Module: Genomic Justice

Driving question: How can we tell the story of reconciliation in Bosnia through DNA sequencing and genetics?

What we did: studied modern Bosnian history, dug into the Bosnian war and the genocide that had taken place, and also studied genomic identifications and the impact that it brought to post- war efforts

My summative: A poem from the point of view of genocide survivors. A poem on their pain and their suffering. It would be an emotional poem that expresses the horrors of war, and would be written in hopes of spreading awareness about it. 

SOULLESS 

War, war, what is in war?

In war there’s blood. What is in blood?

In blood there’s soul. There's soul you say?

But when blood is in war,

That blood has no soul.

There is no soul in war. No soul in war.

18 was my brother, and 8 was me,

But the 9 year old me, he would never see.

You left me alone, in thunder and screams.

Brother, oh brother, come back to me please.

Your crimson blood, I see,

But your soul, where might it be?

There is no soul in war. No soul in war.

Click. The sound of a locked door, iron bound,

Splash. The smell of gasoline, bitter- sweet,

Crackle. The sizzle of flames, a blackened cottage,

Scream. The wide eyes of children, in hell’s cage.

Hell. Hell, it was.

But in that agony was a window of hope,

A window to freedom, in reach.

And through that window, from death I escaped,

The claws of black smoke, clinging.

Hours upon hours, through the dark forest I ran,

The cries of my children, resonates.

A river of crystal tears spilled out of my eyes,

The souls of my children, burned.

Out of the corner of my hazy sight, I see their ghosts following,

The python of guilt, choking.

Even now as I live on, a being of hollowness I have become.

I am alive but I am dead, soul perished.

There is no soul in war. No soul in war.

War and genocide!

Where mountains are of bones,

And rivers are of blood.

It is hell you say?

But the depths of hell punishes the evil,

Where the act of genocide destroys the innocent,

Of which the destroyers are men,

Of men worse than the devil.

War, war, what is in war?

In war there’s blood. What is in blood?

In blood there’s soul. There's soul you say?

But when blood is in war,

That blood has no soul.

There is no soul in war. No soul in war.

Personal Project: Pleasure & Pressure

driving question: how can I have a deep understanding of how scuba diving feels like and why so many people enjoy it, despite certain risks?

what I did: I always wanted to know how scuba diving really felt like, but I was not able to ever find anything solid. And so, I tried scuba diving myself, to understand why people do it despite certain risks, and also to write the article that I wanted to find.

my summative: an article that would allow the readers to have a deeper understanding of what scuba diving is like. An article that I used to want to find but wasn't able to

Link to my summative: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XazwJDAg2XTLHRNKkMfeILY4FiT5Lh8Xq_KyQHWGIVc/edit?usp=sharing

Module: A Tale of Two Cities

Driving Question: How can we apply the Japanese approach of cultural conservation to design for architectural renovation or innovation in our own home cities?

What we did: In this project, we first learned about architecture in Japan, in particular, its architectural style, and the way the Japanese people conserve their culture through architecture. Then, using the methods of cultural preservation used in Japan, we designed our own structure for our own culture.

My summative: sketches that showcases my process of planning, as well as a physical model to showcase the general shape of my design