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Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter, Vol 34, No. 1, The Sinclair Lewis Society

Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter

“Every Time Something Big and Stupid Happens in America, Lewis Becomes Popular Again”: A Conference Retrospective, with Notes from a First-Time Visitor to Sauk Centre by Shaun F. Richards

Pickerbaugh’s Rhymes: Another Target of Satire in Arrowsmith by George Killough

In Memoriam: Robert E. Fleming, Father of the Sinclair Lewis Society by Sally E. Parry

Arrowsmith 100 years later: Osterholm Links Lewis’s Novel to Modern Society by Shalon Wilber

Becoming A Writer: A Review of Writers Like Us: My Life with Sinclair Lewis, by Barnaby Conrad, with Barnaby Conrad III by Shaun F. Richards

Sinclair Lewis and the Pulitzer …

Not Born A Democracy: Constitutional Preconditions, Martha Minow

William & Mary Law Review

Beneath growing perceptions of constitutional crisis and democratic fragility in the United States lies a fundamental conundrum. Critical preconditions for effective self-government are either weak or missing in action, and our constitutional system, at least for now, stands in the way of actions to strengthen or build those preconditions. This Article focuses on three essential predicates for constitutional democracy that face jeopardy: education, reliable news, and security against lethal violence. As basic as these elements may be, repeated efforts to secure a federal constitutional right to education have failed in the courts. Because of a confluence of legal, technological, and …

What Is The Relationship Between Success On The Limited X-Ray Machine Operator Exam And The First-Attempt Pass Rate On The National Registry Exam Among Radiologic Technology Students In Minnesota?, Britni Hardy

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This quantitative correlational study examined the relationship between success on the Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) exam and first-attempt pass rates on the national registry exam among radiologic technology students in Minnesota. The radiologic technology field faces significant challenges, including a 14.9% national attrition rate, workforce shortages, and limited availability of clinical sites. This research explored whether LXMO certification could serve as an innovative approach to address these interrelated issues. Data were collected from the Minnesota Department of Health and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, spanning 2000-2024, and identified n=24 students who had completed both exams. Results revealed that …

Signs & Symbols, Fall 2025, Illinois State University, Department Of Sociology And Anthropology

Signs & Symbols

Newsletter of the Illinois State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology. An email newsletter version of this document is available at https://web.archive.org/web/20260223203547/https://news.illinoisstate.edu/newsletters/signs-symbols-fall-25/.

Seeing Is Believing: Identifying The “Ideal Manifestation Of Hidden Disability” In Ontario’S And Quebec’S Social Benefits Tribunals, Pascale Malenfant

Dalhousie Law Journal

The phenomenon of disability skepticism, especially in relation to “hidden” disabilities like chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), has fostered a culture of doubt among medical, legal, and public entities. This paper explores the intersection of such skepticism with the social benefits adjudication processes in Ontario and Quebec. In drawing parallels to feminist critiques of the “ideal victim” in sexual assault cases, it argues that the tribunals’ biased framework for believability is based on a claimant’s conformity to stereotypical expectations of what an “ideal” claimant with a hidden disability looks like. By comparatively examining 10 years worth of Ontario and Quebec tribunal …

Curricular Choices: Misconceptions Regarding Law School Courses, Constance Backhouse, Holland Stille, Avery Esford

Dalhousie Law Journal

Canadian law schools offer their upper-year students a wealth of optional curricular choices. Yet many students choose narrowly and poorly. This article addresses the misconceptions that many hold as they select their second- and third-year courses. Often students believe they need certain courses to get a job, to prepare for articling, to pass the bar exams, or to prepare for future legal careers. In most cases, these concerns are erroneous. This article urges students to choose based on factual evidence rather than imagined anxieties and on personal interest rather than the “group think” rigidity that infects much of the curricular …

Border Decriminalization As A State Project: Lessons From Marijuana And Assisted Suicide Legalization Across The United States, Victor C. Romero

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

My prior work argued for the decriminalization of border crossings without proof of specific intent to violate another law (like drug trafficking), which is even less likely to happen now than it was when the piece was published, given the current presidential administration’s zealous deportation strategy and Congress’s seeming acquiescence. As such, I advocate for a second-best solution involving federal-state cooperative agreements wherein border states abutting both Mexico and Canada are given the option by the federal government to pass local legislation decriminalizing border crossings into their states as their communities desire. To the extent that the current presidential administration …

Getting There From Here: Reflecting On Compassionate Migration Policy, Steven W. Bender

