After Elena Manferdini explains the history and format of the symposium, six students present their thesis proposals: Taryn Bone, Scotty Zane Carroll, Mustafa Kustur, Hannah Pavlovich, Julian Ma, and Yu Li. To begin the panel discussion, Manferdini reviews some of the key ideas that have shaped thesis at SCI-Arc over the last eight years. Marcelyn Gow, Hernan Diaz Alonso, and Andrew Zago debate what is needed now to keep thesis at SCI-Arc relevant, the crucial transition from thesis research to design, and plausibility. They discuss contexts, including the organization of thesis at the ETH, the work of the Futurists as presented at the Guggenheim. They also discuss authenticity, tools and nostalgia. Diaz Alonso stresses the unique ability of SCI-Arc students to discover new coherences. Zago defends the usefulness of engaging with abject or outré ideas. Gow distinguishes sobriety—as represented by greyscale work—from seriousness.