Projects at THINK Global School & beyond
With an emphasis on place-based and project-based learning, my time at TGS allowed me to take on multidisciplinary projects of my choice—some independently, some collaboratively—while falling in love with the joy of learning by doing and through firsthand experiences. I grew and learned a great deal about the world, different communities, a variety of subjects, and, most importantly, about myself, discovering new passions and interests along the way.
VRTouch: Haptic-based prosthetic
Locations: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Australia, Japan, Greece, Bangladesh
A year-long independent research and development project focused on combining haptic feedback technology, prosthetic design, and virtual reality to create accessible virtual experiences for individuals with hand-related disabilities. The project involved prototyping tactile sensors, implementing VR environments using Unity and Unreal Engine, and developing low-cost, haptics-based prosthetics to restore or simulate the sense of touch in digital spaces.
Original multimedia film on the first Nations people of Australia
Locations filmed: Cairns, Australia; Melbourne, Australia
My Roles: South Design, Voice Over, Videographer
Description: In a team of 5 students, we collaborated and created this orginal film on the first nations people of Autralia, paritcularly the Aboriginal people. After hours of research, watching films, visitng musuems, interviewing guest speakers and finally living in a community of the aborginal people in Carins for a week, we have created we documented and created this film collaboratively to empower the first antions Auatrslians by with an effrot to put some of their voiuces out in the world.
Drones to prevent wildfires
Location: Busan, South Korea; Seoul, South Korea
My Roles: Coded the Tello drone to detect and send alarms to prevent wildfires
Description: With some prior expertise in C++ and Python I had taughjt myself. During my xschool term in South Korea, I found my passion in drone coding. For this project, I used a Tello drone. With little guidance ands solely idnependent anf freedomt o do whatever I wanted to make the drone do- I taught myself, obejct and facial detection coding the drone to detect fires, teees and smokeby adding and additional smoke detector to the drone top. It was funa nd rewarding as I was able to demonstarte it live on stage ti perfrom obejct detection. It was a collrbaotive project of 2, while my partner was in charge of the ethical portion of the rpoject-as we half od the project we leanrt about ethical use fo etchnology- he focused on ethics and I coded the drone due to my pasisin and love for tech.
AI Journalism and Bosnian War History
Locations: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publication: https://online.fliphtml5.com/thinkglobalschool/pkae/#p=4
Description: During my Journalism module in Bosnia, we studied the differences between AI-generated journalism and human reporting, learning directly from Bosnian journalists—including those who worked on the frontlines during the Bosnian War. We explored multiple forms of journalism, visited the Al Jazeera Balkans headquarters, and traveled to Lukomir, the last traditional Bosnian village. Our classroom was the historic Hotel Holiday, where war correspondents once gathered during the conflict.
We interviewed journalists in Sarajevo, visited museums such as the History Museum of Sarajevo, and learned why many buildings still bear bullet holes—Bosnians choose to preserve their war heritage. We also discovered the significance of the “Sarajevo Roses,” mortar impact sites now filled with red resin to honor those who lost their lives.
Beyond journalism, we hiked through the countryside, visited Srebrenica, and studied Bosnia’s ethnic and religious diversity, where Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs coexist alongside Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity—reflected in the country’s three-prime-minister system.
After showing strong interest during our museum visit, I was offered an internship in the photojournalism department, where I cataloged and labeled archival postcards. The work felt deeply personal: I saw parallels between the Bosnian War and Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, in which my grandfather fought. This inspired me to write a comparative article on the two wars, which was published by my school and won the Best Article Award.
Calculus Robotics
Locations: Botswana, India, South Korea, Greece
Independent robotics project where I programmed a JD humanoid robot using Potential Integral Derivative (PID) control to achieve precise movements, including dancing, walking, and bending accurately. This project was closely linked to my calculus work, as I applied calculus concepts directly in my Python code to optimize the robot’s motion and performance.
