Responding to a need for a student outlet for recognition and creativity, a group of California Institute of Technology students has founded the Caltech Undergraduate Research Journal (CURJ). The publication, which premiered this month, is considered by its founders to be "the most exceptional undergraduate research journal in the country."
"Caltech has an enormous undergraduate research program. It's fitting that it also have a premier undergraduate research journal," said Lakshminarayan "Ram" Srinivasan, the editor in chief.
The journal is a collaborative effort by 16 students at Caltech and the Art Center College of Design, also in Pasadena, and was conceived and launched in one year. Their goal was to produce the most creative, professional, and widely read undergraduate journal. It was the intent of the students to incorporate well-crafted articles into a design resembling that of an art magazine, to appeal to technical and nontechnical readers alike.
"Our journal is there to highlight the best work that undergrads are producing with a style that is engaging to the casual reader," Srinivasan, a junior majoring in electronic and computer engineering, said.
Before he started, Srinivasan did some research—forensics, as he calls it—into the research journals produced by other colleges, including MIT and Harvard. He decided that accessible writing and production values would make CURJ stand out.
"It's a bonus if you publish as an undergrad. It shows that you have research potential," Srinivasan said. "However, the main idea is not to further careers, but to cultivate a culture of research."
The semiannual journal is available in print not only to the Caltech community, but also to JPL, UCLA, and MIT. The CURJ staff hopes to encourage scientists of the future by offering the fall 2001 issue of the journal at no cost to Pasadena and Los Angeles high schools, to show that "science is for everyone."
CURJ has also entered into a partnership with MIT's undergraduate research journal, MURJ (http://web.mit.edu/murj/www/), to facilitate a journal exchange between the two schools and to provide a broadened forum for presenting undergraduate research, public policy, ethics, and art.
Srinivasan emphasized that the secret to the all-round success of the journal was the outstanding teamwork from talented individuals. Content editors Mike Russo and Robb Rutledge, Caltech juniors, led the creation of the journal's written style. Art director Aniko Hullner Grau from Art Center developed the professional design and layout of the print journal. Online editors Jonathan Dama, Dylan Simon, and Robert Christy, Caltech sophomores, engineered the online publication. Their efforts were complemented by the dedication of other editors, associate editors, and faculty collaborators.
CURJ is funded by donations, advertisers, and partnerships with the Art Center College of Design, the Caltech Alumni Association, and Caltech's Student-Faculty Programs Office.
"With this journal," Srinivasan said, "we hope to proliferate the art of science, and bring science to the broadest audience of people. CURJ sets a new trend of major significance to current undergraduate research."
An online version of the journal is available at http://www.curj.caltech.edu
Visit the Caltech media relations website: http://pr.caltech.edu/media
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Note to reporters: Hard copies of CURJ are available by calling or e-mailing Jill Perry, Media Relations Director, (626) 395-3226, jperry@caltech.edu
Written by Deborah Williams-Hedges