Auni Siukosaari, University of Warwick
Welcome to the latest edition of Reinvention: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research, volume 14, issue 1 (14.1). First and foremost, we hope all of our readers are safe and well despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Since our last publication, the pandemic has remained a constant in our lives, and the interconnectedness of our world has been more important than ever.
This issue brings you a unified yet diverse set of content with four original undergraduate research papers, two book reviews of The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future by David Wallace-Wells and a guest article that explores sustainable development as a theme in interdisciplinary undergraduate research. We do not publish themed editions at Reinvention, but this time around, the idea of sustainability, and its importance and versatility, has been highlighted. This idea is perfectly reflected in the cover of this issue by our assistant editors Yogen Mudgal and Karan Khagram as these concerns about our dynamic environment, political institutions and global relationships – and sustaining them – are extremely important to young academics, and this issue reflects those concerns and how to navigate our complex relationship with them.
Charlotte Sinden’s paper ‘Incorporating sustainability into the academic institution’ explores the role that universities play in promoting sustainability by embedding it into their teaching and practices. The paper kicks off the issue by highlighting how vital education is in achieving a more sustainable future and the various complexities that this presents in the context of higher education.
Wai Cheung Tse and Lamia Makkar’s ‘Haiti: An ethnographic study of the effects of international aid on Haitian life’ examines the impact that structural and emergency aid have had on Haitians. The ethnographic approach allows them to uplift the voices of Haitians and emphasise the importance of listening to those voices when planning aid programmes. This paper is an important look at the interconnectedness of the global world and the sustainability and effectiveness of aid.
Molly Lavery, Conor Hunter Murphy and Emma Bowman’s ‘Zombie-ant graveyard dynamics in Gunung Mulu National Park’ investigates parasitic interactions between pathogenic fungi (Ophiocordyceps) and ants that manifest in zombie-ant graveyards in Gunung Mulu National Park in Malaysia. Their paper contributes to literature exploring the dynamics and sustainability of rainforest ecosystems and provides valuable insight into parasitic interactions.
The final paper is Onubha Hoque Syed’s ‘Investigating the factors behind differences in “lay” and “expert” medical knowledge in the context of fever treatment in Yangon, Myanmar’, which explores the role of the experiences of patients and healthcare workers in the creation of health policy, with a specific focus on the interactions between ‘lay’ and ‘expert’ knowledge. Their paper demonstrates the value of contextualised solutions to healthcare problems, which will ultimately yield more sustainable and stronger relationships between people and healthcare that represent the diversity of narratives within health systems.
We also have the honour to present Professor Marco Haenssgen’s guest article, where he comments on sustainable development and interdisciplinarity as major themes in undergraduate research and the importance of promoting these in the future.
The papers in this issue are directly complemented by our book reviews. Virginia Thomas-Pickles and Dr Valerie Kay’s reviews of The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future by David Wallace-Wells provide an insight into our continuing struggle with climate change and the potential for collective and individual action in the face of this overwhelming global issue. Dr Kay is a teaching associate and interdisciplinary researcher focusing on climate change, public health and feminism at Monash University, and Thomas-Pickles is a Global Sustainable Development undergraduate at the University of Warwick. These reviews highlight different issues in the discussion around climate change – whether it be the balance between the individual and the collective or the importance of acknowledging the interconnectedness of global capitalism – and both urge us to engage with discourse and solutions to climate change and sustainability.
This issue presents a diverse range of content and themes that all comment on ideas of interconnectedness, interdisciplinarity and sustainability. I believe this directly reflects the academic climate and the growing interest in examining complexities in the relationships between people, countries and environments. Reinvention has always held the concepts of interdisciplinarity and internationality in the highest regard, and our mission is to continue to highlight their importance in academic research. This issue has demonstrated just how the combination of these approaches produces incredibly thought-provoking and inspiring research, and we hope this continues to be the trend.
I want to thank and congratulate everyone who contributed to this issue, especially during these unprecedented times. I hope this issue and the themes in it speak to our readers and give insight into the vast possibilities in undergraduate research. We look forward to new submissions, collaborations and projects for our next issue and beyond as we continue to explore these themes further.
To cite this paper please use the following details: Siukosaari, A. (2021), 'Editorial', Reinvention: an International Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 14, Issue 1, https://reinventionjournal.org/article/view/833. Date accessed [insert date]. If you cite this article or use it in any teaching or other related activities please let us know by e-mailing us at Reinventionjournal@warwick.ac.uk.