Three new faculty books from the 91探花 cover the recipes and culture of the world鈥檚 largest Syrian refugee camp, traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous peoples and data science for neuroimaging researchers.

91探花News spoke with the authors to learn more.

Documenting history and rituals of Syrian cuisine

When was invited to Zaatari, the world鈥檚 largest Syrian refugee camp, she noticed that stories of the camp rarely included women鈥檚 voices. As she learned more about their lives, she had the idea to create a cookbook to counter the effects of domicide 鈥� the deliberate destruction of housing and basic infrastructure 鈥� and carve a space for the women to share their cultural knowledge with the world.

Published by Goose Lane Editions, 鈥�,鈥� brings to life stories and traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. Fisher wrote the book in collaboration with over 2,000 refugees. All royalties return to the people of Zaatari, which is located near Jordan鈥檚 border with Syria.

鈥淭he book was a way to increase global awareness about war and refugees, and to show how important food and other aspects of the culture are in human survival and in telling the human story,鈥� said Fisher, a 91探花professor in the Information School and an adjunct professor of communication.

The women in the camp were excited when Fisher approached them with the idea 鈥� even though many of them had never seen a cookbook.

鈥淧art of why our book is so fascinating is that it focuses on tacit knowledge and the social nature of cooking,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淵ou learn to cook by cooking alongside somebody else.鈥�

With over 130 recipes, some of which have never been written down before, the book documents the history and rituals of Syrian cuisine and how they have been adapted to life in a refugee camp. It also chronicles camp culture.

鈥淲e cannot lose our connections with humanity,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淛ust because someone is a refugee living in a camp halfway around the world, doesn’t mean that their lives don’t have value. They are important within the global world that we live in and are all part of the history of humanity. All of these things need to be preserved and supported.鈥�

Because they are war refugees, the people involved in the project were all credited with aliases. The photographs of the women were also taken from behind to protect their identities and as part of Islamic practice.

鈥淭he Zaatari book is just a powerful example of the 91探花community-engaged research, of working with a refugee community and agencies inside a high security closed refugee camp,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淚t was just incredible what we were able to do.鈥�

For more information, contact Fisher at fisher@uw.edu.听

Collection highlights Indigenous environmental knowledge

In 鈥�,鈥� presenters from the discuss best practices for traditional ecological knowledge, or TEK, which refers to evolving knowledge acquired by Indigenous peoples through direct contact with the environment.

(enrolled Haliwa Saponi/descendant Eastern Band Cherokee), who is an associate professor and chair of Social and Historical studies in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the 91探花 Tacoma, edited the book. She brought together speakers from the Indigenous Speakers Series and multigenerational Indigenous peoples to share how TEK aids in environmental justice efforts and why it should be adapted into Western sciences.

Launched by Montgomery in 2015, the Indigenous Speaker Series is a multi-purpose platform that promotes community partnerships, amplifies the voices of Indigenous people and dialogues about Indigenous people鈥檚 cultural and traditional lived experiences.

鈥淧art of the Indigenous Speaker Series is about bringing in multigenerational voices to talk about all sorts of topics that relate to sustainability, because sustainability isn鈥檛 just about ecosystems or STEM initiatives,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淚t’s also about culture, identity, all those sorts of things. This project is about me really being passionate about decolonizing and indigenizing the narrative.鈥�

As the founder and director of the Indigenous Speaker Series and 鈥渁 humble, forever student,鈥� Montgomery wanted to give back to the community by helping people share their stories.

鈥淐ulturally, I’m taught that my wealth is determined by how many people can say I contributed when asked,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淒id I give back? How many people did I uplift as I made it on the journey? Being an editor, it sounds like a position of unique power. But to me, it was a humbling opportunity to reach out to people and to say, 鈥業 believe in your voice. Let me create a platform so you can share it.鈥欌��

Storytelling is about empowerment and justice, Montgomery said. Published by University Press of Colorado, the book is a multi-tribal collection and a space for people from all walks of life to share interdisciplinary knowledge through their stories.

鈥淭he reason why it’s important for me to always uplift the voices and the storytelling of people is that I want people to feel comfortable in their identity and the walk that they walk,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淚f you save spaces to tell their story, erasure doesn’t happen.鈥�

For more information, contact Montgomery at montgm2@uw.edu.听

A new guide on data science for researchers

鈥�,鈥� recently published by Princeton University Press, serves as a guide to broadly relevant data science skills with specific application to neuroimaging research.

