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Aisthesis
Editorial Board

Delaney Anderson is a graduating senior majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry and Psychology.
She has spent her senior year working with faculty in the Department of  Biomedical Sciences in the Medical
School developing methods to detect bacteria in dog brain tumors. After graduation she hopes to spend her
gap year in Seattle working in a lab before attending more schooling.

Gracie Bahr is a freshman majoring in Biochemistry, Mathematics, and Chemistry with plans to go into a
master’s program in Neuroscience and Music Therapy to study how music changes the brain’s chemistry and
its overall healing process. Gracie is currently working with her advisors at UMD to construct a research
project to study the effects of  music on psychological stressors in the college age population and the elderly
population.

Cole Bauman is a junior who is studying biology and cognitive science. He is interested in pursuing a
graduate degree in social psychology, focused on researching altruism and existential intelligence.

Rachal Cross is a junior in the Bachelor’s of  SocialWork program. She is also involved with the University
Honors Program and is developing an Undergraduate Research Project surrounding corporate solidarity
activities. After graduation, Cross intends to pursue her Master’s degree in social work and ultimately become
a mental health therapist.

Hannah Holmberg is a senior majoring in Communication and Hispanic Studies. She is currently studying
proximity and attraction and the connections between the two in an online environment. After her studies she
will be pursuing her Juris Doctorate at the Saint Thomas School of  Law.

Allison Drost is a sophomore majoring in Accounting and Financial Planning. She plans to become a
Certified Public Accountant and focus her work in governmental accounting. Her research interests include
tax and accounting practices.

Kailee Grahek is a junior majoring in biochemistry and minoring in biology.  She is currently researching the
pharmacogenetics of  opioid dosing as well as studying the role of  the university in substance use disorder..
She hopes to attend pharmacy school after graduation.

Quinn Heutmaker is a graduating senior pursuing writing in the Biological sciences. Her goal is to support a
laboratory team through contributing to and managing the writing that accompanies research activities.

Mitchell Jans is a junior studying Civil Engineering. He is a research assistant exploring geochemical
processes and hopes to attend graduate schools after graduation.

Nicholas Kellar is a junior double majoring in History and Psychology. His research interests include
Ancient Near Eastern History, Contemporary East Asian History, Mood Disorders, and Social Dominance
Theory. He intends on running a research project about the correlation between COVID-19’s psychological
impact on undergraduate students and their Social Dominance Orientation.



Naomi Leedahl is a junior student who created an Interdisciplinary Studies major titled “Storytelling Arts”
out of  curriculum from the Theatre, English, and Communication departments. She is a playwright, director,
dramaturg in the theatre as well as writer, reader, and filmmaker who has special interest in studying human
behavior, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships.

Grace Lynch is a freshman. She is a biology and chemical engineering major and is currently involved in
entomology research with Dr. Timothy Craig. Her next project is a pollinator study comparing rates of
herbivory and pollination in local plant species.

Linnea McClintock is a sophomore majoring in Psychology with a minor in Communication. Her research
interests include movement/dance therapy in response to depression and anxiety, and hopes to conduct a
project on undergraduate students to determine the correlation between dance and mental health.

Stine Myrah is a graduating senior and Anthropology Major. She is doing research on elder care, comparing
three cultural contexts through studying three small urban cultural contexts across three different countries:
Fredrikstad (Norway), Sefrou (Morocco), and Duluth (Minnesota, United States). She hopes to continue
researching elder care systems in graduate school.

Megan Nelson is a junior. She is studying Communication Sciences and Disorders and aspires to become a
Speech Language Pathologist. With the help of  a faculty mentor, she is studying the negative effects of  noise
exposure on children’s health and wellbeing.

Tiffani Skroch is a senior who will be completing a Bachelor of  Arts in Political Science in the Spring of
2021. Her research interests include political tolerance and ideologies. In the Fall of  2021, she will be
attending Baylor University School of  Law for her Juris Doctor (JD) degree.

Edward Serrano is a sophomore, studying Mechanical Engineering. His interests include renewable energy
applications across the world. Currently he is researching wave energy conversion in coastal areas.

Mikayla Sundlie is a junior studying Communication Sciences and Disorders. Her interests include
respiratory and voice therapy, as well as hearing and balance.

Abby Swanson is a sophomore studying Psychology and Spanish.

Makayla Taylor is a graduating senior studying Writing Studies with an English minor. Although she is
unsure where she is going next, she plans to become a professional editor and eventually publish her own
work.



Aisthesis
Reviewer Biographies

Aisthesis would not function without the researchers, artists, critics, and teachers
willing to review manuscripts by undergraduate students across the world.

The editorial board of Aisthesis would like to thank these individuals, below,
and several more anonymous reviewers.

Adam Booker holds a Doctor of  Musical Arts in JazzDouble Bass Performance from the University of
Texas, Austin. He also holds a MM in Composition and a BM in Jazz Studies from Texas State University, San
Marcos. His main focus of  research has been double bassists of  the early jazz era (1900-1936) and he has
presented at the Jazz Education Network, the International Society of  Bassists, and the European Double
Bass Congress. His research has also been published in Jazz Perspectives. As a life-long student of  thedouble
bass, he has studied with Francois Rabbath, Eric Revis, and the legendary Milt Hinton, as well as members of
the San Antonio Symphony, Austin Symphony and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.  Booker has
performed with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Booker is also a
proud veteran of  the US Navy, in which he served as a bassist for US Navy Band New Orleans until the end
of  his enlistment in 2005. As a bandleader and composer, Dr. Booker has released three albums,Unraveled
Rival (2015), Seven Last Words (2019), and Lucca Live (2021) under the Minneapolis-based record label, Shifting
Paradigm Records. Dr. Booker currently serves as Associate Professor of  Double Bass at Appalachian State
University in Boone, North Carolina.

