Episodes

  • #75: Aquaculture Adaptations with Hannah Goodman ’24, Sociology

    #75: Aquaculture Adaptations with Hannah Goodman ’24, Sociology
    Dec 11 2025
    In this episode, we hear from Hannah, a sociology major whose thesis journey crossed disciplines but always circled back to climate change. Her project draws on eighteen interviews with oyster farmers working along Maine's coastline—one of the fastest-warming in the world. Starting with a question about gender divides between different fishing methods, Hannah found herself pulled toward climate justice and the ways aquaculture communities adapt through strong networks, shared knowledge, and community-driven problem-solving. Tune in for insights into interdisciplinary research, the behind-the-scenes of an interview-heavy project, the tangible impacts a Reed thesis can have, and of course what Hannah really thinks about oysters. Reed community members can read Hannah's thesis, “Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Maine Oyster Aquaculture” online in the Electronic Thesis Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/9e08adc0-f53b-489e-bd35-12cb21d7dae1 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    31 mins
  • #74: Writing the Weird with Claire Navratil ‘25, English

    #74: Writing the Weird with Claire Navratil ‘25, English
    Nov 26 2025
    In today’s episode, our producer Ace sits down with Claire, an English major with a creative writing concentration, to discuss weird fiction, the Reed library—and what may or may not lie beneath it—and the complexities of being a college student in the modern era. The elevator pitch of Claire’s creative writing thesis? Imagine a college that eats people, complete with a student reporter chasing the truth, a dash of ritual sacrifice, and a healthy helping of moral ambiguity. You won’t want to miss Ace and Claire’s conversation about how literary subgenres can critique capitalism, the difficulty of self-imposed deadlines, the importance of romanticizing one’s life, and the idea that sometimes you have to be the one to go looking for the answers that they don’t want you to find. Reed community members can read Claire’s thesis, “To Reap What is Sown” online in the Electronic Thesis Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/38514f29-e0e5-4d9e-b436-2f8b007d4665 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    34 mins
  • #73: Afterlives of the American Frontier Myth with Henry Kendrick '24, English

    #73: Afterlives of the American Frontier Myth with Henry Kendrick '24, English
    Oct 16 2025
    In this episode, we hear from Henry, an English major whose thesis journey took a few unexpected turns: from exploring Pacific Northwest regionalism to diving deep into the world of literary naturalism. Henry unpacks how authors Jack London and Frank Norris challenged historian Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier myth,” reimagining the American frontier not as a vanished landscape but as an evolving cultural, economic, and imaginative force. Tune in to hear about survival narratives, Social Darwinist ideas, and what happens when you have to scrap half your thesis to start again (spoiler: it’s not fun, but it’s worth it). Henry reflects on the highs and frustrations of the Reed thesis process, the art of negotiating with an advisor, and the unexpected joy of discovering how to make seemingly unrelated ideas work together. Reed community members can read Henry’s thesis, “Naturalist Afterlives of the Frontier Myth” online in the Electronic Thesis Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/917eb624-f94d-453a-9638-4975c6123d5f Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    31 mins
  • #72: A Vacant Walmart in Albuquerque with Arianna Aguirre '24, Anthropology

    #72: A Vacant Walmart in Albuquerque with Arianna Aguirre '24, Anthropology
    Oct 3 2025
    Arianna focused on the impacts of the closure of a Walmart in her hometown of Albuquerque for her thesis in the anthropology department. She also tells us about how Reed College's Anthropology Student Fund helped to support her research, and how her thesis adviser helped her re-work her initial thesis ideas using a concept from environmental anthropology. Reed community members can read Arianna's thesis, “One Albuquerque? Crime, Security, and Dispossession in Albuquerque’s Sacrifice Zone” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/ef189f1b-bd01-4124-a2fa-b3921222eea8 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    28 mins
  • #71: Bags of Chemistry with Amelie Andreas '24, Biochem and Molecular Biology

    #71: Bags of Chemistry with Amelie Andreas '24, Biochem and Molecular Biology
    Sep 18 2025
    Amelie started out in the biology department at Reed because she wanted to study bacteria and living things, but then she got a chance to start learning from the biochemists on the faculty. They helped her build the bridge from chemistry to life, which led her to switch her major from biology to biochemistry and molecular biology. Amelie was also the second student producer for Burn Your Draft, working with us from 2021–22, and it was a delight to get to talk to her. Reed community members can read Amelie's thesis, “MntR: The Mastermind of Manganese Ion Homeostasis” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/9e05e465-0d21-4fb0-9de1-e6d4d2bf1349 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    29 mins
  • #70: Value of a Tony with Emma Bramson '23, Economics

    #70: Value of a Tony with Emma Bramson '23, Economics
    Aug 29 2025
    Emma's economics department thesis explored the effect that Tony awards have on the consumer demand for Broadway shows. Reed community members can read Emma's thesis, “'It's All About the Green': The Tony Award's Effect on Broadway Show Demand” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/2ec90330-430a-417d-ad4b-b724611a5c60 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    29 mins
  • #69: Inventing the Future with Ocean Chamberlain '23, Comparative Literature

    #69: Inventing the Future with Ocean Chamberlain '23, Comparative Literature
    Aug 15 2025
    We're back for the 2025–26 school year after taking a hiatus last spring. Today, Ocean shares his thesis experience with us which was focused on studying writers from the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, especially Édouard Glissant, and tells us why he thinks poetry and art is important. Ace Lackey '27, our new student producer, produced this episode for us. Welcome to the podcast Ace! Reed community members can read Ocean's thesis, “ rhizophora” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/ba4917ec-7250-448e-976a-ac001f5b3edc Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    26 mins
  • #68: Ellison's Invisible Man with Juno Kerelis '24, English

    #68: Ellison's Invisible Man with Juno Kerelis '24, English
    Nov 27 2024
    Juno Kerelis '24 was the third student podcast producer on Burn Your Draft, and we're so happy to get to speak to them on the other side of their time at Reed. If you've been listening since Juno hosted the podcast, you may have noticed little musical interludes during some of the episodes. Most of those were composed by Juno! Thank you for your work on the podcast, and for coming to talk to us about your year studying the Invisible Man. Reed community members can read Juno's thesis, “Yams Extending Infinitely Across Time: A Blues Philology of Ellison's Invisible Man” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/38b592a4-61fb-4d2c-8235-6901a7ff1820 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    23 mins