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VOLUME CXXI No. 13 The student newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of Attila the Duck.
Who is the true beneficiary of NYC’s upcoming Congestion Pricing Program?
BY JOSEPHINE CHOONG, STAFF WRITER
Starting January 5, 2025, a $9 congestion fee will be charged to enter New York City. Even before its announcement, many were conflicted about whether the potential benefits of congestion pricing in New York City would outweigh its downsides. Who will it assist? Who will it harm? What does it mean for New Jersey residents?
Due to concerns about too many unintended consequences, congestion pricing was abruptly paused in June by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. The governor announced a revised plan at a press conference on November 14, which implements a tolling structure to be phased in over six years. In 2028, the toll will increase to $12 and then $15 in 2031.
The Congestion Relief Zone runs from 60th Street down to the Battery, but excludes FDR Drive, West Side Highway/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street. The peak congestion hours are from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Most passenger cars would pay $9 during peak hours and $1.05 during the overnight period. For motorcycles, the toll is $4.50 during peak hours
and $1.05 overnight. These vehicles will only be charged once a day.
However, there are a few exemptions and discounts. Individuals with disabilities or health conditions that prevent them from using transit in certain vehicles wouldn’t be charged. More over, vehicle owners with low-income will receive a 50% discount after their first 10 trips in the calendar month after they apply and enroll in the plan.
For decades, congestion has clogged the city, with New Yorkers losing 117 hours in traffic each year and $2,000 in lost time. Grid lock negatively impacts the economy, environment, and quality of life in New York. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) states that the toll will result in at least 80,000 fewer vehicles entering the zone each day. It claims that the reduced traffic in the Congestion Relief Zone will lead to cleaner air, safer streets, and better transit. Additionally, the toll revenue will fund the MTA and its six million daily riders. The MTA plans to improve accessibility at over 20 stations, invest in hundreds of new electric buses, and finance critical projects keeping the system in good condition. Moreover, it will create 23,000 jobs throughout New York state and lead
Students for Justice in Palestine holds on-campus demonstration
BY JEYLAN JUBRAN, STAFF WRITER
SEE NYC PAGE 2
On November 11, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a new Stevens student organization unaffiliated with the national group, held a demonstration on Schaefer Lawn. This marked the first demonstration of Palestinian issues in the university’s history. The event was organized in coordination with campus administration to ensure a safe and respectful environment, and it drew a substantial turnout, surprising both organizers and administration.
The demonstration featured four speakers, including Stevens alumni and advocates from diverse backgrounds. Jenna Hassan, a Palestinian-American 2023 Stevens alumna, shared her perspective on being a Palestinian-American. Amado Sison, a Jersey City teacher, recounted his experience as a Filipino man of being shot by the Israeli military while visiting Palestine. Dr. Stephen Shalom, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, offered insights from a Jewish perspective, and Jenny Labendz, an advocate for Ceasefire Now NJ, con-
NIH awards Stevens and Columbia $2 million for research in neuromuscular disorders
BY JEREMIAH CHINWENDU, MANAGING EDITOR
Neuromuscular disorders are diseases that affect the muscles and the motor neurons, which facilitate the central nervous system’s communication with the muscles. These diseases cause a decline in neuromuscular communication and the degradation of muscle tissue overtime. These disorders are not curable, but there are a wide array of treatments and therapies that are geared toward improving the quality of life
BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, HEAD COPY EDITOR
The Stevens Police Department’s (SPD) No-Shave November fundraiser this year was a resounding success, blending community spirit, creativity, and charitable giving into a memorable campaign. Co-sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 219, the initiative raised $650 from participants and donors, a total matched by the FOP to reach an impressive $1,100 donation for Fight Colorectal Cancer, a nonprofit dedicated to research, education, and patient support.
NEWS (2-3)
NYC Congestion Pricing Program and on-campus Students for Justice in Palestine demonstration
FEATURE (6)
It’s Holiday Season! Learn about the upcoming holiday markets and festivities in the area.
for affected patients, but testing their effectiveness is difficult to do with the current technology, as methods of monitoring gait, or walking pattern, leave out several crucial variables. Stevens professor Damiano Zanotto and professor Jaqueline Montes of Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUMIC) are working to develop AI techniques to analyze in-shoe sensor data to better analyze the progress of children living with neuromuscular disorders. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has awarded a $2 million multi-principal
Throughout November, Stevens Police officers and campus community members came together to put down their razors and embrace the challenge. The concept was simple yet powerful: participants grew their facial hair—or skipped grooming routines—to symbolize solidarity with cancer patients who lose their hair during treatment. Officers used the savings from grooming as donations to advance cancer awareness and prevention efforts.
The campaign featured various ways to get involved. Community members could participate by donating a minimum of $25, joining the
SCIENCE (4) Doctor heals her own cancer? New study about Uranus? Aphantasia? Read about what’s going on in the world of science.
PULSE (10) Read answers from the Stevens community to our weekly Roving Reporter, plus solve our weekly puzzle and sudoku.
investigator R01 award to support this study, and several of the nation’s top medical care providers are also involved.
This study focuses on two disorders: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that leads to progressive muscle weakness in young boys, and spinal muscular dystrophy (SMA), which causes a loss of motor neurons, and in turn, the deterioration of muscle tissue. SMA is the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States, as it affects the muscles responsible for speaking, swallow-
“StevensPD/FOP 219” team via the No-Shave November website or contributing directly through PayPal or at the police headquarters. The inclusive approach also allowed for “silent” supporters — those who opted not to grow out their hair but still made meaningful contributions to the cause.
Beyond those participating, the awareness of the fundraiser spread across the campus community. Social media platforms buzzed with updates, photos, and reminders to donate, keeping the momentum alive throughout the month.
Participants and supporters shared pictures of their
ing, and breathing. These diseases affect roughly one million children worldwide. These, as well as other neuromuscular disorders, significantly affect movement and gait. In the worst cases, these diseases can be fatal. Monitoring gait is important when assessing an individual’s response to treatment. Muscle strength and proprioception, which is your body’s ability to tell where your limbs are in relation to one another, are linked to good posture and a consistent and balanced
SEE NIH PAGE 2
growing beards, goatees, and mustaches, celebrating the spirit of the challenge. The month concluded with a group photo of participants, capturing the camaraderie and shared commitment of everyone involved.
What set this effort apart was the sense of community that permeated every aspect of the fundraiser. While individual contributions played a crucial role, the collective effort underscored a greater message: by coming together, even a small campus community can make a big impact. The $1,100 raised will support
tributed with her expertise in ancient Jewish studies.
Preparation for the demonstration on the university side included the placement of barricades, security personnel, and portable cameras around the area by campus police. Additionally, an email was sent out by the Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Sara Klein and Chief of Campus Police, Tim Griffin on November 6 to “remind our community about the importance of free expression and our unwavering commitment to campus safety and security.” The event, which had been in
planning for over a month, was intended to foster dialogue and raise awareness on campus about the on-going conflict in Palestine. SJP noted that its goal was to provide an educational and respectful platform for these discussions.
