Alabama college students aren't the only ones getting involved. Cornell University senior Kevin Hwang started The Triple Helix (TTH) in 2005 as a forum for interdisciplinary ideas that intersect science, society, and law. As soon as it appeared at Cornell, Hwang says, students at other universities wanted in. So he created more than a dozen chapters in the United States and Europe (with a handful more under way) that publish local versions of the national publication.

The Journal for Young Investigators (JYI), the brainchild of five students, posts peer-reviewed research and feature articles by undergraduates, regardless of institutional affiliation. Faculty advisers critique the research articles while professional writers edit the feature stories.

Even as these student journals flourish, some observers question their value. With the high caliber of student research at universities today, argues Jim Austin, editor of ScienceCareers.org (a career-resource project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS), undergraduates should strive to publish in professional journals with more rigorous standards. “Students can practice by playing the real game,” he says.

But, proponents counter, when major-league journals such as Nature publish only about 10 percent of the papers they receive, students can benefit from the “preseason training” of publishing in student journals. Biologist Guy A. Caldwell, who coordinates the HHMI Undergraduate Research Intern Program at UA and serves as the faculty adviser for JOSHUA, argues that the student journals serve a more fundamental role: “Seeing something like JOSHUA makes the act of doing and thinking about science real.”

Taking part in the student journals also gives contributors the opportunity to explore career interests and the self-assurance to pursue them. Mary Patyten, who created and managed JYI's features section as an undergraduate and now writes full-time for the California Department of Fish and Game, says, “I would have been less confident going into this field without my JYI experience.”

Hwang's and Locke's publishing know-how also has influenced their career plans. Hwang, whose TTH title includes “CEO,” intends to continue down the entrepreneurial path by starting a biotechnology company. Locke hopes to be a researcher and, of course, edit a professional journal.

		Journal of Science & Health at the University of Alabama Debut: November 2002 Founders: Nabeel Ahmed Memon and Sarah Adair (UA '03) URL: www.bama.ua.edu/~joshua/ Circulation: 1,000 copies annually Funding: HHMI, National Science Foundation (NSF), UA The Triple Helix Debut: March 2005 at Cornell University Founder: Kevin Hwang (Cornell University '07) URL: www.thetriplehelix.org Circulation: Each chapter publishes about 1,000 copies twice a year with some chapters also publishing online Funding: Host universities, corporate and private sponsors The Journal of Young Investigators Debut: December 1998 Founders: Andrew Medina-Marino and Tim Sibley (Swarthmore College '98), George Lui and Brian Su (Duke University '98), Neal Freedman (Brown University '98) URL: www.jyi.org Circulation: Available only online; new research and feature articles appear monthly Funding: AAS, NSF, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, universities, other organizations

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