bug journal vol. 4, 2001



Letter from the Editor, Paul Matsudaira

Welcome to the research world of an MIT Biology undergraduate. All Biology majors at MIT gain first-hand research experience in a class called Project Lab or through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Presented here, in the second volume of the MIT Biology Undergraduate (BUG) Journal, is the outcome of the students’ research. By any measure, the Journal is a success—demonstrating the synergy between education and research. Other departments at MIT plan to adopt the Journal, and colleges and universities nationwide look to it as a model. For more information about the Journal, please visit our website at: http://web.mit.edu/biology/www/courses.html. The site contains a copy of the Journal (some papers are restricted to access through the MIT web), a description of the Phase II writing requirement, and instructions to the authors (modeled after instructions from the journal, Molecular Biology of the Cell,with permission from the editor, David Botstein).

The philosophy of the Journal is simple. We print scholarly reports from our students, with scientific logic, content, and organization valued as highly as the organization of a paragraph, choice of words, and accuracy of grammar. The reports take many forms: from reviews and research proposals to research papers. For the lay reader, each student has prepared a non-scientific abstract. This abstract has proven to be the most difficult part of the paper for students to write. We hope you find that most of the students have succeeded.

The BUG Journal is the last step of a unified program designed to enhance the communication skills of an MIT Biology major. The process begins in a class called 7.02, where writing tutors and 7.02 instructors teach students the difficult art of writing, beginning with the tasks of choosing a title and drafting an abstract. Then, in Project Lab, students again work with instructors and writing tutors to prepare weekly research reports and a final paper. Acceptance to the BUG Journal, however, requires the paper to be reviewed by faculty. This year, approximately half of the Biology faculty reviewed papers for the BUG Journal. Their standards are tough: more than 90 percent of the papers required one or more revisions before acceptance into the Journal. This year, about one-third of the graduating class of Biology majors completed this difficult journey. With better organization and planning, we hope that all student papers will become part of the Journal in future years.

The success of the BUG Journal is due to the hard work of many people. The Head of Biology, Phil Sharp, and the Dean of the Writing Program, Les Perelman, provided departmental and institute support through Howard Hughes Medical Institute and National Science Foundation grants. Sue Fitzgerald, from Biology Headquarters, and my assistant, Julie Ellis, handled the traffic of paper between students and faculty reviewers. The faculty recognized the importance of the Journal and diligently reviewed the scientific content and writing of the papers. The writing tutors, Nancy Mulford, Janis Melvold, and Quentin Eichbaum, spent countless hours working with students. Craig Malone and Susan Gilbert converted text files into print and web versions of the Journal. Finally and not least, the students rose to the challenge and worked hard to meet the high scholarship of the Journal. The success is theirs to claim.

The Editor,
Paul Matsudaira
Professor of Biology
Professor of Bioengineering
Member, Whitehead Institute

 

back to top