During the 40 years of the Flinn Scholars program, alumni have written books, reports and poems ranging from personal memoirs to studies on Soviet-era music during the Cold War.
We’ve built a partial list of Scholar-authored books. Look for updates as more are published. The views expressed in these books and by the authors are those of the authors alone and do not represent the views of the Flinn Foundation.
Publication list
“The Ark and Beyond: The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation”
(Chapter 13: The Phoenix Zoo Story: Building a Legacy of Conservation)
Zoos and aquariums are emerging as players in global conservation efforts. “The Ark and Beyond” traces the historical and current role of these institutions, highlighting conservation work and offering a framework for their contributions to biodiversity preservation.
“The Time to Win: How to Exceed Your Customers’ Need for Speed”
Baer wrote a six-piece “Time to Win” framework. It includes recommendations for how, why, when, and where to optimize your responsiveness inside your organization.
“Talk Triggers”
A practical guide on how to use operational differentiators to create customer conversations. It provides strategy that can be put into practice immediately, by any business.
“Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep your Customers”
How to deal with offstage and onstage haters, drawing on case studies from businesses of all types and sizes from around the world.
“Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help not Hype”
Explores a business approach that provides a plan for using information and helpfulness to transform the relationship between companies and customers.
“Youtility for Real Estate: Why Smart Real Estate Professionals are Helping, Not Selling”
A plan for using information and helpfulness to transform the relationship between real estate pros and their customers. It shows how real estate professionals can build trust and dominate their competition by creating useful marketing.
“Youtility for Accountants: Why Smart Accountants are Helping, not Selling”
Changing how accountants and accounting firms think about marketing and their business.
“The Now Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social”
How to retool your organization to make real-time business work for you rather than against you. Harness the potential of the new communication era.
“Engaged Journalism: Connecting with Digitally Empowered News Audiences”
Explores the changing relationship between news producers and audiences and the methods journalists can use to secure the attention of news consumers.
“Engaged Journalism: A Handbook for Freelancers, Bloggers, and Citizen Journalists”
Explores how journalists can build deeper connections with audiences through interactive and community-focused reporting.
“A Wife of Valor: Your Strategic Importance in God’s Battle Plan”
Explains the faith and strength wives need to have when Satan tempts couples to fight head-to-head against each other.
“Welcome, Earthborn Brother”
A mystery thriller centering on 11-year-old Ayden Livingstone having to find out the truth about his life and unknown father after his mother goes missing.
“Sarah’s Laughter”
The story of the wife of the prophet Abraham. After Abraham leaving Sarah multiple times, she must figure out if she is precious in the eyes of God.
“Mary’s Perfume”
The story of one of Jesus’ followers, Mary of Bethany, and how her faith is tested after her brother falls deathly ill and she turns to Jesus for help but never hears from Him.
“My Fairy Godfather”
Three stories of a red unicorn, two-half sisters, and a band of mermaids to give readers insight into one author who is finding her voice.
“The Pre-Med and the Frog Prince”
A spin on the classic story with a pre-med student in biology lab that may have a twist to make you believe that some men deserve to stay frogs.
“Diamond Goldfish: Excel Under Pressure & Thrive in the Game of Business”
A sales and business-relationship guide that uses the metaphor of the “diamond goldfish” to help readers understand how pressure affects behavior, how different behavioral styles respond, and how to adapt accordingly.
“Mission to Mao: US Intelligence and the Chinese Communists in World War II“
The report examines the 1944-1947 “Dixie Mission,” a U.S. liaison to Chinese Communist forces, revealing how interagency rivalries and political conflicts undermined intelligence diplomacy. Drawing on extensive archival research, Castro shows how biases and bureaucratic clashes in Washington thwarted potential wartime benefits and shaped U.S.-China Communist relations.
“Damnation Spring”
A novel about love, work, and marriage that asks how far one family, and one community will go to protect their future. It is a portrait of a family whose bonds are tested and a community clinging to a vanishing way of life.
“Revolution QuickTime Pro 5 & 6”
The report guides readers through the full range of QuickTime’s capabilities, from streaming video and interactivity to virtual reality and DVD authoring.
“Chapters 1 and 2 in “Social Meaning and Linguistic Variation: Theorizing the Third Wave”
The report offers the first account of the “third wave” of sociolinguistic variation, emphasizing how language use conveys social meaning and identity.
