HUMANITIES in the REAL WORLD
Elizabeth Meadows Associate
Director
The 2023-2024 academic year marked the first undergraduate fellowship program at the RPW Center. Like all undergraduate programming here, the Humanities in the Real World Fellowship implements research-based strategies for recruiting and retaining students in the humanities: articulating career pathways for humanities majors; applying humanities scholarship and methods to real-world problems; building a humanities community for undergraduates. Six students from a variety of majors and academic interests met weekly to discuss readings, research and write about humanities-related topics, and advocate for the key role of the humanities in addressing urgent contemporary issues.
The HRW Fellows discovered connections between humanities majors and careers through interviewing alumni and shared these insights with other students in a panel with humanities alums discussing their career pathways. In weekly meetings, Fellows examined readings in which humanities methods engage with problems like climate change. In the spring, Fellows crafted videos on how humanities disciplines are crucial in today’s world of rapid technological disruption, and two Fellows traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for the importance of humanities education.
The HRW Fellows have fostered community for other students in the humanities by organizing a panel of juniors and seniors to offer Internship Insights to other students, as well as hosting Humanities in the Real World dinners with faculty whose teaching and research has real-world impact.
We’re happy to share some of the work our HRW Undergraduate Fellows have done this year, and we’re looking forward to seeing how these students and others like them use their humanist backgrounds in shaping our shared futures.
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STORIES SHAPING OUR FUTURE
THE HUMANITIES AS COMPASS
RACIAL DISPARITIES THROUGH A LEGAL HUMANITIES LENS
HUMANITIES IN CONVERSATION
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
VANDERBILT STUDENTS VISIT CAPITOL HILL TO CHAMPION THE REAL-WORLD IMPACT OF HUMANITIES
2023-24 UNDERGRADUATE FELLOWS
STORIES SHAPING OUR FUTURE
MATT BROLUND
We live in an age of disruption. Our current era is defined by unbridled technological innovation that prompts profound cultural transformations as we grapple with and adapt alongside our new inventions.
Just over a century ago, humanity achieved its first machine-powered flight. Nearly seventy years later, we conquered a new frontier by setting foot on the moon, a tremendous milestone after millennia of stargazing.
Today, advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning signal a future where our machines think and act independently of any human input. The rate of such progress has accelerated exponentially and shows no signs of slowing down.
In this context, contemporary culture has grown to frequently prioritize scientific
achievement and its disruptive potential, often outweighing efforts to redefine our role in a constantly evolving world or to apply humanities-based principles to technological implementation. As we continue down this path, it becomes increasingly essential to acknowledge the value of humanistic perspectives in guiding how we shape the future.
Scientific progress has a remarkable ability to captivate audiences with its promise of immediate and practical impact, as well as opportunities to amass wealth and gain recognition. However, neglecting humanist approaches to breaking down problems and producing ideas is not without detriment.
The allure of new inventions conceals unintended consequences that possess a capacity for existential danger. While technological advances have culminated into longer lifespans
and higher qualities of life, our age of disruption has opened Pandora’s box: nuclear proliferation, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and potentially uncontrolled artificial intelligence are some examples. Climate change, in particular, underscores the unsettled relationship between the unchecked acceleration and almost-careless adoption of technology.
At the root of this issue lies a fundamental tension between unconscious action and the unawareness of application. Greta Thunberg effectively articulated this concept in her 2019 speech to the European Parliament, emphasizing that “avoiding climate breakdown will require cathedral thinking. We must lay the foundation while we may not know exactly how to build the ceiling.”
Building too high without an intention towards a solid foundation risks total crumbling. Only foolishness or ignorance would lead one to build a house on a foundation of sand. The possibility of an unstable foundation necessitates an awareness of its cracks as we continue to build upon it. Our current societal infrastructure rests on a foundation of sand due to our entrenched dependence on fossil fuels.
While discussions about foundations may bring to mind an unwavering commitment to a certain idea, a reliable societal foundation must possess the ability to adapt and evolve alongside our technological innovations. Without adaptation and mitigation, our reliance on fossil fuels or careless implementation of other technology, despite driving progress, could ultimately lead to our downfall.
However, these seemingly inevitable consequences are not predetermined. The path we chose can be redirected. Advances in climate and environmental studies have revealed the extent to which our past technology use has endangered us.
Yet, it is not facts and figures alone that drive change in addressing these issues. Rather, it is a compelling narrative that can strike the nerves of leaders, activists, actors, and subjects alike. Such stories can’t be manufactured in a laboratory or derived from code. They orig-
inate from the core of all humanities work, language and perspective, which enables shifting our values toward positive change and technological awareness.
Toni Morrison, in her 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature lecture, aptly declared that “language surges towards knowledge, not its destruction,” and that “it may be the measure of our lives.” Indeed, culture lives and breathes through abstracts like language and expression.
Language functions as the tool that the humanities wield to navigate complex issues and refine ideas, ultimately shaping culture for the better. Such work primes the public and our political leaders for change by dispersing necessary ideas and fostering awareness to prevent rampant negative consequences. To discard the value of language or humanities work is to abandon the opportunity of creating a sustainable, equitable, and exceptional culture.
What truly makes for a better story? Is it the pursuit of profit, or the commitment to reversing course, saving ecosystems, and preserving the beauty of our world? At the core of an impactful narrative is the power to evoke profound emotional responses, capable of inspiring introspection and galvanizing collective action. Humanities disciplines, by essence, are the storytellers of the human experience, dedicated to recording the narratives that have shaped our world.
In this way, the humanities play an undeniably crucial role in achieving such goals and containing the emergence of new existential threats. They provide invaluable insights into the complexities of human behavior, societal structures, and moral principles, all which are indispensable for navigating a world characterized by constant change.
Disciplines such as history, philosophy, or cultural studies afford us a clearer picture of our past, present, and potential future by clarifying past mistakes and offering alternative perspectives to shape our current understanding. With the discoveries revealed by these studies, we can construct a story that doesn’t end tragically with our self-inflicted demise, but instead ends with redemption through the appreciation and handling of our
disruptive potential.
It is crucial to emphasize that the insights gained from the humanities extend past mere intellectual exercises. Embracing the concepts promoted by literature, art, or even lively debate enables cultivating a compassionate and flourishing culture. Such a culture would stand more resiliently and be more productive than one motivated alone by self-serving interests.
