Can magnets repel hurricanes? Well, no... but maybe new magnet technology could play a role in helping prevent future hurricanes. Jett Barham, a 4th year materials engineering undergraduate at the University of Kentucky explores motivations behind research into rare-earth free magnets while sharing his experience as a part of the 2026 REALIZE program at UC.
Rare earth elements. They are a hot topic in the news... but why? What technologies are they used in? Jett Barham, a materials engineering major at University of Kentucky, describes his summer doing research at University of Cincinnati and how new magnet research could shape the global energy landscape.
Major depressive episode (MDE) among adolescents is a significant public health issue. Approximately,
4.5 million adolescents have experienced an MDE in the past year. This study examined whether MDEs
among adolescents differed based on specific parenting behaviors. A national sample of adolescents
ages 12 to 17 years (n = 11,572) completed the 2023 National Survey of Drug use and Health. Univariate
and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether lifetime and past
year MDE differed based on parenting behaviors. Results indicated that adolescents at highest risk for
both lifetime and past-year MDE were female, older (14-15 or 16-17-years-old), and white. Regarding
parenting behaviors, adolescents at highest risk for lifetime and past-year MDE were those who had
parents never/seldom check their homework, never/seldom help with their homework, never/seldom limit
the amount of TV, never/seldom tell them they did a good job, never/seldom tell them they were proud of
them, and who argued/fought with them ten or more times in the past year. These findings show the
intricate relationship between adolescent MDE and parenting behaviors. Public health educators should
encourage parents to engage in authoritative parenting behaviors (defined as high levels of parental
support, warmth, and clear expectations) to help prevent MDE among adolescents. Findings should be
used to assist program developers in incorporating parenting components in MDE prevention and
treatment efforts.
This research analyzes the "syndemic" of mental stress and physical pain among 299 unregulated laborers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Results reveal that psychological distress increased the risk of physical injury by 28-fold, highlighting a critical link between economic instability and worker health. These findings offer urgent parallels to the U.S. "gig economy," where delivery and warehouse workers face similar occupational injustices without safety nets. The presentation moves beyond ergonomics to propose a Social Justice Framework, challenging attendees to advocate for ethical supply chains and for mental health protections for vulnerable workers, both globally and locally.
What happens when the biggest barrier to scientific discovery isn’t a lack of ideas, but the cost of the tools themselves? In this episode, Jarin Earle, a junior in Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina A & T State University, shares how a summer research project designing a low-cost viscometer changed the way he thinks about engineering; not as a way to build machines, but as a way to expand who gets the opportunity to do science.
Through my college journey, the terms “research” and “zero-emissions” have become central to my academic identity. Not just because they reflect both my lab experience and keen interest in sustainable tech, but because they evoke a personal question that many high school seniors and college underclassmen grapple with: what does it mean to be a scientist? I’m Trevon Collins, a mechanical engineering student at Tennessee Technological University. In this podcast episode, I’ll share the answers I’ve found through investigating age-old secrets of phase change and their implications for the green transition.
Podcasts produced by students participating in the REALIZE REU at University of Cincinnati.
This collection is still growing and is a work in progress.
