations, improve scheduling, and minimize disruptions caused by delays. Travelers can benefit from the model by being alerted in advance about potential delays and making necessary adjustments to their travel plans.

Additionally, airports can use the model to improve resource allocation and manage passenger flow during periods of high delay probability. Overall, a flight delay prediction model can significantly enhance the efficiency and customer satisfaction in the aviation industry.

Project Idea #6: Fighting Fake News

With the rise of social media and the easy access to information, the spread of fake news has become a significant concern. Data science can play a crucial role in combating this issue by developing innovative solutions.

Here are some aspects to consider when working on a project that aims to fight fake news.

When it comes to fighting fake news, having reliable data sources is essential. There are several trustworthy platforms that provide access to credible news articles and fact-checking databases. Websites like Snopes and FactCheck.org are good starting points for obtaining accurate information.

Additionally, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can be valuable sources for analyzing the spread of misinformation.

One approach to analyzing fake news is by utilizing natural language processing (NLP) techniques. NLP can help identify patterns and linguistic cues that indicate the presence of misleading information.

Sentiment analysis can also be employed to determine the emotional tone of news articles or social media posts, which can be an indicator of potential bias or misinformation.

Another approach is network analysis, which focuses on understanding how information spreads through social networks. By analyzing the connections between users and the content they share, it becomes possible to identify patterns of misinformation dissemination.

Network analysis can also help in identifying influential sources and detecting coordinated efforts to spread fake news.

The applications of a project aiming to fight fake news are numerous. One possible application is the development of a browser extension or a mobile application that provides users with real-time fact-checking information.

This tool could flag potentially misleading articles or social media posts and provide users with accurate information to help them make informed decisions.

Another application could be the creation of an algorithm that automatically identifies fake news articles and separates them from reliable sources. This algorithm could be integrated into news aggregation platforms to help users distinguish between credible and non-credible information.

Project Idea #7: Analyzing Social Media Sentiment

Social media platforms have become a treasure trove of valuable data for businesses and researchers alike. When analyzing social media sentiment, there are several data sources that can be tapped into. The most popular ones include:

• Twitter: With its vast user base and real-time nature, Twitter is often the go-to platform for sentiment analysis. Researchers can gather tweets containing specific keywords or hashtags to analyze the sentiment of a particular topic.
• Facebook: Facebook offers rich data for sentiment analysis, including posts, comments, and reactions. Analyzing the sentiment of Facebook posts can provide valuable insights into user opinions and preferences.
• Instagram: Instagram’s visual nature makes it an interesting platform for sentiment analysis. By analyzing the comments and captions on Instagram posts, researchers can gain insights into the sentiment associated with different images or topics.
• Reddit: Reddit is a popular platform for discussions on various topics. By analyzing the sentiment of comments and posts on specific subreddits, researchers can gain insights into the sentiment of different communities.

These are just a few examples of the data sources that can be used for analyzing social media sentiment. Depending on the research goals, other platforms such as LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok can also be explored.

When it comes to analyzing social media sentiment, there are various approaches that can be employed. Some commonly used analysis techniques include:

• Lexicon-based analysis: This approach involves using predefined sentiment lexicons to assign sentiment scores to words or phrases in social media posts. By aggregating these scores, researchers can determine the overall sentiment of a post or a collection of posts.
• Machine learning: Machine learning algorithms can be trained to classify social media posts into positive, negative, or neutral sentiment categories. These algorithms learn from labeled data and can make predictions on new, unlabeled data.
• Deep learning: Deep learning techniques, such as recurrent neural networks (RNNs) or convolutional neural networks (CNNs), can be used to capture the complex patterns and dependencies in social media data. These models can learn to extract sentiment information from textual or visual content.

It is important to note that the choice of analysis approach depends on the specific research objectives, available resources, and the nature of the social media data being analyzed.

Analyzing social media sentiment has a wide range of applications across different industries. Here are a few examples:

• Brand reputation management: By analyzing social media sentiment, businesses can monitor and manage their brand reputation. They can identify potential issues, respond to customer feedback, and take proactive measures to maintain a positive image.
• Market research: Social media sentiment analysis can provide valuable insights into consumer opinions and preferences. Businesses can use this information to understand market trends, identify customer needs, and develop targeted marketing strategies.
• Customer feedback analysis: Social media sentiment analysis can help businesses understand customer satisfaction levels and identify areas for improvement. By analyzing sentiment in customer feedback, companies can make data-driven decisions to enhance their products or services.
• Public opinion analysis: Researchers can analyze social media sentiment to study public opinion on various topics, such as political events, social issues, or product launches. This information can be used to understand public sentiment, predict trends, and inform decision-making.