Moreover, beyond cultural expression, conviction rooted in positive change has much-needed room for implementation in our legal and political institutions. Alongside cultural strengthening, the longevity of institutions hinges on possessing a sturdy foundation and the ability to adapt when necessary.
We stand in a pivotal moment in time. To misstep by accepting the status quo, with its reckless and unaware path, is to miss an opportunity to correct our past wrongs and protect our future. We must actively engage with the humanities in conjunction with STEM disciplines. Stories and art, cultural creations stemming from the humanities, possess the power to disseminate newly revealed truths and ready us to enact change.
As already seen with climate change, this symbiotic relationship has begun to lay the foundation for positive change. New scientific data on the climate has spurred invigorating narratives. Thunberg’s declaration, at only sixteen years old, demonstrates this narrative power in mobilizing community action. I and many others in my generation in particular have heard the call and are here to answer. During my college sophomore year, some of my peers and I had the gratifying opportunity to represent Vanderbilt University at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.
At this conference, youth delegations banded together to make their voices heard. By amassing over 10,000 signatures, these delegations elevated
a youth voice to address our leaders in advocating for a better tomorrow on the global stage. But such action isn’t left for platforms like the United Nations. All over the nation, whether in the South, the West, or everywhere else between Florida and Oregon, advocates are calling for action and succeeding. For instance, at schools like Vanderbilt, the new climate studies major prepares the next generation to answer these calls. It is up to leading institutions like this to continue the fight by cultivating an interdisciplinary approach defined by scientific data joined with compelling narrative. Further, it is up to supporters to embrace it with open arms.
By combining scientific research with humanities-based methods, we can facilitate empowering messaging and adopt solutions rooted in equitable principles. Through an interdisciplinary method, we deepen our knowledge of ourselves and the world while also sparking a collective determination to take initiative in tackling other challenges. The modern world has produced unprecedented problems that, when viewed collectively, evoke a feeling of chaos. Yet, despite this chaos, there lies an opportunity for transformation.
To close with a quote from Sun Tzu, “in the midst of chaos, there is opportunity.” It is essential that we continue to seize this opportunity, critically reassess our priorities, meticulously scrutinize our foundations, and wholeheartedly embrace proven tools like humanities disciplines for fully realizing positive change.
THE HUMANITIES AS COMPASS ANDREW KYUNG
There is an ostensibly excellent reason to be wary of pursuing a humanities degree. In the eyes of the general public’s greatest cynics, the archetypal humanities scholar moves through the day overly occupied with nebulous concepts, without a shred of understanding as to how the practical world operates.
Wallowing in their obscure theories and philosophical musings, humanities students cannot seem to live in reality. Rather, they shield themselves in realms of thought, merely watching as their vocationally driven peers attain the benchmarks of undergraduate and post-graduate success: building a vast professional network, achieving whichever entry-level job they seek, and, perhaps most importantly, securing a handsome starting salary.
In 2023, the four most lucrative college degrees were chemical engineering, computer engineering, aerospace engineering, and electrical engineering — none of which typically require its pursuers to take courses in philosophy, literature, or history. Considering this, it is puzzling that anyone would entertain the idea of being a humanities student today.
Taken to a further extreme, it becomes difficult to imagine why institutions would divert any resources to humanities programs in a world where STEM is increasingly dominating. Perhaps it is feasible that the humanities have become irrelevant, following the footsteps of alchemy and phrenology into the wasteland of obsolete disciplines.
There was a time when the humanities and natural
sciences worked in interdependent collaboration. Tracing history back to the ancient Greeks, one would be able to observe the intertwined nature of the humanities and natural sciences in the Trivium and Quadrivium of classical education. The Trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) was taught in tandem with the Quadrivium (geometry, arithmetic, music, and astronomy) to constitute the seven original liberal arts.
Together, they aimed to help scholars better understand and articulate reality. The influence of this educational model was evident in the achievements of ancient Greece’s greatest minds. Aristotle published “Nicomachean Ethics,” a seminal exploration of virtue ethics, in the same lifetime that he published “Historia Animalium,” a breakthrough in zoology that laid a foundation for the biological sciences. From observing ancient Greece’s educational model, we see how strides in the natural sciences were just as influential and enduring as advances made in the humanities. Indeed, Archimedes’ discovery
of pi and Pythagoras’ theorem have driven the world forward by leading to profound inventions that have improved human civilization.
At the same time, these do not discount the value of Plato’s political philosophy and Socrates’ method, both of which have served as foundations for continuous human development. Both the natural sciences and the humanities were given respect for moving mankind forward, whether that was in the material or immaterial sense.
Though the Greek model of education that intertwines humanities and natural sciences appears long gone, the two continue to give each other life in the modern age. Let us consider the humanities in the context of more recent history than ancient Greece.
Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer
rekindled public fascination with the genesis of the nuclear bomb — one of the most monumental and paradigm-shifting inventions in human history. The film showcases the very real struggle that humankind confronted when the natural sciences yielded a discovery that had the potential to obliterate human civilization forever.
Of course, creating the world’s first nuclear weapon prompted several questions answerable only by the natural sciences: How much fissile material would be needed to achieve a self-sustaining nuclear reaction? What detonation mechanism would ensure that the weapon would work as intended? What effects would the weapon have on human biology?
At the same time, the invention prompted new questions that were only resolvable through a humanities-driven ethos. What are the moral
justifications for using such a destructive weapon? What safeguards should be implemented to prevent nuclear proliferation or control its inevitability? What are the ethics of investing immense resources into creating weapons capable of global annihilation?
It was not the natural sciences but rather philosophy, history, and anthropology that showed humans the way through these profound dilemmas. Whereas the natural sciences, through rigorous experimentation and discovery, provide us with the raw material for new technological breakthroughs, it is the humanities that instruct us to control new inventions instead of allowing them to control us.
In 1965, nearly two decades after J. Robert Oppenheimer successfully unveiled his ultimate creation, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore observed that the number
of transistors on computer chips doubles approximately every two years. Called “Moore’s Law,” the theory has been extrapolated by some to suggest that technological progress as a whole increases exponentially.