On November 8, prior to the demonstration, Stevens Hillel, a student organization for the Jewish community, issued a statement to its mailing list, containing the statement, “Our fellow students have the right to protest, but they do not have
Professor Rabinovitch and NASA look for life on Saturn
BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, HEAD COPY EDITOR
NASA’s recent study on Enceladus, spearheaded by researchers including Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jason Rabinovitch, marks a significant step in our understanding of one of Saturn’s most intriguing moons. The project explored the moon’s icy surface and the water plumes emanating from its subsurface ocean, offering critical insights into its potential for harboring life. Rabinovitch, a mechanical engineer with a background in fluid dynamics, played a pivotal role in developing sophisticated models to simulate the behavior of these plumes, unraveling the secrets hidden beneath Enceladus’ frozen crust.
Enceladus has captured scientists’ imaginations due to its unusual geophysical properties and the possibility that its ocean, concealed beneath kilometers of ice, may be a habitat for microbial life. The research team utilized advanced computational simulations to replicate the dynamics of water vapor and icy particles escaping from the moon’s surface through cracks known as “tiger stripes.” These models revealed how variations in pressure, temperature, and vent geometry in-
fluence the composition and distribution of the plumes, offering a window into the chemistry and conditions of the ocean below. The methodologies applied in this study are both innovative and precise, showcasing a synergy between engineering and planetary science. The research relied heavily on high-fidelity models that could handle the complexity of turbulent flows in an extraterrestrial environment. By carefully calibrating their models against data collected by the Cassini spacecraft, the team ensured their predictions were accurate and capable of guiding future missions. What makes this endeavor particularly exciting is its broader implications for astrobiology and planetary exploration. The detailed
SEE NASA PAGE 3
Stevens Police raises awareness with No-Shave November
PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENS.EDU
Masthead
Volume CXXI No. 13
Executive Board
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.....................................ISABELLA ZIV ‘25
BUSINESS MANAGER...........................TANYA AVADIA ‘26
MANAGING EDITOR..............JEREMIAH CHINWENDU ‘25
LAYOUT EDITOR...............................JIYA JAISINGHANI ‘27
OUTREACH CHAIR.........................................AVA WANG ‘25
DIGITAL MANAGER..................................ABBY JACOBS ‘27
SECRETARY.........................................NICOLE GIARDINO ‘25
HEAD COPY EDITOR....................EVAN PAPAGEORGE ‘26
Editorial Board
NEWS EDITOR........................................BEN KNOBLOCH ‘25
SCIENCE EDITOR.................................RIYANA PHADKE ‘27
OPINION EDITOR...................................TASHA KHOSLA ‘25
SPORTS EDITOR...............................RUTHIE MULLISKY ‘26
FEATURES EDITOR..................................TIANNA SPITZ ‘27
PULSE EDITOR.......................................MIA PETROLINO ‘25
Operations Board
HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER RAFAEL LEE LI ‘25
Layout Team
ASSIS. LAYOUT EDITOR...........................SHREYA ROY ‘27
ASSIS. LAYOUT EDITOR...............EILIYAH SAROWAR ‘28
DELIVERY BOY.........................................JONATHAN LAI ‘28
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Josephine Choong
Jeylan Jubran
Danielle Tuiran
Fiona Shi
Disha Gohil
Camryn Winant
Charlie Beall
Abby Thomas Prisha Vagvala
Madison Heller Jack Scherban Stephen Pachucki Emily Martinez
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to a safer, quieter, cleaner, and more livable city. However, many were opposed to the tolling prices, including Governor Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey. He argues that New Jersey wasn’t meaningfully consulted on the design’s plan and theorizes that it forces New Jersey residents to pay for the MTA’s debt. During his usual “Ask the Governor” segment on WNYC, Murphy stated that “You’re charging us more. We’re getting none of the money. The pollution is getting displaced over to our side of the Hudson.”
Back in April, Murphy and other state officials challenged the tolls in federal court over similar con-
cerns, citing that New Jersey will shoulder the environmental burdens while New York receives all of the benefits. These arguments have been going back and forth for years. During 2021, various public hearings about congestion pricing have been held. One resident worried that trucks carrying medication, food, and household supplies would be unfairly charged, and that the truck tolls would trickle down to inflated prices for consumers and local businesses. This concern was shared by the Trucking Association of New York which filed a lawsuit in May arguing that it would squeeze the profit margins of small trucking companies. Another resident from the Bronx said that the tolls would be unfair to her borough, the poorest in the city. She mentions that the
subway was particularly unreliable and the most immediate benefits (cleaner air and emptier streets) would be centered around Manhattan. Meanwhile, some Manhattan residents dislike being forced to fund the transit system, citing already high living costs.
Moreover, at a New Jersey-centered hearing, some were concerned over being “double-tolled” to work in Manhattan. Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Representative and New Jersey Democrat, urged New York officials to reach towards a proposal that would benefit New Jersey’s public transportation.
Other cities like London, Singapore, and Stockholm have implemented congestion pricing with varying degrees of success. However, only time will tell how congestion pricing will impact New York and New Jersey.
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the right to harass or intimidate Jewish students. Our goal is to foster understanding and promote meaningful, respectful dialogue, and we are committed to supporting you through this process.” In the email, Hillel offered a supportive space for conversation within the Hillel community alongside professional support from Executive Director of Student Wellness, Dr. Eric Rose, scheduled to run concurrently with the SJP demonstration. SJP subsequently emphasized their commitment to respectful, inclusive advocacy in an Instagram post, noting that they have Jewish members and speak-
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gait. Problems with voluntary movement translate to disruptive gait, which in turn can damage joints or increase the risk of falling. Existing techniques for monitoring physical activity include step counters and distance trackers, neither of which give an accurate view of “‘real-world performance nor the improvement in or progression of a disease,’” says Professor Zanotto. They cannot assess gait quality, “‘such as stride length, time, and velocity, nor kinetic metrics that evaluate a person’s dynamic stability.’”
The AI-enhanced in-shoe sensors previously developed by Professor Zanotto capture not only gait quality but also “unique kinetic data — such as the force of a foot striking the ground,” which other technologies can’t do. These were developed with the support
ers within their organization who support peaceful dialogue. SJP as an organization was created with the internet to disseminate accurate and well-supported information about the Palestinian situation, along with advocating for the human rights and self-determination of the Palestinian people using fact-based and professional advocacy methods, as stated in their constitution found on their DuckLink. The organization has been trying to put its best foot forward and urges anyone who is interested in helping or wants support to contact it. They have done this so far in the semester with their demonstration event, the Palestine 101 event, bringing a nurse who was present during the Gaza genocide to recount his story, and a vigil for all of the lives lost.
of the National Science Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association and New Jersey Department of Health. In the previous study, the sensors were tested on 600 individuals, only a small number of whom were healthy individuals. This meant that there was insufficient control data to which data of affected individuals could be compared.
The NIH study is the first time this technology will be used to monitor a patient’s gait for one full month. This study will be conducted at clinical sites at CUIMC, Boston Children’s Hospital (which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School) and Stanford Medical School. Professor Montes explains that the team plans to “enroll up to 100 individuals—33 with SMA, 33 with DMD and 40 healthy controls—across the 3 clinical sites.”
