Capstone Projects

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Capstone Projects at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University are integrative, team-based, applied research projects required of all students. Led by a faculty member on behalf of a client agency, these projects require students to think independently, frame and analyze issues, and apply their academic knowledge and skills.

Capstone students have broad discretion in defining the project, allocating tasks, communicating with the client, and establishing and ensuring deadlines using effective communication, teamwork, and collaborative learning strategies. The projects fully prepare students to supervise, conduct, and evaluate large-scale public policy research and culminate in a formal, written report and oral presentation to the client.

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Capstone Projects

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Preparing for Threats in Harris County: Utilizing a Community Approach

Weaver, Alexis; Delgado, Briana; Mohr, Cameron; Aranda, Gabriel; Ott, Katherine; Patterson, Keefer; Mata, Madison; Migaud, Michael; Elahi, Towheed (2020)
From Flashlight to Searchlight: A Sustainable Information Program for Sex Trafficking Victims in Texas

Bartlett, Caroline; Boylan, Amelia; Cole, Leslie; Counsil, Blane; Hall, Allison; McGrath, Lauren; Morrison, Christina; Noonan, Norma; Tepe, Audrey; Thielbar, Savanna (2020)
Commemorations in Congress: the Use of Commemorative Legislation toHonor Individuals, Groups, and Events

Baldwin, James; Hopper, Ellie; Hughey, Lizzie; Jones, Kassie; Ramos, Tony (2020)
Planning for Resilience and Reducing Risk: Lessons for Mexico City

Alexander-Hawk, Mason; Davis, Rachell; Doucette, Patrick; Garcia, Abigail; Hill-Jackson, April; Khunjua, Aleksandre; Koeniger, Erika; Pineiro, Christian; Sanchez, Joey; Winarski, Kimberly (2020)
Sustainable Funding for Conservation in Texas

Alvi, Taimoor Hussain; Haffey, Colton; Huddleston, Mary; Parks, Emily; Prieto, Bill; Reed, Austin; Sadiq, Hamza; Smith, Carolyn; Vatthauer, Matthew; Zahid, Maheen (2020)
City of Bryan Strategic Task and Technological Analysis

Ahmadi, Mohammad; Alexander, Emma; Cox, Kyle; Dingas, Faith; Jones, Jaycee; Paritpilo, Nicholas; Thomson, John; Willenbrink, Rayna; Wimer, Zachary; Winters, Brittany (2020)
Combined Arms Consulting

Ruelas, Samantha; McKenzie, James; Byrum, Joseph; Sawyer, Blake; Seekatz, Morgan; Gjesdal, Nethaniel; Kim, Dohun; Deupree, Zane (2020)

The Bush School of Government and Public Service graduate students at Texas A&M University worked with Combined Arms, Houston, from September 2019 through April 2020 to provide research-driven recommendations to substantiate ...
Healthy Discussions: A community assessment and healthcare gap analysis

Rodriguez, Jesse; Reisor, Hannah; Smith, Brian (2015)
Envisioning a Bright Future for New Braunfels Children: A Community-Based Approach to School Readiness

Fanomezantsoa, Herilala; Hopkins, Elizabeth; Tooley, Kathryn (2015)
Professionalization and Effectiveness in State Legislatures

Bangcaya, Matthew; DiGiuseppe, Thomas; Dodd, Blake; Gruning, Christopher; Parma, Rebecca; Robertson, Johannah (2015)

The 84th regular session of the Texas Legislature will convene in Austin on January 13, 2015, and is scheduled to run through June 1, 2015. Students in this capstone will spend the fall semester learning about state ...
Understanding Poverty in Brazos County

Dell, Brian; Diez, Belen; Harris, Whitney; Knechtel, JJ; Matthews, Allison; Thompson, William (2016)
House Bill 5: The New Shape of Texas High School Education

Terry, Ryan; Gammon, Hallie; Mullen, Eva; Dearmon, Will; Alexander, Leah (2016)
The Bush School/Law School Capstone on State and Local Trade Barriers

Dean, James; Dierker, Benjamin R.; Connally, Thomas; Franklin, Gregory; Gaber, Isis; Gullo, Stephanie; Lesnau, Jessica; Lincoln, Charles Edward Andrew IV; Marsh, Rachel; Riyaz, Fatima; Roberto, Cinthya; Sankey, Michael Scott; Self, Ryan (2016)

The client for this capstone is the North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO), a nonprofit voluntary coalition of North American governments, businesses, and educational institutions. One of NASCO’s core missions ...
Bridging Perspectives: Data Protection, Privacy, and Security In The U.S. & Germany

Cottingham, Erica; DeAmaral, Meghan; Gray, Colin; Harst, Lisa; Murgas, Gabriel; Xiang, Jingyi; Zhou, Yilan (2016)

Following Edward Snowden’s revelations of extensive NSA surveillance, including data gathering from German citizens and political leaders, there have been tensions in the US-German relationship (as well as in the larger ...
Reorganizing Groundwater Regulation in Texas

Brady, Ross; Beckermann, Wayne; Capps, Amber; Kennedy, Braden; McGee, Peyton; Northcut, Kayla; Parish, Mason; Qadeer, Abdullilah; Shan, Shuting (2016)

Groundwater usage in Texas appears severely dysfunctional. Neither the market for water or regulation is working properly. Currently, 80+ Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs) “regulate” groundwater production in their ...
College Station 2030: Issues Affecting a Growing Community

Baizhanov, Sanzhar; Haynes, Samantha; Holleman, William; Magee, Andrew; McLeod, Garrett; Medeiros, Brett; Rothenberger, Reagan; Sanchez, Enrique; Yi, Jeah; Young, Grady (2017)
Examining the Prevalence of Financial Exploitation of Individuals Suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia Related Diseases in Texas

Gabler, Nicole; Harrison, Christina; Leal, Dianey; McCrory, Elizabeth; Rege, Jyotsna; Sankar, Sarayu; Thomas, Sydney (2017)

The Alzheimer’s Association of Houston and Southeast Texas (Association) is committed to expanding care and services for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease through awareness, research, and legislation. The Association ...
The Search for Smart Schools: Identifying Texas School Districts’ Best Practices

Coyle, Shannon; Dick, Amanda; Griffin, Marlisa; Hood, Joseph; Tihanyi, Daniel (2017)

This report outlines findings from the TXSmartSchools.org (TSS) Capstone Team’s mixed methodology study identifying best practices in high performing and cost-efficient school districts. TSS was particularly interested in ...
Texas vs. the Federal Government: An Examination of the Influence of Political Ideologies on State-Filed Lawsuits

Calahan, Becky; Drastata, Danielle; Garcia, Ann Marie; Gaskin, Matthew; Perales, Jesus; Philpot, Patrick; Plowman, Theo (2017)

This study explores the role of ideology in the filing of lawsuits by the state of Texas against the federal government. Four important policy areas are examined: criminal justice, environmental protection, immigration, ...
Surface Water Regulation in Texas: Problems and Solutions

Vaca, Maria; Richards, Stefni; Davis, Alexa; Jackson, Kylie; Timur, Nanag; Manzoor, Fahad; Azam, Said; Feltman, Robert, Jr. (2017)

According to the 2017 Texas State Water Plan, Texas will experience an 8.9 million acre foot water shortage by 2070. The question is what role surface and groundwater will play in alleviating this shortfall. The 2016 ...