These are just a few examples of how analyzing social media sentiment can be applied in real-world scenarios. The insights gained from sentiment analysis can help businesses and researchers make informed decisions, improve customer experience, and drive innovation.

Project Idea #8: Improving Online Ad Targeting

Improving online ad targeting involves analyzing various data sources to gain insights into users’ preferences and behaviors. These data sources may include:

• Website analytics: Gathering data from websites to understand user engagement, page views, and click-through rates.
• Demographic data: Utilizing information such as age, gender, location, and income to create targeted ad campaigns.
• Social media data: Extracting data from platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to understand users’ interests and online behavior.
• Search engine data: Analyzing search queries and user behavior on search engines to identify intent and preferences.

By combining and analyzing these diverse data sources, data scientists can gain a comprehensive understanding of users and their ad preferences.

To improve online ad targeting, data scientists can employ various analysis approaches:

• Segmentation analysis: Dividing users into distinct groups based on shared characteristics and preferences.
• Collaborative filtering: Recommending ads based on users with similar preferences and behaviors.
• Predictive modeling: Developing algorithms to predict users’ likelihood of engaging with specific ads.
• Machine learning: Utilizing algorithms that can continuously learn from user interactions to optimize ad targeting.

These analysis approaches help data scientists uncover patterns and insights that can enhance the effectiveness of online ad campaigns.

Improved online ad targeting has numerous applications:

• Increased ad revenue: By delivering more relevant ads to users, advertisers can expect higher click-through rates and conversions.
• Better user experience: Users are more likely to engage with ads that align with their interests, leading to a more positive browsing experience.
• Reduced ad fatigue: By targeting ads more effectively, users are less likely to feel overwhelmed by irrelevant or repetitive advertisements.
• Maximized ad budget: Advertisers can optimize their budget by focusing on the most promising target audiences.

Project Idea #9: Enhancing Customer Segmentation

Enhancing customer segmentation involves gathering relevant data from various sources to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and demographics. Some common data sources include:

• Customer transaction data
• Customer surveys and feedback
• Social media data
• Website analytics
• Customer support interactions

By combining data from these sources, businesses can create a comprehensive profile of their customers and identify patterns and trends that will help in improving their segmentation strategies.

There are several analysis approaches that can be used to enhance customer segmentation:

• Clustering: Using clustering algorithms to group customers based on similar characteristics or behaviors.
• Classification: Building predictive models to assign customers to different segments based on their attributes.
• Association Rule Mining: Identifying relationships and patterns in customer data to uncover hidden insights.
• Sentiment Analysis: Analyzing customer feedback and social media data to understand customer sentiment and preferences.

These analysis approaches can be used individually or in combination to enhance customer segmentation and create more targeted marketing strategies.

Enhancing customer segmentation can have numerous applications across industries:

• Personalized marketing campaigns: By understanding customer preferences and behaviors, businesses can tailor their marketing messages to individual customers, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.
• Product recommendations: By segmenting customers based on their purchase history and preferences, businesses can provide personalized product recommendations, leading to higher customer satisfaction and sales.
• Customer retention: By identifying at-risk customers and understanding their needs, businesses can implement targeted retention strategies to reduce churn and improve customer loyalty.
• Market segmentation: By identifying distinct customer segments, businesses can develop tailored product offerings and marketing strategies for each segment, maximizing the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

Project Idea #10: Building a Chatbot

A chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence to simulate human conversation. It can interact with users in a natural language through text or voice. Building a chatbot can be an exciting and challenging data science capstone project.

It requires a combination of natural language processing, machine learning, and programming skills.

When building a chatbot, data sources play a crucial role in training and improving its performance. There are various data sources that can be used:

• Chat logs: Analyzing existing chat logs can help in understanding common user queries, responses, and patterns. This data can be used to train the chatbot on how to respond to different types of questions and scenarios.
• Knowledge bases: Integrating a knowledge base can provide the chatbot with a wide range of information and facts. This can be useful in answering specific questions or providing detailed explanations on certain topics.
• APIs: Utilizing APIs from different platforms can enhance the chatbot’s capabilities. For example, integrating a weather API can allow the chatbot to provide real-time weather information based on user queries.

