Vol. 13 No. 1 (2018)
Dear Reader,
In 1983, a McGill Computer Science student, Alan Emtage, invented the search engine. This single invention revolutionised how we interact with information. Long gone are the days of painstakingly labouring through library directories. Ask a young scientist when they last held a physical research journal in their hands; the answer will likely be never.
We thus present to you the first completely paperless volume of the McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal. With Volume 13, we remain devoted to upholding our mandate of promoting undergraduate scientific research regardless of academic affiliation. And with our blog, the Abstract, we continue to make strides in making scientific research more accessible to the general public.
Reflected on this journal is the same spirit of ingenuity and innovation that drove Alan Emtage thirty-five years ago. This year’s selection spans the range of disciplines from earth science to biology to nanochemistry to astrophysics. Regardless of your background, we hope you find something of interest in the pages that follow.
Nick Pant & Rachel Greben
Editors-in-Chief
ON THE COVER
Climate modelling allows us to forecast changes in global climate patterns while allowing us to better understand past events. Current models predict that Antarctic ice sheets should have decreased in the time period between 1975 and 2017. But the opposite has happened.
On page 34, Sauvé et al. examine the role of natural variability and anthropogenic forcing on climate models that could explain Antarctic ice trends. Pictured on the cover is an artistic rendition of the Antarctic ice sheets.
