Afternoon Presenters

Genetic Testing and Your Right to Privacy – Austin Robertson

Lab 8

This presentation will discuss the benefits of the use of DNA samples and genetic testing. Today, more and more people have access to these tests, but there is one question that needs to be asked. Do the capabilities and promises of genetic testing take precedence over privacy rights? 23andMe and Ancestry.com have been under extreme pressure due to the lack of privacy contracts and the unintended disclosure of our own genetic information. This presentation will touch on both the benefits and the violations and illegal actions by companies and our government.

Austin Robertson is interested in law and legal studies. This project gave him the opportunity to see deep into the flaws of the government and how we need more protection. After high school, he will be attending Connecticut College as a government major.

FIRST Robotics – Dan Roswell

Engineering Room #100 in Stafford Tech Center

Come see a demonstration of Rutland High School’s F.I.R.S.T. robotics for the 2019 competitive season!

Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe? – Clarena M. Renfrow 

White 16

Artificial Intelligence is becoming more and more a part of our lives from digital assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, assisting in the medical field, and robotics to tracking our movements on the Internet.  There are many ethical and philosophical questions that need to be answered as a result.  People need to be prepared to understand what AI and Machine Learning are, think critically about the future of AI and be ready to make decisions about its’ future, man’s future and how the two should intertwine.  This workshop will examine what is happening right now in the field of AI, our Country’s and Vermont’s stances on the subject as well as explore what philosophical and ethical questions we should be asking ourselves to prepare for the future and to make laws regarding AI.   

Clarena Renfrow lives in Castleton, Vermont.  Technology has been a fascinating subject to her since she first set eyes on a computer and she was always an early adopter of computers and other new technologies.  She is passionate about the positive role that technology should play in society and understands the negatives of it as well.  Clarena holds an associate’s degree in business from Castleton University, a bachelor’s in education from Sheldon Jackson College and a Master’s in curriculum and instruction from Castleton University.  She furthered her studies in technology at the University of Vermont.  Clarena teaches technology courses at Rutland High School and also graduate level courses in educational technologies at Castleton University.   

Disparity between public education in US and Mexico – Andres Aguilar

Red 26

Think about all the educational opportunities you have been lucky enough to have. The United States give us the chance to undergo an educational journey full of resources and experiences. Nonetheless, many countries around the world do not. One of these countries is Andres’ own, México. He will present the differences in education between Mexico and the US.

The Exciting Future of Electric Vehicles – Taborri Bruhl 

Red 28

Electric vehicles are amazing! Many are available today, and each year their capabilities just keep growing. But more importantly, in the future the entire transportation system will revolve around electric vehicles, and this will play a critical role in how humans will be able to live sustainably on the planet. Taborri Bruhl is an owner of two electric vehicles, and he is knowledgeable about electrical grids and sustainability issues—join him as he discusses how these three seemingly-unrelated things will all come together in the future to play a huge role in all of our lives. The presentation will include videos of electric vehicle manufacturing and performance today (come see clips of a Tesla P85-D in “Ludicrous” mode!).

Taborri Bruhl lives in rural New Haven, Vermont, with his wife, three children, and two dogs in a net-zero house powered by solar and wind. Taborri is a former Marine Corps officer, and holds a bachelors degree in history and journalism from Texas A&M University and a masters degree in history from California State University. He teaches history, economics, and government at the high school level, and is on the board of directors for the Acorn Renewable Energy Co-op in Addison County, VT.

Cyberwar: Where Everyone is on the Front Line – Zoe Zmurko 

White 24

This is an informational presentation about the future or war and its relationship with cyberspace. Zoe will touch on the aspects of cybersecurity from our home computers to international platforms.

Zoe Zmurko, a senior at Rutland High School, will be attending Union College to study Computer Science and Computer Engineering.

Artificial Intelligence and Medicine – Jeremiah Lynch

Lab 6

In this session, you will learn how artificial intelligence is already being used in medicine and what it could look like in the future.  

Jeremiah is drawn to this topic because he enjoys programming and hopes to be part of the AI revolution.

LGBTQ: The Effects of Hate and the Revolution of Love 

Madison Fetterolf 

White 27

Madison will share the highlights of the LGBTQ Movement and will give examples of its ongoing struggle to be respected and protected.
Madison is planning on attending Hartford University in the fall as a part of the Honors College Sociology program.

The Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Jobs – Abraham Furlan

White 24

Abraham Furlan will discuss the way that Artificial Intelligence works, followed by an analysis of what tasks Artificial Intelligence could be good at. The presentation gives people the knowledge to decide for themselves whether or not their own job might be replaced one day.

Abraham Furlan, having completed every computer science course offered at Rutland High School, is planning to go to college to learn how to program. He will pursue a job with game design where one day Artificial Intelligence might be used to enhance the games that are being created.

DIY Artificial Intelligence for Makers with Chatbots – Patricia Aigner

White Computer Lab

Int this workshop we’ll look at several examples of Chatbots online and then look at a do-it-yourself intelligent speaker that Patrcia Aigner built this spring. We will experiment with voice recognition and the Google Assistant.

Patricia Aigner is a maker, tinkerer and Director of Technology for RCPS.

Who Made Your Clothes? – Anny Linn

Red 23

Anny Linn used her capstone research project as an opportunity to delve deeper into the fast fashion industry. She will present to us the ethical, economic, and ecological impacts of fast fashion. On May 10th, the day before International Fair Trade Day, she will be also hosting a screening of the film “The True Cost” as well as a thrift store fashion show.