There are several analysis approaches that can be used to build an efficient and effective chatbot:

• Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP techniques enable the chatbot to understand and interpret user queries. This involves tasks such as tokenization, part-of-speech tagging, named entity recognition, and sentiment analysis.
• Intent recognition: Identifying the intent behind user queries is crucial for providing accurate responses. Machine learning algorithms can be trained to classify user intents based on the input text.
• Contextual understanding: Chatbots need to understand the context of the conversation to provide relevant and meaningful responses. Techniques such as sequence-to-sequence models or attention mechanisms can be used to capture contextual information.

Chatbots have a wide range of applications in various industries:

• Customer support: Chatbots can be used to handle customer queries and provide instant support. They can assist with common troubleshooting issues, answer frequently asked questions, and escalate complex queries to human agents when necessary.
• E-commerce: Chatbots can enhance the shopping experience by assisting users in finding products, providing recommendations, and answering product-related queries.
• Healthcare: Chatbots can be deployed in healthcare settings to provide preliminary medical advice, answer general health-related questions, and assist with appointment scheduling.

Building a chatbot as a data science capstone project not only showcases your technical skills but also allows you to explore the exciting field of artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

It can be a great opportunity to create a practical and useful tool that can benefit users in various domains.

Completing an in-depth capstone project is the perfect way for data science students to demonstrate their technical skills and business acumen. This guide outlined 10 unique project ideas spanning industries like healthcare, transportation, finance, and more.

By identifying the ideal data sources, analysis techniques, and practical applications for their chosen project, students can produce an impressive capstone that solves real-world problems and showcases their abilities.

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ASU sustainability students tackle hotel food waste

Students of the Master of Sustainability Solutions program presented their capstone project on sustainable food waste management practices for their community partner, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel. From left: Ani Hanesyan, Jaclyn Reynolds, Chassidy Manlapid, Zachary Albregts. Courtesy photo

Graduating seniors from the School of Sustainability , a unit of the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University, showcased their innovative solutions for real-world sustainability challenges at the capstone project presentation held at the Walton Center for Planetary Health this spring.

The event featured presentations from five project teams, each collaborating with industry business and community partners to develop sustainability solutions such as food waste reduction, decarbonization for carbon-intensive products, sustainability communication, green career opportunities and mitigating environmental impacts in event planning.

Among this year’s community partners was Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel , represented by ASU alumnus Michael Ortiz. He graduated from the university in 2009 with dual bachelor’s degrees in sustainability and business management and now works as the hotel’s process improvement and sustainability manager. Ortiz spearheaded the collaboration with ASU students to address the hotel's food waste issue.

Studies show that the U.S. wastes 92 billion pounds of food annually, valued at over $473 billion. This equates to approximately 38% of America's total food supply.

According to a World Wildlife Fund report , customer-facing businesses like hotels, restaurants and supermarkets produce an estimated 40% of food waste. This makes hotel kitchens ideal settings for implementing food waste management strategies. 

The Fairmont Hotel has developed sustainability initiatives, such as reducing energy consumption, water conservation and sustainable sourcing, and it is seeking a sustainable solution for its food waste management operation. 

“The challenge with the food waste project was to identify cost-effective strategies to minimize waste without compromising guest satisfaction,” Ortiz said.

The project spanned two semesters, with College of Global Futures students from the ASU Online Master of Sustainability Leadership program  conducting research and return on investment analysis in fall 2023, followed by students from the Master of Sustainability Solutions program  refining strategies for the hotel’s food waste management practices in spring 2024.

“The ASU students conducted a comprehensive analysis of our food service operations, uncovering key areas where waste reduction could also yield financial savings,” Ortiz said. 

The team from the fall — which included Rebecca Auslander, Emily Magyar, Andrew Schuyler and Codie Sterner — highlighted opportunities in inventory management, portion control and composting initiatives that could enhance the Fairmont Hotel’s return on investment while contributing to their sustainability objectives.

“The Fairmont Scottsdale project allowed me to take the foundation I had built from the Master of Sustainability Leadership program and put the concepts to use,” Schuyler said. 

The Master of Sustainability Solutions team’s project in the fall of 2023 developed into a multifaceted food waste reduction program for the Fairmont hotel, which included staff training, guest awareness campaigns and partnerships with local food recovery organizations.

“The response from our executives was overwhelmingly positive,” Ortiz said.

“Already, we have seen a noticeable reduction in food waste, an increase in staff engagement with our sustainability goals, and positive feedback from guests who appreciate our commitment to the environment.” 