In an era distinctly marked by exponential developments in technology, the lessons and insights derived from the humanities are more vital than ever. Today’s technological innovations are more subtly destructive than Oppenheimer’s nuclear bomb; potentially dangerous inventions in 2024 come in forms such as artificial intelligence, which can be used to spread misinformation and disinformation to undermine the democratic fabric of our world.
advancements are not neutral; they are imbued with the values of those who create and control them. Like Oppenheimer, we must look toward the humanities to navigate new technology and direct it to help us instead of destroying us.
As we stand at the precipice of exciting but dangerous new inventions, an interdisciplinary collaboration between the humanities and STEM is essential if we are to prosper as a society.
The humanities are neither obsolete nor impractical. While some may view students of the humanities as detached from reality, it is essential to recognize that the true value of inventions lies in their purpose — a purpose shaped by the profound questions posed by the humanities.
At its core, the humanities guide us toward developing practical solutions for pressing issues, demonstrating their indispensable role in shaping a constructive and forward-looking society. As we confront the challenges of the future, let us embrace the humanities not as relics of the past, but as the compass for our journey toward a safer and more enlightened world.
One does not need to look far to see how such pernicious effects have already begun to take hold. Amidst these creations, we are reminded that technological
RACIAL DISPARITIES THROUGH A LEGAL HUMANITIES LENS ARMANI DILL
One of the most pervasive issues facing global societies today is racism and systemic disadvantage to minority groups. In western contexts, these minority groups often materialize in the form of black and brown communities. While racism towards these groups can and has been outright and blatant, many instances that perpetuate the political and socioeconomic disadvantage they face occur subconsciously on the part of the offenders.
Whether these instances are subconscious or not, this persistent and underlying form of discrimination has massive impacts on the lives of individuals in these communities. Subconscious racial discrimination has influence over a gamut of social institutions that spans housing, employment, and education discrimination. One of the most dangerous and prevalent sectors of society that perpetuates these subconscious biases is the criminal justice system.
While these issues are deep-rooted, they are also necessary to address. As young people living within the system, we must first step back from the issue and fully assess it, then work towards altering it, something only a humanist perspective will allow us to pursue effectively.
The study of legal institutions and society lends itself well to the perspectives of the humanities. While there are debates over whether our legal system is static or dynamic in interpretation, one thing that does not change easily is the law itself, which means it is up to those who learn the skills and value
of analyzing multiple points of view, finding the crux of a multi-symptom issue, and efficiently communicating findings to lead the bodies of interpretation and research being produced about legal issues.
A humanities skill set allows us to discover patterns that go overlooked or conflated when only looking for a straightforward answer.
In my future career as a legal consultant doing research and reports on the intricacies of the criminal justice system, my humanities background in French language and cultural studies, as well my interdisciplinary degree within history will be instrumental in addressing discrimination in the treatment and sen-
tencing of minorities going through the system.It is no secret that the criminal justice system has historically and systematically marginalized minority communities, punished them more severely, and in general socially demonized them.
Language and cultural studies provide us a lens to explore how the actual words we use in our descriptions of people, our system and ourselves shape our perceptions. This results in our perceptions (whether they are conscious or unconscious) directly influencing how we interact with our environment and others. For example, when we look at words and associations of “black” in English it is defined with negative connotations such as an “absence of light” or “dirty”. The French for black, “noir” , follows its origins to the Latin, “niger” which means “bad or ill-omened.”
White on the other hand is defined as “of the color of milk or fresh snow … the opposite of black.” I have influenced the effects of this sort of racialized stereotyping in the context of my own home and upbringing.
When I was a child, I always found it comical how my parents would change their voices over the phone, particularly during a “serious, business call” they would tell me as I was shooed away for being too interested in “grown folks’ business.” However, it was later in life that I began to understand this exposure to “grown folks’ business” as more than scheduling a doctor’s appointment or work meeting. When my mom got on the phone she lost the heavy “uh” sounds that heaved within her from her New York accent. When my dad got on the phone it was no longer relaxed, silly, light-hearted laughter that echoed from a joke, it was a stuffy, nasally sort of laugh that, like my mother’s strictly regulated accent, said “I am too scared to fully let go.”
If they let go then everyone would be able to tell, and my parents would have to deal with the repercussions of the social stigma of being a Black person in America. Watching their phone conversations taught me that even my voice could carry this improper connotation, that I was less-than or somehow dirty to deal with from the perceptions that came with urban language
or a foreign accent, and the possibility of me having melanated skin.
Due to my suburban upbringing, which my parents strategically orchestrated, my voice does not reflect their urban accents or jovial Caribbean twang; however it does come off pleasing to the ears, without any training or restriction, to the white people on the other sides of bureaucratic telephone lines. Every time I hear them speak on their “serious, business calls” I am reminded of the “ill-omened” and “dirty” connotations that perpetuate our society’s racialized, hierarchical walls.
Linguistic discrimination facilitates a more widespread cultural discrimination that influences and determines the fates and realities of many individuals within the socioeconomic, political, and legal systems of the United States, and abroad. Since those arrested and on trial are already being treated with the stigma of being alleged criminals, the additional stereotypes and negative connotations society associates with racial minority communities further puts them in danger of being discriminated against in the form of wrongful incrimination, harsher prison sentences, and less opportunities for reasonable bail amounts (which is strongly correlated to the likelihood of them ending up in jail, then prison).
Humanities allow us to study and address problems like these from the legal perspective. Studying language and culture teaches us to observe how present issues are playing out in front of us and how our day-to-day language impacts that. Once we notice and analyze such patterns, we are able to minutely dissect how the language of our legal texts fail to provide adequate protections against maltreatment.
For example, when analyzing the language of the 13th amendment, it is clear that while generally it is believed to end slavery, it provides a clause that forced servitude is not illegal if it is punishment for a crime. Language and culture studies pro-
vide us the skill to identify patterns and analyze them in context of societal norms, but also the language used in the legal bodies that construct those norms.
History allows us to put the present into context. It displays how institutions like colonialism, slavery and Jim Crow set the scene for the disparities in punishment seen in our modern institutions like the criminal justice system. American history provides the context around the signing of the 13th amendment, how it was passed in 1865 as the civil war was ending. Historians that study this era provide analysis of the different catalysts and effects of this signing, and how it did legally abolish common plantation slavery, but also provided the legal framework and opportunity for it to take new forms.
