#11: Microfinance in Mexico with Alyse Cronk ’20, Economics

Alyse entered Reed with an interest in microfinance and connections in Mexico, so spending a year examining microloans and their outcomes for people in Mexico made sense for her. Listen to Alyse as she talks about the thesis she wrote as part of her bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Reed community members can read Alyse’s thesis online in the Electronic Theses Archive.

#10: The Politics of Pat Robertson with Lewis Chapman ’19, Political Science

Lewis had a secular upbringing, but was fascinated by Fundamentalist Christianity in the U.S. from a young age. His political science department thesis gave him the opportunity to research Fundamentalism by examining the politics of Pat Robertson. Lewis spent a year and a half visiting churches and interviewing Fundamentalists, and also took an unplanned dive into social theory to find a working definition of “fundamentalist” in order to support his thesis.

#9: DNA Investigations of Tiny Crustaceans with Nick Thayer ’20, Biology

Learn a bit about genomic sequencing and annotation of Daphnia magna (water fleas) with Nick as he talks about finding his thesis topic and advisor, and how he switched directions after the pandemic shutdown interrupted his lab work.

Reed community members can read Nick’s thesis online in the Electronic Theses Archive.

#7: An Illusion of Spontaneity with Rosie Tabachnick ’19, Theatre

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.

#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.