Aisthesis: The Interdisciplinary Honors Journal

Rainbow Stag Snacktime

Allison Peschek — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Rainbow Stag Snacktime (2023) is a linocut relief print that was created to celebrate the life of a Rainbow Stag Beetle (Phalacrognathus muelleri). Though the adults are known to live longer than most other beetle species (up to 2 years in captivity), they also deserve to be immortalized as a truly unique organism. This captive male #5 beetle, in particular, was one with a tremendous amount of personality, and a constant craving for citrus! While caring for this organism, it was impossible not to enjoy the quiet grace they exude. This piece of scientific art was created to depict him in a unique style, surrounded by the flora of their native range (Queensland), all the while still managing to sneak an orange slice. Additionally, Rainbow Stag Snacktime is an experimental take on the use of texture, layering, and color. This work pushed the envelope on what it means for a visual to be “busy,” all the while providing balance and focus amongst the chaos. Nonetheless, it was a work meant to merge principles of science and art, and to generate interest for these spectacular and fascinating animals.

As for the technical methodology behind the creation of this piece, it was made through the means of a reduction, with a linocut style of printmaking. Using carving tools and a mounted piece of linoleum on wood, the surface was initially carved back in order to print the green-ombre layer. After printing this layer, the process became irreversible by carving back the surface further in order to print the black “key” layer. Finally, the remaining colors were hand-painted with watercolors. The material used in the print itself was carved linoleum printed with ink onto thai-kozo paper. The additional colors present other than green were hand-painted with watercolor paint.

Construction vs Deconstruction

Krista Hamel — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Carpentry

Andy Jones — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

At Night

William Bittner — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Impact of Deng Xiaoping’s Economic Reforms in China’s Modernization

Kelly Wang — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

A Fusing of Horizons: Approaching Rosenberg’s “American Action Painters” Through a Hermeneutical Lens

Chantelle Flores — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Although Harold Rosenberg is not credited with main hermeneutical philosophers and theorists of his time, his "painting as event" presents an encounter with artwork common with the progression of literary hermeneutical thought. His "painting as event" can be analyzed as an encounter with the guiding elements of materiality as shown in the work of Louise Rosenblatt and Joanna Drucker. Often, Rosenberg’s “American Action Painters” is viewed without the addition of an audience, but Christa Robbins argues that Rosenberg’s “American Action Painters” should be viewed within the habituses of socio-political thought Rosenberg was inherently a part of and the audiences he commonly interacted with. With a hermeneutical lens, one can view abstract expressionism not as unattainable, heroic actions but as moments of effective history and a performance within a habitus and with materiality that all art viewers can seek to understand.

Environmental Uses and Pathogenic Potential of Paenibacillus lautus

Kathryn O'Donnell — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Paenibacillus lautus has a wide variety of environmental and clinical sources and contains many survival mechanisms that may contribute to pathogenicity. P. lautus demonstrates proficiency in the degradation of cellulose and diesel, resistance to high temperatures and heavy metal exposure, biofilm and endospore formation, and persistence in various digestive systems. It has also been shown to utilize swarming motility and reversible phenotypic switching, both of which may be factors in increasing pathogenicity and human infection prevalence due to the extensive bacterial communication necessary to carry out these processes. It is important to be aware of these factors as they relate to the broader Paenibacillus species, particularly by comparing the phenotypic switching and complex swarming motility patterns of P. lautus to those of P. dendritiformis and P. vortex. Targeting this communication may be the key to developing effective antibiotics in the case of a multi-drug resistant strain of P. lautus. By knowing the pathogenic implications of the survival strategies utilized by this species and weighing the benefits of its cellulolytic and pollutant-degrading potential against its ability to cause opportunistic infection through tick vectors, we may be more equipped to handle an influx of human infections caused by this bacterium.

