Innocence is a beautiful thing. It is Ignorance that breeds innocence. when we can’t perceive the realities around us, our world is rendered that smaller, simpler… and it is often those large things in life, those large concepts that take time to wrap our heads around, that invoke our fear and displeasure with the world around us. Innocence is like a warm blanket, such that no matter the fickle and dynamic toils from day to day, a soft bed and thick blanket always seem to render these experiences void, ushering us instead into a simple world of fantasy and of…

Background

Many recollect the post-World War 2 era in the United States as one of unprecedented economic prosperity and abounding national patriotism. Indeed, as Winston Churchill noted of the epoch, “America at this moment stands at the summit of the world” (qtd.in “The 1950s”). With a surge in worker wages, expanded manufacturing, and soaring birth rates, Americans frenzied into a decade of materialism, mechanization, conformity, and a growing comfort in the country’s capitalist system. However, underlying cracks in society’s gilded facade did not go unnoticed, for it was during these years that agitation for civil rights and the crusade against…

I have come to the conclusion that society is a labyrinth of conglomerates, a collage of overlapping niches, offering fluidity in associations across some social classifications, yet scorning the commingling of others. Despite our continuing emphasis on individuality, the search for distinction amidst a sea of hoi polloi, the need to conform to an archetype precedes our desire for originality.

Indeed, a woman can simultaneously subsume the identities of daughter, Democrat, teacher, and taxpayer, and readily does so in pursuit of social identity. These objective taxonomies are seldom contested because they are impersonal and obvious labels created by civilization. In…

I’m sure we are all familiar with YouTube’s notorious suggestions list, filled with tantalizing click-bait that could steal your attention for hours. While most adults will tell you to stay away from these entertaining time sinks, on Friday night last week, I found myself succumbing to the temptation! Indeed, after perusing videos ranging from Thermodynamics, to Political Loyalties in the Middle East, to, of course, Funny Cat Videos (because who hasn’t delighted in those!), I finally stumbled upon a word I had heard few times, but never took the time to decipher: FRACTALS. This inevitably led to two more hours…

My community tells a story of rural farmlands, dated red barns, and a heavy economic dependence on both agriculture and cement production. I grew up frolicking in neighboring soybean fields, seeing deer prancing through corn and wheat crops, and admiring the vibrant colors of fresh fruits and vegetables in local farmers’ markets. My middle school sat next to one of the largest lime reserves in the township, and the skyline I see every morning from my bus abounds with towering mountains. This is rural Slatington of the Lehigh Valley, PA.

While these are fond memories of my childhood, my adolescent…

As the holidays grow closer, families do too, sitting around the fire, enjoying meals, and watching movies. In my case however, “family bonding” came through sitting down with my father, Dr. Mayuresh Kothare, to do what nerds do and share our passion for science! Through our discussion, I gained a greater appreciatioin of the fact that my father’s work is AWESOME :) If you are anything like me whose fascination for science and engineering know no bounds, read below to find out what chemical and biomolecular engineering are and how they continue to change our world!

What is your position…

The simple answer is not no, but rather that we don’t know. I think it’s safe to say that stories of Greek Gods and teen vampires who have been around for centuries are probably a stretch from reality, but we might not be giving our own human longevity enough credit. As recently as 2018, scientists have begun redefining human mortality, and in doing so, they are shaking the foundation of biological theories that have governed human lifespan for decades.

In 1965, Leonard Hayflick from the Winstair Institute in Philadelphia decided to take a look under his microscope to observe how…

Math and biology are two fields that often seem on opposite ends of the spectrum. But today, scientists around the world are finding new and creative ways to combine these two integral fields of knowledge. In fact, less than two months ago, scientists and engineers from Lehigh University, Sevilla University, and the University of London successfully applied complex geometry to create a new shape, iconically named the “scutoid!” While its application to biology may not seem obvious at first, this novel geometric solid actually describes how cells reshape themselves during the processes of cell packing and organ formation.

Check out…