This research examines whether addictive plant alkaloids like caffeine, nicotine, and morphine alter pollinator behavior. Using robotic flowers, it shows bees prefer drug-spiked nectar, learn cues faster, and may make suboptimal feeding choices. The work explores whether pollinators can develop dependency or withdrawal, suggesting plants may chemically manipulate their pollinators.

This research uses Marxist theory to examine why superhero fiction resonates today. It argues that in an era of wage stagnation and rising costs, superheroes represent an escape from worker alienation by offering visible, meaningful impact. It also critiques billionaire heroes like Batman and Iron Man as symbols of economic power framed as virtue.

This research uses agent-based modelling (ABM) to simulate infectious disease spread in regions like Nigeria, enabling policymakers to predict outbreaks, test interventions, and allocate limited resources proactively. The low-cost modelling approach supports governments with constrained budgets and offers a sustainable, data-driven tool for preventing large-scale infections and improving global public health.

This research develops an algorithmic framework to proactively bundle small transportation projects, increasing contractor competition and reducing costs. Using a decade of Tennessee DOT data, it identifies optimal project groupings and flags combinations that reduce efficiency. Bundling improves value for agencies, contractors, and taxpayers, addressing significant waste in current procurement systems.

This research isolates and characterizes new flavonoids from Colona leonei with promising anti-cancer properties. These compounds selectively target cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. Upcoming tests will assess their effectiveness on cancer cell lines. The work also highlights preventive benefits of flavonoid-rich foods and frames cancer as a global, personal, and societal challenge.

This research uses a validated rodent model of psychosis to study sensory-filtering deficits linked to schizophrenia. Instead of blocking dopamine D2 receptors, the study uses CDPPB to modulate mGlu5 receptors and reduce D2 hypersensitivity. Treatment restores normal sensory gating, suggesting a promising therapeutic pathway with fewer side effects than current antipsychotics.

This research examines how combined THC and alcohol use alters neural communication and increases alcohol consumption. Using animal models, the study shows that co-use disrupts the glutamate system, heightening motivation to drink. Regulating glutamate with the compound CDPPB reduces alcohol intake, highlighting glutamate as a promising therapeutic target for addictio

This talk examines how nineteenth-century British novels portray domestic violence as a necessary tool for women to escape the restrictive inside–outside gender model. Using Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre, it shows how violent acts disrupt patriarchal structures, granting women agency, identity, and a path toward equality.