How does our context affect how we read?
Josey
I am a third-year Ph.D. student in the Graduate Division of Religion. My research focuses on the reception history of biblical texts. This means I study the wide variety of ways different communities have interpreted biblical texts over time. I am especially interested in Jewish midrashic interpretation and the interaction between early Jewish and early Christian interpretations; I am also interested in the portrayal of biblical characters in Islamic texts. My dissertation focuses on the biblical figure of Lot’s wife, the unnamed woman who looks back at the destruction of Sodom and is transformed into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). I consider a wide variety of interpretations of this biblical character, both ancient and modern. For modern interpretations, I am especially interested in the numerous poems (religious and secular) that have been written about her.
You can find my CV and a list of my publications on my website, here.
Can a chemical give me Parkinson's disease?
Kelly
I am a third-year Ph.D. student in the graduate Neuroscience program. My lab is located in the Department of Environmental Health in the Rollins School of Public Health. I am interested in how the interaction of genetic and environmental factors can make us more or less susceptible to developing a neurological disease. I am currently studying a specific protein that packages neurotransmitters and sequesters toxicants in the group of neurons that dies in Parkinson's disease. Because of the important jobs of this protein, it can control both neurotransmitter output and the vulnerability of these neurons to toxic insult. This could be important for understanding both how these cells die in Parkinson's and how to create therapeutics for the treatment of this disease.
Kelly
I am a third-year Ph.D. student in the graduate Neuroscience program. My lab is located in the Department of Environmental Health in the Rollins School of Public Health. I am interested in how the interaction of genetic and environmental factors can make us more or less susceptible to developing a neurological disease. I am currently studying a specific protein that packages neurotransmitters and sequesters toxicants in the group of neurons that dies in Parkinson's disease. Because of the important jobs of this protein, it can control both neurotransmitter output and the vulnerability of these neurons to toxic insult. This could be important for understanding both how these cells die in Parkinson's and how to create therapeutics for the treatment of this disease.
Are our genetics set in stone?
Eladio
I am a second year postdoctoral fellow at the Emory University Winship Cancer Center. My work focuses on the use of fluorescence microscopy in combination with other biochemical, and molecular biology techniques to elucidate the role of the TMS1 gene in the development of primary cilia. Primary cilia are solitary, sensory organelles that serve as platforms for multiple signaling pathways. Signaling from these organelles plays an important role in linking environmental cues to cell growth control. Loss of function of TMS1 through epigenetic silencing has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several Cancers. Subcellular localization studies showed that TMS1 aggregates into barrel-like structures that form at the cell surface. Physical and temporal similarities between the observed TMS1 structures and the basal structures of primary cilia suggest that TMS1 may be linked to tumor maintenance by regulating the function and/or biogenesis of primary cilia. For my module, I intend to instruct our students on what epigenetics is and how this form of genetic regulation can effect long-term biological change within a single generation. Once this topic is introduced, we will explore the use of the scientific method and experimental design to answer questions about the biological relevance of this process.
Eladio
I am a second year postdoctoral fellow at the Emory University Winship Cancer Center. My work focuses on the use of fluorescence microscopy in combination with other biochemical, and molecular biology techniques to elucidate the role of the TMS1 gene in the development of primary cilia. Primary cilia are solitary, sensory organelles that serve as platforms for multiple signaling pathways. Signaling from these organelles plays an important role in linking environmental cues to cell growth control. Loss of function of TMS1 through epigenetic silencing has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several Cancers. Subcellular localization studies showed that TMS1 aggregates into barrel-like structures that form at the cell surface. Physical and temporal similarities between the observed TMS1 structures and the basal structures of primary cilia suggest that TMS1 may be linked to tumor maintenance by regulating the function and/or biogenesis of primary cilia. For my module, I intend to instruct our students on what epigenetics is and how this form of genetic regulation can effect long-term biological change within a single generation. Once this topic is introduced, we will explore the use of the scientific method and experimental design to answer questions about the biological relevance of this process.
How do the spaces we occupy shape our identities?
Lena
I am a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in Latin American history. Last December, I returned from twenty months of archival research in Brazil and have begun writing my dissertation entitled, Girls’ Night Out: Cinemas, Leisure, and Gendered Spaces in São Paulo, Brazil, 1920-1960. One of the topics I examine in my dissertation is how people of varying gender, race, and class backgrounds interacted with each other within the emerging space of movie theaters. How did movie theaters, as a social and physical space, impact individuals’ interpretations of themselves and of the people around them? In my teaching, I strive to incorporate diverse media like music, film, maps and other visual texts in my lectures.
Lena
I am a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in Latin American history. Last December, I returned from twenty months of archival research in Brazil and have begun writing my dissertation entitled, Girls’ Night Out: Cinemas, Leisure, and Gendered Spaces in São Paulo, Brazil, 1920-1960. One of the topics I examine in my dissertation is how people of varying gender, race, and class backgrounds interacted with each other within the emerging space of movie theaters. How did movie theaters, as a social and physical space, impact individuals’ interpretations of themselves and of the people around them? In my teaching, I strive to incorporate diverse media like music, film, maps and other visual texts in my lectures.
With all these influences, is there any room for free will?
Jason
I am a third-year Ph.D. in Psychology. I previously earned an M.A in Philosophy, and much of my work in psychology is heavily influence by my background in philosophy. I work on a number of issues in the areas of moral psychology and action theory. One of my favorite topics is these areas is free will. My module in this class will focus on free will. More specifically, my module will explore the question: Given the influences of the environment and genetics on our thoughts and behavior is there any room left for free will? It seems, as some claim, that the combination of environment and genetics fully determines who we are and how we behave. But if this is the case, there doesn't appear to be any room for us to determine who we are, for us to determine our own behavior, for us to determine our own destinies. In other words, under this picture, there doesn't appear to be any room for the existence of free will. In my module, we will discuss various theories of free will, and we will learn how free will may or may not be compatible with this picture of the world. Furthermore, we will discuss evidence, including my own research, that suggests, perhaps surprisingly, that our ordinary understanding of free will may be compatible with this picture of the world.
You can read more about me and my research at my website here.
Jason
I am a third-year Ph.D. in Psychology. I previously earned an M.A in Philosophy, and much of my work in psychology is heavily influence by my background in philosophy. I work on a number of issues in the areas of moral psychology and action theory. One of my favorite topics is these areas is free will. My module in this class will focus on free will. More specifically, my module will explore the question: Given the influences of the environment and genetics on our thoughts and behavior is there any room left for free will? It seems, as some claim, that the combination of environment and genetics fully determines who we are and how we behave. But if this is the case, there doesn't appear to be any room for us to determine who we are, for us to determine our own behavior, for us to determine our own destinies. In other words, under this picture, there doesn't appear to be any room for the existence of free will. In my module, we will discuss various theories of free will, and we will learn how free will may or may not be compatible with this picture of the world. Furthermore, we will discuss evidence, including my own research, that suggests, perhaps surprisingly, that our ordinary understanding of free will may be compatible with this picture of the world.
You can read more about me and my research at my website here.