The process of writing a scholarly article and having it published in an academic journal is something that is generally reserved for graduate students and professional researchers. But that’s not the case at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. Undergraduate students in worked to create a journal of topics in what is generally considered the most difficult biology course in the . Students in the class mimic the full process of writing a scholarly article, going through the revision and peer review process, and ultimately having their writing published in a . 

The course is something that instructor associate professor of biology and computer science, believes is an example of what makes ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s biology program so unique. 

Williamson built the Evolutionary Biology course to focus on writing. It is structured so students go through a full journal submission process. Each student identifies a research topic of interest to them that centers around modern research in evolution. They are tasked with summarizing the state of the literature for their question in the field and then suggest how the field will move forward. Students submit their proposal to Williamson for approval, students then write and submit three drafts of their article before the final submission. 

The students also go through anonymous peer review process following the same process professional researchers do when they submit academic works for publication. Reviewers provide feedback on the merit, communication, and accuracy of the articles, and each student author must write a full response to their peer’s comments. They also learn how to format their articles and create tables and graphs for professional research. The final submission then goes to Williamson, who puts all the pieces together into a printed academic journal that is distributed to the students and biology faculty. 

“So much of science is writing and reading,” said Williamson. “In this class, I want to give students practice in their writing, so they feel confident going forward. At the end of the course, the students feel a real sense of accomplishment and are very much an expert in their field.”

Each issue’s cover art is submitted by a student whose work demonstrates an exceptional contribution to the field. This journal’s cover art was chosen by sophomore Anahita Adhikari to go with her article about the evolutionary dynamics of glioblastoma, a malignant brain cancer.

“Growing up, I was always curious about cancer in general,” said Adhikari, a biology major. “My grandfather died from brain cancer before I was born. In my research, I came to understand the evolutionary aspect of cancer and how it allows personalized treatment for people.”

Adhikari calls the class a big learning opportunity and opened her mind to the possibility of doing research.

“I’d written articles before but didn’t know about the behind-the-scenes process that happens with a journal, especially the peer review process,” she said. “Learning all this as a second-year student is a huge plus. I’ve learned so much and have become more intentional of what I will put in future papers.”

Completing Evolutionary Biology motivated Adhikari to continue doing further research on cancer and immunotherapy cancer treatments. She is currently doing an independent research project about wound healing with another professor in the biology and biomedical engineering department and wants to pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D. program after graduating.

“With an M.D., I can help people in the healthcare field,” said Adhikari. “But with research, I’ll be able to contribute so much more to help a wider range of people.”

Williamson encourages students like Adhikari to submit their class article to an undergraduate journal. It is that kind of scholarship and experience that helps students in their graduate school applications and highlights Rose’s commitment to research in the biology major. 

Rose’s biology program is centered around the research sequence, which is five courses — one and a half years — and culminates in the senior thesis project. The sequence allows students to be the researcher and the academic, giving them a broader view of struggles they will encounter when doing research.

“Students encounter situations like finding the right papers, making sure questions are answerable, making sure methods work,” said Williamson. “We’re giving students these opportunities to learn and make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes, so they’re equipped and ready for graduate school. They get great training to become actual researchers.” 

Senior Gillian Gorocica found incredible value in the writing component of the Evolutionary Biology course. Her article examined the evolution of human brain. She admits that before this class, writing and submitting to a journal was an abstract concept. Yet going through the process of drafting and peer review helped her see both sides as the submitter and reviewer. 

“Getting published is something I never thought I would do as an undergraduate,” she said. “This class not only gave me the skills to do research and writing, but also helped me see how both go hand in hand. … ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ does a great job of bringing in all these aspects to make sure we are not one-sided in our field of study.”