Research that Resonates

Activism is a powerful tool for people to elevate their concerns and spur systemic change, but it also has a personal impact on the activist. When activists come together to discuss their shared visions and strategies, they connect with their identities and gain a better understanding of other identities. In this episode, Jerusha Conner, PhD, associate professor, Education and Counseling, and Hwa Pyung Yoo ’19 CLAS talk about the research they did with self-identifying college student activists and the surprising results they found.

Scholarship takes the stage with Villanova’s “Youth”—a play about a young church community wrestling with issues of identity, sexuality and faith. Award-winning playwright James Ijames, MFA, associate professor of Theatre, worked with dramaturg Adrena Williams ’19 MA to put on Villanova Theatre’s recent production of the show. In this episode, Professor Ijames and Adrena explain the collaborative research and scholarship that went into writing, editing and producing this new play.

Photosynthesis seems to be a beautiful, natural process where plants harness the sun’s energy and make fuel. Jared Paul, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, is interested in understanding what’s happening at the chemical level during this process. In this episode, Dr. Paul and his students Claire Teahan '19 CLAS, Diane Isaacs '19 MS explain how their research could lead to developing alternative fuels sources.

Mangroves are forests that line the coasts, primarily in tropical climates like Florida. They provide flood protection and other important benefits to the environment, but as a result of the earth’s warming temperatures, these mangroves are moving northward. Seemingly, the mangroves are adapting to climate change. Samantha Chapman, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biology, along with students Libby O’Brien '19 CLAS and Emily Geoghegan '19 MS explain the implications of this phenomenon.

Coastal wetlands are sometimes called the kidneys of Earth’s ecosystems because of their ability to filter out pollutants, but increasingly they are coping with two major risk factors—rising sea levels and land use change. Nathaniel Weston, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment, along with students Lloyd Willis ’20 CLAS and Kristen Jezycki ’19 MS talk about how coastal wetlands are responding to a changing world.