Anny is a senior at Rutland High School. Two years ago, she watched the “True Cost,” a documentary on Netflix that focused on the devastating impacts of the fast fashion industry. As someone who has shopped at major fast fashion companies for nearly her entire life, she felt a sense of guilt knowing that as a frequent consumer of fast fashion, she had been financially supporting corporations who were economically enslaving millions of workers. Since then, she has made an effort to become a more conscious consumer. Next year, she hopes to study international relations and political science in college.

Poaching and Poverty in South Africa – Alexa McPhee

Lab 3

Three rhinos lose their lives every day to poachers in Africa. Most of these poachers are just trying to feed their families and have turned to poaching as a last resort. Do we have to stop poverty to stop poaching? This is a double session. Students who sign up for this presentation will participate during both the morning and afternoon breakout sessions. This afternoon session will focus on creating a collaborative art piece related to Alexa’s work.

Alexa McPhee is a senior who will be going to college for international business and biology. She visited South Africa last summer to work alongside locals to protect the black rhino and saw the issues of poverty and poaching for herself. Alexa wishes to return to South Africa in the future and do more to help save the rhinos.

What does your Recycling turn into? – Ray Dube

Red 13/14

This session will highlight the materials that the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England recycles on a day-to-day basis and will explore how local businesses use those recycled commodities by showing examples of products made from them.  A discussion of recycled household products will reveal what they can turn into as well.

Ray has spent the last 25 years working for a franchise bottler of Coca-Cola doing everything from loading and driving trucks to working in sales and in the financial department.  Most recently he has served as the company’s Sustainability Manager, overseeing commodity sales, recycling and education to schools and to the general  public.  Ray graduated from NH College in 2000 with a degree in Business, Finance and Economics as well as a certificate in Sustainability for the University of NH in 2014.

Theatre for Social Change – Cathy Archer

Red 25

Through theatre games this session will explore Education and how it impacts a person’s ability to earn a living, be a part of the community, and develop as a human being. Participants will be guided to develop scenes, using techniques from theatre of the oppressed and Improvisation, which will tell the stories of people in their search for education. Students will leave the workshop with a framework or outline for a play that addresses the issue of the importance of Education.

Cathy Archer is a thirty-four-year veteran teacher of theatre in Vermont. She recently presented this workshop as a part of Vermont’s One Act Festival, The Northeastern Theatre Festival and at the New England Drama One Act Festival. She is committed to the idea that theatre can affect change through productions of plays that address issues concerning the human experience and the World. Rutland High School’s Encore Theatre has recently produced several plays that deal with censorship, discrimination and the power of kindness.

Soup Bowls for Hunger – Stefanie DeSimone

Creative Structure

In this hands-on session, participants will work with a professional ceramics teacher and craft bowls for a social cause. They will be used in next years Soup Bowls for Hunger.

Artificial Intelligence in Crime Analysis – Bradley Goodhale

White 12

Bradley Goodhale will speak about AI in crime analysis, how he thinks it can enhance and augment his skills but also hinder and bias any analysis, with a specific focus on how Rutland City Police have used this technology in recent years and may employ it in the future.

Mr. Goodhale has 31 years in Vermont Law Enforcement in various roles, the last 5 year as a crime and intelligence analyst For Rutland City Police Department. He has an AS in Information Systems Management from Community College of Air Force, a BS in Emergency Management from the National Labor College, a certificate in Applied Critical Thinking from US Army University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies.

Opioid Addiction – Elivia Lapre

White 26

Elivia’s presentation regards opioid addiction and how it impacts the world. She chose this topic because her family has been impacted by the terrible consequences of opioid addiction and she wanted to know why and how to help. 

Family Separation and the Pain and Trauma That Follow 

Jessica Orluck

Red 15

Family separation and immigration have been in the headlines recently. Jessica’s presentation, titled “Family Separation: Lasting Trauma” delves into the psychological aftermath that follows such a traumatic event. It covers the cognitive, physical, and emotional effects of child-parent separation. Please understand that this can be a touchy subject for many and the presentation includes some heart-wrenching imagery.

The Universe and You – Taylor Krupp

White 14

“You & the Universe” explores the question, how big is the universe? In this presentation, we’ll also dive into a conversation about our responsibilities as not only global citizens, but universal citizens. If you are someone who desires to learn about your standings in the universe, “You & the Universe” is for you! Be prepared to be humbled!

Technology for Communication – Alison Remy and Marcie Jones

Red 18

This interactive session will show participants a bit about how technology is being used currently to aid teachers and students in communication.

Build your own Bristlebot –  Detlef Hagge 

Lab 5

Income Inequality and its Effects on Education from Kindergarten to College

Alaena Hunt, Stephie Siki, Gabe Nelson, and Finn Wormser

Red 16

These co-presenters are working together under the guidance of the student collaborative “What’s the Story” to shine a light on the lasting effects of income inequality and represent Stowe High School, Winooski High School, Shelburne Community School, and Champlain Valley Union High School, respectively. 

Grace Senecal-Albrecht is a junior at South Burlington High School. She lives with her three cats and dog, Dobby. When not in school, you will likely find Grace at the barn, riding her horse Breigo. She plans to go to school in either Virginia or Maryland and will bring Breigo down with her to compete. Law & Order: SVU and a passion for social justice inspired this project. After watching Mariska Hargitay’s documentary on backlogged rape kits, she wanted to learn more about how Vermont has been handling this issue.