With ambulatory patients as young as 5 years old, and a balance of child, adolescent, and adult participants, the team intends to employ fairness and accuracy in the
The SJP demonstration marked a significant and historic moment on campus, providing a platform for Palestinian issues and fostering dialogue within the Stevens community. SJP’s efforts, in coordination with the administration, highlighted their commitment to respectful, inclusive advocacy, aiming to educate and encourage understanding of complex global issues. With the support of speakers from diverse backgrounds, SJP worked to create an environment where different perspectives could be shared openly, reflecting their mission to build a community grounded in empathy and mutual respect. As campus conversations continue, SJP’s demonstration stands as a testament to the power of peaceful advocacy and education.
acquisition of data and its analysis. This study plans to collect data from two one-month periods one year apart. With both everyday monitoring and benchmark clinical assessments, the group hopes to isolate the portions of the motion data that give the most information about the condition of a patient in relation to the progression of their disease. Dr. Zanotto notes the effect the study will have on drug development in the future. Having more sensitive outcome parameters will allow future clinical trials of drugs to use smaller sample sizes and run more quickly. This means that results can be acquired sooner and treatments can be given to patients in a quicker and more cost-efficient way. In addition, the team hopes to use the collected data to train machine-learning algorithms that can predict the progress of a patient’s disease months into the future.
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analysis of Enceladus’ plumes has provided a framework for identifying biosignatures—chemical clues indicative of life. These findings inform the design of future probes that could fly through the plumes, collecting samples for direct anal ysis. The work could also influence missions to other icy worlds, such as Europa, expanding humanity’s quest to answer one of the most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe?
throughs achieved by Rabinovitch’s team in quantum sensing, the Enceladus study exemplifies how intricate, data-driven approaches can illuminate unseen complexities. Researchers have decoded the nuanced interplay of forces shaping Enceladus’ unique landscape by leveraging computational techniques akin to interpreting photon speckle patterns.
industries. For instance, the ability to simulate and predict complex flows could improve the design of jet engines or inform strategies for mitigating climate change by understanding atmospheric phenomena. Ultimately, the Enceladus study represents more than just a glimpse into a distant moon—it is a testament to humanity’s ability to merge curiosity with ingenuity. By delving into the intricacies of this alien world, the researchers have expanded the boundaries of bilities for approaching challenges
BBREAKFAST REAKFAST AFTER DARK AFTER DARK
POLICE
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Fight Colorectal Cancer’s vital work, including patient assistance, advocacy initiatives, and life-saving research.
In addition to the tangible outcomes, No-Shave November highlighted the power of creative engagement in raising awareness. By forgoing grooming routines, participants sparked conversations about cancer prevention and care, drawing attention to the cause in an approachable and impactful way.
SPD has long been a pillar of support for both the campus and the broader community, and this
year’s No-Shave November campaign was another shining example of its dedication. As participants return to their razors, they carry with them the pride of having made a difference and the hope that next year’s campaign will be even more successful, along with other philanthropic endeavors, like the SPD food drive that ended successfully right before Thanksgiving.
From the fundraising efforts to the visual reminders of unity, the event proved that small gestures can inspire significant change. Through hair grown and funds raised, SPD and its supporters showcased the enduring strength of community action in tackling one of the world’s most challenging diseases.
Take a break from the books and join us for Breakfast After Dark, now with a fun pajama party twist! Dress in your favorite PJs and enjoy a night filled with delicious late-night eats, music, prizes, and more to kick off finals week in style. Come comfy, leave happy. Don’t sleep on this campus tradition!
Please note that Pierce Dining Hall will close at 7:00 in preparation for this event
Doctor heals her own cancer with viruses she grew herself
BY RIYANA PHADKE, SCIENCE EDITOR
When people are diagnosed with cancer, they often look to medical professionals to ensure that they receive the best care possible. In a way, that is what Dr. Beata Halassy did when she found out that she had stage 3 breast cancer. She turned to herself and her work for a self-treatment, and in the end was able to successfully treat her own breast cancer. She has now been cancer-free for four years. As a virologist at the University of Zagreb, Halassy studied the literature and later her self-experiment was detailed in a case report published in The National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine.
In 2020, Halassy discovered that she had breast cancer at the site of a previous mastectomy, the removal of a breast. It was the second recurrence there since her left breast was removed. Discouraged by the prospect of going for another round of chemotherapy, Halassy took matters into her own hands.
The case study outlines how Halassy self-administered a treatment called oncolytic virotherapy (OVT) by injecting the tumor. OVT is an advancing field in can cer treatment that uses viruses to attack the cancerous cells while also instigating the immune sys tem into taking action. In the past
few years, OVT clinical trials have shifted from a late-stage, metastatic focus, towards earlier-stage disease. In the United States, T-VEC, a type of OVT, has been approved to treat metastatic melanoma, but there is no approved OVT agent to treat breast cancer anywhere in the world. In choosing to self-experiment, Halassy has created a potential solution. However, she joins a list of scientists who have participated in stigmatized and ethically fraught practices. “It took a brave editor to publish the report,” says Halassy.
While Halassy is not a specialist in OVT, her experience in purifying viruses in a laboratory setting gave her the confidence to try this treatment. She chose to target her tumor with two different viruses, a measles virus followed by a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). Both of these viruses are known to infect the type of cell from which her tumor originated and had already been used in OVT clinical trials. Halassy also had previous experience working with both pathogens, which both have a good safety record. The measles virus is used extensively in childhood vaccinations, and the VSV, at worst, causes mild flu-like symptoms.
Over the period of two months,
self-treatment, in case she needed to switch to chemotherapy. Her approach proved effective as her tumor substantially shrank and became softer. The tumor detached from the pectoral muscle and skin that it had been invading, allowing it to be removed surgically. She also experienced no serious side effects.
Although Halassy felt a responsibility to publish her findings, she received numerous rejections from journals because her paper involved self-experimentation. “The major concern was always ethical issues,” says Halassy.
Jacob Sherkow, a law and medicine researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was not surprised by the journal’s reaction. “The problem is not that Halassy used self-experimentation as such, but that publishing her results could encourage others to reject conventional treatment and try something similar, “ says Sherkow. He noted that people with cancer are susceptible to trying anything, including unproven treatments, but he notes that there is importance to ensuring that knowledge gained from self-experimentation is not lost.
In September, Halassy received funding to investigate OVT to treat cancer in domestic animals. She looks forward to taking what she has learned from her experiments and applying them in a broader
What’s a mind’s eye?
BY DISHA GOHIL, CONTRIBUTER
There is typically at least one time in a person’s life when they are asked to imagine an object without looking at it. The person would close their eyes and create a picture of that object in their mind by using the mind’s eye. A mind’s eye is the ability to create mental images of an object just by thinking about it. People with a mind’s eye are able to think of an object and see it vividly in their mind as if it is right in front of them. However, people with aphantasia—the inability to picture objects and scenes in their minds—are not able to create such images in their minds. This means that they do not have a mind’s eye. Scientists have found that aphantasia is simply a different way of interpreting the world. “This is not a disorder as far as I can see,” said Dr. Adam Zeman, a cognitive scientist at the University of Exeter in Britain. “It’s an intriguing variation in human experience.”
