Synaptic

2017 Edition

A Note from the Editors

By Hannah Marcum ‘18 & K.E. Daft ‘19

It is our delight to share this year’s publication with you.

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Representation of the Holocaust through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

By Gretchen Kistenmacher '17

The horrific and inconceivable events of the Holocaust are engraved in Germany’s past.

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Ibuprofen Synthesis

By McKenna Kilburg '18 & Rachel Tyler '18

The synthesis of ibuprofen was accomplished from isobutylbenzene. The synthetic process included a Friedel-Crafts acylation, reduction, chloride substitution, and Grignard reaction. The products of each step were analyzed using IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy and the final product was additionally confirmed by melting point analysis.

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Madness in (Stage)craft

By K.E. Daft '19

In Act III Scene iv of Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,” there exists ambiguity regarding the proper way to portray the presence of the ghost.

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Nutrition and Neurology

By Andrea Arthofer '17

This century has been the century of medical advancement. Worldwide, understanding of the pathology of many diseases has greatly increased, which has led to the development of more effective treatments.

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An Identity in the Seams

By Kayleigh Rohr '20

On a hot August day in 2014, I found myself in a bleak gray shirt, embellished with a green caterpillar decal, standing in front of a local daycare center.

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Legal and Cultural Contexts of Gay Rights in India

By Duncan Brumwell '20

We may note firstly that the U.S. Department of State under Hillary Clinton took the initiative in using all its diplomatic tools “to press for the elimination of violence and discrimination against LGBT people worldwide, particularly those forced to flee their homes or countries.”

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The Judgement of “Penelope”: A Day in the Life of Molly Bloom

By Lindsey Greer '17

From the dawn of Ulysses in 1922, the character of Molly Bloom has been under scrutiny, judged for her actions, implied or explicit, on one particular day.

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A Measured Response: Staging the Ambiguity in Measure for Measure

By Hannah Marcum '18

Silence is far from conventional in Shakespearean theatre. The most acclaimed modern productions are always fast-paced with little downtime; those found lacking are often critiqued as sluggish or dawdling.

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And Here Our Troubles Began: An American Reaction to 9/11 in Comix

By Sydney Embray '17

In the Shadow of No Towers is a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman, completed in the years following 9/11 and published in 2004.

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Searching for the Beginning

By Josie Youel '18

To be an artist one must be unique and challenge what has been done before them. Whether or not that sentence contains any credibility or truth, the painter Jean Dubuffet fits almost perfectly into it.

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Rebirth

By Zach Moss '17

Two months ago, a solid blanket of six-foot-tall grasses towered over my head. The blanket danced with every breeze like an ocean with the come-andgo of the tide.

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