Episodes

  • #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
  • #67: Antimicrobial Innovation with Josie Bicknell '24, Biology

    #67: Antimicrobial Innovation with Josie Bicknell '24, Biology
    Nov 19 2024
    Josie wrote a pharmaceutical development thesis about looking for a new way to develop antibiotics. She also tells us about her interest in biology and chemistry and looking for bridges between the disciplines, and how chemistry can be used to do things like examine snake poop to learn about snake evolution. Reed community members can read Josie's thesis, “A Codrug for Resistant Coinfection: The First Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial-Antiviral Ionic Cocrystal” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/e2a19aba-968a-4281-bd0b-bccc4dce68f5 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    22 mins
  • #66: Psychosexual Gothic Romance with Jordan Kappler '24, English

    #66: Psychosexual Gothic Romance with Jordan Kappler '24, English
    Oct 29 2024
    Jordan spent a year writing an analytical thesis on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which Jordan calls a "psychosexual gothic romance novel" in the introduction of her thesis. She also talks to Avis about the surprising amount of time she spent learning about British estate taxes while studying this novel. Reed community members can read Jordan's thesis, “Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca: The Poetics, Places, and Gender Politics of the Lesbian Gothic” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/bb4eb631-dbdc-49fd-b99c-e74e410ba891 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    20 mins
  • #65: Carb-Conscious Planes with Aroon Das '24, Economics

    #65: Carb-Conscious Planes with Aroon Das '24, Economics
    Oct 11 2024
    Aroon tells us a bit about airline economics under potential carbon taxes, wanting to become an entrepreneur, and deciding to come to Reed because it seemed mysterious. Reed community members can read Aroon's thesis, “Airline Profitability & Fleet Strategies in a Carbon-Tax Environment” online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/3f32060b-6505-44c2-ab48-97984933931c Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    23 mins
  • #64: Return if Found with Courtland Dorris '24, Anthropology

    #64: Return if Found with Courtland Dorris '24, Anthropology
    Sep 30 2024
    Courtland talks about her thesis work on the federal law called the National American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the controversies surrounding it, and the new regulatory changes to the law that just went into effect in 2024. She also tells us how a high school teacher helped her find Reed. Reed community members can read Courtland's thesis, "Returning to Repatriation: An Examination of the Evolving Forces Behind the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act" online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/2723e27e-31e9-424c-b906-a849ff042ed8 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    18 mins
  • #63: Confounding Variables with He Bai '24, Mathematics

    #63: Confounding Variables with He Bai '24, Mathematics
    Sep 11 2024
    He Bai '24 tells us about how she chose math and statistics as her fields at Reed, what drew her to Reed in the first place, and how the Squidward Constant came to be in her thesis. Reed community members can read He's thesis, "Extending Targeted Function Balancing to Models without Linear Representations," online in the Electronic Theses Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/1cbbc623-aafc-4804-a88f-508edf824c69 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    20 mins