The Last Samurai- Original one-act play and theatre performance
Locations: Hiroshima, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; Tokyo, Japan
My Roles: Screenplay writer, The Ghost of the Last Samurai
Description: During our Japan Term, I studied screenwriting, method acting, and theatre performance. For our collaborative project, I served as the lead writer and performed as the Spirit of the Last Samurai—a guide who helps a young man navigate life through the seven values of the Bushido code and the idea of finding freedom within constraints. I loved acting, writing, and fully immersing myself in the process. Visiting the Ninja Museum in Kyoto, watching live Samurai performances in Kyoto and Tokyo, and exploring Japanese history deepened my connection to the project. I also developed a passion for traditional matcha-making, tea ceremonies, Samurai literature, costume design, and swordwork. Through this experience, I grew as both an artist and a person—and had a lot of fun along the way.
Greece- Sense of culture
Location: Athens, Greece
With three teammates, I collaboratively designed and created two distinct neighborhood experiences in Athens: Plaka, a tourist hub, and Exarchia, an alternative anarchist neighborhood. We intentionally incorporated multiple senses—smell, touch, sound, and taste—while minimizing visuals to make the artwork accessible to blind participants. The project consisted of two immersive rooms, one representing a café in Exarchia and the other in Kolonaki, allowing visitors to experience Athenian coffee culture without relying on sight.
We distributed the work evenly: Robyn focused on smells, Camille and Chadi handled sounds, and the rest of the team contributed to tactile and taste elements. Sounds were delivered through headphones with binaural recordings, engaging spatial awareness and auditory processing in the cochlea to identify and locate the sources. Smells of coffee, bread, vanilla, and cinnamon triggered olfactory sensory neurons that connect directly to the brain, creating a vivid olfactory experience. The sense of touch was engaged through varied furniture textures and heights, affecting comfort and user perception.
This project was rewarding both creatively and intellectually, teaching me about the neuroscience of the senses and inclusive design. It ultimately inspired my passion for haptics, VR, and designing technologies for people with disabilities.
Cybersecurity Education
Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Wesbite- https://rayan79.wixsite.com/cyberaware
Description: I created a virtual cybersecurity education platform for Bangladeshi youth to promote online safety, data protection, and digital literacy. Organized events with guest speakers and led in-person workshops on web privacy and cybersecurity awareness. Managed a blog and social media pages, producing high-quality educational content tailored for young audiences.
World Robotics Olympiad project- Tetr
Locations: Hiroshima, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; Tokyo, Japan
My Roles: Screenplay writer, The Ghost of the Last Samurai
Descriptions: During my senior year breaks, I led a team of three to compete in the National and International World Robotics Olympiad in Panama, where we won a bronze medal internationally. We designed and built both a drone equipped with a Pixhawk controller and a ground robot for signal strength detection. Our project aimed to aid optimal network tower placement in congested areas of Dhaka, combining robotics, coding, and engineering problem-solving to address real-world urban connectivity challenges. Leading the team taught me valuable skills in collaboration, technical design, and innovation under pressure.
Independent Research- Lumiere
Internet Addiction and Neuroscience – Individual Research Project (July 2023)
Accepted into the Lumiere Research Scholar Program with a full scholarship and paired with Aleksander Bogoniewski (UCLA) as my mentor. Began a structured, week-by-week research program in June 2023, including orientation, mentor meetings, and a tailored research syllabus guiding my independent project.
Investigated Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) through a combination of literature review, clinical assessments, and neuroscience perspectives. Reviewed past and current research on IAD, including symptoms, theoretical models such as the cognitive-behavioral framework, and clinical interventions like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Administered the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to classmates to explore correlations between IAD severity, age, and internet usage. Examined genetic predispositions through literature on candidate genes and twin studies, and integrated neuroscience insights, including neuroimaging, neural mechanisms, and potential biomarkers.
This interdisciplinary project highlighted the complexity of IAD and the need for research combining psychology, genetics, and neuroscience, while developing my skills in independent research, data analysis, and scientific communication.
AP Capstone: Research
Locations: Hiroshima, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; Tokyo, Japan
My Roles: Screenplay writer, The Ghost of the Last Samurai
Description: During our Japan Term, I wrote screenplaywriting, method acting and theatre perfromacne. For the collabroaytive project, I was a lead writer and I perfromed as the sapirit of the last Smaurai gudiing a new geenration of Samurai inspiritng helping a young man navigate his way through life with the 7 values of Bushido code and reliance in Kata: Freedom within consrraists. I had a lot of fund acting, eriting and during this project. Vsiting the Ninja museum in Kyoto, watching real life Samruai perfornaces in Kytoo and Tokyo and tlearning about the Japanese culture and history along the way. I deveeloepd my passionf for tradiutional matcha making and aftyer learning tea-cermenoneis as part of the project, Samurai games, and reading samurai nivels, learning samurai swrod fightong, actin, outsfts- I have grown into a better persona dn I had a lotta fun.
