http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/3674/alex-j-maben Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:36:18 -0400 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:36:18 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1518/communicating-meaning-in-bioart-the-temporal-strength-of-living-media-and-the-impact-of-longevity By Alex J. Maben - BioArt is a modern art-form born from the marriage of biotechnology and human inspiration. I argue that the longevity of the art pieces, referred to as BioArtworks, plays an essential role in communicating meaning. As living, breathing creatures, humans are designed to best interpret messages that develop in real-time. BioArt is uniquely optimized for this fluid process. I discuss the temporal strength of living media by examining BioArt construction, maintenance, termination, and reincarnation, while also incorporating audience-level impacts throughout. In doing so, I interweave themes and techniques... Sun, 08 Jan 2017 10:51 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1518/communicating-meaning-in-bioart-the-temporal-strength-of-living-media-and-the-impact-of-longevity http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1422/the-crispr-fantasy-flaws-in-current-metaphors-of-gene-modifying-technology By Alex J. Maben - CRISPR gene-modifying technology continues to revolutionize fields involving biological research. Rapid advancements, however, have sparked a vibrant bioethical debate scene. This research focuses on the effective usage of CRISPR metaphors in scientific communication. Specifically, I argue that the current figurative terminology—gene editing, targeting, scissors, etc.—exhibit underlying oversimplifications that bias public perspectives on CRISPR. Though the actual experimental science occurs in lab, the world learns about the discoveries through literary expression. It is thus... Mon, 13 Jun 2016 10:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1422/the-crispr-fantasy-flaws-in-current-metaphors-of-gene-modifying-technology