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

Having written about Latinx issues for more than three decades, with a focus on immigration policy for at least the last two decades, I see no middle ground in this time of Trump. Those who relish hurt and hate, and those scholars who wrote the kindling for that bonfire, must be basking in the glow of their handiwork. Those of us who I claim are on the right side of history must search through the ashes for hope—the where, when, and how to nurture humanity on scorched ground. Counting myself among those searching for hope, I acknowledge the indulgence offered …

"America's Paradise": The Enduring Costs Of Imperialism And Colonial Rule--A Case Study Of The U.S. Virgin Islands, Diamond C. Ash

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

As the United States prepared to enter World War I, it secured another strategic territorial holding in the Caribbean. Six days before declaring war on Germany, the United States purchased the Virgin Islands (USVI) from Denmark—not for economic development or the welfare of its people, but as a military asset. St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John became a strategic outpost for naval dominance and national security.

Like other unincorporated U.S. territories, the USVI’s governance was shaped by imperial ambitions and reinforced through legal structures that preserved federal dominance. In practice, this created a system of colonial rule in which …

Stretchable Mechanoluminescent Devices For Energy Harvesting And Real-Time Force Sensing, Lucas Taliaferro, Phoebe Ong

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Our group has been developing a novel manufacturing technique to fabricate flexible sensing devices using electrostatic force. Previously, we focused on utilizing nanomaterials as the sensing materials to measure strains. Building on our experience with the manufacturing technique, we will move forward to incorporate other smart materials in the flexible device to achieve self-powered sensors. Besides, to better understand the fabricated material properties, we are interested in characterizing the microstructural behavior of the material networks via microscopic imaging and finite element simulations. The students will have the opportunity to closely work with Dr. Wang’s interdisciplinary research group.

Designing For Maintainability, Kyle Marshall

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This research focuses on creating an experiment to measure performance of an aircraft propeller on a specially designed stand. Results from the wind tunnel experiments measuring thrust, rotation speed and torque will enable students to create a database of propeller characteristics for use in aircraft design projects. Students in aerospace engineering are regularly assigned design projects powered by turboprop or propeller driven engines. There is not an easy way to verify design performance other than simplistic calculations or extrapolation of open-source wind tunnel data, and not a lot of data is available. Being able to correlate actual test data from …

Hands-On Vs. Critical-Thinking Labs And Engineering Pathways: A Gender-Comparative Analysis, Stacey Rodas Duarte

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The purpose of this study is to compare short-term changes in students’ interest in engineering following two instructional formats: a hands-on lab activity (metal casting) and a critical thinking based lecture/lab (bmed). Using pre and post lab surveys, we evaluated changes in student engagement, confidence, and perceptions of engineering as a potential career. We also examined whether these patterns varied by gender among middle and high school students.

Integrating Mobility Dynamics Into Facility Location Modeling And Optimization, Daniel Hopkins

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Facility location optimization is a foundational area in operations research and data analytics that is concerned with determining the optimal placement of facilities to serve a spatially distributed demand. However, traditional facility location decision is often approached from a centralized perspective, where the facility planner dictates the allocation of customers to facilities. In this setting, it is typically assumed that customers patronize the nearest facility, and their preferences are not explicitly modeled. This traditional decision-making framework may not accurately reflect real-world dynamics where customers may choose facilities based on a variety of factors beyond proximity. Thus, this project aims to …

Supporting Migrant Education Program Students, Yaneli Cruz

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project explored the impact of the EPIC engineering camp on Migrant Education Program (MEP) participants, a group often academically disadvantaged due to frequent moves, limited resources, and lack of encouragement to pursue higher education. Because no new IRB-approved data could be collected during camp, pre- and post-camp surveys that students had already completed were analyzed. I converted the data into CSV files, built SQL tables, and wrote a Python script to automate the process of filtering and comparing MEP students, Session 1, with non-MEP peers. Results showed that 28% of MEP students started camp unsure about engineering, but 11% …

Leveraging Smartphones For Balance Assessment, Kelly Graham

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Assessment of human balance provides valuable metrics to track the health, development, and fall risk of individuals. The prominent method for objective balance assessments has used force plates to track the center of pressure (COP) position as a participant attempts to balance during varying tasks. However, the use of force plates is limited by the cost of equipment and expertise required, leading to recent interest in using embedded inertial measurement units (IMUs) in mobile devices instead. Many researchers have explored placing mobile devices close to the subject’s center of mass (COM) to approximate the subject’s COM acceleration and using the …

Sustainable Development Of Sensing Materials For Structural Health Monitoring, Nat Conti, Matthew Robinson

