Science Publications Multiply

Every time you turn around, there's another one. And the population has quadrupled in the past six months. This isn't the exponential growth of E. Coli bacteria, but the increasing numbers of science publications at Harvard in recent months.

According to Michelle Hewitt in the Dean of Students' Office, there was one science publication on campus before last spring. This year, there are four new ones.

The Harvard BRAIN sprang forth from the Undergraduate Society for Neuroscience during the spring of 1994. "Our first issue was a great success," said Fred S. Soo '96, co-chair of the society, "There's a lot of enthusiasm."

"Neuroscience is an area of interest right now," said Jennifer L. Morazes '96, staff member for the BRAIN. "It's such a big field, encompassing everything from computer science and linguistics to psychology and biology."

The Harvard-Radcliffe Mathematics Bulletin published its first issue in April of this year. Approximately 800 copies were dropped in students' mailboxes and distributed in the Science Center, said Chao-Wei Hwang '96, president of the Bulletin.

"We try to make it non-technical so that everyone can read it," Hwang said. "It talks about general math, fields of math, theorems and applications. We try to make it interesting."

The newest science publication was founded during reading period last spring. Staff members have been working over the summer to publish Caduceus, a health review.

"There are definitely lots of people interested in medicine," said Rachel Y. Chong '96, founder of Caduceus, "We started with seven. Now we have a staff of about thirty."

The Journal of Undergraduate Sciences publishes the original work of undergraduates. Many of the contributors to the first issue were, in fact, first-years at the time they did their research.

"We want to train students to do research instead of following recipes in lab," said Paul Ma, director of the Journal. "We care about education, not publishing the work of others."

"Undergraduates get into research and do some great work," said Assistant Professor of Chemistry Phillip A. Anfinrud, "but usually their projects aren't long-term enough to get published."

"We want students to have something to point to and be proud of," Anfinrud said.

"This is not an undergraduate club," Ma said, "it's a 'loose federation' that includes undergraduates, graduate students and professors."

"By its own existence, this project allows professors to talk to undergraduates in a meaningful way," Ma continued.

Before this year's rapid increase, the Harvard Science Review was he main science publication on campus, said Hewitt.

"The Science Review has been around since 1986," said Mohammed N. Khan, head editor of the Review.

"There's been a very noticeable increase in the number of science publications," Khan said. "Just look at the stands outside registration. Look at the kiosks."

But the Science Review does not plan to alter its content because of the new publications, Khan said. "We're going to keep the format we have because it has been successful."

"If we have a neuroscience article that's interesting, we'll go ahead and publish it," he continued. "We might have a different style or approach."

An Awareness of Science

Harvard faculty and students attribute the proliferation of science publications to different factors.

Some believe the increase is a direct result of increased interest in science.

"I think that there is a growing awareness of the interest and value of science and engineering as part of a liberal arts education," said Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry George M. Whitesides.

"There is also growing awareness of the analytical training that science/engineering courses provide as a background for a variety of future professions," he added.

"Chemistry concentrators are up to 140 from 100 a couple years ago," said Jim E. Davis, head tutor in the chemistry department.

The biology department has also experienced growth of up to 50 percent, said Biology Head Tutor and Mangelsdorf Professor of Natural Sciences Woody J. Hastings.

Not only has the number of concentrators in these departments risen, the general enrollment in science classes has risen as well.

According to Davis, chemistry classes have outgrown their rooms.

"There certainly is increased enrollment, and I attribute that to increased interest," he said.

"The number of scientists in the nation and the world goes up by a factor of two every ten years," said Loeb University Professor Walter Gilbert. "The same is true for the number of scientific publications."

"There is an explosion going on," said Gilbert, "There is increased interest in science and increased awareness of the impact of science on everybody."

Filling Niches

Other members of the Harvard community say they feel the trend is a result of the constant diversification of science.

Hewitt noted the wider range of science issues being covered by today's groups.

The Society of Physics Students, Student Astronomers at Harvard-Radcliffe and the Environmental Action Committee of the Phillips Brooks House Association publish newsletters which could be considered science-related, Hewitt said.

"I think there has been interest from people in science to have a niche," said Khan of the Science Review. "These new publications are more specialized, but I don't think they have the mass appeal that the Science Review does."

Indeed, most of the new publications were created because none existed for a narrow area of science.

"There really wasn't medically-oriented magazine on campus," said Chong for Caduceus.

"There wasn't a math publication," said Hwang for the Math Bulletin.

"The BRAIN is a forum for people who want to write about neuroscience," Soo said.

"There are so many people interested in science," Hwang said, "It was inevitable that they would start magazines in their particular field of interest."

Normal Fluctuations?

While there undeniably has been an increase in the number of science publications, some attribute this to the normal fluctuations of student organizations.

"There are things that come and go just like anything else, "Hewitt said.

"I don't think it's necessarily a greater interest in science," said Ashraf S. Hegazy '96, managing editor of the Journal of Undergraduate Sciences. "People are starting to see that publications are a good way to get others involved in science."

"In my time here, there have been many publications," said Professor Hastings. "I'm not sure if this is more."

"There hasn't been continuity," he said. "They'll start up, and then people graduate and leave. Then new people come and start them up. "We've had publications in science all along."

Is this year's trend just an upswing on the see-saw of student organizations? That depends upon the Harvard student body. If the interest shown by this group of undergraduates continues, science publications have a bright future on campus.