AP Research Projects are Approved by IRB

by Liba Fruithandler, SSLI '28

Just before Winter Break, juniors in the AP Research class submitted their research proposals to Schechter’s Institutional Review Board, or IRB. The IRB goes through the proposals and makes sure that they are moral and won’t harm anyone. The IRB must be made up of credible people who are able to review the proposals. The head of the IRB at Schechter is Mr. Shawn Thorgersen. Once the proposals were vetted and approved, the studies were cleared to begin.

Here are some snapshots of the juniors' research projects and their experiences with the IRB:

Sam Levenson:
Sam Levenson’s research is about “how high school athletes interact with sports nutrition content on social media.” Because he will be interviewing specific people, part of his IRB proposal included proving that he would “protect the confidentiality of people [he] was interviewing.” Levenson is planning to interview “anybody who’s in high school and on a varsity or junior varsity team, and who has some experience with social media."

Madison Hoffman:
Madison Hoffman is researching how the reality television show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives creates stereotypes in the eyes of Jewish teens. When planning her research, she had to take into account many factors, such as age range and Jewish background. Hoffman will be interviewing “Schechter students aged 14-18.”

Penina Charry:
Penina Charry is investigating if “commentary in a broadcasted NFL game makes a difference in people’s excitement [regarding the game] and desire to watch future games.” She will be interviewing “people who are not football fans and are between the ages of 18-65.” This study will be slightly different than the others because of the wide age-range.

Junior Penina Charry created a map with notes to help her visualize what her research will focus on. (P. Charry)

Sara Rosenthal:
Sara Rosenthal’s research is on “people’s opinions on different Siri voices.” She wrote up a recruitment message that was approved by the IRB, and she will send it to all of the students within her study's age range in the high school division here at Schechter. She is unable to share her hypothesis, as it “might tamper with" her results. Rosenthal must also get parental permission from everyone involved, as she is interviewing minors.

Anna Melzer:

Anna Melzer is studying "if having a dual Jewish curriculum changes high school students' awareness of their learning styles." When asked about the research process, Melzer said that finishing crucial research steps in "manageable sections" helped her settle on her final research question. She reflected that "It was exciting to synthesize and finalize all my ideas and then have it be officially approved" in the IRB. Melzer especially noted that she "loved getting Mr. T's insight!"

In order to learn more about any of these projects or to participate in any of these studies, feel free to ask the researchers.

Liba Fruithandler is a staff writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since January 2025. Liba is currently a sophomore at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: lfruithandler28@schechterli.org