Evan Brier is Associate Professor of  English at theUniversity of  Minnesota Duluth. He is the author ofA
Novel Marketplace: Mass Culture, the Book Trade, and Postwar American Fiction (Penn Press, 2010). His teaching and
research interests include contemporary fiction, cultural history, and the literary marketplace.

Eve Browning is Professor and Chair at the Department of  Philosophy & Classics, University of  Texas at
San Antonio.

M. Shivaun Corry is, due to the pandemic, a full-time homeschool teacher attempting to integrate insights
from the communicative approach to language learning and critical pedagogy into a tech-positive,
child-centered curriculum.  She holds a PhD in Communications and Rhetorical Studies and continues to
publish and guest lecture on subjects including civil religion, public apologies, and health communications. In
“the before times” she was a professional Turkish dancer and adjunct instructor.

Rebecca de Souza is Professor of  Communication at the University of  Minnesota, Duluth. Her research is
concerned with how political and economic systems impact health, access to food, and social inequalities.Her
work has been published in journals such as Communication Theory, Health Communication, International Journal of
Communication, and Asian Journal of  Communicationas well as in interdisciplinary journals such as the American
Journal of  Health Educationand Women's Studies International Forum.

Kathy Dowell is Associate Professor of  PsychologyUniversity of  Minnesota Duluth. Her research interests
center on the familial and social factors that impact the effectiveness of  child psychotherapy, including
parent-child relationships, parenting stress, poverty, and trauma. She teaches a variety of  undergraduate and



graduate courses, including Child and Family Therapy, Ethics, Marriages and Families Worldwide, and
Internship Preparation. She supervises graduate clinical counseling practicum students and serves as the
Undergraduate Internship Coordinator for the department.

Ari Feld is an assistant professor in the Department of  English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies at the
University of  Minnesota Duluth.

Ryan Hjelle is an instructor in Psychology at the University of  Minnesota Duluth, where he has taught for 8
years, teaching a broad range of  courses with a heavy focus on statistics, research methods, and cognition. He
is a frequent mentor for undergraduate researchers and serves as a judge for regional and international high
school science and engineering fairs. He also serves as the faculty supervisor for the Psychology Department’s
Peer Advising program.

Faith King is a Writing Instructor at University Minnesota Duluth. She writes poetry and articles about
artwork as well as creative nonfiction. In her work at UMD, she enjoys hearing what students are concerned
about and mentoring them on effective communication of  their values.

Ann Klefstad is an artist and writer in Duluth.

Ray Langsten is Research Associate Professor at American University in Cairo.  studying the impact of  child
and maternal health initiatives supported by USAID and the Egyptian Ministry of  Health and Population.
He has worked as a consultant for Family Health International and the Population Council, the Middle East
and North Africa Regional Offices of  the Ford Foundation, and for the Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Turkey offices
of  UNICEF; he has also participated in population projects in Bangladesh and Brazil.

Kelly MacPhail teaches Philosophy and English as an Assistant Professor at the University of  Minnesota
Duluth.

Elizabeth Nelson is retiring from a 33-year gig as a professor in rhetorical studies at the University of
Minnesota Duluth, and is an avid quilter, theatre-lover, looking forward to new adventures and opportunities.

Ed Newman received his liberal arts degree at Ohio University with an emphasis in the fine arts. He has been
freelance writing for four decades, mostly during a career in advertising, marketing and PR.

Jessica Peterson is an essayist, playwright, arts administrator and co-founder of  Yellow Tree Theatre in
Osseo, Minnesota.  Her first book, Sound Like Trapped Thunder, is published by  Seneca Review Books and is
the winner of  the 2020 Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Book Prize. Her essays have appeared  in:The Rumpus, Orion,
Seneca Review, River Teeth, Anomaly (formerly Drunken Boat), Passages North, Alaska Quarterly Review and others.
Jessica is the author of  seven full-length plays, two one acts, and one musical, all of  which have had
professional productions in Minnesota and all over the country.

Jeffrey Rop is Associate Professor of  History at UMD.His research focuses on the military and political
history of  Greece and Achaemenid Persia in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. His monograph,Greek
Military Service in the Ancient Near East, 401-330 BCE, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2019.
He is the co-chair of  the Teaching Committee of  the Association of  Ancient Historians, and teaches courses
on the history of  the Ancient Mediterranean, Ancient Near East, and world history.



James Shreffler is a licensed Psychologist at UMD Health Services.  His professional interest is in executive
functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders.  He graduated from the University of  St. Thomas with a
doctorate in Psychology.  He received his undergraduate degree at UMD many years ago.

Deondre Smiles is a President’s Postdoctoral Scholar in History at The Ohio State University and an
incoming Assistant Professor of  Geography at the University of  Victoria. A citizen of  the Leech Lake Band of
Ojibwe, his research interests lie at the intersections of  critical Indigenous geographies, political ecology,
settler colonialism and tribal cultural resource management/protection. Deondre holds a bachelor’s degree in
Geography from St. Cloud State University, a Master of  Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Global
Indigenous Studies from UMD, and a Ph.D. in Geography from The Ohio State University.

Scott Vollum is an associate professor of  criminologyand sociology and head of  the Department of  Studies
in Justice, Culture, & Social Change at UMD.

Additionally, several other reviewers served the journal in 2021 whose biographies we have not included at their request.