Written by , research associate professor of psychology at the 91探花and data science fellow at the 91探花eScience Institute, and , the book fills the need for an authoritative resource on data science for neuroimaging researchers.

鈥淲e鈥檙e both neuroimaging researchers and both of us painstakingly acquired data science skills by learning from mentors and peers and teaching ourselves,鈥� Rokem said. 鈥淲hat we wanted to do was make that process a lot easier, especially for early-career researchers in our field.鈥�

In 2016, Rokem and Yarkoni established a summer school focused on data science and neuroimaging. They鈥檝e received funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health since 2017 to run the course, which is now called . Over the years, they identified gaps in existing training and worked to fill them.

In June, The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) awarded Rokem the , which is given to an OHBM member who has made significant contribution to education and training in the field of neuroimaging. Rokem was recognized for the work that led to the book, among other accomplishments.

Formal training programs don鈥檛 typically cover topics like data management and programming topics in machine learning, Rokem said. The book provides a source that students, teachers and instructors can use to learn and teach about these skills.

鈥淣euroimaging and neuroscience research, much like many other fields, is inundated in data,鈥� Rokem said. 鈥淭he instruments that we use to make neuroimaging measurements and the datasets that we have available to us are all becoming larger, more complicated.鈥�

Researchers who are mentoring students don鈥檛 always have experience with the current magnitude of available datasets. 鈥淒ata Science for Neuroimaging: An Introduction鈥� helps bridge the gap.

There is also a growing concern about reproducibility in the neuroimaging field, Rokem said.

鈥淥ne of the ways to mitigate concerns about reproducibility is to automate everything, track the progress of the research and then make the research openly available in a way that others can inspect what we’re doing,鈥� Rokem said. 鈥淭his is part of a larger movement around open science and reproducible research that the eScience Institute has been advancing here at the UW. Part of what we write about in the book is, what are the tools and techniques for making research accessible to and reproducible by others?鈥�

The book, which allows users to run code examples and experiment with them hands-on, is also openly.

For more information, contact Rokem at arokem@uw.edu.

When was a graduate student, she visited elementary schools with other members of her program to talk about science and give demonstrations. But explaining their work and research to the students was a challenge, which gave Rorrer the idea to use coloring pages.

鈥淭he coloring idea came from the fact that I like to doodle,鈥� said Rorrer, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the 91探花. 鈥淚 like to draw, and coloring is kind of a ubiquitous medium. I think kids love it. Adults love it. And so, I thought, why don鈥檛 we bring the two together and use the coloring pages to explain the research?鈥�

is a free, all-ages coloring book series that brings current doctorate-level research in science and engineering to a general audience. Each coloring page includes illustrations and descriptions of research papers and projects 鈥� all presented in a way that anyone can understand, on some level.

鈥淪ome of the descriptions are written toward more of a high school reading level,鈥� Rorrer said. 鈥淎n elementary schooler might not necessarily understand everything that’s going on in the descriptions. But my hope would be that they can still learn from it, enjoy coloring it, start to develop an interest in the science and maybe see themselves represented in some of the scientists that are featured.

鈥淏ut I do think adult coloring is a really big trend. I think it’s for everyone. Everyone has something to learn.鈥�

The first coloring book volume was a collaboration between Rorrer and other graduate students in her program at the University of California, Berkeley. The researchers illustrated聽some of the pages聽 themselves, while others worked with Rorrer on the drawings and descriptions of their work. One page explains photosynthesis through an illustration of a sunflower sitting at a table holding utensils and preparing to eat stacks of pancakes. Another shows how plant waste is turned into sustainable fuel. Each step has a picture to color, from a power plant to a farm with a windmill to a car at a gas pump.

鈥淔or the second volume, I started getting a lot of people who were really interested in collaborating and having me illustrate their work and work with them on the description,鈥� Rorrer said. 鈥淚 actually ended up putting a little application form on the website where, if someone had a pitch for a coloring page to feature some of their research — whether it be a recent publication or just kind of a general area of research in their group — they could write a little blurb about it and submit.鈥�

With interested researchers from all over the U.S. and a few from outside the country, the second volume featured work from various fields of study, such as RNA, service dogs, the gut bacteria of insects and DNA. It was also the first themed volume: Women in STEM.

The website also offers themed pages featuring people of color and their work in STEM.

