Thursday, February 11, 1999
Journals return after extended hiatus to meet student needs
REVIVAL: Undergraduate publications look to print research,
creative works
By Hemesh Patel
Daily Bruin Contributor
After a four-year period of dormancy, two undergraduate journals
will be revived this year.
The Undergraduate Science Journal, which covers research done in
the sciences, and Westwind, which covers research in the
humanities, are returning to UCLA because of increased student
support.
The USJ, which began publication in 1985, was dormant for the
last four years because there was no adviser. "This year we have a
hardworking and energetic staff," said Audrey Cramer, adviser to
the journal.
The USJ will publish faculty interviews in standard scientific
format. In addition, all undergraduates who have done original
research are eligible to submit their work to the journal, said
Cramer.
"We are trying to collect as many research papers for the spring
edition. If we get enough submissions, the journal should get
published in the month of May," said USJ’s Editor in Chief Mohammad
Khaledy, a second-year biology student.
One of the benefits of being published in the USJ is having your
research work recognized in a scientific journal.
"Not a lot of undergraduates manage to get their work published,
because there aren’t a lot of journals that accept undergraduate
research work," Khaledy said.
Because of the budget and the limited amount of articles
published, the USJ will be published once a year, he added.
"As with any journal or group run by students, there tend to be
periods where awareness wanes," said Kristen Morefield, a
fourth-year English student.
Morefield, a member of the editorial board for the newly revived
Westwind Journal, explained that the journal went dormant because
the students did not realize what an important resource it was.
"Students had expressed an interest (in bringing the journal
back)," said Reed Wilson, advisor to Westwind Journal.
The journal will publish anything having to do with the
humanities, social sciences and creative writing, Wilson said.
Westwind is in the process of looking for staff members and
undergraduates to submit their writing in four categories:
creative, critical, scholarly or theoretical.
Creative writing submissions include fiction, poetry and
non-fiction. Critical writing includes interpretive analysis.
Scholarly submissions involve research papers and honor theses, and
theoretical works would consist of cutting-edge inquiries.
"We are looking for people who have been recognized and anyone
who likes to write musical lyrics, fiction or poetry. People can
even turn in their A papers from their professors," Morefield
said.
Although the journal is accepting submissions from
undergraduates regardless of major, Morefield stressed that
submissions should remain focused on the social sciences and the
humanities.
The board for Westwind is in the process of developing a form to
attach to submissions, which will then be published on a blind
basis, Morefield said.
The Westwind board of editors will be not formally be given
titles but will coordinate certain parts of the journal such as
poetry, Morefield said.
While this year’s board is mostly made up of juniors and
seniors, Morefield said she would like to see younger
undergraduates get involved with the journal so it will continue to
be published in years to come.
The 1999 Westwind Journal will be available free to all
students, and both journals are scheduled to be published by
May.
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