“Chasing Giants: In Search of the World’s Largest Freshwater Fish”
Wild Card category winner of the 2024 Los Angeles Book Festival Award combines science, adventure, an wonder to provide insights into the key role of massive fish of lakes and rivers play in the past, present and future.
“Immaterial: Rules in Contemporary Art”
Rules are now an artistic medium that are part of the work’s structure and shape what it expresses. Irvin argues that, while rules aren’t always used well, they can be used to create distinctive meaning and provide powerful immersive experiences that are not achievable through any other means.
“Body Aesthetics” (edited book)
A multidisciplinary collection exploring how bodies, aesthetics, and justice interrelate.
“All the Land’s Surface is Medicine: Edible and Medicinal Plants of Southwest Alaska”
An illustrated ethnobotanical guide that documents Yup’ik elders’ knowledge of local plants and their roles in health, food, and cultural practices. Drawing from oral histories and collaborative fieldwork, the book blends traditional ecological knowledge with Western science.
“Pennsylvania Furnace”
The poetry collection combines the industrial history of 19-century Pennsylvania with contemporary reflections on landscape and identity. Johnson gives voice to individuals from ironmaking communities, exploring themes of labor, memory, and environmental change.
“Orchard Light”
The poetry collection emerged from her tenure as poet in residence at Gettysburg National Military Park. The collection intertwines historical narratives with personal reflections, exploring themes of memory, loss, and the impact of the Civil War on the landscape and individual lives.
“Engine of Impact: Essentials of Strategic Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector”
Seven essential components of strategic leadership that set high-achieving organizations apart from the rest of the nonprofit sector. The components form a system that organizations must build, tune, and fuel if they hope to make a real difference in the world.
“Securing AI Model Weights: Preventing Theft and Misuse of Frontier Models”
Outlines technical, policy, and organizational measures to safeguard advanced AI model parameters from unauthorized access.
“The Fate of the Americas: The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Hemispheric Cold War”
Examines how Latin American nations experienced and responded to the Cuban Missile Crisis, revealing that the conflict was not just a U.S.-Soviet standoff. The book highlights how the crisis reshaped regional politics, Cold War alliances, and U.S.-Latin American relations in lasting ways.
“Mexico’s Cold War: Cuba, the United States, and the Legacy of the Mexican Revolution”
Reframes the Cuban Missile Crisis and shows how its dangers extended far beyond the U.S. and USSR to impact millions across Latin America. Through archival research, Keller reveals how protests, military actions, and grassroots movements across the region shaped and responded to this movement of global peril.
“Chapter 2: Theories of Digital Games and Radicalization in “Gaming and Extremism: The Radicalization of Extremists”
Explores how games and platforms such as Discord, Twitch, and Steam are used for extremists propaganda, recruitment, and mobilization. Bringing together global experts, it offers analysis of current trends, counterterrorism strategies, and prevention efforts within gaming spaces.
“Radical Symmetry”
A body of poems that flourish in the liminal spaces that separate scientific inquiry from empathic knowledge, astute observation from sublime witnesses.
“Wedding of the Foxes”
Collection of lyric essays that embrace fractures, contradictions, and the interconnectedness of life on Earth.
“Sex Differences in the Brain: Developmental Parameters, Complexities, and Outcomes” in the Encyclopedia of the Human Brain (Second Edition)”
How sex differences manifest across various levels of brain organization and how these difference influence behavior and cognitive outcomes throughout the lifespan.
“Beyond the Asterisk: Understanding Native Students in Higher Education”
Examines the unique experiences and challenges faced by Native American students in postsecondary education. The book offers insights and recommendations for higher education institutions to better support Native students.
“Developments Beyond the Asterisk: New Scholarship and Frameworks for Understanding Native Students in Higher Education”
Revisits and expands insights on key topics in Indigenous higher education, while introducing new research and perspectives from emerging scholars and practitioners.
“Beyond Access: Indigenizing Programs for Native American Student Success”
Examines the systemic barriers Indigenous students face in higher education and presents models of Indigenized college access programs that align with cultural values.
“Unlocking the Potential of Team-Based Staffing: A Guide for the School and System Leaders”
Offers school leaders concrete actions for the successful design and launch of team-based staffing, providing guidance on navigating implementation challenges. The book shows how this approach can boost educator job satisfaction and interest-based learning.
“The Next Education Workforce: How Team-Based Staffing Models Can Support Equity and Improve Learning Outcomes”
Advocates for a shift from traditional one-teacher, one-classroom models to team-based staffing in K-12 education. The authors argue that by organizing educators into collaborative teams with distributed expertise.
