archive of issues

ISSUE 03: LIFTOFF

There is a kind of upswelling that everyone can relate to when something goes right. When a rocket breaks the atmosphere, when a ballerina leaps, when you see your nanostructures under a scanning electron microscope. Whether it's your success or someone else's, that kind of joy and excitement lifts you up in an indescribable way. In this issue, our contributors discuss the ways they have been lifted up, their careers have taken off, and they have uplifted others. Take a look inside, and maybe you'll realize you can reach for the stars, too.

Issue 02: Risk

An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.

Niels Bohr

Scientific research is focused on this bleeding edge of knowledge: the line between what is known and what is mystery still. Every day, researchers and inventors risk failed experiments, business ventures, proposals—failed careers even—just to expand the frontier of what is known. As the saying goes: high risk may bring high reward.

Issue 01: Composite

The scientific fields are becoming more accessible to students from all walks of life, but that may only be apparent once immersed in the world of science. For those on the outside—especially students deciding whether or not to pursue a career in STEM—this stereotypical and patently false image is off-putting and discouraging. It certainly was for me.

Luckily, for each of the socially awkward shut-ins I’ve met, I could fill entire lecture halls with the hilarious, athletic, artistic, musical, and inspirational people who have enriched my pursuit of a STEM education.