Examining Our Relationship with Death: A Participatory Art Project

Death is a fact of life, yet researchers such as Caitlin Doughty, Todd Harra, Ernest Becker, and others, have found that people deem death a taboo topic of conversation. Doughty herself started a social movement, death positivity, to encourage this taboo to be broken, and to normalize talking about death. However these researchers published their findings in the early to mid 2010’s, before a major pandemic made death a more common occurrence for people. Inspired by previous researchers\u27 experiences, this project asks the question: How do people feel about death now, and can socially engaged art create a space where people feel comfortable sharing these feelings? My research and participatory art projects aim to allow a space where conversations can happen by foregrounding the project in artmaking as a vehicle for sharing thoughts and fears. Through the creation of art participants will have the chance to create something that represents their feelings on death and give them a chance to process those feelings while they create. This will serve as a pathway for them to visualize their feelings as well as offering an outlet that may not be available elsewhere. I also created an opportunity for them to have conversations with the people around them about their feelings. Socially engaged art relies on audience members participating and sharing their thoughts to create a conversation that can lead to social change. By creating an environment where people will be comfortable with having conversations with others and exchanging ideas, people can walk away with new perspectives on issues they may not have considered before. This project created that space for people to come together and form a community where people can create art together about death while also feeling comfortable talking with the people around them

HSV-1 strain McKrae is more neuroinvasive than HSV-1 KOS after corneal or vaginal inoculation in mice

Strains of HSV-1 have been noted to vary in their pathogenesis. We compared the replication of strains KOS and McKrae in mice by two routes of infection, ocular and vaginal. Peripheral replication of KOS was similar (cornea) or attenuated over time (vagina) compared with McKrae; however, McKrae replicated in the nervous system to significantly higher levels than KOS after inoculation by either route. Host genetic background strongly influenced the capacity for virus entry into the nervous system from the vagina. KOS and McKrae replicated equivalently after intracranial inoculation, indicating that McKrae’s pathogenic phenotype is linked to neuroinvasiveness rather than neurovirulence

The Grizzly, September 2, 2004

Governor Ed Rendell Visits Ursinus; Presents $5 Million State Grant for Performing Arts Center • Inside Scoop: What\u27s New at UC • I Am a Gay American : Reactions from the UC Community • Ursinus Safety Concerns: Past, Present, and Future • Dean Levy Announces New Faculty • Opinions: On a Date Between a Man and a Woman, Who Should Pay? • Summer Renovations at the Myrin Library • Jazzman\u27s Opens Cafe in Myrin Library • Fall Sports Outlook 2004: Editor\u27s Predictionshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1562/thumbnail.jp

Role of a cdk5-associated protein, p35, in herpes simplex virus type 1 replication in vivo

Previous studies have shown that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) replication is inhibited by the cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor roscovitine. One roscovitine-sensitive cdk that functions in neurons is cdk5, which is activated in part by its binding partner, p35. Because HSV establishes latent infections in sensory neurons, we sought to determine the role p35 plays in HSV-1 replication in vivo. For these studies, wild-type (wt) and p35-/- mice were infected with HSV-1 using the mouse ocular model of HSV latency and reactivation. The current results indicate that p35 is an important determinant of viral replication in vivo

The Grizzly, December 9, 2004

Wendell Berry Visits Ursinus • In Memory of Mrs.Margot Richter • UC Theater Production Goes on the Road • DSAC Updates • New Honor Code at UC? • Ursinus Students Bring the Holidays to Campus • Civil Rights Movement Class Opens Minds • History Behind the Holidays • Reading Day • SAAC Clothing Drive • Opinions: Should Procrastination be Diagnosed as a Psychological Disease?; Out with Final Exams! Students Prefer Writing Papers; Letter to the Editor • Stanton\u27s Jersey Officially Retiredhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1574/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 3, 2005

Students Connect at the Job and Internship Fair • Who\u27s Teaching Your Class Today? • Jet Heiko of Turn Your Back on Bush Visits UC • Davis Lecturer Stresses Oral Tradition • The Stories of Our Lives : Presentation by Reverend Doctor Claudia Highbaugh • Finding the Goddess Within: Exploration of the G-Spot • Straight from the Detention Center: Review of The Face in the Mirror • Opinions: Borgata Bans Belly Bulge; Laundry Isn\u27t That Hard!; Selfish Fun or Selfless Act? What to do on Spring Break • Bears Down F&M for a 72-70 Centennial Conference Victory • Men\u27s Lacrosse 2005 Previewhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1580/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, January 29, 2004

Myrin Library is Hit with Catastrophe • Myrin Library Water Damage: Photo Essay • Kerry Led in Iowa Caucuses • Opinions: Ursinus Greeks vs. Pop Culture; Farewell to E-Follett; Winter Weathered Out • Iowa Caucus Results • New Theater Production Sure to be a Hit! • Ursinus College Leadership Studies Program • Students Meet with Wynton Marsalis • A Prime Example of a Team Leader • UC Wrestling Recognizedhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1551/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 24, 2003

Queen Noor to Address Ursinus Graduates • Car-Sharing with Zipcar: the Newest Way to Travel • New Orientation Assistants Chosen • Opinions: Human Life Impossible?; Is Campus Parking Really a Big Deal?; Room Lottery and Selection: No Hard Feelings • Behind the Scenes of Psycho Beach Party • Greek Week • Women\u27s Lacrosse Starting to Heat Up • UC Softball Drops Two to Haverfordhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1536/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, December 2, 2004

UC Students Opposed to Drunk Driving • Post-election Blues Give Rise to New Interest Group on Campus • Behind Closed Doors: Secret Places on Campus • Wheelchair Basketball Rolls in the Money • Upcoming Choir Concert • Interview with the President: Strassburger Shares Plans for Ursinus • Dance Company Concert a Success • Holly Singh Presents Mistaken Identity: Sikhs in America at Unity House • Major Highlight: Gender and Women\u27s Studies • Opinions: Enjoy Your Carbs this Holiday Season; Freedom on the Line • Pro Athletes Brawling with Fans • Men\u27s Basketball Season Heating Uphttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1573/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 11, 2004

USGA Passes Sigma Pi • Two Students Wear Questionable Costumes • Lonnie Graham is the Spark • Ursinus Proposes Possible Plans for Honor Code • The Benefits for a Professor on Sabbatical • Effects of Election Still Resonate in Ursinus Community • Do Ursinus Students Make use of Proximity to Philadelphia? • Opinions: Is Online Dating a Safe Alternative for Meeting People or a Risky Plea of Desperation?; All is not Lost for Liberals • Field Hockey Team Wins Centennial Conference Title • It\u27s All Over for Three Women Soccer Players • The Collegeville Cursehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1571/thumbnail.jp