鈥淲e have a few coloring pages highlighting different history-making scientists,鈥� Rorrer said. 鈥淲e have a theme series for Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, things like that. I would really love to expand those pages and celebrate more diversity and history makers in the sciences.鈥�

Rorrer is also working on translating existing pages: The website already has a few pages available in Spanish, including those that are part of the Hispanic Heritage Month collection.

鈥淲e had a couple of other volunteers who have been slowly chipping away at other languages as well,鈥� Rorrer said. 鈥淪o many scientists are multilingual, and I think it’s such a wonderful thing to have volunteers help with explaining the science in different languages and reach out to a broader audience.鈥�

Audience feedback has been very positive, Rorrer said. There have been more than 30,000 downloads and the pages are even being used as learning tools in K-12 classrooms.

鈥淭he hope is that the general public can kind of learn about research and science and engineering,鈥� Rorrer said, 鈥渁nd aspiring scientists can get excited about potential schooling and career opportunities.鈥�

For more information, contact Rorrer at jrorrer@uw.edu.

Three new faculty books from the 91探花 cover wide-ranging topics: life in the Rio Grande Valley, fossils of Washington state and the colonial roots of contemporary intersex medicine. 91探花News talked with the authors to learn more.

Collection highlights life in Rio Grande Valley

鈥溾�� is a collection of short stories and comics from , professor of Slavic languages and literature at the UW. The works are mostly set in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border, where Alaniz grew up as a second-generation Mexican American.

鈥淚 wanted to come up with a collection that would speak to that area,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淭here is Chicano literature, and there鈥檚 even literature from the valley, but it鈥檚 just not very well known. I really wanted to highlight that part of my life and material that鈥檚 been influenced by it.鈥�

Some of the collection is autobiographical, while other pieces are fiction. Alaniz also combined stories he created years ago with newer works.

鈥淚t runs the gamut in terms of genre,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 trying to do is create a sort of hybrid text where some of the same stories get repeated in the prose section and the comic section. They speak to each other. It destabalizes what we mean by memory.鈥�

A story told in comic form is typically perceived as funny or irreverent, Alaniz said. The same story told through text is often taken more seriously, even if the narrative hasn鈥檛 changed.

鈥淧uro Pinche True Fictions,鈥� published in September by Flowersong Press, opens with 鈥淕enoveva,鈥� which features Alaniz鈥檚 paternal grandfather. Much of the text was taken from interviews that Alaniz conducted with him.

鈥淎 lot of what he says is in the kind of Spanish that was spoken on the border by people from his generation that weren鈥檛 educated,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 translate much of it, partly to honor what made him, him. To translate him would alter that. Hopefully, people from the valley or people who speak that kind of Spanish will feel seen and heard.鈥�

Another story, 鈥淭amales,鈥� is a science fiction piece about a migrant family traveling to Mars for work in the year 2063. Their rocket ship crash lands and many of the migrants are killed. The piece is a nod to science fiction author Ray Bradbury, who often wrote about Mars. But it also tells the story of Alaniz鈥檚 maternal grandparents crossing the border and their relationship with their son, Alaniz鈥檚 uncle. Much of the dialogue is taken verbatim from Alaniz鈥檚 grandparents, whom he recorded before they died.

鈥淭his collection is a gift for the people of the Rio Grande Valley,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a gift that they will always like, because it鈥檚 not a romanticized version. There鈥檚 trauma. It鈥檚 not all roses. But I hope they recognize a voice that comes from that place, which still means a lot to me. I like to think I haven鈥檛 forgotten where I came from.鈥�

鈥淧uro Pinche True Fictions鈥� is Alaniz鈥檚 second publication this year. In March, he released 鈥�.鈥� Alaniz first published the comic strip 鈥淢oscow Calling鈥� in the 1990s while working in Russia as a journalist. It was featured in the English-language newspaper The Moscow Tribune. The new collection completes the strip鈥檚 storyline as a graphic novella and adds new material, including a short story about the war in Ukraine.

For more information, contact Alaniz at jos23@uw.edu.

Uncovering the fossils of Washington state

Washington state is home to more than half-billion years of natural history. In 鈥�,鈥� 鈥痑nd鈥疍avid B. Williams dive into this rich history to tell the stories of 24 fossils found in the state.