The phenomenon of a mind’s eye has been around for a long time, but just recently started gaining interest. The idea of a mind’s eye became the topic of conversation after Dr. Zeman coined the term “aphantasia.” Zeman met a patient (patient M.X.) who said that he had lost his mind’s eye after heart surgery. After Discover magazine covered the case study of M.X. having “blind imagination,” Zeman heard from
New analysis of Voyager 2 data reveals decades of misunderstanding about Uranus
BY FIONA SHI, CONTRIBUTER
Scientists have revealed new insights into the structure and composition of Uranus, challenging long standing assumptions about the seventh planet from the Sun. Although the third largest planet in our solar system, this ice giant has remained one of the least understood planets since its discovery in 1781. In 1986, Voyager 2 became the first, and only, spacecraft to explore Uranus. This flyby lasted five hours and came within 50,000 miles of Uranus’s cloudtops. In addition to its unusual 98-degree tilt and having the lowest temperature recorded of all the planets, Uranus seemed to have characteristics that differed from all other planets worth exploring. Firstly, it lacked plasma, ionized gases, in its magnetosphere, a region surrounding planets, despite the existence of five moons that should have been producing ionized gases. This led scientists to conclude that these
moons were all inactive and therefore did not have water ions or hidden oceans. Secondly, there were electron radiation belts only second in intensity to Jupiter, but the lack of plasma meant there was no source of energetic particles to drive these intense belts. These abnormalities challenged scientists’ understanding of magnetospheres and how they capture energetic particles. Uranus has remained a mysterious planet since Voyager 2’s initial findings were published. However, a recent analysis on Voyager 2’s flyby of Uranus showed that, “We just caught it at this freak moment in time,” said Jamie Jasinski, a space plasma physicist at NASA. Turns out, there was a burst of solar wind that hit the planet just before the space probe flew by. Had Voyager 2 arrived a few days earlier, the solar wind present would have been 20 times less strong, and an entirely different magnetospheric configuration would have been observed. As a result of this phenomenon, Uranus’
magnetosphere was dramatically compressed, providing a possible explanation for the energetic electron fluxes and lack of plasma present. The radiation belts were filled with electrons from the Sun, while plasma would have been trapped closer to the planet than could be detected by Voyager 2. “The spacecraft saw Uranus in conditions that only occur about 4% of the time,” Jasinski said. As such, findings from Voyager 2’s flyby of Uranus should not be regarded with typicality.
It is likely that the normal composition of Uranus’s magnetosphere would be similar to ones observed from the other gas giants in our solar system. It is also possible that the moons observed by Voyager 2 are actually geographically active, as the ions they produced could have been swept away by the solar wind. Since everything we know about Uranus is from an unconventional snapshot in time, this perspective could guide future missions, making it easier to study the planet and uncover its mysteries.
an additional 20 people who said that they couldn’t visualize images in their minds. In 2015, Zeman consulted a classicist friend to come up with a name for this recently-introduced phenomenon. The classicist suggested adapting Aristotle’s word “phantasia,” for “mind’s eye,” leading to the creation of “aphantasia.”
To better understand what aphantasia is and how people with it are affected, Dr. Zeman and his colleagues asked their correspondents to fill out questionnaires. The majority of people who reported a lack of a mind’s eye had no memory of ever having had one, suggesting that they had been born without it. However, Dr. Zeman and his colleagues were also contacted by people who had the opposite issue: they had intensely strong visions, a condition known as Hyperphantasia. These conditions are two of the extremes on a large scale of mental imagery. The vividness of mental imagery is different in every person and it can fall anywhere on this spectrum. To determine where a person falls on the spectrum, tests like the “Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire” are conducted.
“We think we know what we mean when we talk about what mental imagery is,” said postdoctoral researcher Nadine Dijkstra from University College London. “But then when you really dig into it, everybody experiences something wildly different.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATURE.COM
their season with two consecutive wins each
BY CAMRYN WINANT, SPORTS WRITER
With the opening of the men’s and women’s basketball season, both teams have managed to cinch two consecutive wins early on in the season. With wins from the men’s team against Baruch College on November 26 and Rutgers-Newark on December 1, and wins from the women’s team against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) on November 23 and Hunter College on November 26. On November 26, the men’s team took the win over Baruch with a final score of 75-53.The Ducks pulled the win with the efforts of sophomores Tommy Scholl with a game-high of 18 points and Kyle Maddison with 17 points, junior Brendan Coughlan, graduate student Mike Goodall, and senior Jack Spellman. Despite Baruch taking an early lead, Goodall put in a three-pointer, giving Stevens the lead. The Ducks and Bearcats took turns swapping the lead, eventually ending the first half 40-25 in
favor of Stevens. Yet again, Baruch took the lead in the second half before Stevens outscored them 24-8 over the last 9:28, making the second half end with a score of 35-28, and giving the Ducks the overall win.
After that, the men’s team headed to Newark on December 1 to go up against Rutgers-Newark, where the Ducks took them down in overtime with an ending score of 81-78. Spellman scored 20 points marking a season-high, along with points scored by Maddison, Scholl, Goodall, Coughlan, and graduate student Lucas Green. The Ducks and the Scarlet Raiders battled for the lead throughout the first half, and despite the Ducks’ best attempt at narrowing the lead, the Scarlet Raiders took the first half with a score of 27-30, in their favor. The second half opened with Rutgers-Newark giving their best effort, but all of their attempts were met by points scored by the Ducks. The game was tied with 1:17 left on the clock, and was eventually pushed
into overtime. Stevens outscored Rutgers-Newark 12-9 during overtime, and took the win.
The women’s team faced TCNJ on November 23, where they defeated the Lions 72-64. With points by top scorers junior Leyla Castro with 24 points and sophomore Kay Decker with 20 points, and juniors Isabella Duval, Olivia Schubiger, and Dorothy Loffredo. The Lions started the first quarter off strong, taking a quick lead against the Ducks. However, they made a quick comeback late in the first quarter, ending it with a 1613 lead. The two teams swapped shots throughout the second quarter, but ultimately Stevens outshot TCNJ, and finished the first half up 10. The Lions were able to cut the deficit in the third quarter, and outscored the Ducks 12-7. This narrowed the Ducks’ lead to 5 for the final quarter. With a score of 22-19 in favor of the Ducks in the final quarter, they were able to win the game with 8 points on TCNJ. Next, on November 26, they went up against Hunter College
Women’s Volleyball closes out their fall season
BY ABBY JACOBS, DIGITAL MANAGER
Women’s Volleyball took their fifth straight Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Championship title on Saturday, November 16, and began their post-season in contention for the NCAA DIII Championship.
The road to the MAC Championship Final was preceded by a fall record of 26-6, and a conference record of 6-1. Their spot in the finals was confirmed during their match against Lebanon Valley College in the MAC Freedom Semifinals just days prior, on Wednesday, November 13. Despite a strong first set from Lebanon Valley (20-25), the Ducks took back the next three, finishing with sets of 25-18, 2520, and an especially strong finish of 25-14. Ironically, this is the same team they took their one loss during conference play to. Notable players during this game included senior Parker Adkins and junior Vivian Lisboa. Adkins scored the first point for the Ducks in the first set, and eventually totaled 15 kills and four blocks, and Lisboa took 10 kills, two aces and five blocks.
