{"id":22969,"date":"2026-07-13T14:41:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/?p=22969"},"modified":"2026-07-13T14:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:41:38","slug":"if-my-research-had-a-soundtrack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/if-my-research-had-a-soundtrack\/","title":{"rendered":"If My Research Had a Soundtrack…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Their research is serious. The soundtrack? Not always. Eleven professors pair their scholarship with a song\u2014and reveal why it captures the spirit of their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Charles Willow, Ph.D. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Management scholar exploring how AI adapts across industries <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I Know What You Want”\u2014Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis song showcases the versatility, compatibility, and applicability of AI. It moves from a reggae groove to R&B to contemporary rap\u2014much like AI, which evolves across a diverse range of industries.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Anne C. Deepak, Ph.D. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Social work scholar focused on human rights and climate justice <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt reflects the idea that we\u2019re all connected\u2014even when we disagree\u2014and the possibility of building \u2018a world where we could all be free.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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David Hamilton Golland, Ph.D. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Historian of 20th-century America exploring race, labor, politics, and pop culture <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs the author of a history of Journey, the choice was easy. At every stage of my career I\u2019ve faced hurdles, but I\u2019ve never stopped believin\u2019 in myself, and that\u2019s what I try to instill in my students.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Kiameesha Evans, DrPH<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Public health scholar focused on social justice and health equity <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPublic health is about ensuring everyone has access to the conditions needed to be their healthiest selves. In this work, we\u2019re always asking, \u2018What\u2019s going on?\u2019 By examining injustice and disparities, we can work toward a system that\u2019s equitable, inclusive, and accessible for all.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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D\u00e9bora Machado Nunes, Ph.D.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Macroeconomist studying gender inequality and public policy in Latin America<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Pagu”\u2014Rita Lee & Z\u00e9lia Duncan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2018Pagu\u2019 honors a Brazilian artist and activist who challenged injustice and rejected limiting stereotypes about women. That spirit reflects my work: using data and policy to confront inequality. The song is also upbeat and danceable\u2014and that matters to me. If I can\u2019t dance to it, it\u2019s not my revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Michael Phillips-Anderson, Ph.D. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Rhetorical theorist studying how public discourse shapes active citizenship <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Talkin’ Bout A Revolution”\u2014Tracy Chapman<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy teaching and writing examine how people make arguments to change their worlds. This song is a reminder that we need to listen to the voices of people working for social change, and work to make the world more just.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Sheri Anderson, MFA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Theater director and scholar focused on Broadway musicals <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“What I Did For Love”\u2014A Chorus Line<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe song isn\u2019t about romantic love, but a love of performing. Despite \u2018the sweetness and the sorrow\u2019 of life in the theater, there are no regrets in pursuing that passion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Erik Raj, Ph.D. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Speech-language pathologist exploring how games and technology support communication and learning<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Ground Theme” (Super Mario Bros. Theme)\u2014Koji Kondo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s playful, energetic, and instantly recognizable, which feels like a perfect match for my work at the intersection of gaming and education. It\u2019s just so rad\u2014and reflects how games can spark smiles, engagement, and meaningful learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Susan Marshall, Ph.D. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mathematician studying number patterns hidden in geometric shapes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn \u2018Opalite,\u2019 things seem like they\u2019ll never work out\u2014and then suddenly they do. That\u2019s what re- search can feel like: You hit a wall, and then everything finally clicks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you listen to \u2018Workout,\u2019 you get into a rhythm\u2014and that\u2019s the feeling I want students to have when they\u2019re doing chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Pedram Daneshgar, Ph.D. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Plant ecologist studying how climate change and invasive species shape coastal forests <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe lyric \u2018I\u2019m on vacation every single day \u2019cause I love my occupation\u2019 perfectly sums up how I feel about teaching and research.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eleven professors pair their research with a song\u2014and explain why it fits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":23418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"image_focus":"","hide_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[104],"class_list":["post-22969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-currents","tag-faculty"],"thumbnail":"","catString":"Currents","issue":"Spring\/Summer 2026","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22969"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23078,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22969\/revisions\/23078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/Charles-Willow-1-1024x1024.jpg\")
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