Cornell Undergraduate Research Journal

Letter from the Editors

Isaac Chang — 2025-01-24

No abstract available.

Food Safety and Consumer Choices

Eliza Waddell — 2025-01-24

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in freshwater ecosystems worldwide are a growing threat to human health and the health of aquatic ecosystems. In East Africa, HABs threaten the livelihoods and health of the more than 42 million people who live in the Lake Victoria basin. Since fish is an important food source in this area, understanding how food safety concerns from HABs influence consumer choices is crucial to any policy response. My findings highlight the severity of the impacts of HABs in Lake Victoria and the danger to the surrounding community, yet the existing research on food safety and consumer perceptions is somewhat limited. In this paper, I summarize recent updates to the literature regarding harmful algal blooms and discrete choice experiments to explore what existing literature can tell us about how algal blooms may affect consumer choices.

A Critique of Ameliorative Skepticism Through the Lens of Buddhism and Hinduism

Naveen Sharma — 2025-01-24

Elizabeth Barnes’ book Health Problems: Philosophical Puzzles About the Nature of Health conducts philosophical examination of the nature of health. She coined the term ameliorative skepticism: a theory stating that we should not try to fix or redefine our current definitions of health. Instead, Barnes composed the term to show that health has no coherent, unified definition that works for every person or scenario. This idea from Barnes leaves us asking questions: how is ameliorative skepticism practiced across the world? Can we practically apply it? If so, how do we go about it? This essay will address three major points regarding Barnes’ understanding of health. First, the essay will analyze the concept of ameliorative skepticism regarding Barnes’ separation of health from well-being. Second, it will explore the philosophy of health, the general practices, foundational beliefs, and specific cases through the lens of Buddhism and Hinduism practices. These studies will be used to critique Barnes’ idea of ameliorative skepticism and show how cultures have lived through unifying health and wellness for treatment. Third, the essay will explore two possible solutions that arise from the critique: either acceleration or rejection of ameliorative skepticism. It will fill in the cultural perspective gaps in Barnes’ writing of health through the themes and ideas of Buddhist and Hindu practices.