While every Domer knows about The Observer and Scholastic, another student-run publication, Scientia, is flying under the radar. Scientia is a predominantly online publication (one printed edition will be produced annually) supported by the College of Science, the Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic, and the Balfour Program.

Latin for “knowledge,” Scientia aims to recognize and encourage high-quality undergraduate research, provide a forum through which students can gain the essential skills of writing and reviewing to fulfill their future goals, and contribute to the advancement and cohesiveness of Notre Dame’s scientific community.

According to Scientia co-editors Matthew Reagor ’10 and Melissa Harintho ’11, the idea for the journal started last fall, but it was not until the last few weeks of the spring semester that they were able to publish any student work. The Scientia team, together with faculty advisor Professor Dominic Chaloner, spent the majority of the spring semester planning and setting up the infrastructure for the publication. Now, the editorial team, which is comprised of 20 undergraduate students (two of whom are abroad), seven graduate students, and eight professors (two from each department), has begun the campaign of recruiting authors and spreading the word about Notre Dame’s first undergraduate science journal in more than 10 years.

Scientia is modeled after Nature and Science, the two top journals in the scientific field. It features original research conducted by ND students, both on and off campus. In addition, Scientia highlights what is going on in the ND scientific community, ranging from guest speakers and service events, to new projects within the College of Science. By allowing students to submit and edit research papers and news articles, Scientia provides an outlet for undergraduates to gain valuable experience participating in the research and publication process.

One of the journal’s focuses will be to work with students who completed fascinating research at Notre Dame and around the world this past summer. As students compile their summer findings, Scientia plans to share them with the rest of the ND community.

While Scientia is an online publication that will be constantly updated and available to the entire ND community, Harintho and Reagor explain that the editorial team currently is laying the foundation for a print issue in the spring semester. The editors say they would be willing to make an effort to extend the issue to alumni, should there be a large demand for the publication. (Want to get on the distribution list? Contact co-chief editors Matthew Reagor ’10 or Melissa Harintho ’11).

Want to learn more about this important communications initiative? Visit the Scientia website.