This book project examines the role of colonialism as an embedded and elemental feature of American feminism, particularly how romanticized notions of Indigenous women and societies are imagined and deployed, from the suffragists to reiterations in the second-wave feminism of the 1970s through to the present. In contrast to this history, Juliana Hu Pegues forwards an alternative genealogy of feminist solidarities, articulated in the scholarly, creative, and political alliances of Indigenous and women-of-color feminists.

Philosophy remains alarmingly homogenous. There is a renewed effort to expand the philosophical canon and diversify the field, however there has been very little discussion of how we ought to proceed when it comes to these projects. In her original research, Jessica Gordon-Roth works to identify patterns in scholarship which may be hindering our efforts. The aim is to provide an innovative conceptual framework which can aid philosophy as it works to expand and diversify.

Why do “good people”—perfectly sane and decent folks who find no pleasure in afflicting pain or living in hate or ignorance—collaborate with discrimination, white supremacy, voter suppression, anti-Semitism, and violence? Which cultural phantasies and media discourses are behind their choices? Lorenzo Fabbri proposes to answer these questions in a book analyzing the forms of media and the affective structures fueling current neo-fascist tendencies in Italy and United States.

Innovation policy to unlock structural change in energy systems will be required to address global climate change. Gabriel Chan applies interdisciplinary methods to study energy and climate policies in diverse contexts, from Minnesota to the United Nations. His research seeks to understand the dynamics of energy innovation organizations, the potential and limitation of transnational institutions to address climate change, and the possibilities for incorporating equity and democratic norms into energy transitions.

Vaccines are among the most successful prevention strategies. Yet, worldwide, hundreds of millions suffer and many die from vaccine-preventable diseases. Nicole Basta generates novel data under challenging conditions to maximize the effectiveness of vaccines and the impact of vaccination programs. She combines methods from epidemiology, immunology, and ecology to evaluate immune responses to vaccines and to increase public confidence in, and global access to, life-saving vaccines. Her research directly guides infectious disease prevention policies.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common chronic disease, but the search for causes and preventative treatment has largely failed. To prevent diabetes, Emilyn Alejandro’s team combines integrative approaches to study the novel role of nutrient-sensor proteins in the placenta and pancreas, to ultimately predict individuals who are at risk for diabetes and improve clinical interventions for existing patients. The team is shedding new light on the fetal origins of pancreatic- β-cell dysfunction, obesity and diabetes.

Substance abuse and depression are common forms of mental illness that affect millions of people and families each year. Sylia Wilson uses twin, adoption, and family studies to understand the developmental processes that lead to mental illness and transmission through families. She integrates developmental, clinical, and neuroscience approaches to identify neurobiological and environmental risk for substance abuse and depression. By elucidating causal mechanisms, this research guides preventive-intervention efforts for children, adolescents, adults, and their families.

Alik Widge is a psychiatrist, biomedical engineer, and neuroscientist. He develops treatments that change brain activity to reverse the symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He uses electrical stimulation to change how brain regions communicate with each other, directly targeting the causes of mental illness. His lab spans the translational spectrum from prototyping in animals, to pilot tests in neurosurgical volunteers, to clinical trials and biomarker studies.

Increasingly frequent large storm events produce floods and landslides. These widen rivers, modify flood hazards, and reshape landscapes across Minnesota and around the world. Andrew Wickert links field observations, open-source sensor development, and physical experiments to develop comprehensive theory and numerical models that predict how changes in both climate and land use impact landscape stability. Through this, he works to explain the geological origins of our present landscape and inform sustainable land management into the future.

The Schroeder lab provides broad research opportunities for undergraduates in two main research areas: 1) exploring the biology of freshwater sponges in Minnesota and 2) examining the molecular mechanisms underlying sexual development and the impacts of contaminants on development in reptiles. This research purposely involves many areas of biology such as molecular biology, genetics, and environmental stressors, to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to pursue research in their specific biological field of interest.