Curiositas: A new outlet for student researchers

Created and powered by student researchers, Curiositas, the first undergraduate research journal on campus, published its inaugural edition on Friday, Dec. 3. The editorial staff of the journal, which will be published tri-annually, is a group of undergraduate students at MSU. Curiositas showcases the work of students in every discipline, including overlooked domains of undergraduate research.

Owen Burroughs and Pushya Krishna are two of the brains fueling Curiositas. Both are members of the editorial board and contributors to the journal. Burroughs is a senior at MSU studying microbiology and political science. Krishna is a senior double majoring in cell biology and neuroscience and English literature.

“My inspiration for the journal came while I was studying abroad in the UK, where undergraduate journals like this are common,” Burroughs explained. “Undergraduate research has always been a big part of my experience at MSU, and I wanted to create a similar journal that could showcase the experiences of undergraduate researchers at Montana State. Pushya and I have known each other since high school, so I reached out to him while I was still abroad and pitched the idea to him. We have been working on it ever since.”

Burroughs spent time observing the ins and outs of undergraduate research journals during his time studying abroad in the UK to better understand how he could implement strategies to bring the concept back home.

“Over a period of time, we kind of formulated the idea and really talked through what is it that we want out of this journal, what is it that we want to publish and what is that we really want to highlight,” Krishna said. “When we came up with the idea of that undergraduate research experience, I think we kind of had a conquered idea that we could then run and work with. That’s kind of where things really originated.”

Krishna and Burroughs expanded their ideas and recruited students involved in undergraduate research, and from there they built a team of contributors for their inaugural edition. “Undergraduate research journals are kind of something you don’t notice if it’s not there, but you do notice if it is,” Krishna said. “I was really enthusiastic about it right from the get go because I think that it’s something that we’ve missed a lot here at MSU and would bring a lot of value to showcasing undergraduate research at MSU.” Curiositasis designednot only to display the importance of undergraduate research, they said, but also to emphasize the process of research itself.

“A major goal with this journal has been to give students a platform to take ownership of their research, and to emphasize that undergraduates at MSU can be meaningful researchers in their own right,” Burroughs said. “For this reason, we are interested in highlighting the process of undergraduate research as much as the product. Not only can this journal act as a platform for students to share their successes in research, but it also provides opportunities for students to share their experiences working in research and what has made research valuable for them. This focus on the process of research makes our journal stand out from many other undergraduate research journals across the country.”

The journal highlights research from across campus, including fields that aren’t specifically science related. “The first edition includes undergraduate research that is occuring in the MSU Writing Center as well as the College of Arts and Architecture, alongside scientific lab-based pieces. We are so proud to highlight all of the meaningful research from across campus,” Burroughs said. “We believe that research occurs in every major and discipline across campus, and we hope to showcase the valuable work being done by all students.” Curiositasis a fitting addition to a campus known for an abundance of research opportunities.“MSU is a really big advertiser of its undergraduate research, but we really wanted to find a way to institutionalize that,” Krishna said.

The concept of a research journal that doesn’t exclusively focus on science-based research gives it a certain appeal that reaches more audiences, the authors said. “We want to put our time and effort into something that can benefit as many people as possible,” Krishna said. “Most of us have non-STEM backgrounds as well, we really wanted to highlight that and showcase that side of ourselves as well in the journal.”

The students overseeing the journal are prepared for submissions spanning several fields of study.“Whether that’s something that’s happening independently or something that’s happening in a lab or under faculty supervision, we have mechanisms in place to ensure that everyone can be accommodated as much as possible and to ensure that the submissions that students provide are being reviewed by a faculty member but as well as a peer panel to make sure that they’re informative and accurate as well as accessible by a variety of different people,” Krishna said.

The Curiositasjournal is funded through MSU. “We are proudly housed and supported by the Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology and the College of Agriculture.” Burroughs said. “We are especially thankful to have a wonderful faculty sponsor, Dr. Jovanka Voyich, who has been instrumental in making the journal a reality.”

For students interested in being featured in the CuriositasSpring 2022 edition, the editorial board is accepting applications from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15. The team strongly encourages all interested students to apply. Application information will be available by late December on their website, and the team will answer any questions through the emailcuriositasjournal@montana.edu.

“We want as many students to be involved in this as possible and the strength in our organization is based of off the abundance and diversity of ideas that we’re getting,” Krishna said.

Each edition has both print and digital copies available. However, there is a limited number of physical copies in 109 Lewis Hall, free of charge. To view the digital edition visit, https://www.montana.edu/curiositas/.