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Sensing technologies play significant roles in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems for monitoring and assessing structural conditions in real-time, which can enhance the safety and reliability of various structures. While engineered nanomaterial (ENM)-based sensors have remarkable potential to transform conventional sensing devices, large volume of ENMs released into the environment can significantly jeopardize the environment and public health. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop next-generation sensing materials in a more eco-friendly and sustainable manner. The goal of this interdisciplinary proposal is to sustainably develop sensing nanocomposites for monitoring structural damage by re-using waste materials as nano-/micro-scale functional material …

Investigating Engineering Students Responses To Failure, Denis Gonzalez-Reyes

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Learning from failure is an essential component of both learning and practicing engineering. However, failure is often stigmatized and avoided in engineering education. This project aims to better understand how to support students throughout their engineering education to help them learn from their failures, rather than become frustrated or discouraged by them. The project will build on prior research in students’ responses to failure experiences to specifically analyze students who respond to failure in different ways and build on these experiences to help students in similar situations. During the SURP project, the student will use qualitative methods to analyze interview …

The Lawyer: Fall 2025, Seattle University School Of Law

Lawyer

The Briefcase

Faculty Showcase

A look at the Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics (TILE) Institute

Out & About

The Legal Writing Program's past, present, and future

Alumni Profile: Stephanie Nichols

Alumni Profile: Kelly Vomacka

Class Notes

Governance In The Absence Of Government, Tracy H. Pearl

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing at an unprecedented pace, with generative systems exerting growing influence over social, economic, and political life. While AI offers opportunities for innovation and efficiency, it also poses risks ranging from misinformation and job displacement to existential threats if highly autonomous systems evade human control. Across industry, government, and civil society, there is broad consensus that AI requires oversight. Yet traditional U.S. regulatory approaches face six significant barriers: (1) technology outpacing legislation, (2) limited AI expertise among policymakers, (3) regulatory capture, (4) political gridlock, (5) outdated governance structures, and (6) the inherent complexity of AI. Combined …

Sovereign Indignity And Immunity, Chun Hin Jeffrey Tsoi

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Sovereign immunity, even if not understood as a monarchical relic, embodies the notion of indignity for a government having to answer to allegations of transgressions. This Essay proposes an argument to challenge the doctrine’s theoretical basis, especially with respect to the federal government in federal court. But there is first a threshold question to be answered: has the doctrine of federal sovereign immunity been practically mooted by the “death” of Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents? One needs an express cause of action to sue the federal government absent Bivens, and if one has an express cause of action, under …

Rethinking Appeals In Arbitration, Abdi Aidid

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

The question of whether arbitration awards should be appealable, or at least subject to enhanced judicial review, is heavily contested in the scholarly literature. This Article explains that arguments favoring or rejecting appellate review have focused on stylized conceptions of arbitration either as a species of contract or as a substitute for adjudication. This Article argues that these two dominant approaches—termed here the “contractarian” and “arbitration-as-adjudication” models—fail to adequately describe modern arbitration practice. Thus, any argument for or against appellate review that rests heavily on either of the two conceptions is unconvincing. Instead, this Article argues that the question of …

Thou Shalt Not Castrate: The Conflict Between Louisiana’S Surgical Castration Law And The Principles Of Medical Ethics, Morgan Ambrosecchia

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In 2024, Louisiana became the first state to permit courtordered surgical castration for sex offenders who have been convicted of certain sex crimes against children. Under the law, an offender who refuses to submit to the procedure will face an additional three to five years in prison without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The court’s order is contingent on confirmation by a court-appointed expert that the offender is an “appropriate candidate for surgery.” However, the statutory language is vague and does not clearly define who can serve as an expert nor does it define the scope …

Analyzing Apoe Genotypic Variants And Expression Of Associated Genes And Mirnas In Alzheimer's Disease, Angelica Mendez

Theses (2016-Present)

One of the neurodegenerative diseases that affect the human brain is Alzheimer's disease (AD). It progressively destroys memory, thinking skills, and other critical mental functions of the brain. It is the most common cause of dementia due to the loss of cognitive functions. However, it differs from dementia, which includes other diseases resulting in cognitive deterioration and causing a person to lose independence and functionality. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene influences Alzheimer's risk. APOE protein transports cholesterol and other types of fat in the bloodstream. When the process fails, it contributes to the development of AD. Three genotypes of APOE …

Cytotoxic Effects Of Microplastics On A549 Lung Cancer Cells, Tykel Eddy

Theses (2016-Present)

