Policy, Misinformation, and Mortality: The Effects of Abortion Restrictions on Maternal Outcomes

The objective of this review is to evaluate the effects of restrictive abortion laws on maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States. Even before the landmark reversal of Roe v. Wade, the US had one of the highest maternal mortality rates among other high-income countries, and rates are expected to continue to rise in states with restrictive abortion policies. Electronic databases and public health data were analyzed to assess clinical outcomes, access to care, and disparities associated with abortion restrictions nationally and internationally. The findings suggest that states with highly restrictive abortion policies experience higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality and delayed or denied care for pregnancy-related complications. These laws disproportionately impact marginalized populations, including those with low income, people of color, and rural residents, exacerbating existing health disparities. Additionally, restrictive legislation creates legal and clinical uncertainty, hindering timely, evidence-based decision-making by clinicians and contributing to the criminalization of standard obstetric care in some cases. International comparisons support these trends; in countries enforcing strict abortion bans, similar outcomes were found. While this review highlights significant negative health outcomes associated with abortion restrictions, it also underscores the urgent need for evidence-based reproductive health policies that prioritize maternal safety and health equity and call for ongoing advocacy to protect access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare. Keywords: abortion laws, maternal mortality, maternal morbidity, reproductive health policy, health disparities, health policy

Hypothetical Courtroom: Influence of Expert Witness Testimony on Jurors’ Decision-Making

Jurors’ decision-making is shaped by social and psychological factors that may create bias, particularly in cases involving psychopathic defendants. The present study examined how a hypothetical defendant’s perceived psychopathy, the type of scientific evidence presented (neuroimaging vs. only verbal descriptions), the gender of the expert witness, and the expert’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) affect jurors’ decisions. Participants read one of four mock trial vignettes involving a psychopathic defendant and then evaluated the defendant’s guilt, recommended sentence length, and the credibility of the expert witness. Results indicated that confidence in the expert significantly decreased after participants were informed that the expert had used AI. A significant main effect of evidence type suggested that participants in the neuroimaging condition perceived the defendant as lower in psychopathic traits compared to those in the verbal description only condition. No significant main effects were found for expert gender or sentencing severity in the factorial analyses. However, perceptions of psychopathic traits were positively correlated with sentencing recommendations, guilt perceptions, and confidence in the expert witness. Participants who perceived the defendant as higher in psychopathy recommended harsher sentences and expressed greater confidence in the expert. These findings exemplify the complex influence of technological disclosure, biases, and character-based judgments in juror decision-making

READ [RED] not DEAD: A Reading of Galatea

The Read Not Dead concept was created in 1995 by Patrick Spottiswoode as Director of Globe Education at Shakespeare’s Globe in London to revive “forgotten plays.” Staged by professional actors, these performances have been presented at the Wannamaker Playhouse with scripts in hand and are about bringing to life plays and authors that were popular in the past but would otherwise not reach modern audiences. Other venues have imitated the Read Not Dead format, and in 2023, we put our spin on it as well, with our hilarious RED NOT DEAD reading of Arden of Faversham at the Student Scholar Showcase. It was so successful, we repeated our experiment the next year with the medieval play Everyman in the 2024 SSS and The Belle\u27s Stratagem in 2025. This year, we\u27ll try our hand at John Lyly\u27s gender-bending play, Galatea, about two girls who are disguised as boys and sent into the forest by their fathers to avoid having them sacrificed to Neptune. While we will have two rehearsals, most of the excitement of the project will be the relatively spontaneous decisions readers will have to make about their characters, as well as the reactions that audience members will have as they watch, and the way in which those reactions might/will interact with and have an impact upon the performance as a whole. In other words, while we’re going to rehearse, the real magic, even more so than when a play is thoroughly rehearsed, takes place once the audience enters the equation. So the performance is both a showcase, something relatively prepared and presented, but also very much an experiment, the results of which can’t be entirely known or anticipated until the day. Everyone, actors and audience, will be actively engaged in and watching research happen! We will have a short Q&A + discussion period after the reading

Improving Sepsis Outcomes Through Timely Detection and Initiation of Care

A significant challenge in healthcare is the prevention and management of sepsis, a condition characterized by an exaggerated response to infection that often leads to severe complications or death. Studies from 2021 to 2025 revealed valuable insight into the progression of sepsis and updated protocols developed to reduce errors and improve patient outcomes. The research showed that there are changes being made to improve sepsis outcomes along with various protocols that could make healthcare programs and sepsis prevention stronger. A critical finding was that the high-demand, fast-paced nature of hospitals, especially emergency departments and intensive care units, increased patients’ susceptibility to sepsis. Additionally, this chaotic environment impacted the timeframe in which staff recognized the presence of sepsis and initiated treatment. Frequent delays in care caused a higher incidence of severe outcomes, including septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and death. These findings highlight the need for early use of high-quality sepsis screening tools, such as those that use robust clinical checklists and predictive analytics, to identify at-risk patients before their condition progresses to a life-threatening stage. By implementing measures to identify sepsis in its early, more easily manageable stage, clinicians can significantly mitigate risk to patients and optimize treatment outcomes

