“Roman Fiddler: An exercise in comedic reflection and coping”

2025 has been a crazy year and it is only February. Though this adage can be said to be the case every year, one must admit that the utter insanity of the past several months has left many reeling and unsure how to continue in the wake of such confounding changes and developments in media, culture, and politics. At this point, finding a way to understand what is happening and (perhaps more challengingly) maintain some semblance of normalcy and sanity during a time where we are getting a literal Nazi resurgence before GTA 6 is key. Taking a page from comedic writer Simon Rich’s playbook, one or two more from comedian John Oliver’s, and a couple of chunks of publisher McSweeney’s’s, I craft that key in the form of a series of comedic monologues and short prose pieces meant to bring some lightness and mirth (the kind that can only come from a nice, warm, raging wildfire) to the twilight of Western civilization, study this metaphorical (and literal) plane crash from afar, and lift the collective spirits of those on the brink of total despair. With a focus on everyday life, relationships, and popular culture, I examine what it means to be a human being and an American at a time of such radical change and how we can try to move forward in a world becoming terrifyingly dystopian with incredible speed. Just as with the orchestra on the Titanic, the only solution is more cowbell

Courting the Court: Understanding the Power of the Supreme Court Through the History of Abortion

This research analyzes the intellectual history of some of the key theories describing the Supreme Court’s interaction with politics, realignment, and government to answer how best to describe the Supreme Court’s role in the debate around abortion. What do the Supreme Court’s actions in the cases of Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health and interactions with the rest of the government say about the ways in which we should view how it functions and its role in politics? To answer this question, this research analyzes the historical perspectives of three scholars of the Supreme Court: Robert Dahl, David Adamany, and William Lasser, on how the Supreme Court behaves and interacts with the rest of the government and compares it to the history of how the government and Supreme Court acted during the three abortion cases. In doing so I find that the perspectives of Dahl and Adamany have the views most in line with the behavior of the Supreme Court with regards to the abortion debate. These perspectives show the Supreme Court as heavily influenced by dominant elite intellectuals of the times and it serves a key role in the formation of new governing coalitions and in putting key issues into the public consciousness

Tech Development for Manipulation of Biological Material into Scaffolded Forms via Hacked Hardware

Tissue Engineering holds promise for both clinical and research applications, where there is significant interest in the creation of artificial scaffolding (e.g., hydrogels) for subsequent tissue growth: here a balance must be struck between the openness of the structures (to promote access to nutrients) versus the mechanical strength of the structures. We aim to explore different techniques for organizing biological materials, using repurposed (‘hacked’) hardware. Continuous or droplet-based deposition is possible either via robotic automation along the lines of 3D printing, or via photolithographic approaches that yield microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” devices capable of droplet generation at much smaller scales than commercially available systems provide. We will also explore co-SWIFT, a technique developed by the Jennifer Lewis lab at Harvard, which controls the deposition of epithelial cells into structures appropriate to organ development, while also replicating the natural barrier surrounding human organs

Juvenile Record Expungement Policy in Illinois

This policy paper explores juvenile expungement policies and their broader societal impact. Research suggests that lenient expungement laws help prevent discrimination in education, housing, employment, and military service, aiding rehabilitated youth offenders\u27 reintegration. Conversely, restrictive policies may increase juvenile incarceration and recidivism rates, though further research is needed. Due to inconsistent national data on juvenile expungement and recidivism, reliable correlations cannot be drawn. Similarly, while incarceration rates appear loosely tied to expungement policies, more research is required. The paper begins with a historical overview of Illinois juvenile law, highlighting its shift from punitive to rehabilitative approaches. It then examines key legislation, including the Juvenile Court Act, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, and Youth Opportunity and Fairness Act. Illinois’ juvenile expungement laws are analyzed, covering eligibility, process, and timeline. A comparative analysis follows, contrasting Illinois’ policies with California and Florida, emphasizing differences in process speed, eligibility, and administrative burden. Insights from legal professionals across Illinois highlight areas for reform, offering recommendations for policymakers. While Illinois has advanced juvenile reintegration efforts, further improvements are needed. One key recommendation is incentivizing judges and law enforcement to prioritize expungement assistance, increasing public awareness of rights and opportunities. Additionally, upcoming policy changes, such as Senate Bill 3463, will expand eligibility and improve access to juvenile record expungement, reinforcing Illinois’ commitment to rehabilitation

Tailoring Oxidoreductase Function Through Development of Mutant Enzyme Libraries

Aldehydes and carboxylic acids are commonly synthesized in cellular reactions catalyzed by oxidoreductases. These enzymes utilize redox-active cofactors for both energy capture and biosynthesis. Dependence on expensive cofactors and narrow substrate tolerance limit the applications of these enzymes outside of their native pathways. Enzyme engineering through guided mutagenesis is a promising technique for generating novel biological catalysts and selecting those with desirable functions. Here, we demonstrate the cloning, expression, and purification of two E. coli oxidoreductases. Successful cloning and overexpression are verified by plasmid sequencing, SDS-PAGE and activity assays. Mutant libraries will be developed from these wild type expression platforms, with the goal of altering cofactor dependence in NADP-dependent aldB and expanding the substrate tolerance of NAD-dependent fucO. Identifying mutations circumventing these limitations may offer broadly applicable strategies to engineering useful oxidoreductases

Active Learning in the Social Studies Classroom

Many educators can agree that they are looking for new ways to keep their students engaged in this day in age. Research shows that active learning increases student engagement, which eventually leads to improved academic performance (Mulhearn, et al., 2023). Whether it is through group work, simulations, or any other active learning strategies, when students are exposed to movement, they perform better in the classroom. Popular findings from research included students enjoying the active learning and movements in the lesson (Mulhearn, et al., 2023). This self-study was conducted to see whether or not these theories can be applied to a high school social studies classroom. I conducted this study on freshman and sophomore students in classes of roughly 20-25 students. Lesson plans, student anecdotal records, and reflections were gathered and used to analyze the data. Findings in this study were consistent with various scholars and other researchers who said movement integration and active learning in the classroom leads to higher engagement levels and higher academic achievement. In addition, this study demonstrated that movement integration is not exclusive to elementary level students. More research is needed in the field of movement integration and active learning, but the surface level findings indicate that student performance in the classroom improves