In spring 2024, the students of the Master of Sustainability Solutions team — which consisted of Zachary Albregts, Ani Hanesyan, Chassidy Manlapid, and Jaclyn Reynolds — worked on the second phase, incorporating innovative approaches to further enhance operational efficiency and reduce food waste. 

The team, led by Ortiz, visited the Fairmont Hotel site to learn more about the hotel’s food waste management operational chain. 

​​ After initial research and site visits, the Master of Sustainability Solutions team learned that food waste has environmental consequences and long-term socioeconomic impacts. Therefore, they developed a comprehensive and effective sustainability solution based on financial and social considerations. 

The student team found that there were areas of opportunity where food budgeting could be optimized. With high annual food costs, this finding highlights a major opportunity for financial savings and operational improvement. Meanwhile, from a social-impact standpoint, the excess food could otherwise be repurposed and/or donated to local charities.

By analyzing patterns in resource usage and guest behaviors, the team defined opportunities to improve operational efficiency and reduce food waste. 

“The commitment and creativity displayed by the students in pushing the boundaries of what we achieved last semester is truly commendable,” Ortiz said. 

The capstone experiences allowed both groups of students to apply their sustainability knowledge beyond the classroom by creating solutions with real-life impacts. 

“In academia, we learn about sustainability principles and are introduced to people who share our passion, which helps us expand how we perceive the world and tackle problems, which is extremely helpful,” Magyar said.

“But even the best ideas in the world won’t get implemented if we cannot convince enough people to engage with the solution.”

The project also prepared students for careers in the green workforce. 

“Since everyone on our team is considering a career path in corporate sustainability, this experience provided us with firsthand insight into how a company handles a complex sustainability problem,” Albregts said.

Ortiz shared that he was impressed with what both student teams accomplished for the capstone project, commending the tangible results it provided and the professionalism with which both teams conducted their work. 

“They have approached the project with a level of maturity, dedication and analytical rigor that one would expect from seasoned professionals,” Ortiz said.

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Ceramic artwork provides creative outlet for UB archivist

Out of Office

University Archivist Hope Dunbar smiles after finishing a piece on the pottery wheel in the ceramics studio at Buffalo State University. A sign of an expert is the cleanliness of their clothes after working at the wheel, Dunbar notes.

Photos and text by MEREDITH FORREST KULWICKI 

Published May 16, 2024

Editor’s note: This is another installment of "Out of Office," a regular series highlighting UB faculty and staff who pursue interesting hobbies, community engagement and other endeavors outside of their day jobs.

“There’re a million things that can go wrong. So, when it goes perfectly it's just magic.”

University Archivist Hope Dunbar has spent the past seven years perfecting her art in a basement ceramics studio at Buffalo State University. The evolution of her work is on display with her capstone project, " UNYIELDING," on view through May 21 at The Crucible Art Collective, 334 Connecticut St., Buffalo.

“It’s been a real journey,” Dunbar says. “Learning what works for me and what my aesthetic is and what I like and what I don’t like. It’s taken me a while to find my style.”

“She relishes and thrives on a challenge, especially a technical challenge, and has developed an approach to clay that explores a variety of different forms and ideas,” Robert Wood, professor of art and design, and coordinator of the Buffalo State ceramics program, says of Dunbar.

Dunbar says going through an academic program had more of an impact on her artistic development that she expected, with the focus on learning how to look at art, how to think about what is being created and how to design for a goal. Her attention to detail and dedication to learning the practice impressed others.

“She sets high standards and expectations for herself and strives to uphold those standards in her work,” says Robert Wood, professor of art and design, and coordinator of the ceramics program at Buffalo State. “She brings to the studio energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to explore ideas, to be curious and inquisitive.”

Dunbar says working with clay, especially when throwing at the wheel, takes complete focus. “You have to really be in the moment; you can't be thinking about other things or it just doesn't work.”

Dunbar’s pieces include a large spectrum of functional items — from everyday household china to decorative, spike-covered vessels. She has created her own recipes for the clay and glazes, referencing a four-inch binder full of her successes and missteps along the way. Regardless of the product, Dunbar says working with clay has given her an outlet and balance to life.

“Throwing on the wheel is almost like a form of meditation,” she says. “It’s so relaxing to me. And then I get to make all these beautiful things that I can share with my friends and family.”

“A lot of the decal images that I use on my pieces are from 18th-century illustrative texts,” Dunbar explains. The iron oxide decals most often depict botanical themes.

For this coming holiday season, Dunbar has already started working on a collection of ornaments. They mix her talent with clay and design with her passion for history.