While humanists provide the necessary background information to observe these issues and address them in research and reports, making change at the institutional level requires tangible evidence and studies that support the knowledge we unearth. Putting humanists’ outlooks in partnership with social sciences such as sociology and etymology (specifically for language and cultural studies) we can uncover the tangible evidence needed to lobby for improvements to our systems.
Without a humanist perspective we would be unable to question the subconscious biases we all operate within. The background of a humanist can vary greatly from person to person, even within their own disciplines. However, all humanities share the demand for introspection, as a result we can not just take facts at face value without asking why the facts fall the way they have and whether our facts are skewed or misrepresented. The humanist approach of careful introspection, questioning and analyzing from multiple present and historical perspectives is particularly necessary in spaces like the legal field where our decisions regularly and drastically change the outcomes of individuals’ lives.
HUMANITIES IN CONVERSATION
This year’s undergraduate cohort wrote about their interviews with professionals who majored in the humanities or wrote about real-world issues for the RPW Center's Humanities in Conversation Blog.
BORN TO WANDER AASHI GURIJALA
“I was born to be a wanderer,” Cat said boldly.
As a humanities major, it’s hard to ignore the power of words and their ability to change us. What is largely understated, however, is how words themselves effect change. Collections of letters strung together in syllabic harmony carry within them an inherent promise of flexibility and growth.
Cat Acree, former deputy editor of BookPage, knew the power of that promise in her core. I was honored to be interviewing her as part of our humanities alumni panel for the Robert Penn Warren Center. As a creative writing major at Vanderbilt University, she confronted the importance of words every day. Fusing her literary skills with a corporate strategy minor, she applied her passion for books and literature to her sought-after position at BookPage in a troubled economy.
Through her time at BookPage, she understood how writing as a process is more than the words on a page, but also the words exchanged between editor and client, or even mentor to mentee. She was lucky to have great mentorship in Nancy Reisman, who taught her how
writing in any form—but especially in a workshop format—is an art that requires nurturing to galvanize meaningful and positive change.
At one point, she wanted to experience that change herself. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when reading was one of the greatest vehicles of escapism, she came across seven words that changed her deeply: “I was born to be a wanderer.” These were the opening words of Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. She knew then that being part of the humanities had left her with one great understanding of the flexibility of life and accepting changes as they come.
So, she changed career paths. She decided to become a pilot. Now, Cat is well on her way to becoming a certified commercial pilot after completing a designated number of hours as a flight instructor.
Cat’s story is an extraordinary example of what it means to live in the humanities, not just study them. The humanities teach students about reflection, compassion, and growth by forcing them to continually confront such topics in their education and goals. They rouse a fearlessness of change and an acceptance of self-pliancy.
In order to truly honor what we study, we have to embody the lessons we learn. Opening ourselves up to possibility and accepting where it may take us is a crucial first step to following in Cat’s footsteps and more. Whether it be through various job opportunities or persisting through failure and unprecedented hurdles, humanities students are well suited to be not only resilient but welcoming of the chaotic and surprising turns life can take.
Not everyone was born to be a wanderer, but choosing the humanities as a career path teaches us to find joy in wandering the unknown.
THE HUMAN ASPECT OF THE HUMANITIES
ARMANI DILL
As one of the first students to graduate from Vanderbilt with the interdisciplinary major of Law, History, and Society, Zachary Buchta is no stranger to uncertainty and unconventional paths to success. Due to the newness and unique nature of his degree, Zachary was unsure what he would be able to do professionally—and whether he would even be able to find a job. But he knew he was interested in law and government work, and luckily for him, he was able to follow his plan and go to law school after college.
This transitional period of uncertainty showed him the value of leveraging what one has with where one wants to go. Furthermore, he argues that, when navigating uncertainty, any humanities education will prepare an individual to seek out what best suits them because “it is broad and flexible and gives a lot of perspective on different kinds of social sciences and different approaches to real world problems.”
Despite having left the classroom, Zachary still uses the skills he developed as a humanities major daily. As a government lawyer, Zachary regularly uses skills like critical thinking, analytical problem solving, and writing. In his new role as the Appropriations Attorney for the US Government Accountability Office, one of the skills that Zachary specializes in is looking through history and its application to the present day.
This allows him to put his interdisciplinary history degree into practice regularly and tangibly. As for his French major, he does acknowledge that it is not every day that he is able to practice the language, but his experience using it and traveling abroad has been invaluable in fostering his growth despite discomfort in all areas of life.
Furthermore, Zachary also let me in on his perspective on the financial dilemma that many up and coming humanities students face, which is, “how will I make money in this career path?” For Zachary, and many other humanities alumni it was no secret that when they decided to go into government work, it would not be for the paycheck, but many of
them, including Zachary himself, acknowledged that there are still benefits to going into work that is enjoyable and rewarding in other regards. For Zachary it was the monetary stability, benefits and opportunity for a real work-life balance that won out over the paycheck, not to mention the opportunity and desire to work for fulfilling causes he genuinely believes in.
The key piece of advice that Zachary mentioned that resonated most with me, was not to forget the human aspect of the humanities. As humanities students it is important to “make connections with professors, even if it’s just to talk.” Professors are not just scholars, experts, or academics, they are people too. The majority have chosen their careers because they enjoy working with young, brilliant minds who are ambitious and seeking out guidance. Forming connections and relationships that are genuine will not only enrich your college experience, it will also provide wisdom, insight, and maybe even tangible opportunities that will allow you to grow not only as a humanities professional, but more importantly, as a human being.
LEGAL CAREER BOOSTED BY HUMANITIES STUDIES
MATT BROLUND
To Davis Shugrue, a lawyer trained in the humanities, debate is about far more than arguing for the sake of it. From his undergraduate studies to his current position as a clerk for a judge in the Court of International Trade, practicing the humanities has allowed Davis to uncover real solutions to apparent problems that otherwise would remain unanswered. His experience demonstrates the practical value of undergraduate study in the humanities and how well it translates to professional life.
As early as high school, Davis knew the law would best provide a future career fitting his passions and skillset. This initial interest in that field led Davis to pursue a double major in History and Cognitive Studies at Vanderbilt University. Both majors enabled him to explore subjects that piqued his curiosity and to develop the necessary skills and manner of thinking for application in the real world.
