In his globally awarded, peer-reviewed study, Bryen Isaac Chen Tze-Yang 2025 Literature Global Winner, (Nanyang Technological University) makes us ask the question: How Do Children in literature represent and cope with trauma?

His award-winning paper, “Trauma Playgrounds: Ludic Experiments in Traumatic Childhood Fiction”, looks at two famous novels with childhood trauma at the centre of the story: Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things and Emma Donoghue’s Room. Although both books deal with distressing topics, they are filled with childlike play.

Traditional trauma literature argues that stories about trauma be non-linear, fragmented, and recursive to represent a shattered mind. However, these studies focus solely on the adult experience Chen Tze-Yang argues that we cannot simply view a child’s psychological experience in the same way as an adult’s. Childhood exists as a unique developmental category which needs to be independently researched.

By analysing both novels, the concept of the “Trauma Playground” develops. At first, mixing childhood play and trauma feels uncomfortable. However, Chen Tze-Yang argues that this is how a child’s reality is built. The child characters experience very real symptoms of trauma and use play to navigate this trauma. The paper displays play as so much more than a childlike distraction but as a survival technique.

Across both books, this playfulness shows up in three ways:

• Inventing fun new words to communicate things that are otherwise unspeakable

• Playing “hide-and-seek” with the reader by slowly revealing information

• Turning the physical architecture of the text into an interactive game.

The key takeaways?

• Play is not just a childish distraction; it is a coping tool that helps a traumatised child understand the world around them.

• For a traumatised child, play provides structure in a world which otherwise has none.

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In his globally awarded, peer-reviewed study “Can Siam Be Reformed Through International Spaces?” Waron (Teak) Maneenetr’s (University of Hong Kong) paper makes us ask the question: Is the student experience abroad a critical site for both the self and the nation?

Maneenetr’s research reframes the European education of the Siamese princes from being passive “prep school” to a strategic move triggered by the traumatic Franco-Siamese Crisis of 1893. Sent directly to military academies in England, Russia, and Germany. The princes used these foreign spaces as “live laboratories” to master Western defense systems and safeguard their nation’s sovereignty.

The princes performed Siamese modernity, dismantling the European colonial excuse of a “civilising mission” which Western powers used to justify expansion.

At major public events like Crown Prince Vajiravudh’s 1895 London Investiture, Siamese royals and officials wore “sartorial hybridity” which blended Western military coats with traditional Thai emblems like the Order of the White Elephant and silk *jong kra bane* trousers, creating a cultural amalgamation in an effort to demand sovereign respect.

The princes used their freedom overseas to establish influential cross-cultural alliances. In 1901, Vajiravudh founded both the elite Oxford Cosmopolitan Club to encourage international fellowship and the Samaggi Society (”harmony”), the very first overseas Thai student organisation, which still connects scholars today. Creating a horizontal blueprint for national unity between Siam and the West as well as international cooperation.

The paper introduces the key concept of “Personalised Modernity“ and the Pursuit of Autonomy.

Living far from the rigid Siamese court allowed these young men a rare space for self-discovery and personal growth. They asserted their own agency by pursuing creative arts like theater and making independent romantic choices which influenced how they eventually chose to reform their country. An example of this is Prince Chakrabongse’s controversial marriage to a Russian woman and Vajiravudh’s refusal of arranged matches.

Although deeply exposed to Western politics, Vajiravudh rejected immediately transitioning to democracy in a society lacking a “democratic mind” would trigger parliamentary chaos, as he stated in his 1902 satirical poem “The New Republic”.

The key takeaways?

International space is more than just a place to study- it’s a place of discovery.

For these princes, it is where they found their voices, their passions and the blueprint for a modern Siam.

🔗Want to learn more? Read the full, peer-reviewed paper for free in our Library: https://gua.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/3462

The Library is The Global Undergraduate Awards’ free open-access repository of exceptional research from past winners. In our new series, Things You Should Know, we are spotlighting that work one paper at a time to celebrate the next generation of global thought leaders.

In his globally awarded, peer-reviewed study, “’At least X is better than Z’: Humour as wartime public diplomacy on Twitter/X by Ukraine,” Mike Chow from University of Southern California examines Ukraine’s strategic use of humour for wartime public diplomacy.

The research challenges the traditional assumption that state communication must be strictly formal, professional, and unified. Instead, it demonstrates how Ukraine’s official Twitter/X account transitioned into a “carnivalesque” digital culture, transforming memes into a sophisticated tool of public diplomacy.

Through a multimodal discourse analysis of 179 tweets posted during the first year of the 2022 invasion, the researcher reveals that humor is a highly calculated strategic asset.

The data shows that humor was non-existent during the initial five-day “news shock” period. It only emerged as a steady strategy, appearing in 23% of the total output, once the state had established narrative control.The study finds that when the narrative theme centered on “Russian Weakness,” the account utilized humor 100% of the time. This tactical mockery was used to highlight the incompetence of the invading force and reclaim rhetorical control.

But does it work? The empirical evidence suggests a resounding yes. After the first month of the war, humorous tweets consistently achieved similar or superior engagement metrics (likes and retweets) compared to formal news.

