My name is Maggie Steiner, and I was a member of the 2016-2017 Science, Health, and Medicine Cohort. Recently, a manuscript I originally wrote as a part of my WLP Biology class was published in the Journal of Young Investigators, a peer-reviewed scientific journal which both features the work of and is run by undergraduate students from many different universities. The paper is titled “’Solving’ Cancer: The Use of Artificial Neural Networks in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment,” and can be accessed here: https://www.jyi.org/2017-december/2017/11/30/solving-cancer-the-use-of-artificial-neural-networks-in-cancer-diagnosis-and-treatment . The experience of publishing my work for the first time was so worthwhile. I’d like to share with you a bit about the process of going from an idea to a publication, and how you can work towards the same goal!
The project started as an assignment for Professor Jordan’s introductory biology class, where we were tasked with writing a literature review on any topic of interest related to biology. Around the same time we were given the assignment, Microsoft announced that they were beginning a research program to apply artificial intelligence methods to cancer research (in an effort to “solve” the problem of cancer). Seeing articles about this subject in the news gave me the idea to research how one particular AI technology (artificial neural networks) has been applied to cancer research in recent years. Several months of reading and writing later, I turned in my finished paper to Prof. Jordan, who recommended that I look into publishing my work in a journal.
At the beginning of the summer break, I researched several journals which publish undergraduate research and decided on JYI as my top choice. I then submitted my manuscript to JYI, and by the end of June was notified that my work was accepted for publication in the journal. Over the next several months, I worked with a team of JYI editors to make revisions and finalize the details of my article. It was published online at the beginning of December. It was so rewarding to see my name at the top of a published article after all of that work!
I would highly recommend that other WLP students consider publishing their work. Throughout the process, I gained fantastic experience in the editorial side of scientific research, which I am sure will be valuable to me as I pursue graduate school and a research career. One opportunity to do so is by publishing in The GW Undergraduate Review, an undergraduate research journal that myself and two other SHM alumna founded during our time as WLPers. The journal will be published both in print and online, and there are awards (with cash prizes up to $500) available for top submissions and a special award for Women in STEM. Abstract submissions are accepted on a rolling basis, and the inaugural issue is set to be published in April of 2018. Feel free to contact me via email ([email protected]) for more information on the submission process!