Misericordia University took two significant losses to Stevens this season, the first being the Ducks’ opening match for the MAC, and the second being the MAC Freedom Championship Final. In the MAC Final, the Ducks
started strong, with two sets of 2513, but the Cougars fought back, earning themselves two sets of 2518 and 25-22. The fifth and final set to determine the match showed the Ducks victorious, taking 16 of the 30 total points scored. This win took the team to their post season, fighting for the NCAA DIII Championship.
On Thursday, November 21, the team took on their NCAA opener, against Gallaudet University. There, they took three of the four
sets played (25-17, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17), marking the third season in a row where they took at least one NCAA championship win.
Women’s Volleyball closed their fall 2024 season with a loss to Washington and Lee University the next day, Friday, November 22, falling 1-3 to the Generals. Despite this, the team still managed an impressive 28 total wins for the season, breaking their previous record of 27 in 2017.
where they faced a win with a final score of 78-64. The top scorers of the game were Loffredo, Castro, Decker, and first-year Katherine Bogutsky, with points also scored by sophomore Zoe Kashner. Similarly to TCNJ, the Hawks took the lead in the first quarter, and despite the Ducks’ best attempts, they were outscored 18-17 in the first quarter. Mid-second quarter, the two teams were tied at 29, but the Ducks took the lead, entering the half up seven points. The Ducks extended their lead to double digits in the third, and ended with a 17-point lead. Despite the Hawks out-scoring the Ducks in the final quarter, the Ducks’ lead was too strong and Stevens gained the win.
It was a strong week for both teams with consecutive wins. They can be seen again continuing their winning streak, with the men’s team up against Widener University in Canavan Arena at 1 p.m., and the women’s team traveling to Trinity College (CT) for a 1 p.m. matchup, both on December 7.
non, Molly Harris, and Meg Dion earned AVCA All-Region honors. Shannon, Lisboa, Shannon, and Harris were also named Honorable Mention All-Americans after stellar seasons, including Shannon’s 1,000th career kill and significant contributions in kills, blocks, and assists. Further, graduate student Meg Dion has finished her career with a total of 425 blocks, the third-most in the history of the
STEVENS
IT’S HOLIDAY SEASON!
Upcoming holiday markets and other festive events to get in the spirit
BY JOSEPHINE CHOONG, STAFF EDITOR
Sleigh bells are ringing, ornaments are filling the streets, and holiday music fills the air.
Winter is coming in full stride, and despite the rapidly approaching finals, you should take the time to enjoy the festive season. In December, there’s a large variety of fun cultural and artistic events to enjoy in Stevens, Hoboken, and NYC!
Starting off, Hoboken’s Holiday Market Series is held at 1401 Adams St. under the 14th Street Viaduct. It features vendors for jewelry, fashion, home decor, and more! It’s hosted from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the weekends from December 8 to December 22. For more holiday fun, each Sunday has a unique event. December 8 presents a community concert with organizations like the Hudson School Jazz Band & Choir and Cantigas Women’s Choir. Meanwhile, December 15 will display live ice sculpting from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Finally, December 22 showcases a holiday DJ dance party with black magic DJs and carousel rides. Hoboken’s Christmas Tree Lighting
will be next week on December 11 at 5 p.m. at 11th and Washington Streets. The celebration will feature live performances and free hot chocolate from local businesses. If you are still in town at the end of the month, the Hoboken menorah lighting is scheduled for Sunday, December 29 at City Hall with pending additional details. The last local event is the Hoboken Holiday Market is tomorrow, December 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at at 605 Jackson Street featuring crafters, vendors, food trucks, and a beer garden.
Moreover, Stevens offers a plethora of student performances. The concert band performance is tomorrow, December 7. Additionally, the jazz band presents on December 13 while the choir finishes off the winter season on December 14. Admission is free, with each event beginning at 8 p.m. in the DeBaun Auditorium. So, go out and support your fellow students!
If you are looking for something to do in NYC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) is decorated to the brim and is an excellent opportunity to learn 5,000 years of art. New Jersey students can purchase
pay-what-you-wish tickets in person with a valid student ID. Within the museum’s Medieval Sculpture Hall lies a 20-foot tall Christmas tree. It’s designed to describe an eighteenth-century Neapolitan Nativity with angels hovering above. Another stop on your trip is the Eastern Eu ropean silver Menorah, one of the largest-known Hanukkah lamps. It stands over three feet tall, and at its center, a great eagle poses, ready to take flight. Rounding off, the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School will sing acapella ver sions of holiday songs on De cember 12 from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
For something more pricey, the New York Ballet is show casing the Nutcracker from November 29 to January 4. For two hours, it features an elabo rate set and stunning choreog raphy all set to Tschaikovsky’s music. A famous example of the stage elements is the Christmas tree growing from a height of 12 feet to 41 feet.
These events provide an op portunity to learn and have fun during December. These are only a small list of possible events, so go out, explore, and enjoy the holiday spirit!
STEVENS HOLIDAY EVENTS
EC Gingerbread House Making
December 6 (8pm - 11pm)
The Holiday Coffeehouse
December 7 (1pm - 5pm)
Cookies and Pictures with Santa December 8 (3pm - 7pm)
Breakfast After Dark December 12 (9pm - 11:30pm)
Cocoapella December 13 (9pm - 11pm)
SITHS Holiday End of Year Celebration December 14 (11am - 1pm)
MIND OF A FRESHMAN
Thanksgiving was kind of giving
mashed potato enthusiast it is one of my favorite holidays as the mashed potatoes at thanksgiving dinners are always smacking. However, other than the dinner there is also the five day break that everyone looks forward to. While most people went home on Tuesday I ended up going home on Thursday
because I didn’t really have a reason to go home until Thursday. Also I enjoyed the time alone in my dorm room. For Thanksgiving, my mom picked me up from Manhattan and we drove to Staten Island for a family friend’s party where I indulged in a lot of mashed potatoes. Throughout the night there were many fun moments with my childhood friends and most notably I beat my mom in the pool. As with most Thanksgiving parties, there are a lot of leftovers. Personally, my family left with a whole turkey and a tray of mashed potatoes, both of which my mom sent me back to college with. So now, in my dorm fridge, I have a bunch of turkey meat and a takeaway container of mashed potatoes. Other than the actual
BAFFLING BITS & BOBS
Unmixed signals
BY KEVIN CASTNER JR. B.E. ‘24 & M.E. ‘25
As we approach the end of the semester, many things may come to mind. Some think of the holiday season or of their inevitable hell week where all of their professors have seemingly conspired to make everything due at the very same moment (as per usual), while others think of how the Hoboken wind chill will be reminiscent of Dante’s ninth circle. Now what common item binds all of these together for me? The answer is the thermometer. Holiday meals are not complete without certain meats hitting the correct internal temperature, I happen to be a TA for D1 where the DHT sensors have been giving all of us headaches, and I squirm in bed when I check the real feel each morning. Speaking of D1, despite its frequent troubleshooting frustrations, it has been one of my most dependable sources of joy this semester. I have always loved teaching, which many could have seen coming given both my parents, my maternal grandparents, and paternal grandfather all having been teachers at some points in their lives. I have TAed plenty of courses during my time here at Stevens, but I have found that D1 brings a certain blend of nostalgia and full circle satisfaction. Although it’s been a little over four years since I was sitting masked and gloved up in Babbio talking Professor Joo’s ear off with questions, I hear my students having some of the conversations, comments, and jokes I made with my friends and
Thanksgiving day, I had a volleyball tournament on Saturday, which I did with a bunch of friends. We got third in that. Then the very next day, I had a tour nament with some of my friends from Stevens, which we actually won, which was a very happy moment for all of us.
