Boys’ Discoveries Published in Harvard Journal
Taran P. ’20 and Logan F. ’20 present their research on DNA technology at the Urban Barcode and Research Symposium, June 3, 2019. Their findings were compiled with other boys’ work and published in Harvard University’s Journal of Emerging Investigators. (Emilie Wolf)
Upper School students have submitted their scientific work for publication in Harvard University’s Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI).
“The publication process was an amazing learning experience for me,” Logan F. ’20 said, whose paper was written as part of the advanced genetics research class.
Logan and Taran P. ’20 researched the creation of a phenology trail around The Pond in Central Park. Their paper documenting their research underwent JEI’s review process and has been accepted for publication by the journal.
“As someone who wants to enter the scientific field after college, I am thrilled to have a published paper under my belt,” Logan said. “I think it’s fantastic that Harvard has created a journal to showcase the research of high school students, and I’m really happy that our paper was accepted for publication. For young scientists, publishing a paper through JEI is an important stepping stone to the future.”
“This type of data was difficult to obtain and we applaud the authors on their dedication to this work.”
This past spring, the current Form IV students had the opportunity to travel to the Island School in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, as part of their science curriculum. The boys conduct field research and experiments, and their findings were compiled into a final project. Sophomores Connor F. ’22, Liam M. ’22, Spencer R. ’22, and Khai S. ’22 submitted their project to the JEI.
“Our paper described how the distance from the mouth of a Bahamian mangrove affects biodiversity,” Connor said.
Michael Marquis, the journal’s editor, wrote a letter announcing the acceptance of the students’ paper.
“The editors and reviewers believe this to be a solid manuscript with well-conducted experiments and clear relevance to ecology and the preservation of biological diversity,” Marquis wrote. “This type of data was difficult to obtain and we applaud the authors on their dedication to this work.”
Spencer R. '22 collects data in a mangrove creek in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, during the 9th grade trip to The Island School, April 29, 2019. (Allan Jones)
Both Logan and Connor said they would recommend the publication process to other students.
“I hope other Browning students will conduct research and write papers to submit for publication,” Logan said. “But they have to be prepared to dedicate significant time and effort to see the process through from start to finish.”
Emilie D. Wolf, science department chair, noted that publication in JEI is important, as the students are learning firsthand that scientific discoveries are not only made by adults, and that the process behind publishing research requires patience and effort.
“It’s a nice validation of their work that it’s worthy of being published by a journal associated with Harvard,” Ms. Wolf said. “The boys are going to take away a lot of great things from their experience, and we will continue to support others who are interested in submitting to the publication.”