Pioneer Journal

About the Scholar: Nabo Yu attended The Webb Schools in Claremont, California, in the United States.

The Research:

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the accuracy of tests was so variable that some countries chose not to use tests at all, but instead isolate symptomatic individuals. Pioneer scholar Nabo thought computer simulations could shed light on the effects of testing accuracy on the spread of the disease. His SIR model computational calculations confirm that higher testing accuracy can result in reduced disease spread, and show that even lower accuracy testing is useful in slowing the transmission rate. According to Nabo, the model “has possibly offered a basic method of determining acceptable levels of testing accuracy based on the level of social isolation.”

About the scholar: Lutfi Eren Erdogan grew up in Turkey and attended Uskudar American Academy in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Research:

Using advanced computer technology to classify medical images has proven challenging because the datasets of images are limited in size and mostly lack annotations, whereas the supervised convolutional neural networks that can aid diagnosis generally require large datasets annotated by experts to guarantee high performance. Pioneer scholar Lutfi thought a semi-supervised neural network might be used to train a powerful classifier that could provide accurate results. His semi-supervised classification approach worked well with medical datasets with limited images and few labels, outperforming a state-of-the-art classification network. Lutfi has made his code available for public use as part of his paper.

About the scholar: Abhishek Don Hemlani grew up in China and attended BASIS International School Guangzhou in Guangzhou, China.

The Research:

A massive explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, killed 200 people and left 300,000 homeless. Pioneer scholar Abishek sees this disaster as the result of chronic negligence and corruption in the Lebanese government. He analyzes Lebanon’s current political, social, geopolitical, and economic risks with the goal of identifying critical areas that the IMF should address as it negotiates economic assistance and an action plan for the country. “Successful reform and recovery cannot occur without reforming the sectarian political system and changing attitudes,” he concludes, acknowledging that such systemic change is probably “out of the IMF’s domain.”

About the scholar: Jiaying Liu grew up in China and attended Indian Springs School in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

The Research:

Plastic in the ocean is one of the greatest concerns in today’s world. Among its lesser known damaging effects is its role in transporting invasive species. Pioneer scholar Jiaying was curious about how different countries manage the dangers of coastal plastic debris. Through analyzing reports from Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and California, she found that there was no consistent methodology for assessing the biological risk or reporting the results of mitigation efforts. She also found that public participation in clean-up efforts, and in particular educating the public to recognize biological invasion vectors and help collect data, is an underused resource.

About the scholar: Rushil Roy grew up in the United States, and attended Monte Vista High School in Danville, California, USA

The Research:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), known for its adherence to and propagation of Hindu nationalist values, has been India’s dominant political power since 1998. Their policies, which include restricting Muslim immigration and framing Muslims as terrorists, led Pioneer scholar Rushil to ask how India’s non-Hindu groups have responded to the BJP’s nationalism. He considers Albert Hirschman’s three “valid responses” to state-sponsored oppression: exit (emigration), voice (advocacy), and loyalty (capitulation), and concludes that in India, the response has instead been primarily political violence in response to the BJP’s “weaponization” of social welfare by denying social services to predominantly minority regions.

About the scholar: Chuhan Zhang grew up in China and attended Nanjing Jinling High School International Department in Nanjing, China.

The Research:

Motivated by a transition in the image of the wolf in Chinese media “from a despicable villain to an object of worship,” Pioneer scholar Chuhan decided to research the actual relationship between wolves and humans in Tibet. She examined the figure of “wolf” in ancient and modern Chinese literature, then interviewed Tibetan pastoralists whose herds are subject to wolf predation. She found that Buddhists, who believe in the equality of all life, in general have a “live and let live” attitude, while Tibetan pastoralists, who no longer have access to guns, find the conflict with wolves a constant concern.

About the scholar: Vardaan Tekriwal grew up in Indonesia and attended the Jakarta Intercultural School in Jakarta, Indonesia

The Research:

A Veblen good is one that defies the usual market trend by increasing in sales as its price increases. Pioneer scholar Vardaan theorized that two kinds of “intangible assets” can be used by companies to create more Veblen goods. Marketing and promotion can result in brand recognition; research and development can increase a company’s intellectual and creative rights, such as patents, copyrights and trademarks. Through data analysis of several companies in two distinct sectors, Vardaan concluded that increased brand recognition helps the consumer clothing industry “Veblenize” goods, while intellectual and creative rights are more helpful to the consumer electronics industry.

About the scholar: Bangjun Yue grew up in China and attended Institut Le Rosey in Rolle, Switzerland.

The Research:

Pioneer scholar Bangjun begins her paper with a hypothetical case of the use of growth hormones on two boys, one short because of a genetic defect, the other short because of inherited genes. She uses this case to examine positive eugenics (species enhancement) and negative eugenics (disease elimination). She raises several moral and ethical questions stemming from the possibility of gene manipulation in human beings: unintended consequences, lack of responsibility, interference with natural processes, impact on the long-term development of the species. Bangjun concludes that these questions should be addressed seriously by the human community before eugenics is widely used.

About the scholar: Sumin Yoon grew up in South Korea and attended The School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.

The Research:

“Although the biological mechanisms of opioid overdose and dependence are thoroughly researched, our understanding of why Americans turn toward opioids in the first place is rarely discussed.” This clear discrepancy led Pioneer scholar Sumin to investigate the causes of addiction through a review of previous studies and his own personal interviews. He concluded that the opioid crisis is driven by “a complex network of socioeconomic factors, medicalization of addiction, social pain, and stress.” Attempts to address the crisis by limiting the availability of opioids and criminalizing abusers without considering the root causes of addition are bound to fail.

About the scholar: Zhanhao Zhang grew up in China and attended Shen Wai International School in Shenzhen, China.

The Research:

The idea that “entrepreneurial activities and the introduction of new means for production stimulate economic growth” has strongly influenced the business world for several decades. However, scholars have questioned this premise, and research has not revealed a strong correlation between innovation and economic growth. Pioneer scholar Zhanhao tested the theory further by using tools of quantitative analysis. He found only weak links between entrepreneurship and innovation and the economy of the United States in the years 2011-2018. He suggests that further research to yield more compelling results would include a greater date range and materials from other countries.

About the scholar: Thalia Ou grew up in China and attended Branksome Hall in Toronto, Canada

The Research:

In China, where individuals choose where to receive their healthcare, higher level hospitals are overwhelmed and lower level hospitals underutilized. Pioneer scholar Thalia points out that this disparity is caused by “information asymmetry” rather than quality of care. The more famous hospitals attract more patients and become more famous; the less well known local hospitals, which provide greater patient satisfaction, remain relatively unknown. Because her research showed one source of the problem is the online registration platforms that inform prospective patients about available services and quality of care, Thalia suggests the government expand and update them to be more comprehensive.

About the Scholar: Yixuan Zhao grew up in China and attended Shenzhen College of International Education in Shenzhen, China

The Research:

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a widespread disease that is commonly signaled by a buildup of plaque in the femoral artery. This plaque can cause ruptures that lead to strokes and even death. Although plaque in other arteries has been studied extensively, little attention has been paid to the femoral artery. Pioneer scholar Yixuan used the diagnostic possibilities of computational fluid dynamics to design a prototype of a non-invasive predictive system that would be easy for doctors and patients to understand, and could lead to the development of personalized treatments to address the disease in its early stages.