While the top-performing serious posts peaked within the first five days of the invasion, the top humorous tweets went viral months later. This proves that humor serves as a “viral engine” to sustain international interest long after the initial news cycle fades.

For professionals in communications and international relations, the ultimate takeaway is the concept of “punching up.” Strategic humor allows an underdog to challenge a superpower’s hegemony without being beholden to the physical limitations of their own military hardware.

By utilizing informal memes, the state successfully collapses the traditional “power gap,” signaling authenticity and building a horizontal relationship with a global audience that formal bureaucracy often fails to achieve

🔗Want to learn more? Read the full, peer-reviewed paper for free in our Library: https://gua.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/3462

The Library is The Global Undergraduate Awards’ free open-access repository of exceptional research from past winners. In our new series, Things You Should Know, we are spotlighting that work one paper at a time to celebrate the next generation of global thought leaders.

Is the lens of a camera a tool for empowerment, or does it inherently turn the human body into a consumable product?

In this globally awarded, peer-reviewed study by Madison Torkoff from NYU “Beyond the Gaze: Performing Femininity and Staging the Self Through the Works of Clare Barron and Paula Vogel,” the research interrogates the persistent power dynamics that define how femininity is represented in contemporary performance

The research argues that the standard approach to “authentic” female agency in media is often fundamentally flawed by the medium itself. While modern cinema frequently claims to subvert patriarchal tropes, this study reveals that the “male gaze” a position of power that masculinizes the viewer and feminizes the performer remains deeply embedded in the cinematic form

Using the 2024 film Anora as a case study, the paper identifies how camera curation and directorial editing fragment the female body, filtering even the most vulnerable moments through an external, voyeuristic lens

The analytical evidence centers on a comparative study of two landmark theatrical works: Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive and Clare Barron’s Dance Nation. The data uncovers that theatre’s “live, embodied nature” offers a radical resistance to the male gaze that film cannot replicate

Torkoff highlights specific techniques, such as Vogel’s use of a “memory play” structure and direct address, which grant the protagonist ownership over her own history

This boost in agency allows the character to dictate how she is remembered, forcing the audience to engage with her emotional reality rather than a sexualized spectacle

The study also identifies “ageless casting”—adults playing adolescents as a systematic tool for disorienting the spectator

In Barron’s Dance Nation, the use of adult bodies to inhabit the “messy” and “animalistic” realities of puberty—including blood and raw physicality—denies the audience easy consumption of young bodies

This theatrical choice creates an institutionalized barrier against voyeurism, demanding a new kind of spectatorship that listens to the body on its own terms

Ultimately, the study reveals that the most radical act in performance is not merely being seen, but seeing oneself, fully and without apology

To truly represent agency, practitioners must move beyond generic, curated standards to embrace the “shared authorship” and “confrontation” that only live embodiment can provide

🔗 Want to learn more? Read the full paper free in our Library: https://gua.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/RecordView/Index/3474

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In his globally awarded, peer-reviewed study, “Within-session Post-activation Performance Enhancement for Countermovement Jump performance in Morning vs Evening,” Colin Tung from Nanyang Technological University Singapore examines the circadian rhythms of human explosiveness.

The research argues that the standard approach to “priming” for power is fundamentally flawed by ignoring the clock. While existing literature suggests that raw strength naturally peaks in the late afternoon, this study reveals that Post-activation Performance Enhancement (PAPE), or the temporary surge in power output after a heavy lift, changes significantly throughout a 24-hour cycle.

The physiological evidence centers on a crossover study of 15 resistance-trained athletes using Kistler force plates to measure explosive output after high-load back squats. The data uncovers that while participants were naturally weaker at the start of the day, the heavy squats triggered a significant 15.2% improvement in reactive strength (RSImod) exclusively during morning sessions. This boost effectively leveled the playing field, allowing AM performance to match PM baseline levels.

The researchers also identify a systematic accumulation of neuromuscular fatigue in the evening that creates an institutionalised performance barrier. In PM trials, those same heavy squats did not increase power. Instead, they triggered a performance decline, with jump heights actually dropping at 12 minutes post-exercise.

The data suggests that if we only look at evening strength, we miss the reality that the body is often more resilient to training fatigue in the morning.

Ultimately, the study reveals massive individual variability, proving that the “one-size-fits-all” gym schedule is a modern innovation that fails to account for our unique biological blueprints.

To optimise performance, practitioners must move beyond generic coaching standards to monitor and identify an athlete’s specific “power window.”

🔗 Want to learn more? Read the full paper free in our Library: https://lnkd.in/dKvfrU_e

The Library is the Global Undergraduate Awards’ free collection of globally recognised research from past winners. In our new series, Things You Should Know, we are spotlighting that work one paper at a time.

In her globally awarded, peer-reviewed study, "God is a Woman: Women in Positions of High Religious Authority in the Early Church," Jadyn Faith Zajac from Western University examines the historical roots of the Church's patriarchal structure.

