Capstones

Graduation Date

Fall 12-13-2025

Grading Professor

Stephanie Wang-Breal

Subject Concentration

Documentary

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

Death by a Thousand Cuts follows two PhD students, Laura Mata Lopez and Griffin Gowdy, as they deal with the aftermath of the federal government cutting science research funding from the National Institutes of Health, money that funded their own research projects at Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University, respectively. The film follows their journeys from fear of losing funding to grieving the sense of security they had from the funding to their subsequent fight for their communities and their research.

Available for download on Tuesday, December 22, 2026

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