Students
Voices of Inquiry & Reflection
A Collection of Pre-College Research and Reflective Writing
Reflections
These reflective essays were submitted by students as part of the Reflection Essay Contest. Through their writing, students share personal insights, intellectual growth, and meaningful takeaways from their experiences in the program. Each essay offers a thoughtful glimpse into how students engaged with inquiry, learning, and reflection during their time in our programs.
Advanced Inquiry Institute
These research papers reflect the independent work of students in the Advanced Inquiry Institute, an immersive pre-college program focused on advanced research, critical analysis, and scholarly writing. Over the course of two weeks, students explored complex questions across disciplines, either conducting new research or building on prior work in a familiar field. Each paper represents the student’s own intellectual effort, developed through drafting, revision, and engagement with academic conventions.
Advanced Inquiry is possibly the most fun class I have ever taught. Whether we were visiting the McDonell Genome Institute, studying artifacts in Special Collections, or visiting the labs at the Center for Water Innovation, my students engaged the intricacies of research. It was a joy to teach them about the varieties of research being conducted at WashU and to witness them embrace the challenges of conducting their own research.
―Dr. Dustin Iler Instructor for the 2026 Advanced Inquiry Institute2026 Advanced Inquiry Institute
Student Research Papers
Diya Agastya
No One Left Behind: How Online Diagnostic Tools Replicate ADHD Stereotypes and Disadvantage Inattentive Girls
Jarmelle Cabana Ignalig
Perspectives on Inequities in Female Reproductive Healthcare
Vivaan Kathapurkar
The Future of Predictive Sports Medicine: Nanoparticle-Infused Hydrogel Wearables
Doyoon Lee
Rhetoric, Agency, and Environmental Action: A Comparative Analysis of Proposition 20 and the Dolphin-Safe Tuna Campaign
Lynn Choi
The Transformation of Bioinformatics Through BLAST
Raquel Nossel
The Everlasting Impacts of East Germany’s 1976 Systematic Doping: Scientific Discovery and Policy Changes
Michael Scimo
The consequences of mafia political and economic intervention — a systematic analysis
Zhangtong Shao
Governance Responses to Harmful Algal Blooms: A Comparative Study of Lake Taihu and Lake Erie
Sahana Solai
The Baby Tooth Survey: The Effect of Strontium-90 and Other Radioactive Isotopes on Children’s Health
Jude Taher
Secrecy in the System: Government Immunity and Strategic Opacity in America
Siyao Wang
Tripartite Symbioses: Parallels Between the Mycorrhizosphere and the Seagrass Rhizosphere
Eveyln Yoo
High School Students’ Mental Health and their Life Choices