Her research argues that the current male-oriented hierarchy is a 1,500-year-old “innovation of censorship,” and that female leadership is a foundational reality of the early Church. Ultimately, Zajac’s work reveals that the exclusion of women from leadership is not an ancient truth, but a carefully curated version of history.

The archaeological evidence centers on the catacombs of Naples, where 5th-century funerary portraits of women named Cerula and Bitalia depict them with raised arms in a gesture of Eucharistic authority, flanked by open Gospel books, the hallmark symbol of the episcopacy. Zajac asserts that if these figures were men, historians would have recognised them as Bishops centuries ago.

The research also re-examines Mary of Nazareth. While later tradition paints her as a model of silent submission, early Christian art and extracanonical texts reveal her as a liturgical leader who presided over sacred rites, depicted in 5th-century Roman mosaics wearing the episcopal pallium, a vestment reserved strictly for high religious office.

Zajac identifies a systematic process of damnatio memoriae, the erasure of historical memory, designed to align the early Church with the patriarchal norms of Greco-Roman society, trading its original inclusive structure for a hierarchy that better suited the dominant culture.

This legacy was buried through direct institutional action. In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I issued decrees condemning women serving at sacred altars, ordering the burning of texts that documented their authority. Visual evidence was similarly suppressed: in 1916, a mosaic of Mary in priestly vestments in the San Venantius Chapel was concealed behind a Baroque altarpiece by order of the Holy See.

Ultimately, reclaiming the suppressed stories of Cerula, Bitalia and the original Mary gives us a historical basis to challenge today’s leadership gap.

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Nicky Josephine Tjandra and Brigette Teo from Nanyang Technological University explore this tension in their project, “Lament for the Anthropocene.” Their research investigates the profound cultural and environmental shifts of our current geological age—one defined by human impact—positioning the preservation of “slow art” as a necessary counterpoint to rapid digital acceleration.

The core of their work is a handcrafted, knitted manifesto created from recycled electronic waste. By stripping wire “blood vessels” from discarded printers, televisions, and smartphones, the authors reclaim the materials of the digital age to rebuild a physical record of lived experience.

This 245-hour labor of love serves as a deliberate act of resistance against an economic ecosystem that often values efficiency and speed over human creativity.

Tjandra and Teo’s work is particularly resonant in the context of modern institutional priorities. Their research highlights a systemic tension: while digital innovation promises progress, it often marginalizes the arts, reduces physical creative spaces, and leaves gig-economy designers vulnerable to displacement by generative AI.

Furthermore, the authors address the staggering environmental cost of this progress, noting that global electronic waste is rising five times faster than documented recycling efforts.

The installation draws a fascinating intellectual parallel between modern programming and traditional fibre arts. Tjandra and Teo argue that textiles were humanity’s earliest form of automation, noting that the binary logic of 0s and 1s finds its ancestor in the interlocking stitches of the loom.

By using the “filet crochet” technique—a process that currently cannot be replicated by machines—the authors subvert the expectation of kinetic or reactive digital interaction, offering instead a zero-energy work that demands patience and human touch.

Ultimately, “Lament for the Anthropocene” is more than a critique of technology; it is an inquiry into what ways of “being and making” are lost in the rush toward progress. By restoring the visibility of “slow” labor, Tjandra and Teo provide a framework to rethink the unseen systems shaping modern life

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The Library is the Global Undergraduate Awards’ free collection of globally recognised research from past winners. In our new series, Things You Should Know, we are spotlighting that work one paper at a time.

In his globally awarded, peer-reviewed paper, Urban Tune-Up, Ridwan Noor from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology explores how cities can adapt to rising temperatures by embracing an “elastic city” model one that integrates green infrastructure into the urban landscape to create healthier, more resilient communities.

Noor’s research centres on Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities. Over the past three decades, the city has lost 66% of its green space, replacing trees, parks and natural landscapes with dense development. The result is a dramatic increase in the urban heat island effect, with temperatures reaching up to 10°C higher than surrounding rural areas.

Rather than viewing this as an unavoidable consequence of urbanisation, Noor argues that cities can be redesigned to work with nature instead of against it. His concept of the “elastic city” proposes an urban environment that is flexible, adaptive and capable of responding to the pressures of climate change through nature-based solutions.

The research highlights the transformative role of green infrastructure. Expanding urban forests, increasing tree canopy, introducing green roofs and walls, restoring public green spaces and incorporating water-sensitive design can all help reduce surface temperatures while improving air quality, supporting biodiversity and making cities more comfortable places to live.

Beyond cooling the urban environment, Noor demonstrates that these interventions deliver wider social and environmental benefits. Greener cities can improve public health, encourage active transport, strengthen resilience against extreme weather events and create more equitable access to outdoor spaces for rapidly growing populations.

Although the research focuses on Dhaka, its findings have global significance. From Dublin to Delhi, cities across the world are experiencing record-breaking temperatures and facing increasing pressure to adapt to a changing climate. Noor’s work offers a practical framework for how urban planners, policymakers and communities can rethink the relationship between cities and nature.

Ultimately, Urban Tune-Up reminds us that climate resilience is not simply about responding to hotter weather it’s about designing cities that are healthier, more sustainable and better equipped for the future.

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