Frontiers of Inquiry
Charting new intellectual territories across disciplines
Volume 1, Issue 2 — December 2025
Published December 2025
ISSN: 3069-8200
The Princeton Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (PJIR) presents its second issue, Frontiers of Inquiry, concluding the journal’s inaugural publishing year.
This issue builds on the momentum of Voices in Convergence by exploring the expanding boundaries of interdisciplinary thought. Through scientific innovation, social exploration, and theoretical reflection, Frontiers of Inquiry represents the next chapter in PJIR’s mission to amplify the voices of undergraduate and early-career researchers worldwide.
In recognition of outstanding scholarly contributions, Frontiers of Inquiry awards two Best Paper Awards in this issue. The first Best Paper Award is presented to "Burning with Purpose: Rethinking Power and Justice in Prescribed Burning" by Somtochukwu Arthur Attama of Pennsylvania State University, and the second Best Paper Award is presented to "The Paradox of Free Higher Education:
Examining the Impacts of No-Cost College Policy" by Joel Paulin Mendoza of Harvard Graduate School of Education. These papers exemplify intellectual rigor, originality, and the journal’s commitment to interdisciplinary research.
Editor’s Note
In a world where information moves quickly and knowledge is increasingly specialized, the work of research often begins with learning to look closely. We are trained to refine our focus, to define narrower and narrower questions, to master the language and methods of a specific field. This specialization has brought extraordinary progress. It allows scientists to map genetic pathways with precision, historians to reconstruct overlooked narratives, and philosophers to sharpen conceptual tools with clarity and depth. The ability to delve deeply is, without question, one of the great strengths of modern scholarship.
Yet there is also another truth: when the scope of research becomes too narrow, we risk losing sight of the broader landscape of inquiry. We may become experts in isolated systems of thought, fluent only in the conversations that circulate within a single discipline. But knowledge does not naturally exist in isolation. The world itself is interconnected—its questions overlap, its challenges rarely fall neatly into disciplinary categories. Climate change is not simply a scientific problem; mental health is not only a psychological one; technological advancement is not just an engineering achievement. Each demands ethical, cultural, historical, and humanistic reflection.
To “push the boundary” of research, then, is not to cast aside the value of specialization. Rather, it is to recognize that expertise becomes more powerful when it is placed in conversation with other forms of expertise. Interdisciplinary work invites us to step outside the familiar frameworks of our fields and to encounter different ways of thinking.
This requires humility and curiosity. It requires the patience to listen to concepts expressed in unfamiliar vocabulary, the willingness to approach a problem from an angle that may feel unconventional, and the openness to let our assumptions be unsettled. It is in these moments that new ideas first take shape—emerging not from the comfort of certainty, but from the meeting point of perspectives, methods, and questions.
As a research community, we benefit most when we ask not only “What do I know?” but also “What can I learn from others?” The conversations that arise from such questions are what enable scholarship to evolve—to move beyond repetition and toward discovery.
As a journal committed to fostering thoughtful, rigorous, and imaginative inquiry, we hope to serve as a space where such conversations can unfold. We welcome contributions that cross disciplinary thresholds, challenge inherited categories, and illuminate new ways of seeing.
PJIR Editorial Team
Articles in This Issue
Parali-Based Bioplastics: A Sustainable Healthcare Solution
Author: Isha Srivastava
Affiliation: St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi
Keywords: biodegradable bioplastics, agricultural waste, healthcare sustainability, crop residue utilization, environmental pollution
Abstract: Crop residue (paddy straw) burning is a major cause of severe air pollution in northern India, particularly in Delhi. At the same time, plastic waste generated by the healthcare sector contributes significantly to environmental pollution and health risks. This paper explores the potential of converting crop residue, an abundant agricultural residue...
Understanding the Role of Architecture in directing comprehensive tactility in spaces- through institutes of auroville, India.
Author: Ar. Gazal N.
Affiliation: CEPT University
Keywords: Comprehensive Tactility, multi-sensory experiences, Indian Modernism, materiality, Movement
Abstract: People’s experience of built environments is deeply multisensory, engaging light, color, sound, smell, and the feel of materials to create profound architectural experiences. While architectural design has often prioritized visual form to convey identity...
Gaging Natural Ventilation by Exploring Architectural Elements Developed in Contemporary Abodes of Warm and Humid Region
Authors: Parth Jamadar, Prof. Vibha Gajjar
Affiliation: Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India
Keywords: natural ventilation, relative humidity, thermal comfort, warm and humid climate, elemental manifestations
Abstract: Contemporary built form is a manifestation of construction endeavours in which architectural elements plays a pivotal role of satisfying users from various parameters. The countenance present in built forms tries to address men – as user, building – as structure, and environment – as place or the context itself...
HDBSCAN and Isolation Forest for Anomaly Detection in
Unlabeled Light-Curve Data of Astronomical Transients
Author: William Zhang¹, Dr Daniel Muthukrishna²
Affiliation: ¹International Academy High School of Michigan
²Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
Keywords: anomaly detection, unsupervised learning, variational autoencoder, HDBSCAN, Isolation Forest
Abstract: Astronomical light curves provide crucial insights into transient and variable celestial phenomena. The vast amount of data generated by missions like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) necessitates advanced anomaly detection techniques to uncover rare astrophysical events...
Citation for This Issue
Princeton Journal of Interdisciplinary Research. (2025). Volume 1, Issue 2 — Frontiers of Inquiry. PJIR.
https://www.princeton-press.com/pjir/issues/vol-1-issue-2
Open Access Statement
This journal is fully open access. All articles are freely available to read, download, and share without subscription or access barriers. We encourage scholars to cite and engage with the research published here, as such scholarly exchange plays an important role in supporting emerging and early-career researchers and advancing ongoing academic conversations.