Some may argue that studying the humanities does not adequately prepare for real-world situations, but the way it teaches one to think is crucial to nearly any field. Approaching humanities coursework requires a systematic inquiry into the varied information given. How best can one turn many different views and facts into a single cohesive argument? The humanities, at their core, pertain to sifting through information, understanding it, selecting the most significant points, then synthesizing it to uncover a solution or new avenues to pursue. Further, such work needs persuasive communication, prompting the development of written and verbal presentation skills. After all, a strong story inspires progress and change, and a good story cannot exist without an effective storyteller.
These basic building blocks of undergraduate coursework continued past graduation into law school and his law clerkship. Davis noted how the discussion format of his humanities courses considerably impacted him as a testing ground for the synthesis of ideas and the practice of constructive communication. His undergraduate studies
strikingly resembled his work in graduate school and, later, discussions in judicial chambers with other clerks and a judge.
What comes next for him remains to be seen, but Davis expressed confidence in his ability to navigate future decisions. He advised me to be willing to embrace any deviation to a set plan and approach every decision with the same inquiry learned from my humanities education. Ultimately, such a holistic problem-solving approach is a powerful guide for practical and beneficial outcomes in the real world.
In reflecting further on my conversation with Davis, I’ve come to realize just how important these skills are in everyday instances. There is no navigating novel issues without some sort of information analysis or complex decision-making.
HELPING NATURE REBOUND
ANDREW KYUNG
Human beings are impatient creatures. We seek immediate results when taking action, which may have benefited our ancestors millennia ago when harrowing problems necessitated a swift, gung-ho response. Our tendency to look for immediate and tangible results from drastic action persists today.
In an age where information is instantly transmittable and data is easily collectible, one would assume that results should be immediately visible. When they are not, it is tempting to doubt the methods used. However, as humanity tackles increasingly convoluted issues, it is helpful and perhaps necessary to reevaluate this impulse.
Immediacy and an Endangered Environment
One such issue is how humanity’s destructive capabilities have endangered our environment. As we attempt to manage the fallout of our recklessness, our impatience undermines our productivity. If we only consider natural restoration efforts effective when the results are immediately apparent, we may overlook a more gradual solution.
The recuperation of flora and fauna is a tedious task that involves cooperation between government and citizens. Amidst this, the responsibility of galvanizing the public falls largely on public servants. This presents policymakers with a challenge: to convince their constituents that it is valuable to assist nature’s rebound even if it does not immediately provide tangible benefits.
labor. While elected policymakers in a representative government can enact such a mobilization of resources, they must gather public support to maintain their constituents’ faith. Since conservation efforts are typically either preventative or not immediately visible, their benefits can often be intangible, which makes public support difficult to amass. Therefore, the issue of helping nature rebound is destined to be contested in a well-functioning democracy.
The Ozone Layer and Galvanizing the Public
Helping the environment rebound requires policymakers to invest money, capital, and
Galvanizing the public to undertake the global challenge of natural restoration demands that we derive a political communications strategy from similar successful efforts. In 1985, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) discovered that the ozone layer – an atmospheric layer protecting the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation – was being damaged by the world’s frequent use of chlorofluorocarbons. The BAS notified the British government and warned that further depletion of the ozone layer would wreak havoc on the Earth’s surface. Understanding that the problem would require collective action, the British government
alerted the international community about the imminent threat.
Despite the obvious necessity for safeguards, a barrier to successful policy implementation existed: the public would need to be convinced that it was a worthwhile effort. No citizen could see or touch the ozone layer, and few people understood what it was. Furthermore, actions to assist the ozone layer’s rebound would not provide a tangible benefit to citizens; rather, the act would be a preventive measure with invisible results. The absence of public awareness and the lack of a tangible benefit called for a global, twopronged campaign of education and goodfaith persuasion.
Preserving the ozone layer soon became one of the most discussed issues in government and the media. The constant discussion of the issue made people well aware of what the ozone layer does for the planet. Projections of what could happen if the ozone layer
were depleted – global famine, ecological destruction, higher cancer rates – deeply concerned citizens of the world. A subsequent strategy of education and good-faith persuasion held every nation accountable for using ozone-depleting substances and the grim future that their practices would yield.
By September 1987, a critical mass of support for an ozone-preservation policy had been reached. The Montreal Protocol was signed by all 198 parties of the United Nations, making it the first universally ratified treaty in the United Nation’s history. The treaty pledged to phase out ozone-depleting substances, and since its passage, the ozone layer has successfully rebounded from its jeopardized status.
Education and Good-Faith Persuasion
Today, the environment is in peril. Governments and NGOs have implemented
conservation efforts, but further investment of resources is essential to protect the world’s most precious resources from destruction. Expanding these efforts involves an effective political communications strategy, and the optimistic story of the Montreal Protocol demonstrates how education and good-faith persuasion are the two most essential ingredients in political communications. Maintaining effective education is a balancing act that must prioritize providing learners with tools for coming to their own conclusions rather than dry instructions.
It also involves creating better misinformation detectors to prevent the public from being deceived by blatant falsehoods. Good-faith persuasion requires creating more avenues for trusted research groups, policymakers, and citizens to engage with each other; such an avenue enabled the BAS to sound the alarm in 1985. Ozone depletion is no longer imminent, but new threats such as deforestation, air pollution, and species extinction will continue to test our ability to protect what is most precious.
Offering Hope
Education and good-faith persuasion are certainly conducive components to an effective environmental restoration strategy. However, neither component would be sufficient unless the framing of the issue fundamentally changes. Contrary to what some suggest about climate change, we are not all doomed. Given rational tools, people can make rational decisions. Catastrophizing the issue guides us further into despair, and eventually, total apathy. Conversely, a framing strategy that tells the truth — that people’s collective action can salvage the environment — allows education and persuasion to work.
Amidst the cacophony of today’s political climate, it can seem impossible for the entire world to agree on anything. The ambitious mission to restore the environment is already a logistically challenging problem made even more difficult by its dependence on global public support. If we are successful in preserving the environment, the fruits of our labor may appear in unnoticeable ways: how would one be able to appreciate that mass extinction did not happen?
