Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review

Dear Readers,

It is our distinct pleasure to bring you Vol. III, No. 2 of the Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review. On behalf of our dedicated editorial team and the talented authors who contributed to this Spring/Summer 2023-2024 edition, we are thrilled to share the remarkable diversity of thought, creativity, and research represented in this issue.

To begin, we are excited to showcase a special editorial feature on Frederick Honors College Electus Faculty Fellow Michael Meyer. Meyer's career, beginning in rural Minnesota, spans to the far reaches of China, where he has written extensively on cultural and social transformations. We are fortunate that Professor Meyer has since joined the University of Pittsburgh, where he continues to shape and inspire a new generation of writers and thinkers.

Our second and third articles review innovative work within diverse disciplines, highlighting the interdisciplinary spirit that fuels our publication. Disha Jain presents a historical analysis of how ancient art influenced the cultural and urban development of cities like Amarna and Zhengzhou, exploring how art reflects societal values. Aditi Choudhary bridges neuroscience and computer science, drawing on Jonas and Kording's work to advocate for computational approaches that contribute to understandings of intelligence and consciousness.

In the realm of creative writing, we are thrilled to present Love Tree by Derek Graf, an imaginative re-envisioning of Judas Iscariot's life and legacy from his own perspective. Graf's masterful storytelling explores themes of identity and redemption, inviting readers to reconsider the narratives that define historical and religious figures.

Finally, we are proud to highlight four innovative research articles that capture the possibilities of undergraduate scholarship. Bastiampillai et al. investigate mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii, demonstrating insights that could inform future treatment strategies. Aliana Rao examines synaptic loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, offering a fresh perspective on cognitive decline. Goodwin et al. analyze the role of social identity in driving affective polarization, a timely study that examines the deepening divides within American society. Finally, Su Bin An and Andrea Tovar explore decision-making dynamics, revealing that while message framing and social closeness independently affect willingness to donate organs, these factors do not necessarily interact.

Our publication would not be possible without the support of our readers, authors, peer reviewers, and the editorial team. We extend our deepest gratitude to the University of Pittsburgh Library System for their logistical and technical assistance; to Dr. Brett Say, Dr. Joshua Cannon, and Abby Chen for their guidance, enabling the journal to remain both student-run and autonomous; and to Dean Nicola Foote, Assistant Dean Dave Hornyak, and the entire David C. Frederick Honors College for their unwavering support.

We are honored to share these outstanding works with you, our readers, and hope that you find inspiration in the pages of this edition.

Richard Fang and Abhay Sheeri
Editors-in-Chief