There are a remarkable number of publications and media outlets at Tufts. From the news and articles of the Daily and the Observer to the witty stories in the Public Journal to the political opinions of the Roundtable, Tufts has a rich pool of media outlets for a campus of its size. Over the last three years we have seen the development of the interdisciplinary Discourse at the Institute for Global Leadership, the non-partisan political Tufts Roundtable at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, the fashion magazine Infusion and the highly successful Tufts Historical Review. Our campus media and journals cover a variety of topics from literature to the Middle East. However, despite the growth and enhancement of multiple publications over the last decade, one area has remained unexplored and untouched. Throughout its long history, Tufts has not sustained a single science publication on the undergraduate campus.
During what may be called the "golden age" for college science publications of the late 1990s and early 21st century, there was no impetus for the development of a science publication on the Tufts campus, even as multiple journals developed in neighboring institutions. This is regrettable not only because of the fascinating research work done on the Tufts campus itself, ranging from soft-bodied robots to instrumentation design for the Phoenix Mars mission, or because many students participate in science research, but also because science will come to define the 21st century in ways we can only imagine today. Biofuels, stem cells, personalized medicine, green technology, artificial systems, performance enhancing drugs (not just steroids) and climate change, are just a few of the buzz words you see in today's news.
Now, more than ever, the ability to become scientifically literate is absolutely critical for a global citizen. And while I wholeheartedly support and actively read the many publications on this campus, I believe that it is time for the Tufts community to recognize the imperative need for a substantial increase in science dialogue and exchange on this campus.
Over the last three years I have served as an editor for TuftScope Journal, an interdisciplinary journal of health, bioethics and policy. During my time with the journal, the staff has diligently worked to redesign the journal into a more accessible and academically rigorous publication, addressing the vital areas of bioethics and health issues within the United States and the world. At the same time, we have contemplated the expansion of the journal to publish a secondary science-based magazine. But even as we hoped to expand the journal's scope, we began to note a worrisome trend in our submissions: We saw a marked decline in interest from Tufts students in submitting work. Surprisingly, within the fields of bioethics and public health, two subject areas covered in a plethora of courses at Tufts, we have seen a diminished number of submissions. The staff worried that interest had begun to decline at Tufts in these critical areas. This occurred while nationally, bioethics and public health have become major topics of interest for our fellow undergraduate student journals. Nevertheless, we also began a preliminary effort to develop a science publication and last semester, a group of students created a new student organization known as the Tufts Undergraduate Research Journal (TURJ). Since last October these students, whose interests span nearly all of our science departments, have attempted to develop interest on campus for a science magazine and undergraduate journal publishing student research.
Despite significant logistical and organizational difficulties, the staff of TURJ constructed a solid basis for the development of a general science magazine on campus, which the staff hopes will eventually come to be an undergraduate research journal as well. TuftScope and TURJ now hope to use this basis to collaborate on the expansion of bioethics and science discourse on campus. The two organizations believe in the need for revitalized interest in TuftScope and the development of a separate science publication. But these goals cannot be accomplished without the support of the student body. I am certain that there are many Tufts students engaged in science research, involved in bioethics discourse, participating in health-related projects or coursework are interested in the latest science developments. The staff of both organizations believes that it is within the interests of the undergraduate community to foster greater discussion on the topics of science, bioethics and health on campus. These are issues that will come to affect each and every one of us in the future.
TuftScope has always believed that its mission has been to use academic discourse and dialogue to develop ideas that can be used to address serious concerns via active engagement. As TuftScope strives to build upon this core mission and to collaborate with the Tufts Undergraduate Research Journal to create a new science publication, I hope that you will join us in supporting our efforts by becoming part of the staff of both journals and contributing submissions in both fields. If you are interested in bioethics or health care-associated issues or want to learn more about TuftScope, please contact the journal staff at TuftScope@gmail.com. For science related inquiries and the science magazine, please contact TURJ at TuftsResearch@gmail.com.
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Michael Shusterman is a sophomore majoring in biology. He is the editor-in-chief of TuftScope: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Health, Ethics, and Policy and senior editor for the Tufts Undergraduate Research Journal.