鈥淚’ve been a paleontologist for a very long time. I started working at the 91探花 in 1992, and through all these years I have met so many people,鈥� said Nesbitt, former curator of paleontology at the Burke Museum. 鈥淭hey were all very interested in fossils from Washington. Many of them asked if they could read more and there is no book. So, I realized I had to write a book.鈥�

Nesbitt collaborated with Williams, an independent science writer, for four years to bring these stories to the public.

鈥淗e鈥檚 published a number of really exciting books, and I love the way he writes,鈥� Nesbitt said. 鈥淲hen I started writing my book, I realized it was a bit boring. Although the topics were great, I’m just not a general science writer. I write academic papers, and so I asked David if he was interested in collaborating and bringing the book to life. He was, and I was thrilled with that.鈥�

The book doesn鈥檛 just tell the story of fossils in the state. It鈥檚 also about the field of paleontology and those who work behind the scenes to bring fossils to light.

鈥淚t is about Washington, but it is not all the fossils in Washington. This is a selection of the ones that I found people were interested in, the ones that have interesting stories behind them,鈥� Nesbitt said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a book about the people who found the fossils and the people who worked on the fossils.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a book about how paleontology has changed and how the science has changed in the last 50 years. It鈥檚 become much more technological, much more comparative and much more integrated into the other science fields. Hopefully I’ve got all of that into the book.鈥�

For more information, contact Nesbitt at nesbittlizanne@gmail.com.

Examining colonial roots of intersex medicine

In 鈥�,鈥� recently published by Duke University Press,聽聽examines how colonialism and scientific racism are inherent to contemporary intersex medicine.

Swarr聽developed the book from research she started as a graduate student in the 1990s when she first came across the claim that intersex was more common among Black people than white people. As she investigated the falsity,聽Swarr聽met Sally Gross, the founder of Intersex South Africa, the first intersex organization on the African continent. When Gross died in 2014,聽Swarr聽set out to finish the book as a tribute to the work of Gross and other activists.

While聽Swarr聽initially thought the false claim stemmed from 1970s literature, she soon discovered the roots stretched back to the 1600s when colonizers arrived in what is now known as South Africa.

鈥淚 found echoes and traces of this claim throughout history,鈥� said Swarr, associate professor of gender, women and sexuality studies. 鈥淭he ways that intersex was racialized was striking to me. I think it鈥檚 manifested in a lot of ways, over time and in how race and gender manifest in bodies that are pathologized. You see this in museum representations and in film. There is strong historical resonance.鈥�

The topic is currently most often discussed through the treatment of intersex athletes.听Swarr聽opens the book by writing about聽, a South African middle-distance runner who has won two Olympic gold medals and three world championships in the 800-meter event. Semenya faces continual allegations that her body is 鈥渢oo masculine鈥� for women鈥檚 sports.

Semenya was subjected to examinations of her reproductive organs and evaluations of her chromosomes and hormones. The International Olympic Organizing Committee has prohibited her from competing unless she has surgery or pharmaceutically alters her natural testosterone levels, a decision she continues to fight.

鈥淢y book offers a perspective on the ways that racism and discrimination against those in the聽聽are an integral part of the conversation,鈥澛燬warr聽said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 talk about contemporary sex testing without talking about colonialism and racism.鈥�

The book also highlights the growth of the African intersex social movement, particularly with the expansion of social media.听Swarr聽said there is now more of an opportunity to create community and rally for intersex justice with and for intersex people who might have otherwise been isolated.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e created educational online videos and hashtag campaigns to support folks who鈥檝e been targeted, like Caster Semenya and others who have experienced violence,鈥澛燬warr聽said. 鈥淭heir ability to share their strategies and reach out to change the hearts and minds of everyday people and to influence legislation and doctors鈥� protocols has been impressive. It helps to disrupt the idea that social movements are more advanced in the Global North.鈥�

Swarr聽is donating all author royalties from the book to聽. The book can also be accessed聽.

For more information, contact聽Swarr聽at聽aswarr@uw.edu.

Three new faculty books from the 91探花 cover wide-ranging topics: oysters, the moral contradictions of religion, and Cherokee creature names and environmental relationships. 91探花News talked with the authors to learn more.

