While final exams and classes have ended for College of General Studies sophomores, preparation for a final project, known as “Capstone,” has already begun.

“The whole point is the culmination of liberal arts education. Its intent is to wrap everything together,” said Stacy Godnick, assistant dean of CGS. “Students are able to use and apply all of the knowledge they’ve acquired through the curriculum.”

This year’s project requires students to investigate one topic related to accelerating biological change brought about by human activity.

Students are placed into groups and are required to have a 50-page written report based on four weeks of extensive research. An individually graded oral defense, lasting up to two hours, is then presented before the team’s faculty members.

“I think it’s a good idea to give the students an opportunity to work as a team and produce a thesis-like presentation in preparation for what’s to come after college,” said CGS sophomore Anja Wallace.

The project grade, worth 25 percent of the semester grade in science, social science and biology, has made some students, such as Gail Cayetano, a bit nervous.

“There’s so much pressure because it counts for every CGS class and it’s a big portion of our grade,” Cayetano said. “But I like the fact that they give us so much time to do it.”

“Capstone,” coined by Professor Robert Wexelblatt, is the final block on top of a construction project to complete its structure.

“It’s the last course that ties everything together,” Wexelblatt said. “It caps two years of study.”

Josh Schneider, a College of Communication junior, said he felt the project was unhelpful and pointless when he was in CGS last year.

“Having eight partners was horrendous,” Schneider said. “No matter how good your group was or how hard you worked, it seemed like everyone got around the same grade.”

However, the topic he researched has influenced a potential future in politics.

“The topic me and my group chose had to do with American National Security,” Schneider said. “I enjoyed studying politics and policymaking so much that now I’m thinking of maybe a career in politics.”

Sophomore Dan Addelson looks forward to a change of pace and the opportunity to conquer a project that will benefit him in the future.

“The thing about this project is that it’s been around for years,” Addelson said. “It’s neat that this is a time to do original research and actually create something that’s on the cutting edge.

“Now that I’ve become a well-rounded college student, I get to take this broad base of knowledge and apply it to something where I can really create something magical,” he said.