Preserving the environment is fundamentally driven by a necessity to manage risk — to prevent what would inevitably be a catastrophe. Therefore, a scenario in which we are successful in protecting the environment is one in which perhaps nothing happens at all. If our success does not yield a tangible prize, it may seem difficult to initiate this project.
However, as exhibited by the Montreal Protocol decades ago and the subsequent rebound of the ozone layer, the right framing, education program, and persuasion strategy can mobilize the people of our entire planet for any worthwhile undertaking – even if that undertaking’s success is invisible to the naked eye.
BLACK BOXES AND HUMANITIES
BRAYDEN THOMAS EDMAN
Electromagnetic radiation moves at the speed of light. This is the universal speed limit, and that is why, when a nuclear device detonates, before the tidal wave of pressure and force, there first arrive gamma rays, x-rays and that burst of white light. Moving at nearly three hundred million meters per second, these ionizing electromagnetic waves assault the world.
They may show up in someone’s thyroid where their ionizing potential becomes cancerous and metastasizes, a fate suffered by many Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima survivors. Or these gamma and x-rays may deposit in electronics. In the nanoscopic silicon cells that transistors are made of, an ionizing dose can impart so much energy that a transient photocurrent corrupts that system’s memory, rendering the ones and zeros useless. Or it may affect the clock signals that regulate the system, incapacitating it.
In fact, the energy deposited can create such a vast potential, the movement of so much charge burns through the device, and the system becomes smoldering ruins. This is not theoretical. Recently, the Tokyo electric power company designed and deployed aquatic robots to find nuclear waste that lingered in the waters around Fukushima island. And as these robots neared nuclear waste, the gamma and x-rays emitted ionizing electrons in the circuitry, resulting in their failure, and now, in the Pacific Ocean near Japan, there is a pile of nuclear waste alongside piles of dead robots.
However, there are ways to protect circuits from radiation, which is the focus of my studies. We start small and focus on the individual silicon atoms in a transistor. These arrays of transistors make a circuit when expertly connected. Once radiation doses the silicon, the voltages and currents in this circuit change, resulting in failure. An incorrect voltage becomes a zero instead of a one, and that flipped bit causes another digital device, known as a multiplexer, to select the wrong information from memory.
Once the ring of transistors, whose periodic oscillation creates a clock, is perturbed, that finely-tuned digital system falls apart. There is a hierarchy to computer design. We interact at the highest level, and the error message we may read or the heat we may feel coming off our hard-drives results from physical and logical interactions at these lower levels. Computer designers call this a black box. It takes an input, transforms it into a more useful output, but how is unknown. Its workings are opaque.
When I began my studies, I found these black boxes everywhere, and sometimes I figured these processes were actually unknown, and that engineers relied upon their consistent cause and effect. For instance, I learned to code, and, on occasion, commands that were logically sufficient, produced errors. I learned to code around these errors and at times I even relied upon their tactical deployment.
At the same time, I had also studied the Western philosophy tradition, and encountered numerous philosophers who assumed an epistemic foundation for all knowledge, but when they tried to walk backwards, the task was intractable. Leibniz, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Chisholm, Goldman all encountered regress, and between this first cause and their present knowledge, was a black box to demarcate their ignorance. Before, my understanding was content with this black box, and
I considered the philosophical task began with accepting it- not illuminating it.
Environmental author Cal Flyn describes the plight of a Cypriot farmer named Yiannakis. When Turkey invaded Cyprus, the buffer zone cut his land in half. He was stranded on the Cypriot side, and across this buffer zone, he watched his home fall derelict; the citrus trees he watered and tended to dried out and died. Eventually his land was repurposed by Turkish farmers to grow wheat. Across this “wire of shame,” he witnessed this.
Flyn traveled across Europe to document his plight, and her novel was circulated across the world, but the only person whose immediate circumstances this geopolitical maneuvering affected was Yiannakis. To many of us, such global issues seem meaningless precisely because they are so far removed from our immediate circumstances, but this does not mean they are bogeymen, imagined and looming about. They are black boxes. And their distance, like regress, does not call for acceptance but illumination.
A Cypriot farmer spent his days tending to his citrus trees and his family. That input to the geopolitical black box output a nation divided across a near-two hundred kilometer razor wire. And likewise, Flyn’s journalism and her work’s impact on her readers are also inputs and outputs to this black box.
Global challenges are addressed by illuminating black boxes. Flyn exemplifies this. She keeps what is real in front of her and her book, Islands of Abandonment, demonstrates this. She visits these sites and speaks to the people there. These geopolitical outputs that most of us have trouble imagining are brought to life with her vividly written work. That is not to say that global challenges can only be addressed in person.
it, or even their aesthetics, and her journalistic mission begins to ponder the poetry and art such foreign forms beg. The humanities offer unique perspectives with which to inform our understanding, allowing us to see inside the black box to untangle and understand the complex sequence of cause and effect in global conflicts and their local impacts.
Some question the relevance of the the humanities because they believe they lack totalizing power, that the humanities cannot singly ascertain, correct, and induce the world, and they scorn its “softness” compared to the hard sciences. This criticism erroneously presupposes there must be a single right answer. And while the simplicity and certainty of a single right answer might be comforting, it doesn’t reflect reality and it doesn’t help us solve real-world problems.
The humanities may be messy and complex, but they create an emerging structure whose capabilities are much more guiding, much more illuminating, and for this, much better suited to address global challenges, than any, single-minded pursuit.
Our presence is often motivated by our perspective, and our absence can be reconciled by it. Even when she is at these abandoned sites, often she is studying the political, historical and scientific forces that created
SCIENCE, HUMANITIES & THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH
AASHI GURIJALA
Katalin Karikó, Nobel Prize laureate as of 2023, was considered nothing more than a dreamer ten years prior. An avid scientist dedicated to her work, she had been shunned by funders and her own university alike, which denied her the money and status to continue her work, even forcing her off the tenure track. Now, the same experiments that were considered unnecessary and insignificant form the backbone of the Covid-19 vaccine that saved millions of lives.
How is it that such a crucial discovery was so undervalued? How is it that such an important scientist was so diminished?
The answer is simple. Science has failed. It failed Katalin Karikó, and it continues to fail us in the way that it operates—not always, but enough to cause catastrophe. Built on the expectation of recognition and excellence, science as a field has become disillusioned by the very thing it sought to unveil: the truth.