Updated 鈥楬eaven on the Half Shell鈥� a 鈥榣ove letter鈥� to oysters

Oysters are a beloved food in the Pacific Northwest, but many people don鈥檛 realize what it鈥檚 taken to bring this bivalve from tide to table. 鈥溾�� dives into this very topic, providing readers with insight into the diverse history and communities involved with all things oysters

The book was written by and of the along with author . Originally published in 2001, 鈥淗eaven on the Half Shell鈥� has been updated and republished two decades later by 91探花Press.听 Double the length of the original, the new version includes an additional chapter as well as more photos and text.

鈥淥ver the course of 20 years, it needed a lot of updating,鈥� said Gordon. 鈥淭here was originally no mention, for example, of ocean acidification in the book. That is probably the biggest confrontational point nowadays, but it wasn’t on the radar then. I felt it badly needed some updating, and I’m glad that the Sea Grant people agreed with me.鈥�

The story of the oyster 鈥渋ncludes a lot of social history, environmental history and the development of what we know as the Pacific Northwest,鈥� Larson said.

鈥淥ne big focus that we had on this new edition was really elevating our treatment of the tribal history and carrying that history up to date with how important many tribes are in terms of owning and operating their own shellfish farms today,鈥� Larson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 another slice of history that can be told and looked at through this kind of unique perspective.鈥�

Apart from oyster history, the book also provides readers with a behind-the-scenes look at modern-day oyster farming and recipes for how to enjoy oysters after the harvest.

鈥淭he ways that we’ve been eating them in the past and the ways that we鈥檙e eating them now are different,鈥� Wagner said. 鈥淚 personally wanted to document that and show how it changed over time and the different faces that have contributed to those recipes.鈥�

The oyster farming industry has evolved since the book鈥檚 initial publication, with environmental changes like ocean acidification and rising temperatures causing new issues for farmers. But the underlying theme of the book and the main requirement for a thriving oyster industry remains clean water, Gordon said. The Pacific Northwest still has pristine waters in many places and a growing population that understands its role in the industry.

鈥淭his book is basically a love letter to the oyster,鈥� Gordon said. 鈥淎nd it’s great, because I’ve always felt that in order to get people motivated to protect the natural resources, you have to get them to love the environment.鈥�

For more information, contact Wagner at maryannb@uw.edu, Larson at larsonsa@uw.edu, and Gordon at david@davidgeorgegordon.com.

Mark Smith鈥檚 鈥楻ight from Wrong鈥� reveals moral contradictions of religion

It seems harder and harder in today鈥檚 world for people to come together to respectfully debate an issue, consider alternative viewpoints and reach a consensus. But such a process is vital to determining how we will function and progress as a society, argues in his new book.

In 鈥�,鈥� published by Prometheus Books, Smith tackles religious and secular approaches to establishing a moral code. He underscores contradictions in the texts and challenges the defenses of Christianity 鈥� a form of theology known as apologetics.

鈥淥ne major part of my book explores how pious members of book-based religions grapple with scriptures that any modern person would have difficulty swallowing,鈥� said Smith, a 91探花professor of political science. 鈥淚f the text justifies genocide, or defends patriarchy, or requires capital punishment for minor offenses, how can the believer respond?

鈥淚f you鈥檙e absolutely convinced that God is good, and that a set of scriptures captures his speech either through inspiration, as in Christianity or directly as in Islam, you鈥檝e got to reconcile any challenges you face.鈥�

Smith proposes that a process of inclusive deliberation is a more thoughtful, rational basis for establishing objective morality and the means of working together in community. He points to what is today a practice widely recognized as immoral 鈥� slavery 鈥� and prohibited around the world. But it took centuries of heated debate (and a civil war in the United States), as well as the spreading of abolitionist views through the printing press, and the stories and speeches of formerly enslaved people.

Today, Smith said, the shrinking of traditional media and the rise of social media often keep people from engaging in meaningful discussion.

鈥淵ou can curate what you read, watch, and listen such that you never have to hear from people with contrary views. Social media, for its part, rewards those who preach to the choir.听 By doing so, you attract likes and followers. Anyone who tries to engage with the 鈥榦ther side鈥� gets quickly dismissed as a traitor to the cause,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭he result is that we have many siloed conversations that rely on distortion and straw man tactics rather than true deliberation across lines of political difference.鈥�

But it鈥檚 still possible, Smith said, among people of all faiths, or no faith.听 He writes in the book鈥檚 conclusion: 鈥淣o person has all the answers, but if we put our minds together, we can make progress on even the most difficult moral questions.鈥�

For more information, contact Smith at masmith@uw.edu.

