In a school well-known for its already plentiful science/technology-oriented extracurricular offerings, such as the medical competitions in HOSA or BioOlympiad and the engineering frenzy in Robotics, one might wonder if there’s room for any more. Needless to say, there’s always room for the interest of students.

Academic SciJournal is a new club on campus established to publish ASJ, a scientific magazine. The club’s mission is to encourage science journalism among students and raise science awareness. ASJ publishes an issue each season of the school year, both digitally and in print. Each issue features articles written by students in the club on topics ranging from medical research and neuroscience to quantum technology and sustainable energy. Additionally, club members have partnered with leaders from various scientific organizations, such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Harvard Medical School for which students in the club interview leaders in the scientific community.

“Param and his team are doing an extraordinary job with the journal,” club faculty adviser Nestor Ladron said. “It is a good opportunity for them to review scientific literature on topics that they are interested in, and it gives them the chance to practice another type of writing since scientific writing has its own set of rules,” Dr. Ladron added.

The Spring 2021 Issue of ASJ featured an interview with Dr. William G. Kaelin, a recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for his research on cancer metabolism and tumor-suppressor proteins. Likewise, the upcoming Winter 2021 Issue features an in-depth interview with Nobel Laureate Dr. Randy Schekman about his research on protein synthesis.

Param Malik, a BioMed junior who currently serves as the President of ASJ, founded the journal in the summer of 2020. Over the months since then, he has led a dedicated team of eight executives and thirty-two student-writers/designers.

“Our journal introduces the world of science journalism to students on our campus, and simultaneously makes us one of the few, if not only, schools in the nation to have an official scientific magazine,” Param said. “We are dedicated to raising science consciousness in our community,” Param added.

Look for posting of the Fall 2021 edition of ASJ on their website soon. https://academyscijournal.wixsite.com/journal/contact