Investigation of cytotoxic effects of 10μm polystyrene based microplastics on A549 lung cancer epithelial cell line utilized multiple in-vitro assays. Cell viability was analyzed and compared between the control and treated groups using MTT assay using three separate doses (25, 50, and 100 μL). Results indicated that dosage was not a factor, but mainly, a significant time dependency of exposure to microplastics for treated cells compared to control group. Live/Dead assay gave a visual representation of microplastic cytotoxic effects as over the course of three days there was an increase of dead cells withing the treated group, as confirmed by …

Beyond The North Star: The Southward Flight Of Enslaved People To Mexico, Kayro Gonzalez

Theses (2016-Present)

When most people think of the Underground Railroad, they often picture brave individuals escaping the slave-owning South, seeking safety in the northern United States or Canada. However, it's essential to recognize that the fight for freedom went far beyond those regions. In 1830, Mexico abolished slavery, leading many escapees from enslaved areas across the United States. With freedom just a few miles away, hundreds of American slaves established several secretive and advanced routes into Mexico’s northern states, settling in newly founded free black colonies like San Lorenzo de los Negros and El Nacimiento de los Negros, among others. Using data …

Assessment Of Genes And Mirnas Expression In Alzheimer's Disease Samples Using Single And/Or Multiplex Preferential Amplification Pcr, Samanda F. Hickman

Theses (2016-Present)

Gene expression is measurable at the RNA and protein levels. It is a process by which genes produce functional products that are either non-coding RNAs or proteins. The non-coding RNAs or proteins of gene expression ultimately affect phenotype. Non-coding RNA (or mRNA) expression is measured by Northern blot or real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), while Western blot measures protein expression. Both require software to differentiate between the amounts of end products. Statistical analysis is employed to validate any differences among the measured values and to infer a correlation between the end products of various samples. There are several neurodegenerative diseases, including …

An Evaluation Of Reading Proficiency Examination College Completion Among Black Neurodiverse Women, Makayla J. Graham

Theses (2016-Present)

This study establishes the college completion experiences of Black neurodiverse women (n=53), a population historically rendered invisible in higher education research. Grounded in Dis/ability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit), Black Feminist Thought, the Black Feminist Disability Framework, and the Neurodiversity Paradigm, the research documents how intersectional identity, structural barriers, and mental health outcomes shape degree attainment. Data was collected through a mixed-methods online survey targeting this specific demographic. The findings demonstrate that college completion for this population is an act of resistance against racialized sexist ableism. Thematic analysis identified six central themes: Systemic Barriers in Higher Education, Intersectional Identity Burdens, Internal …

Morphometric Analysis Of Spina Bifida After Fetal Repair Shows New Subtypes With Associated Outcomes., L K Mann, S Pandiri, N Agarwal, H Northrup, K S Au, Elin Grundberg, E P Bergh, M T Austin, R Patel, B Miller, S Zhu, J S Feinberg, D Lai, K Tsao, S A Fletcher, R Papanna

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: The binary classification of spina bifida lesions as myelomeningocele (with sac) or myeloschisis (without sac) belies a spectrum of morphologies. This study aimed to characterize types of spina bifida lesion and correlate them with preoperative presentation and postoperative outcome.

METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of patients referred for fetal spina bifida who underwent fetoscopic repair between 2020 and 2023 at a single center. We evaluated lesion morphology on high-resolution intraoperative images and videos to categorize lesions based on placode exposure and nerve root stretching. The reproducibility of lesion classification was assessed using the Kappa …

Objectively Monitored Sleep In School-Age Children With Cystic Fibrosis And Their Parents., Andrea L. Fidler, Casey Lawless, James Peugh, Dean W. Beebe, Silvia Delgado, Robin S. Everhart, David A. Fedele

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

Recapitulating The Immune Microenvironment In Pediatric Brain Cancer: Preclinical Modeling Strategies., Adip G. Bhargav, Joseph S. Domino, David Akhavan, Jo Ling Goh

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Primary brain and CNS tumors comprise the most common tumors in children and are the most common cause of cancer deaths in this population. Pediatric primary malignant brain tumors including high-grade glioma and medulloblastoma account for a significant proportion of these cancer deaths. Advances in the surgical management and adjuvant treatment paradigms have improved the prognosis of many patients with these tumors, but there remains a subset of treatment-resistant tumors or tumors with unique genetics aberrations and aggressive phenotypes that confer a poor prognosis. Immunotherapeutic strategies have demonstrated promise in pre-clinical studies and early clinical trials. However, high-fidelity evaluation of …