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
A Parallel Mediation Model Examining Sexual Minority Identity & Psychological Distress During the 2022 Mpox Outbreak
Authors: Richard Chang¹, Aldo M. Barrita², Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt¹
Affiliations: ¹Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
²Department of Psychology, Michigan State University
Keywords: sexual minorities, mpox, monkeypox, infectious diseases, psychological distress
Abstract: Sexual minority (SM) individuals experience disease stigma, the negative or discriminatory attitudes that others have toward an individual who is perceived to be living with a disease. These experiences with stigma may be heightened during epidemics that induce the fear of infectious diseases, the persistent worry and fear about being infected with an infectious...
Towards Causal Interpretability in Deep Learning for Parkinson’s Detection from Voice Data
Authors: Aniruth Ananthanarayanan, Sudeep Senivarapu, Anishsairam Murari
Affiliations: Texas Academy of Math and Science
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, deep learning, causality
Abstract: This research introduces a comprehensive framework for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) detection using voice recording data. We implemented and evaluated multiple deep learning models, including a baseline Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), an uncertainty-aware Monte Carlo-Dropout CNN (MCD-CNN)...
The Politics of Language
Author: Rohan Qurashi
Affiliation: St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi
Keywords: language manipulation, rhetorical strategies, euphemism, dysphemism, political discourse, power and language, propaganda, persuasion, cognitive linguistics, social influence, linguistic ethics, communication theory, discourse analysis
Abstract: This paper undertakes a critical exploration of language as a strategic tool for persuasion, manipulation, and ideological reinforcement. Drawing from linguistic, rhetorical, and cognitive frameworks, it interrogates how language operates beneath the threshold of conscious awareness, subtly shaping perception and behavior...
Cross-Cultural Synergy & the Progression of Indian Cinema: From Yash Chopra's Legacy to Global Co-Productions
Author: Ayushi Thakur
Affiliation: Department of Journalism, Kalindi College, University of Delhi
Keywords: Indian cinema, cross-cultural collaboration, Yash Chopra, globalization, Bollywood
Abstract: The globalization of Indian cinema is one of the most characteristic cultural phenomena of the 21st century. Once patronized by local communities and diaspora communities, Indian films, and more specifically the Hindi film industry commonly known as "Bollywood,"...
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.