After the very much needed break, I feel reju venated and very much not ready for finals. However, at least I caught up on a lot of much needed sleep. Last night, I literally slept at 10 p.m. which is the first time in many years I have slept pre 12 a.m., a trend that definitely will not continue. Not much to say after a very chill Thanksgiving break filled with many things and people I love. Until next time, toodles.
FOR MATH’S SAKE A conversation with fellow Math PhD student Marissa Whitby
peers all that time ago. But I also get to witness them come up with concepts and ideas I scarcely would have thought of back then. For any of my students reading, I am so incredibly proud and impressed with all the work you have done, and could not be more happy to be passing the torch to you all as the next generation of Stevens engineers. :) Now onto the technical talk.Thermometers have been around for quite some time and today their functionality varies in underlying mechanisms. Keeping in spirit with D1, I am going to discuss thermistors. Thermistor is a portmanteau of the words thermal and resistor. As the name suggests, thermistors are semiconductors whose resistance depends upon their temperature. Without getting too much into the weeds, semiconductors have some nonlinear properties when it comes to the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance. That is to say, you cannot simply state that voltage is the product of current and resistance like with simple circuit components. However, for the sake of explanation, this is a good enough approximation. If Ohm’s Law holds true, then that means resistance is equal
to the voltage divided by the current passing through the thermistor.
If we use a source, like an arduino board, to supply a constant current, the only way that the measured voltage across the thermistor would change is if the resistance changes. As mentioned, the resistance of the thermistor changes as temperature changes. If we check the resistance at a couple of known temperatures, we can determine a relationship between the measured voltage and the temperature. To sum up, put a current across a thermistor, check the voltage, use a predetermined formula from testing, et voila, you know your current temperature. For any digital thermometer, it’s just a matter of getting a signal and interpreting what it means. This basic idea even applies to us as humans. While not as precise, certain nerves near our skin’s surface are attuned to certain temperatures and fire off electrical impulses to our brains to help us feel temperature. I know I stated before that just about everything is a vibration, but taken another way, everything is a signal. Whether it be your final project or just the day you’re having may your external signals not throw an error!
energy company looking to improve their natural gas forecasting. We introduced this pretty basic mathematical idea but it greatly improved the model they were using. It was so cool to get to play with these cool features and apply it to other fields, which is why I wanted to continue diving into the subject in grad school.
BY CHARLES BEALL B.S. ‘23 & PHD STUDENT
Marissa Whitby. Completing her undergraduate studies at Towson University in Maryland, Marissa now works in Professor Kathrin Smetana’s research group, and has previously been a teaching assistant for many mathematics courses at Stevens. I really enjoyed getting some alternate perspectives on mathematics, and I hope you will enjoy reading about them. The interview transcript below is edited for conciseness and clarity.
Charlie: I wanted to start by asking about your background in mathematics. In particular, what experiences made you excited about the subject growing up?
Marissa: I was really lucky to have some great teachers in mathematics growing up. My first favorite math teacher was in middle school algebra, and he really made me realize that math is actually pretty cool and not as scary as you’d think. I had another fantastic math teacher for precalc in high school, who explained things in a very straightforward and fun way that wasn’t intimidating. My parents also really supported my interest in math, and took me to little workshops at nearby colleges that would talk about complicated subjects in really cool ways. One workshop had us use pipe cleaners to better understand topology, and another was on cryptography, which made me think that high-level mathematicians are also international spies. Seeing all these applications of mathematics, I figured that basically you could jump into any STEM field you wanted, since you can do so much with math.
C: Did those positive experiences continue during your undergrad?
M: Yes! My undergrad advisor ran the applied math lab at Towson, and we got a contract from an
C: Very cool! What kind of research projects do you work on currently? And I’m guessing they also have an applied focus – what’s the application?
M: I work with Prof. Smetana on reduced order modeling, where the goal is to solve equations that describe something we’re interested in measuring, like fluid flow or temperature, and solve those equations very efficiently using a computer. In particular, I’ve been interested in solving multiscale problems that arise in modeling wind turbines. In that application, we have composite structures whose properties on tiny scales have a big effect on the behavior on the overall structure, so I’m running simulations to figure out if one material is going to be better than another. The reduced order modeling is important here because we are trying to test many types of materials so we need a way to simulate the turbine and also get the solutions in a reasonable time.
C: Indeed! So, what software are you using for running these simulations?
M: Right now I’ve been running things on MATLAB to do tests of the algorithms and make sure they work, and then for larger real-world applications I’d likely be using C++.
C: Got it. Is that something you’d like to work on after the PhD? What do you have in mind for a career in mathematics afterward?
M: I really love the idea of trying to work somewhere like NASA, there’s so much math involved in projects like Perseverance or the James Webb Telescope, and it helps us understand our entire universe which is mind blowing. Beyond that though, I really like the application for wind turbines or other green energy projects, since it’s also really important to take care of our climate and work on projects there that will benefit the greater good. Anything like that,
sign me up!
C: Switching gears, I also was curious if you have a favorite math problem or puzzle. This can be totally unrelated to your research.
M: Yes! I thought I’d share about the Tower of Hanoi, which is a puzzle about reordering blocks or discs of different sizes, and the pieces represent levels of a “tower” that you’re supposed to move from one place to another according to a specific set of rules. It started in a Hindu temple where the religious leaders would test the patience of their students; there were 64 golden discs in the original version. But then, a French mathematician visited and was fascinated by this problem, so he came up with a way to determine how many moves it would take to solve the problem using what’s called a generating function. He found out that, with 64 discs, it would take 585 billion years to finish! I just think it’s very cool that you can use math here to figure out how long something will take and whether it’s feasible based on the constraints you have in the problem.
C: That is really cool! I didn’t know about the historical origins, but that’s an awesome story. All right, as a last question, do you have any advice or recommendations for people studying math who may be struggling, or feeling frustrated or scared by the subject?
M: A few things. I think it helps to try and make the problem as concrete as possible, drawing a picture if you can or doing something that makes it less abstract. Being able to work with things and make them more tangible really helps. Also, some people get overwhelmed with the specific formulas they have to use, but there’s no one way to solve a problem – a lot of the time you can solve a problem in so many different ways. Lastly, having a good mentor or good teacher and asking for help when you’re confused is really important: you’ll get different perspectives on the subject and eventually there will be one that resonates with you or makes everything click. So go to office hours and ask for help if you’re stuck and nothing else is working!