The Art of Healing: Reimagining Herbal Medicine Through Design

Medicinal plants have served as a primary source of healing across cultures for centuries, forming the foundation of many modern pharmaceuticals. Despite their continued presence in modern medicine, herbal remedies are often perceived as outdated, unscientific, or less credible than synthetic medicine. This shift in perception is not rooted in the inefficacy of medicinal plants, but in how they are visually and culturally represented in today’s market. This project explores how strategic brand design can restore credibility and trust to medicinal plant brands by bridging traditional herbal knowledge with modern visual language. The research done in this project consists of research on the history of medicinal plants alongside the psychological impact of brand archetypes, typography, and color theory on consumer trust. A comparative analysis of two existing medicinal plant companies is also conducted to evaluate how specific design choices influence perceived quality and emotional connection. Applying these findings, I developed Viridian Apothecary, a cohesive brand identity that honors the scientific roots of herbalism while appealing to modern consumers

Neither Seen Nor Heard: Reporting of The New York Times on Homelessness, 1920–1999

This project used reflexive thematic analysis to examine how The New York Times represented homeless individuals and homelessness from 1920–1999

Depression and Grit: Association With Academic Motivation and Academic Satisfaction in College Students

This study examined the effects of grit and depressive symptoms on academic engagement and self-esteem among undergraduate students. Participants consisted of undergraduate psychology students and were categorized into high and low levels of grit and depression groups based on scores from self-report measures of these variables. Academic motivation, academic satisfaction, and self-esteem were the dependent variables. A 2 (grit: high vs. low) by 2 (depression: high vs. low) factorial ANOVA was conducted to examine the significant main effect for both depression and grit on self-esteem. Participants with more depressive symptoms reported lower self-esteem, as did participants with higher levels of grit. No significant main effects or interactions were found for academic motivation or academic satisfaction. These findings suggest that while grit and depression are related to self-esteem in college students, the influence on academic motivation and academic satisfaction is more limited than previously assumed. Overall, the results highlight the importance of addressing mental health and resilience factors when developing interventions to support self-esteem and psychological well-being among college students

Predictive Modeling, Performance Analysis, and Other Emerging Applications of Statistics in Sports

This study explores the evolution of data analysis in various areas of sports. The bulk of this research involves attempting to expand on the idea of a multiple linear regression model that is found in the baseball statistic Wins Above Replacement, also known as WAR. This project will use data from NHL teams and PGA Tour players to create models for the respective sports about what areas of either a team or player’s game is most important in determining success or areas of importance. The outcomes of these models will be compared to results from these sports to determine if they are effective in modeling the outcomes based on performance statistics. The secondary area of study is about the applications of statistics in other areas of sports that do not involve in-play performance. This includes examining how trainers use athlete data to create performance and recovery plans for their athletes, as well as how sports broadcasts and betting sites use data to increase fan engagement for profit

Reframing Risk and Resistance: Sexuality in The Fault in Our Stars

This project explores whether Young Adult (YA) literature polices adolescent sexuality or enables forms of resistance to adult control. Scholars such as Roberta Trites and Lydia Kokkola argue that YA literature functions as an ideological tool to control adolescent sexuality by framing it as fraught with risks and consequences. However, this project proposes that sexual risk and resistance can coexist within YA literature. For example, in The Fault in Our Stars (2012), which tells the story of two terminally ill teenagers, John Green reframes risk as inherent to their lives rather than a consequence of sexuality; accordingly, sexuality is framed as pure pleasure. Thus, Green scrambles the categories of risk and ultimately renders the sexuality represented in the novel as a form of radical resistance. In fact, for adolescents who are not terminally ill, reading The Fault in Our Stars (2012) creates an empathetic experience that can lend itself to an empowering reading of adolescent sexuality. Expanding on this, the 2014 film adaptation of the novel enriches the conversation around YA resistance to adult control. While the film mirrors the novel by reframing sexual risk, an analysis of three key scenes reveals a form of resistance distinct from that of traditionally resistant YA literature. Thus, this project demonstrates that The Fault in Our Stars, both the novel and its film adaptation, scrambles the traditional categories of risk and resistance to create a unique form of resistance to adult control in terms of sexuality

Effects of Social Media Comparisons on State Self-Esteem, Fomo, and Depression in Young Adult Women

Social media has quickly become a main source of entertainment that may have more damaging effects than one may expect. For specifically women, it is important to understand how the use and comparison of exposing oneself to the life of other influencers, family members, and friends affect self-esteem, depression, and FOMO. Previous research has shown the damaging effects of other social media sites such as Facebook, and the way comparing oneself to others has an impact on these variables. It is important to focus on women in this topic as they are more susceptible to damaging effects through comparison. Along with the multimillion users on the Instagram platform, the site is worth a further examination. The present study had a sample of 79 females attending University who had been on Instagram for at least one month prior to conducting a survey. The average age of females used for this study was 19.The present study found a significant positive relationship between frequency of comparison and depression and fomo, and a significant negative correlation with self-esteem. It is important to understand that the more females use and compare themselves to others they see on social media, the likelihood of depression, FOMO, and lower self-esteem for them