The Skylands Research Institute, in partnership with local high schools, hosted the 1st Annual Skylands Research Institute Spring Symposium on May 31, 2023. AP Research students from Sparta High School, High Point Regional High School, and Delaware Valley High School presented on year-long research projects. Presentations, including one from an SCCC Faculty, included:
High Point Regional High School
Chase Krisanda: Effects of Water Quality in Papakating Creek on Cyanobacteria Culture
Nick Thomas: The Role of Endangerment Status in the Public View of Sumatran Tigers and Snow Leopards in Zoos
Sparta High School
Dana Dunbar: Representations of Black Natural Hair Types in Children's Media
Juliette Sanchez: Trichotillomania in Movies: Analyzing Movies, Characters, and the Depiction of Trichotillomania
Delaware Valley High School (PA)
John Lockwood: Maximizing Profitability in a Deep Reinforcement Learning Simulation of Monopoly: The Mega Edition
Jessica Rhule: Differences in Educational Leadership Qualities Between Biological Sex in Delaware Valley Secondary School Staff
Sussex County Community College
Professor Robert Ott: Increasing Net Gain in Inertial Fusion by Targeting Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) Under Laser Cooling
Students enrolled in AP Research are encouraged to explore a topic or problem that interests them and design, plan, and conduct a year-long research project centered around it. The class represents the culmination of skills that students learn in AP Seminar, which include effectively analyzing sources, formulating coherent arguments backed up by evidence, and examining issues from differing points of view.
The Skylands Research Institute was developed through Sussex County Community College to foster regional collaboration on research and scholarly inquiry in Northwest New Jersey. The Mission of the Skylands Research Institute is to provide support for rigorous scholarly inquiry intended to add to the body of knowledge through a systematic approach within the region while continuously promoting ethics, assisting with grant procurement, and advocating for quality throughout the research lifecycle.