Exploring nature through Cherokee creature names

In 鈥�,鈥� , professor and chair of American Indian Studies at the UW, explores nature and the world through Cherokee creature names, environmental relationships, traditional stories and philosophical discussions with fluent Cherokee speakers and knowledge keepers.

Published by 91探花Press, the book provides a unique perspective of the world we live in by bringing together decades of oral history. The creature names 鈥� Cherokee words for the natural world, including birds, animals, edible plants, reptiles, amphibians, trees, insects, plants and fish 鈥� were collected orally from elders over a 30-year span by , the late Cherokee cultural leader.

Loretta Shade, Hastings鈥� wife, and their son, Larry, shared the collection with Teuton and said they wanted to publish. Written in collaboration with the Shades, 鈥淐herokee Earth Dwellers鈥� documents more than 600 creature names.

鈥淎s we went over the collection and looked through all these different names, and all the stories that are attached to the creature names, we realized this is more than just something like a dictionary,鈥� Teuton said. 鈥淚t’s actually a Cherokee ecology through words and relationships. And so, we began to work together and reached out to other elders to get their input on the project and to reflect on the collection created by Hasting Shade.鈥�

This community-driven collaboration was written 鈥渨ith the goal of creating a work of art and a work of language, revitalization and cultural revitalization that would be valued by all Cherokee people.鈥� Teuton hopes it can be used as a resource by people studying the Cherokee language as it includes spellings, pronunciations, meanings for various names and stories told by traditional storytellers in the community.

鈥淭his book can teach about the natural world and about traditional ways of understanding oneself in relation to the relatives that we have among us 鈥攑lant relatives, animal relatives, fish relatives,鈥� Teuton said. 鈥淎ll the different creatures of the natural world with whom we have relationships, dependencies and reciprocal engagements with.鈥�

For more information, contact Teuton at teuton@uw.edu.

Three new faculty books from the 91探花 cover topics ranging from children鈥檚 use of technology to the life experiences of Black women to neuroscience and brain research. 91探花News talked with the authors to learn more.

Guiding healthy interactions between children and technology

Technology plays a fundamental role in nearly every aspect of our lives, but finding ways to guide healthy usage of technology among young minds remains a tumultuous process.

In 鈥�,鈥� , associate professor in the 91探花Information School, explains how technology affects children in the various stages of their childhood. Published in March by MIT Press, the book provides parents and teachers with ideas to help kids navigate the digital world in a healthy way.

鈥淚’ve been researching technology鈥檚 role in child development for almost 20 years now, and throughout that time I have repeatedly gotten questions like, 鈥業s technology good or bad for my kid?鈥欌�� Davis said. 鈥淪o I really wanted to take this complicated landscape of research that has accumulated over the last couple of decades and make sense of it in a way that could offer something concrete for parents, teachers and policymakers, and even for technology designers and researchers.

鈥淭he goal here is to offer a concrete framework for making sense of what we know about the interaction between technology design and child development that will guide good decisions on these different levels.鈥�

Using her experiences as a researcher, parent, teacher and older sister, Davis highlights the difficulties in identifying a clear approach to dealing with technology and children.

鈥淲e have accumulated quite a bit of research over the last couple of decades. It doesn’t point to one clear answer,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hat’s partly because technologies are different. But also children are very different, and their circumstances are very different. A one-size-fits-all approach really doesn’t work when we’re talking about kids and technology.鈥�

In the book, Davis introduces the idea of the 鈥済ood enough digital parent,鈥� updating the mid-twentieth century theory of the 鈥済ood enough mother鈥� to fit the modern world.

鈥淭he good enough digital parent is trying to do their best,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭hey’re trying to steer their children towards self-directed, community supported digital experiences, but with the recognition that they’re not going to be perfect all the time. It’s the idea that, with your child, you’re both developing and figuring this out together, making mistakes and adjusting along the way, and then also importantly recognizing that these are challenging things to deal with.鈥�

Davis concludes that some of the onus must be taken off the family unit and placed back on industry and government regulation. It鈥檚 important, she said, to think of ways in which the different levels of society can pitch in and help solve these challenges.

For more information, contact Davis at kdavis78@uw.edu.

Emotion, creativity and knowledge intertwine in 鈥楩eelin鈥�

Early in her new book exploring the art, emotion and life experiences of Black women, makes clear the title, 鈥淔eelin,鈥� is intentional, to be written, uttered and understood exactly as is.