C: That’s all great advice! Thanks for your time Marissa!
M: No problem!
JONATHAN LAI FOR THE STUTE
BOOK OF THE WEEK
A brief review of Masters of Death
BY MADISON HELLER ‘27
I recently picked up Masters of Death by Olivie Blake as some light reading over Thanksgiving break. I’d been meaning to read something just for my own enjoyment recently, and I wanted something that was at least a little unfamiliar to me. I ultimately chose this novel because I had really enjoyed Blake’s Atlas Six trilogy. In the aforementioned title, Blake’s style of witty narration fits perfectly into a setting involving young adults in a collegiate setting, and the setting of the world is a masterful blend between reality and the fantastical. But that same narrative style that I adored in Atlas Six , made my reading of Master of Death far less enjoyable.
Masters of Death is an urban fantasy that follows a menagerie of fantastical creatures who go on a quest to find Death, who is also a character in this story. It is an intriguing concept, that is why I wanted to read it, and there are a lot of different folktales and mythologies blended together here. It’s kind of similar to American Gods in that way; there are as many angels as there are Norse gods and Filipino Vampires. And all of them are walking among normal humans every day. It is clearly well researched and each character I do genuinely find interesting, which is a strength that Blake has as an author.
What grinds my gears about this book then is that so much of it feels manufactured to appeal to a social media audience. A lot of what the book sells itself
as, especially in the beginning, is a classic enemies to lovers urban fantasy YA novel with happy endings abound. The book then betrays that expectation in a way I cannot summarize but does increase my favor for it. But what ultimately gets me is the narrative voice. It feels identical to prior works of Blakes that I’ve read, but for whatever reason in this novel it does not work as well. Sometimes the characters come through strongly, and other times they become drowned out in a sea of magical pretension. And I adore pretentious narrators that have scathing witty comments, they are perhaps my favorite kind of narrator, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the characters or the story. That is a hard balance to strike, and it varies significantly across different novels. But for myself, who is telling the story and how they are telling it are the most important things about a book.
Despite my gripes with some of the narrative style, I really did enjoy Masters of Death . It is a perfect “turn your brain off” kind of book. There are times where the pacing mess es up a little, or when the narration might make you lose your mind, but it is overall a great book. If you want to read an urban fan tasy with romance, drama, and a classic quest narra tive, then I highly recom mend Masters of Death by Olivie Blake.
FOODIE FINDS
Sweet treats, Paris beats
BY PRISHA VAGVALA ‘28
Hello, fellow foodies! I grew up watching countless Korean baking videos, and the precision and artistry behind each dessert always leave me in awe. I’ve tried making these cakes, but the amount of work and attention to detail required makes it nearly impossible to replicate the nonpareil cake you see in those videos. Thankfully, I discovered a bakery that brings those South Korean cakes straight to you without all the effort: Paris Baguette. Despite its French-sounding name, Paris Baguette is a South Korean multinational chain of bakery-cafés, boasting over 3,890 locations across the U.S., Canada, and several Asian countries. They recently opened a new location in Newport, Jersey
City, which I’m thrilled about because it’s just a five-minute walk from my house. It might even become one of my new favorite bakeries! The Hoboken location, on the other hand, is a bit of a trek from campus. But if you start from the gates near the CPH dorms, it’s a more manageable walk. Once inside the bakery, you’re captivated by the modern industrial charm that blends minimalist design with European bakery aesthetics. The patterned tiled floors immediately caught my eye, and the neatly arranged pastry displays evoke the feel of a European bakery. Paris Baguette offers cakes that feature clean designs with airy cream piping, vibrant fresh fruit, and thoughtful chocolate accents. The first Paris Baguette cake I ever tried was its chocolate ganache cake covered in strawberries, and it was unbelievably decadent. The chocolate buttercream was incredibly light and fluffy while maintaining a hint of chocolate flavor. The cake was fluffy and delicate. One of the best things about the cakes from Paris Baguette is that they aren’t overly
sweet or dense. It’s been nearly a year since I had that chocolate cake, but I find myself longing for it every day, as it is probably the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted. The other day, I was craving cake, so I ventured into the freezing cold to get my maple pecan and strawberry soft cream cake. Probably not the best idea, but when my sister and I dug into the strawberry soft cream cake, it was so worth it! While some people complain that the cakes are dry, I’d argue that an authentic Korean cake is meant to be more airy and light rather than moist, with frosting that mimics whipped cream. The strawberry cake tasted good, but it felt like something was missing. It was just an ordinary sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries. The maple cake, on the other hand, was bursting with flavor. The whipped buttercream had an indulgent, luscious maple syrup flavor, and the top was elegantly dusted with chocolate powder. I first thought the chocolate leaf decoration would be typical white chocolate, but to my surprise, it also car -
ried a delightful maple flavor. While the cake was a simple vanilla sponge, the layers of maple pecan soft cream between the cake brought a rich, cozy fall vibe. The crunchy pecans added the perfect texture, beautifully balancing the fluffy elements of the cake and soft cream. Every bite was a blend of flavors and textures that captured the essence of autumn. While the prices at Paris Baguette can be high, especially for cakes like the Blueberry Chiffon Cake or the Cappuccino Cake (shaped like a coffee cup), they are worth the money for the quality compared to other stores. The sweets and pastries are more reasonably priced and easier on the wallet. The range of menu items, with the attention to detail and aesthetics, is exceptional. I could write many more articles to capture the decor and beauty of each menu item. Paris Baguette’s extensive menu features everything from unique donuts to fresh sandwiches. Every time I see one of these cakes, I can’t help but feel they are the perfect way to make any occasion a little more exquisite and scrumptious.
TALK
You don’t celebrate any winter holidays
BY TANYA AVADIA ‘26
Thanksgiving just passed, and I really thank the Pilgrims and the Native Americans for supposedly feasting together as it allowed me a short break from this crazy semester. Over the span of Thanksgiving break, I really didn’t do much except meet up with some friends, sleep for 16 hours straight and do like six projects. Personally, I really needed this. A respite where I could rest up, see people I care about, and actually catch up on work. For me this has usually always been the norm as my family never really cele -
brated any of these yearend holidays. It’s honestly a bittersweet feeling because have I wanted to experience what a traditional Thanksgiving is like? Yes, but also I’m not opposed to the way it is right now. Growing up, my parents and I were the only ones in the country. Being the child of immigrants, I too had to learn about the customs and holidays of this country. In elementary school, I recall doing cute little arts and crafts such as drawing a hand turkey before Thanksgiving or making a gingerbread house before the winter holidays. It was a lot of fun to do these things as a kid especially when your class would have a class party during the day before you all went on break. Those class parties were, to be honest, the closest I got to experiencing the holiday sentiment. I also recall talking to my elementary school friends about their break plans, and it would almost always consist of them traveling to
a family member’s house and the entire family would feast together and spend time together. This was something I could never relate to then and still can’t relate to now as most of my family lives outside of this country. For this reason, we never really did anything during any of the holidays, but I promise it’s not as bad as it seems because there were a lot of other things we did that more than made up for it. So for that reason, the rest of this article will be a normal person’s guide to celebrating holidays abnormally.