Nowadays, the majority of funding is geared towards projects that appear bright and shiny and are in the limelight for achievement. Other projects, such as the RNA vaccine that Karikó’s work spearheaded, get easily overlooked and forcibly abandoned because, without money, there is no technology or opportunity to further findings. The problem goes deeper than a lack of protected diversity within innovation.
The structure of the funding process has begun to incentivize more data falsification and project output regardless of validity or integrity. This is seen by countless top universities or organizations that are increasingly being investigated for fraud with recent publications.
What are we missing? Where does this problem come from?
The answer is not a one-word, fix-all elixir. I’d contend, at least a part of the issue is that science is deeply isolated in its self-propagating competitiveness and desire for sensationalized work. Interdisciplinary advocacy on behalf of the humanities might shed some light.
The humanities–the study of societies through their languages, history, culture, art, or literature– require the study of multiple groups of people, cultures, or minds, encouraging a multidisciplinary approach. While competition still exists in its fields, humanities strive to have a greater endeavor than outcome focused research because the value is in the process of understanding something about the world rather than what answer it gives.
English, for example, is an art of communication and revealing braided truths about psychology and perspective. Its end goal is more than publication— in theory— because there is infrastructure in place to incentivize good and meaningful writing in addition to a more tangible achievement. Plagiarism still runs rampant within the discipline, however, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence through programs like ChatGPT.
Even on its own, the humanities are subject to competition and less than honorable methods to get ahead. It too needs to be reminded of its purpose by tethering itself to a goal that exists beyond its isolated sphere.
The intersection of the humanities with science will provide innovation and discovery, the necessary narratives to ascend above sensationalism. Combining perspectives arms scientists with the ability to communicate their work more effectively and shifts the standard from productivity focus by way of number or type of publications to quality of work.
It also redirects humanities efforts by forcing an examination of the broader world context and pushing for a shared responsibility. In this manner, the humanities can contextualize scientific work and compel academics to take a more humanistic approach to their studies. This places further burden on
the scientific community to engage in research with integrity by highlighting the grander role it plays in the world, beyond standalone data sets or comprehensive pieces of information.
Oftentimes, science may be at risk for data falsification or subjective data interpretation due to concerns with publishing and recognition that overshadow the utility of a project, making it difficult to see what lies after the publication and the larger effect it can have on a community. Integrating the humanities into science helps combat that issue by forcing a social voice.
Scientists have spoken out about this before. Einstein himself warned of the consequences of science as a machine without a heart. Scientific weapons of mass destruction have been made in the likeness of something holy only to bring catastrophe because of how consumed people became with their power. The message is clear- achievements within the field need to stop being measured by the awards they win, but rather the people they affect. What good is learning the truth about the world if it isn’t used to make the world better?
This shift can arise from more frequent conversations about the humanities within science. For example, the Vanderbilt medical scientist training program hosts weekly seminars over the summer spotlighting unique journeys through science and humanities topics including medical ethics, philosophy, and the importance of communication. Popularizing such seminars on a more
national scale by making them convention within academia and science pushes for a movement and change. It holds scientists accountable for their work and its impact.
The purpose of science is to uncover truths about the universe and explore them for the betterment of humankind. With research increasingly growing focused on competition and recognition, we are moving farther away from that goal. An interdisciplinary approach to research that underscores humanities topics in scientific conversation is a step in the right direction.
The humanities can reconnect expectations to the original goal of the pursuit of truth over all else and sustain a necessary reminder of the ethical responsibility that all individuals, regardless of academic background, have to their studies and the world. There is an existing push for this in the scientific community, but we can do better. Science requires resilience in the face of an unyielding risk of failure, and so shall efforts to humanize it.
In making efforts for this change, we are paving the path for a future with increased diversity in innovation that will better protect future generations from the risk of other pandemics or global panic. The best method of advancing technology is to promote integrity in science and incentivize impact over success. Let humanities be the voice that guides scientific exploration for the benefit of global progress.
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS & EVENTS
The RPW Center hosted and co-sponsored a wide range of events for undergraduate students related to the humanities. Three of the events focused on careers with an Internship Search Party (co-sponsored with the Departments of English and Gender and Sexuality Studies) featuring Alayna Hayes, Assistant Provost and Senior Director of the Career Center; a panel discussion with humanities alumni on real-world careers; and a program for students seeking advice from seniors related to internships.
Along with the Department of English and VandyWrites, the center co-sponsored a trip to Glen Leven Farm for a Wordsworth-themed picnic and writing workshop led by Melissa Jean of The Porch. Additionally, RPW Center Associate Director Elizabeth Meadows led an UnBanning Books Story Exchange, in partnership with Narrative 4, The Banned Book Initiative, Vanderbilt Central Library and the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life. The center also hosted a VandyWrites dinner with local author Caroline DuBois who discussed her novel, Ode to a Nobody, and led a writing exercise for students.
Students also enjoyed a Humanities in the Real World Dinner and Conversation with Leah Dundon, Research Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Vanderbilt Climate Change Initiative. Here's what one student said about her class: "I had the opportunity to learn with, and from, peers studying engineering, public policy, neuroscience, and HOD . . . . Dr. Dundon is at the forefront of providing active opportunities for
students to get involved in combating climate change, at the campus, national, and global level, and I am excited to see how her work will continue to bring Vanderbilt students together to take learning outside of the classroom and apply it in a way that has a meaningful impact on the real world."
The Humanities in the Real World Undergraduate Fellows met regularly throughout the year to discuss a variety of readings, work on their writing, focus on career development, and explore humanities issues and their real-world impact. Guest speakers included Jad Abumrad, Distinguished Research Professor of Cinema and Media Arts and Communication of Science and Technology. He also created the hit podcast Radiolab and talked with the fellows about storytelling and how to interview people. And Alayna Hayes (Career Center) worked with the students on translating their humanities experiences into career-related assets.
CAREER EVENTS
VANDERBILT STUDENTS VISIT CAPITOL HILL TO CHAMPION THE REAL-WORLD IMPACT OF HUMANITIES
On National Humanities Alliance’s advocacy day in D.C., through a series of meetings and a social media campaign, Vanderbilt students advocated for federal funding to support the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH is the federal agency dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. The students showcased how the study of the humanities has driven American innovation throughout history in broad-ranging areas from technology to health care.