BioIcon, Lab Training+ Research
Locations: Hiroshima, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; Tokyo, Japan
My Roles: Screenplay writer, The Ghost of the Last Samurai
Description: During our Japan Term, I wrote screenplaywriting, method acting and theatre perfromacne. For the collabroaytive project, I was a lead writer and I perfromed as the sapirit of the last Smaurai gudiing a new geenration of Samurai inspiritng helping a young man navigate his way through life with the 7 values of Bushido code and reliance in Kata: Freedom within consrraists. I had a lot of fund acting, eriting and during this project. Vsiting the Ninja museum in Kyoto, watching real life Samruai perfornaces in Kytoo and Tokyo and tlearning about the Japanese culture and history along the way. I deveeloepd my passionf for tradiutional matcha making and aftyer learning tea-cermenoneis as part of the project, Samurai games, and reading samurai nivels, learning samurai swrod fightong, actin, outsfts- I have grown into a better persona dn I had a lotta fun.
ITERATING!!!
The Global STEM Alliance of The New York Academy of Sciences
Locations: Hiroshima, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; Tokyo, Japan
My Roles: Screenplay writer, The Ghost of the Last Samurai
Description: During our Japan Term, I wrote screenplaywriting, method acting and theatre perfromacne. For the collabroaytive project, I was a lead writer and I perfromed as the sapirit of the last Smaurai gudiing a new geenration of Samurai inspiritng helping a young man navigate his way through life with the 7 values of Bushido code and reliance in Kata: Freedom within consrraists. I had a lot of fund acting, eriting and during this project. Vsiting the Ninja museum in Kyoto, watching real life Samruai perfornaces in Kytoo and Tokyo and tlearning about the Japanese culture and history along the way. I deveeloepd my passionf for tradiutional matcha making and aftyer learning tea-cermenoneis as part of the project, Samurai games, and reading samurai nivels, learning samurai swrod fightong, actin, outsfts- I have grown into a better persona dn I had a lotta fun.
Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative: Harvard IR Scholars Program 2022
Locations: Hiroshima, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; Tokyo, Japan
My Roles: Screenplay writer, The Ghost of the Last Samurai
Description: During our Japan Term, I wrote screenplaywriting, method acting and theatre perfromacne. For the collabroaytive project, I was a lead writer and I perfromed as the sapirit of the last Smaurai gudiing a new geenration of Samurai inspiritng helping a young man navigate his way through life with the 7 values of Bushido code and reliance in Kata: Freedom within consrraists. I had a lot of fund acting, eriting and during this project. Vsiting the Ninja museum in Kyoto, watching real life Samruai perfornaces in Kytoo and Tokyo and tlearning about the Japanese culture and history along the way. I deveeloepd my passionf for tradiutional matcha making and aftyer learning tea-cermenoneis as part of the project, Samurai games, and reading samurai nivels, learning samurai swrod fightong, actin, outsfts- I have grown into a better persona dn I had a lotta fun.
Harvard Student Agency: Research Scholars Program
Locations: Hiroshima, Japan; Kyoto, Japan; Tokyo, Japan
My Roles: Screenplay writer, The Ghost of the Last Samurai
Description: During our Japan Term, I wrote screenplaywriting, method acting and theatre perfromacne. For the collabroaytive project, I was a lead writer and I perfromed as the sapirit of the last Smaurai gudiing a new geenration of Samurai inspiritng helping a young man navigate his way through life with the 7 values of Bushido code and reliance in Kata: Freedom within consrraists. I had a lot of fund acting, eriting and during this project. Vsiting the Ninja museum in Kyoto, watching real life Samruai perfornaces in Kytoo and Tokyo and tlearning about the Japanese culture and history along the way. I deveeloepd my passionf for tradiutional matcha making and aftyer learning tea-cermenoneis as part of the project, Samurai games, and reading samurai nivels, learning samurai swrod fightong, actin, outsfts- I have grown into a better persona dn I had a lotta fun.