鈥淚’m grounding it in the cultural space of African American language and knowledge production. The context in which the word feelin would be used — I’m feelin that, I’m not feelin that, you feel me — that marks knowledge, a kind of complete understanding of something,鈥� says Judd, an associate professor of gender, women and sexuality studies. 鈥淚 consider the word whole in its own right, and to use an apostrophe would mark where something is missing. To take seriously the cultural meanings of the term, the language from which it comes from, I’m no longer using the standard English reference. I’m using the cultural term.鈥�

Published by Northwestern University Press, 鈥溾�� is a book that, like the very meaning of the title, Judd wants the reader to experience. Each chapter delves into an issue, idea or perspective through the lens of creative works.

A chapter on song as ecstatic practice delves into the music of a series of vocalists and in particular, of Aretha Franklin and Avery*Sunshine. Another chapter confronts the stereotype of the angry Black woman, and the emotion of anger, through Nina Simone鈥檚 song 鈥淢ississippi Goddam鈥� (and the backlash she faced for it), and Judd鈥檚 own poetry and haunting video reflecting on Sandra Bland, who died in police custody after a 2015 traffic stop in Texas.

That video is just one of many works Judd invites the reader to view, listen to or read by scanning QR codes scattered throughout the book. But they鈥檙e not meant to be supplementary, like the CD-ROMS that used to be tucked inside covers, Judd says. 鈥淚 think of it as a part of the experience of the book. It’s not bonus material. It IS the material.鈥�

Judd sees 鈥淔eelin鈥� as a coalescing of ideas over time.

鈥淚t was understanding the depth of how these Black women artists, writers and musicians were calling on people to detach themselves from this idea that valuable knowledge is non-emotional and exists only in the realm of what one set of people thinks is rational, and that desire to remove us from knowledge that is felt is another way of discounting our stories, another way of discounting our experience,鈥� Judd said.

And the cover art? Judd鈥檚 own, a mixed media piece called 鈥淔ollowing the Bright Back of the Woman.鈥�

For more information, contact Judd at bjudd@uw.edu.

Look inside your brain with 鈥楴europedia鈥�

Neuroscience and brain research is a vast and deeply complicated field. A new book by , research associate professor in the 91探花Department of Bioengineering and executive director of the 91探花, is written specifically to take a public audience inside the fascinating world of the brain.

鈥攑ublished by Princeton University Press as part of their Pedia series and illustrated by Chudler鈥檚 daughter, Kelly Chudler 鈥� explores the mysteries of the brain and offers a peek behind the curtain of what really goes on inside our heads.

鈥淭his kind of book is more for the general public. It鈥檚 not supposed to be a textbook,鈥� Chudler said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the many ways that I can communicate neuroscience and brain research to the public.鈥�

Chudler hopes the book will help audiences develop a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of the brain and the field of neuroscience.

鈥淭here are many misconceptions, what we call neuro-myths, about the brain,鈥� Chudler said. 鈥淪o, I鈥檇 like people to get a basic understanding of the structure and function of the nervous system and some of the controversies involved. I hope that people will be able to appreciate and even empathize with people who are affected by diseases of the nervous system.鈥�

Neurological and psychiatric diseases are a part of human life, and Chudler wants to help combat some of the negative beliefs associated with these diseases.

鈥淚 hope that people can better understand what鈥檚 going on with friends and family,鈥� Chudler said, 鈥渁nd maybe even reduce stigma attached to neurological and mental disorders and perhaps even help people affected by these conditions.鈥�

Written like an encyclopedia of all things neurological, the book functions like an extended glossary with entries from A-Z.

鈥淧eople don鈥檛 have to read it from cover to cover. They can just flip through and read the short three or four paragraphs for each entry,鈥� Chudler said. 鈥淏ecause each entry is short, you can鈥檛 get into too much depth. I hope people will read a particular entry and want to learn more and do some of their own research, because an entire book can be written about each entry.鈥�

The book also includes references, illustrations and resources for those who want to learn more about various topics like Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, Parkinson鈥檚 disease and even the neurological effects of COVID.

鈥淭hey鈥檒l be provided with a basic understanding of how the nervous system works, some of the limitations of our understanding of the brain, the current state of research and maybe learn some facts or figures for the next time they鈥檙e on Jeopardy or at a trivia night,鈥� Chudler said.

For more information, contact Chudler at chudler@uw.edu.