This effort was part of the Robert Penn Warren Center’s Humanities in the Real World: Undergraduate Advocacy Fellowship in collaboration with Vanderbilt’s Office of Federal Relations.
“In an era of budgetary constraints, federal funding for the humanities is more crucial than ever. As our students advocate for the NEH, they are championing the foundational principles of knowledge, inquiry and cultural understanding that underpin our society’s progress,” said Heather Bloemhard, associate director of federal relations at Vanderbilt.
Students Farouk Ramzan and Jaylan Sims worked with HRW fellows to produce videos for social media connecting the humanities across a diverse array of professions. One video highlighted that when Robert Oppenheimer developed the technological advancements for the atomic bomb, he also had to grapple with the ethical considerations of the technology. In another video, students discussed how neurosurgeon and author Paul Kalanithi wrote that as his medical training progressed, he felt it more
necessary to understand history, culture and philosophy. These figures are examples of how the students hope to apply the principles of the humanities to their studies and future careers to become more well-rounded thinkers. Both sophomores, Ramzan is studying psychology and economics, and Sims is studying communications and Jewish studies.
In D.C., Armani Dill and Aashi Gurijala met with Tennessee lawmakers to share the influence of NEH funding on the real world and their education at Vanderbilt. They built on the social media campaign and highlighted how studying the humanities is helping them develop skills in communication and narrative as well as analytical and critical thinking skills that are essential for future careers. Dill and Gurijala met with the congressional offices of Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., and Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., BA’81, JD’84. Dill is a sophomore studying French and law, history, society and politics, and Gurijala is a junior studying neuroscience and creative writing.
Reflecting on the experience, Gurijala said: “Participating in the advocacy day was a life-changing opportunity. The conversations with congressmen, fellow advocates and other students alike underscored the importance of communicating experiences for the education and continual elevation of humanities endeavors.”
“The advocacy day was a wonderful experience, and it served as a great opportunity to directly communicate the necessity of funding the humanities,” Dill added.
“The humanities have supported me throughout my academic and professional career, helping me develop skills and find the words to articulate what is important to me, so it was great to use those same skills on the Hill to advocate for the classes and programs that allowed me to develop them.”
By sharing the intersection of the humanities with the real world, the students emphasized the importance of robust federal funding for humanities research and education, using the skills they have developed through their studies and the fellowship.
Article originally published in MyVU
Vanderbilt students Armani Dill and Aashi Gurijala with Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn. (Heather Bloemhard / Vanderbilt University)
Vanderbilt students Armani Dill and Aashi Gurijala outside the U.S. Capitol. (Heather Bloemhard / Vanderbilt University)
Tennessee advocates meet with NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe at the NHA reception. (Heather Bloemhard / Vanderbilt University)
BIOS
MATT BROLUND
My experience with this fellowship has helped foster a greater appreciation for the humanities disciplines, particularly when they intersect with other disciplines. Discussions with peers from diverse majors, all centered around adopting a humanistic perspective, have proven the value of humanities disciplines in problem solving and idea refinement. These meetings have instilled in me a determination to approach discussion with a more open-mindset, embracing perspectives I might not have considered otherwise.
Matt Brolund is a senior double majoring in Economics and Law, History, and Society from Nashville, TN. He is interested in learning and applying political history to Western politics and a court of law. Matt loves the humanities as a vehicle for facilitating conversation between other areas of study such as science and research.
ARMANI DILL
"This fellowship provided me the opportunity to indulge my interests for humanities studies while expanding my writing and communication skills. I have truly enjoyed discussing a wide variety of topics and ideas with students from disciplines I wouldn't often interact with otherwise. The Humanities in the Real World fellowship provided an encouraging space for being recognized and appreciated for my personal passions and diversified the literature and opinions I was exposed to."
Armani Dill is a sophomore at Vanderbilt, studying the French language. She primarily lives in the suburbs outside of Atlanta, and her experience mentoring others inspired her passion for the humanities. This took her to the College of Arts & Science, where she complements her French studies with perspectives from law, history, society, and politics. An eclectic thinker who is deeply intrigued by how language and culture affect our engagement with reality, she hopes to gain the skill to navigate these complexities and educate others.
BRAYDEN THOMAS EDMAN
B.T. Edman is a junior at Vanderbilt University where he pursues majors in electrical and computer engineering and philosophy and minors in nanoscience and nanotechnology and physics. He specializes in radiation-hardened microelectronics and designs computer chips for mission-critical applications, and he is also the Director of Control Electronics for the Vanderbilt Fusion Project. Because of this, he is often asked what he feels philosophy brings. Brayden Thomas considers philosophy to be a method, and by studying how thought and reality interact, one can improve their own ability to think. He believes people are complex, intelligent and thoughtful, and he hopes to inspire this perspective.
AASHI GURIJALA
The humanities in the real world fellowship pushed me to confront the importance of the humanities in my daily life. It helped me view my work in science from an external, humanistic lens and incentivizes the pursuit of knowledge for the sake of truth. It equipped me with the tools to communicate my research in order to meaningfully apply it to a broader social scale. I was also introduced to humanities advocacy and realized the importance of integrating science and humanities study to attach narratives to innovation to prevent its abuse.
Aashi Gurijala is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Creative Writing from Phoenix, AZ. In her free time, she writes novels in the genres of sci-fi or fantasy. Aashi’s research interests are in the intersection between science and the humanities, specifically with how the humanities build bridges between the objectivity of the sciences and the nuances of human experience.
Andrew Kyung is a junior from Demarest, NJ studying Political Science and American Studies. As an active researcher on campus, Andrew explores the relationship between social and political systems in the United States. The Humanities in the Real World fellowship presents Andrew the opportunity to further understand how the humanities can solve pressing political issues in America.
Nicc Forster-Benson is a junior from Nashville, TN studying Economics and Quantitative Social Science (QSS). As a Humanities in the Real World Fellow, Nicc is interested in exploring the full range of the humanities to understand how individuals and societies make political choices. He hopes that this fellowship will enhance his ability to mesh humanities scholarship with tangible policymaking to answer pressing societal questions. Beyond the Robert Penn Warren Center, Nicc studies Nashville’s housing inequality as an Urban Studies research assistant.