Treat yourself out to a nice meal: Who says you can’t go out to eat on your own or with friends? Even if you don’t want to go out, you could make something nice for yourself.
Take advantage of all the sales: The holiday season usually means spending more than normal but if you don’t have to buy presents for anyone
why not just splurge on yourself?
Sleep in: This one is self explanatory.
Curl up in your bed and watch a new show: This one is one of my personal favorites as I am a binge-watcher so unless I have the time and energy to commit to a new show, I can’t bring myself to watch. The holidays are the perfect time for anyone to start a new show.
Take some time to slow down: The yearend is crazy in general. The change in weather, the semester driving you nuts, the crazy realization that another year has passed by are among the many things that are going on. It can be overwhelming and almost anxiety-inducing so it could help to slow down and take some time to rest. It could also be the perfect time to reflect on the past year and plan for the next year.
UNMASKING: AN AUTISM STORY
How autism can lead to compounding diagnoses
BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE ‘26
Autism is a multifaceted condition, and research increasingly reveals its profound connection with chronic physical illnesses. Far from being limited to neurological or sensory differences, autistic individuals face a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing a broad range of health conditions across all organ systems. Over the break, I stumbled across
“24k Magic”, “Talking to the Moon”, “Locked out of Heaven”, “Uptown Funk”. Yup, you know the guy. Bruno Mars. He is the music industry. Every song this man releases or produces becomes instant gold. You can easily decipher which songs Bruno Mars has written or produced because of his signature flare he adds into every song. His vibe and overall attitude towards life gives listeners an exciting experience for a moment of time.
Bruno Mars, born Peter Gene Hernandez, is a 39-year-old singer songwriter from Honolulu, Hawaii. He is known for his iconic catchy lyrics that you can find in a club, high school prom dance floor, or my headphones. He has this type of retro quality of music and pairs it with his energetic attitude. His mixed race background being Puerto Rican and Filipino gives him a unique perspective on music and performance.
Bruno Mars hit the ground running with his timeless hits “Just the Way You Are,” “Grenade,” and “The Lazy Song” in 2010. We all know these iconic songs. I remember being in elementary school and the talent show was adorned with performances of Mars’ hits. I think everyone in our generation can easily recite all of the words to these songs just because of how often we would hear them on the radio. Bruno Mars earned himself a Grammy in 2010 for pop vocal performance. He went on to release more music and earned countless awards for his hits “Locked out
a study led by Dr. Elizabeth Weir at the Autism Research Centre (ARC) in Cambridge that sheds light on the widespread health vulnerabilities autistic individuals encounter, emphasizing the urgent need for tailored healthcare approaches.
Historically, autism research has highlighted co-occurring conditions such as gastrointestinal pain, sleep problems, and epilepsy. However, the ARC study expanded this scope, surveying over 2,000 individuals globally to assess 60 health conditions across nine organ systems. The findings revealed that autistic individuals are not only more likely to have specific conditions, such as migraines, coeliac disease, or endometriosis but
also experience physical health multimorbidity — a co-occurrence of at least two chronic conditions — at rates far higher than neurotypical individuals.
This physical health multimorbidity manifests in conditions like fibromyalgia and polycystic ovarian syndrome, alongside connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). These conditions span the neurological, endocrine, gastrointestinal, and other systems, underscoring the complexity of healthcare needs among autistic populations.
Beyond these physical challenges, trauma and sensory sensitivities often amplify the difficulties faced by autistic individuals. Trauma can blur diagnostic lines and
of Heaven,” “When I Was Your Man,” and “Treasure.”
On and on, Bruno Mars wrote hits after hits. Ultimately leading to one of his greatest records of all time, “Uptown Funk” in collaboration with the iconic Mark Ronson.
I think there is a generational connection between Bruno Mars and people our age. We grew up listening to his music on the radio and on our phones. His music soundtracked the eighth grade dances and prom night car rides. Mars teamed up with Anderson .Paak to form Silk Sonic. This duo came in hot with popular R&B singles like “Leave the Door Open” which would lead them to multiple Grammys including Best Record and Best Song.
Bruno Mars has been making music with different superstars in the industry. He released “Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga on August 16 of this year. This collaboration took over the music charts with its jazzy and uplifting beats. This song fits into the R&B, pop, and soul genres because of its dynamic storytelling aspects.
More recently, Mars joined Kpop idol Rosé in their song “APT”. On October 18, 2024 the two stars released this ultimate banger. It is inspired by a Korean drinking game that Rosé loved playing. It has catchy lyrics and an addictive melody that is easy to learn. The music video is vibrant and jumpy. I think the combination of Bruno Mars’ R&B influence and Rose’s Kpop background makes for an interesting and unique sound.
Bruno Mars is the perfect artist of our time. I recommend listening to his music when you need some motivation to have a fun time. If you need some inspiration to have a fun weekend, blast a Mars hit and you’ll be sure to have a good time. I think Bruno Mars is one of those timeless artists who can’t ever go out of style.
exacerbate chronic conditions, complicating both treatment and diagnosis. Sensory sensitivities — whether to light, sound, or textures — contribute to emotional dysregulation and physical stress, potentially worsening underlying health conditions.
These sensory and psychological dimensions necessitate environments that accommodate autistic needs, such as sensory-friendly spaces and inclusive healthcare settings. Recognizing sensory sensitivities as integral to overall health is crucial in addressing chronic illness and quality of life.
The ARC study’s findings and emerging evidence underscore the need for a more nuanced approach to healthcare for autistic individuals.
Current systems often fail to adequately address the complexity of comorbidity, let alone the interplay between physical health, sensory needs, and trauma.
Healthcare providers must prioritize early identification and continuous monitoring of chronic conditions in autistic populations. Multidisciplinary care incorporating neurology, gastroenterology, and endocrinology specialists could offer a more comprehensive approach. Moreover, integrating therapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotional resilience and environmental modifications for sensory needs can enhance outcomes.
The complexities of autism and chronic illness
demand a shift in healthcare systems, away from one-size-fits-all models toward tailored, patient-centered care. These findings highlight the societal imperative to adapt healthcare infrastructures to meet the needs of autistic individuals better. By fostering environments that respect sensory differences, addressing trauma, and managing physical health vulnerabilities holistically, we can empower autistic individuals to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. This commitment addresses this population’s acute health challenges, reinforces the broader goal of inclusivity, and ensures that all individuals, regardless of neurological or physical differences, can thrive.
BY ABIGAIL THOMAS ‘26
ON SHUFFLE Mars on shuffle
ROVING REPORTER
By Rafael Lee Li and Mia Petrolino
“What was your top Spotify Wrapped song?”
Emilia Lopes ‘26 “That’s So True by Gracie Abrams.”
Chip Krese ‘27 “Mr. Brightside.”
Thomas Paolillo ‘28
“I don’t know if I should say mine.”
Sid Rochlani ‘26 “tv off by Kendrick.”
Shreya Patankar ‘28 “The Duck Song.”
Amanda LaFrancois ‘26 “Gold Dust Woman by Fleetwood Mac.”
Cooper Poggioli ‘27 “All Your’n.”
Angie Messana ‘28 “In Too Deep.”
Chop! Chop!