The Fall of the Establishment Clause: Bias & Originalism in the Supreme Court

Benjamin Longren — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This paper addresses the biases that have appeared in the U.S. Supreme Court. Recent controversial cases such as Carson v Makin, Dobbs v Jackson, and Kennedy v Bremerton have shown a distinct divide in Supreme Court rulings. This divide, along party lines, has been influenced by the justices’ political leanings, among other inherent biases. The rulings in the aforementioned cases have led to the fall of the establishment clause, a vital constitutional protection separating church from state. The potential ramifications of blurring the line between church and state are enormous and hurts the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Urban Horror Settings in the Works of Lovecraft and LaValle

Johanna Ziegler — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This article examines the defining traits of rural and urban settings in horror literature and compares their usage in H.P. Lovecraft's "The Horror at Red Hook" and Victor LaValle's rewrite The Ballad of Black Tom. In these works, the urban landscape is used as a deliberate craft tool to generate a unique atmosphere of fear and to reveal the truth about their authors' race-conscious intentions.

Preying on Predators: The Role of International Regimes in the Overexploitation of Shark Species

Elizabeth Taylor — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The overexploitation of sharks resulting from high global market demand has posed a serious threat not only to shark populations, but marine biodiversity on a large scale. Through a discussion of political theory as it pertains to the environment, this research aims to articulate why the current laws and policies of the international community have failed, as well as what efforts may be taken to protect sharks and marine biodiversity. through a discussion of political theory as it pertains to the environment. These proposed solutions are grounded in the political theories of commons governance and multispecies politics. Through analysis of empirical data regarding species decline, these theories serve as a framework for how to preserve shark populations and thus, marine ecosystems as a whole.

Pigment and Geochemical Markers of Past and Present Cyanobacterial Presence in the Southwestern Lake Superior Region

Lily Karg — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

In the summer of 2012, the oligotrophic waters of Lake Superior experienced the region’s first cyanobacterial bloom along the west shoreline of the Wisconsin Apostle Islands. While cyanobacterial blooms are common in other Laurentian Great Lakes and warmer inland lakes, this was the first event recorded in Lake Superior. In contrast, Siskiwit Lake, WI, which drains into Lake Superior near the bloom location, has reported semi-annual cyanobacterial blooms each summer. This study focused on a more recent 2021 bloom in Siskiwit Lake, along with the sediment deposits in Siskiwit Lake and Siskiwit Bay, near the first 2012 bloom event. Using elemental and isotopic indicators (%OC, %N, and δ¹³C), and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), the contribution of organic carbon sources over time in these locations was analyzed and compared with the carotenoid and pigment portrait of the 2021 bloom in Siskiwit Lake. Findings suggested that OC sources in the sedimentary record of Siskiwit Bay were primarily lacustrine algae, demonstrating periods of high algal matter productivity, while Siskiwit Lake exhibited higher terrestrial organic matter input in comparison. Furthermore, carotenoid pigments identified in the Siskiwit Lake bloom indicated a large presence of cyanobacteria amongst other algae, corroborating the presence of cyanobacteria paleo-indicators within the sediment. With this data, future investigations of algal pigments in the Lake Superior lacustrine deposits will provide additional reconstruction of high cyanobacteria productivity intervals and identify potential bloom periods in the region's history.

Literature Review: Security of the LGBTQ+ Community in Lebanon

Karam Burjas — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

A Tale Told by Many Other Names: Films of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Cliff Butler — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Reading Proficiency and Teacher Retention in Mississippi

McKenzie Cox — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Mississippi has recently improved its reading proficiency scores among fourth-grade students. However, the state still faces a variety of challenges within its public education system including a shortage of educators and room for improvement in reading proficiency across grade levels. Current policy has contributed to improvements, but additional education reforms are needed to address these issues. The analysis explores the question, “How should policymakers further address literacy rates and teacher retention?” through the framework of the policy process model. Recommendations include increasing teacher pay, fully funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, and providing government-supported service scholarships.

Author and Artist Biographies

Author and Artist Biographies — Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500