Current Issue
Dear Reader,
As we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal, we are struck by one force that has remained constant throughout two decades of scientific inquiry: curiosity. This sincere desire to better understand the world drives students towards scientific exploration. Since our founding in 2005, we’ve provided a platform where undergraduate researchers can transform their work into peer-reviewed contributions to scientific knowledge. The same spark of inspiration that led to our founding continues to drive the work of each undergraduate researcher published in these pages.
This milestone volume features eight exceptional articles spanning diverse scientific disciplines—from mathematics and complex systems biology to conservation ecology and neuroscience. We are particularly proud to showcase innovative research on neural complexity markers in pediatric epilepsy, de Sitter vacua in string theory, and approaches to climate adaptation in Québec’s dairy industry. These works exemplify how today’s undergraduate researchers are tackling both fundamental scientific questions and pressing real-world challenges with remarkable depth and insight.
With twenty volumes behind us, we recognize that our journal serves not just as a publication platform, but as a space where students engage with science beyond inquiry and data collection. We have been fortunate to work with such a dedicated and talented Editorial Board, whose commitment to scientific rigor has maintained the high quality of our journal. Through coordinating peer review, our editors ensure each paper meets the high standards of scientific publication. While upholding these editorial standards, our team has also collaborated on new seminars, workshops, and outreach events throughout the year that have advanced our support of undergraduate research in an unprecedented manner. This collaborative and dynamic spirit of scientific excellence continues to be the foundation of our publication.
We present to you Volume 20 with immense pride in our past and excitement for the future of undergraduate scientific inquiry.
On behalf of our entire Editorial Board, thank you.
Mina Mahdi and Armance Volta
Editors-in-Chief