“A lot of the decal images that I use on my pieces are from 18th-century illustrative texts,” Dunbar explains. The iron oxide decals most often depict botanical themes. “Not to ruin the surprise, but this year the ornament theme is going to feature holly and mistletoe.”

Dunbar cleans up each historical image using photo-editing software, then stretches and warps the decal to fit a 3D ceramic object.

Left: Dunbar keeps a record of her past work, including notes on glazing examples. The binder helps her replicate previous successes.

Right: The markings on these pieces show the evolution of Dunbar’s practice in ceramics. On the right, with an early piece, she wrote her name. On the left, the piece bares her personal stamp.

As the show and her time in the Buffalo State program wrap up, Dunbar is brainstorming her next steps. At the moment, this means anything from a private studio space to creating art for community fundraisers.

“I never went into this to become a professional ceramicist,” Dunbar says. “I went into this because I needed an artistic outlet, and clay was just a wonderful fit for me.

“I’m focused on feeling comfortable with where I am with my art and being able to share it with the community.”

Do you have questions or comments for the Office of the Provost? Let us know your thoughts and we’ll be happy to get back to you.

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Chalkboard: Montessori's learning pond; graduation livestreams; Wilson athletes announce colleges

School- and youth-related news.

STAUNTON — Montessori students have been working with the Staunton-based educational nonprofit farm Project GROWS to develop an outdoor learning pond. On Thursday, two students will lead a farm tour for their classmates and teachers to showcase this semester-long capstone project.

Staunton Montessori School and Project GROWS have partnered to offer an expanded curriculum based on garden education for students of all ages. Through the development of a community-based project, students were offered the autonomy to design and execute a permanent learning space on the farm.

After interviewing staff to better understand the needs of the farm, two 14-year-old Montessori students designed a water feature project to completely rebuild the current outdoor learning area on-site.

Students also interviewed Rich Wood, the education and outreach coordinator at Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District. He answered students’ questions about tadpole habitat preferences and detailed his own experience creating water features.

Students researched best practices for increasing pond biodiversity through the planting of pollinator-friendly species and created a tadpole habitat to encourage winter hibernation. Throughout their semester on the farm, students practiced teamwork, problem-solving, and time management skills to overcome the challenges that arose during construction.

The Staunton Montessori School adolescent program serves students in grades 7-9 (ages 12-15) by providing a hands-on, project-based learning experience in a compassionate community. This program emphasizes integration and connection among academic topics, grounded in the connections found in the living systems of the world, with the goal of engendering a life-long love for, and habits of, learning.

Staunton Montessori School, located in Fishersville, respects the mind, imagination, and spirit of each student. Grounded in the philosophy of Maria Montessori, they create an environment where children are empowered to fulfill their academic, personal and social potential.

Project GROWS envisions a world with an equitable food system where everyone has the access and knowledge to choose, grow, and enjoy foods that support a healthy life. They are proud to partner with a mission-aligned educational program which also promotes experiential learning. 

Graduation livestreams

Several area schools will offer livestreams for their graduations ceremonies this year. The links are below.

• WAYNESBORO: Friday, May 17, 7 p.m. at Waynesboro High School: Click HERE for Live Feed link ( NOTE:  If you don't have the  Zoom Workplace App , click  "Join from Your Browser."
• BUFFALO GAP: Saturday, May 19, 9 a.m. (moved inside to the new gym): https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/.../buffalo-gap.../evt9975dd840e
• STAUNTON: Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. at Staunton High School: School's Facebook page
• WILSON MEMORIAL: Monday, May 20, 7 p.m. at JMU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBWHqAVu1eY
• FORT DEFIANCE: Tuesday, May 21, 7 P.M. at JMU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qG4SVIm8BQ
• STUARTS DRAFT: Wednesday, May 22, 7 P.M. at JMU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cATY16uZzUo

Wilson Memorial athletes announce college commitments

The following Wilson Memorial athletes celebrated their college choices at the school Wednesday, May 15.

• Max Vess - US Military Academy, Track
• Kealo Smith - Bluefield University, Baseball
• Jaden Rose - Bluefield University, Baseball
• Ryan Mundie - Bridgewater College, Football
• Alex Jordan - James Madison University, Cheerleading
• Adelie Condra - Hollins University, Soccer
• Kayla Karnes - Randolph College, Soccer

More: Craigsville granted $3.8 million by newly passed state budget

More: Waynesboro's traffic garden will help new bicyclists learn to ride safely

—  Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at  [email protected]  and follow him on Twitter  @Patrick_Hite . Subscribe to us at  newsleader.com .