Horgan Seminar Blog

     I remember exactly where I was the morning of Saturday October 7th, 2023. I was on the bus traveling to play Stevens Women’s Soccer’s rival team, the Misericordia University cougars. I was a frequent sleeper during our bus rides to avoid getting car sick, or even worse, bored, but that day I was wide awake, buzzing with anticipation for our upcoming match. About halfway into the four hour journey to Dallas, Pennsylvania, I was mindlessly scrolling on Instagram when I saw the first post.  It was a graphic video of a young woman laying in the trunk of a hummer, with her arms tied behind her back. Her body was covered in mud and blood, with a particularly large pool on her pants between her legs. Even if she wasn’t restrained, I doubt she could have ran or cried for help. Her body seemed limp as she was dragged by her hair out of the trunk and paraded around to the front of the hummer, while her captives cheered. When I saw this video, my stomach instantly droppe...

By Olivia Parlow For as long as I can remember, I have watched my mother get mammograms. Annually. Religiously. I sat in on appointments. I listened. I watched. Annual breast screenings were embedded into my healthcare DNA. Additionally, I have always been an advocate for preventative care. Screening, testing, you name it. Intuitively it makes sense. The earlier you catch a mass, polyp, or suspicious mole, the earlier you treat it, the better your outcomes will be. So imagine my surprise when I learned that outcomes for patients that received regular mammograms were no different and in some cases, worse, than those that weren’t regularly screened.  Since 1976, the American Cancer Society has recommended mammograms. The first recommendation stated that 40-49 year old women should receive mammograms based on family history of breast cancer and then women over 50 should get screened annually. The United States Preventive Services Task Force is another group that publishes recommendati...

Aidan McCartin Professor Horgan HST 401-A Seminar in Science Writing 12 December 2023 How “Enhancement” Hurts: Exploring the Real Impact of Anabolic Steroids        Anabolic steroids, often celebrated for quick muscle gains, do more than just build muscles. They affect both the body and the mind in intricate ways. This research investigates how these steroids impact us in the short and long run, examining their effects on the body's functions and how they influence our thinking and emotions. Understanding these effects goes beyond their surface benefits, revealing how changes in our bodies can affect our mental well-being. Anabolic steroids are synthetic variations of the male sex hormone testosterone. They are designed to mimic the effects of testosterone in the body, particularly its role in promoting the growth of muscles and enhancing masculine traits. These steroids come in various forms, including pills, injections, and topical creams, and are commonly used by ...

Rohit Patel 12/11/2023 Professor Horgan Seminar of Science Writing Is Gene Therapy Truly Therapeutic                   Imagine you have retinitis pigmentosa? What is that, you may ask? I think the best way for me to explain is by putting you in the shoes of someone with retinitis pigmentosa. Let’s place you in the open fields looking at the snow-capped mountains of the Swiss Alps. You are mesmerized by the beauty of the landscape you are encompassed by. The slight breeze blowing in the air creates a rustling sound with the grass. The tall mountain peaks reach the upper limits of our atmosphere. Now imagine, if you took a PVC pipe and put it in front of your eyes and are now looking through this narrow pipe. Your field of vision is much more constrained. All you can see now is just the fields or just the mountains. It requires you to move your he...