“Spin Priests”
The 2000 presidential campaign was shaped of passions and ploys of spin masters who guided John McCain’s Straight Talk Express, rescued George W. Bush after the New Hampshire primary, burnished Dan Quayle’s damaged image, and struggled to popularize Steve Forbes.
“Discussions of Modeling: Purpose and Practices in Economic Theory”
A supplemental text designed to enhance students’ understanding of economic theory and model building. The book looks into the processes of economic research and analysis, providing insights into the construction and application of economic models.
Chapter 6: Making Innovation Stick in “The Business of Innovating Online: Practical Tips and Advice from Industry Leaders”
Explores strategies, challenges, and practical advice for organizations and individuals seeking to launch, scale, and sustain online innovations in a digital economy.
“Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon”
Two women risk their lives to make an unprecedented botanical survey of a defining landscape in the American West, at a time when human influences had begun to change it forever. The Winner of the 2023 National Outdoor Book Award for History/Biography, a Booklist Top of the List Winner for Nonfiction in 2023, and a New Yorker Best Book of 2023.
“Mythical River: Chasing the Mirage of New Water in the American Southwest”
Illustrates the lyrical mix of natural science and history in a memoir where Sevigny ponders on what it means to make a home in the American Southwest at a time when its most essential resource, water, is overexploited and undervalued.
“Under Desert Skies: How Tucson Mapped the Way to the Moon and Planets”
Spans six decades, weaving together interviews, archival research, and stories of early pioneers to show how scientists in Tucson helped shift astronomy from viewing planets and moons as distant points of light into world we could explore, study, and understand.
“Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect, Inclusion”
In “Just Human,” Arielle Silverman, Ph.D., reflects on her younger years and presents anecdotes from her life that carry teachable moments for all of us. Arielle has spent a lifetime exploring ways to foster respect and inclusion, not only for blind people life her, but for people whose bodies or minds differ from the norm.
“A History of Murphy’s Law”
The book uncovers the phrase “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” during a rocket sled test gone wrong, and he goes on a quest to explore the true meaning and legacy of Murphy’s Law.
“Virtuosi Abroad: Soviet Music and Imperial Competition during the Early Cold War, 1945-1958”
Focuses on music and the Soviet Union’s star musicians to explore the dynamics of the cultural Cold War. He views the competition in the cultural sphere as part of the ongoing U.S. and Soviet efforts to integrate the rest of the world into their respective imperial projects.
“Creative Union: The Professional Organization of Soviet Composers, 1939-1953”
Reveals the complex and mutable interaction of creative intelligentsia and political elite in a period characterized as one of totalitarian control. It is the first book about any of the professional unions that dominated Soviet cultural life at the time.
“Rewriting Stella”
Explores themes of identity, privilege, and the narratives we construct about ourselves. The book delves into how personal and collective stories shape who we are.
“Out There: A Scientific Guide to Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (For the Cosmically Curious)”
An exploration of humanity’s quest to understand extraterrestrial life and our potential future in space. Dives into topics such as the search for alien life, the challenges of interstellar travel, and the possibilities of colonizing other planets.
Chapter 13: System-Theoretic Approaches to Network Reconstruction in “Control Theory and Systems Biology”
Presents methods based on systems and control theory to infer the structure and dynamics of networks from observational data. It moves beyond methods of statistical and graph-based methods by leveraging system constraints, feedback relations, and control principles to better capture how components of a system interact casually.
Chapter 7: Meanings and Applications of Structure in Networks of Dynamic Systems in “Principles of Cyber-Physical Systems: An Interdisciplinary Approach”
Analyzes how structural relationships in networks influence the behavior and controllability of complex dynamical systems. It explores how different structural assumptions and representations can guide system design, monitoring, and intervention in cyber-physical and engineered systems.
“The Shield of Nationality: When Governments Break Contracts with Foreign Firms”
How the nationality of multinational corporations influences their responses to government breaches of contract in emerging economies. Analysis and case studies in Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania.
“Phoenix Girl- How a fat Asian with Bipolar Found Love”
Explores the author’s experience emigrating from a Chinese-community enclave in South Korea, growing up as an immigrant in Phoenix, and the intense pressures of family expectations.
Co-authored four chapters in “Climate Change for Astronomers”
The Curator of Space Science at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where he has been instrumental in developing immersive planetarium software and educational programs.
Discover more alumni on the Flinn Scholar Profiles page.
