A spontaneous thesis sounds like an oxymoron, but to Rosie Tabachnick it sounded like a challenge. Today we will hear about the use of spontaneity as a method of rehearsal and direction in her senior thesis production.
Author Archives: Nate Martin
#6: Splitting Photons with Ely Eastman ’20, Physics
While photons are not considered matter, measuring, predicting and controlling photons matters a lot for the field of quantum optics. Today we will hear from Ely on his photon research, and how he dealt with the interruptions to lab work posed by the pandemic.
Reed community members can read Ely’s thesis online in the Electronic Theses Archive.
#5: Gender Pronoun Use at Reed with Jade Fung ’20, Psychology
Quarantine has created an atmosphere for a lot of difficult conversations with friends and especially families. Today we will hear from Jade about her research study on gender and pronouns amongst Reed students.
Reed community members can read Jade’s thesis online in the Electronic Theses Archive.
#4: China’s New Silk Road with Soha Ahmed ’20, Economics
Is history repeating itself? Today we will hear from Soha on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (which is often described as the 21st century silk road), and its effect on foreign investment in sub-saharan Africa.
Reed community members can read Soha’s thesis online in the Electronic Theses Archive.
#3: UFOs and the People Who Love Them with Molly Johnson ’19, Sociology
Make sure to grab your tin foil hats for this episode of Burn Your Draft and get ready to hear from Molly Johnson on the sociological aspects of UFO subculture. Seth Paskin ’90 hosts this episode.
#2: Translating Ancient Chinese Jokes with Jake Buck ’20, Chinese
I’m sure you’ve read joke books, but have you read ancient joke books? Let’s go back to our comedic roots with Jake Buck and his translation of one of the oldest Chinese joke books.
#1: Land Pricing in Portland with Ryan Kobler ’20, Econ/Math
You don’t have to look beyond Portland to see the topic of this thesis. Today we will be hearing from Economics/Mathematics Reed graduate, Ryan Kobler ’20, about her thesis on land pricing in Portland.
Reed community members can read Ryan’s thesis online in the Electronic Theses Archive.
Burn Your Draft: Podcast Debut Event
In this special episode we hear from Seth Paskin ’90, Reed alumnus and co-founder of Burn Your Draft, on the motivation behind the podcast. We’ll also hear about his own experience as a co-founder and co-host of the podcast, The Partially Examined Life, and his time thesising at Reed as a philosophy major.
This live interview was recorded during the 2020 Paideia week on January 25th in the living room of Prexy, a building on the Reed College campus that housed presidents of the college in the early days of Reed. It’s now the home of the Center for Life Beyond Reed and Alumni Programs.
Burn Your Draft Trailer Episode
Welcome to Burn Your Draft, a new podcast about the Reed College senior thesis experience. Each episode features an interview with a student or alum about their thesis experience. The first episodes launch on August 31st, 2020, and new episodes will release every other Monday.