Author Description

We are honored to have been selected to oversee this project for The Top Journal, a scientific publication whose authors are all high school and college students. This book began as a way to engage students with the social applications of scientific research and has rapidly grown into a renowned publication with numerous submissions by young authors.As someone who came from a science background and then transitioned into the education field, I felt that the opportunities to apply my research to issues of social equity were somewhat lacking, especially when it came to independent research. Many schools offer extracurricular summer learning programs in the hard sciences, but they are often very structured and few allow the student to choose their topic of study or research. For this reason, I feel fortunate to have found out about this initiative to showcase student researcher’s individual and creative endeavors in the search for solutions to social issues. After talking with many of the young authors, it is refreshing to hear their research has instilled in them skills and knowledge that extend far beyond the subject matter they chose. These skills start with the basics of critical thinking, strategic planning, and professional writing, but are soon developed into more advanced skills like applying economic principles, biological modeling, and data analysis. Further, this publication has allowed students to understand the potential of scientific research as a force for positive global change.I will end by saying that the journal’s large diversity of submissions is a testament to these students’ individual creativity and intellectual curiosity. Every one of these authors challenged themselves by delving into a subject area that they previously had little knowledge in. They spent hours researching and collecting data to create a paper in the hopes of expanding scientific knowledge, both theirs and that of their communities. Their dedication to science is what pushed th