YSM Issue 97.1
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The Editor-in-Chief Speaks<br />
AT THE CROSSROADS<br />
Last summer, the Vol. 96 Managing Editors and I combed through the Yale<br />
Scientific archives on Crown Street and in Welsh Hall, flipping through hundreds of<br />
dust-covered magazines. As we cataloged 130 years of history—a project culminating<br />
in a new archival exhibit in the Benjamin Franklin Library—we unearthed a series<br />
of articles. Some of these included “Science Helps Develop an Emotional Art”<br />
(November 1927), “On The Relevance Of Philosophy To Mathematics And The<br />
Sciences” (January 1961), and “Science Courses for Humanities Majors” (November<br />
1962). All shared a common theme: an interest in mining the rich, complex, and, at<br />
times, contentious, relationship between STEM and the liberal arts.<br />
Since 1894, <strong>YSM</strong> has occupied a specialized niche—the intersection of science<br />
and the humanities. As a science magazine, we strive to unite the rigor of research<br />
methodologies with the imaginative ethos of storytelling to explore how science<br />
impacts society. As clinical and basic research becomes increasingly siloed, we<br />
recognize that an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to tackle and spread<br />
awareness about our world’s most pressing issues, from climate change to cancer.<br />
In the spirit of interdisciplinarity, our cover story synthesizes organic chemistry<br />
and environmental public policy to reveal the alarming rates of total gas-phase<br />
organic carbon emissions in Canada’s tar sands (pg. 16). In Features, we trace the<br />
winding journey of a 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth using isotopic dating and<br />
anthropological methods (pg. 32). In News, we delve into social medicine, analyzing<br />
the neurological effects of racism during pregnancy on infants (pg. 6) and the<br />
mental health crisis among Black youth in the US (pg. 10). Our theme culminates<br />
in our special series this year, “Crossroads,” in which we invite writers to sit in on<br />
interdisciplinary class offerings at Yale and interview the professors teaching them.<br />
In our first iteration of “Crossroads,” we glimpse into professor Karla Neugebauer’s<br />
classroom, where she teaches “Biochemistry and Our Changing Climate” (pg. 39).<br />
As we begin the new year, we aim to enrich our understanding of the societal<br />
impacts of science through our blog, Scope, and to launch a multimedia video series<br />
highlighting researchers pushing the frontiers of science. In addition, we will continue<br />
to reckon with our past by curating special exhibitions using our archival materials,<br />
diversifying our coverage, and challenging our historical and present biases.<br />
We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of our supporters and<br />
contributors, from our staff members and masthead to our subscribers. We are<br />
incredibly grateful, as always, for our long-standing partnerships with the Yale Science<br />
and Engineering Association, the Yale Alumni Association, and Yale Departments.<br />
The magazine you hold in your hands is the distillation of hundreds of hours of<br />
researching, interviewing, editing, writing, photographing, drawing, and designing.<br />
It is a labor of love, and we hope that you’ll join us by immersing yourselves in the<br />
wondrous intersection of science and the humanities.<br />
About the Art<br />
Hannah Han, Editor-in-Chief<br />
New research shows that Canada’s<br />
tar sands—infamous for being<br />
one of the most environmentally<br />
harmful sources of oil—are even<br />
worse than we thought. This piece<br />
highlights the devastating effects<br />
of this pollution: sticky black<br />
scars cutting across the vibrant<br />
landscape, and dark smoke<br />
obscuring the blue sky.<br />
Annli Zhu, Cover Artist<br />
MASTHEAD<br />
March 2024 VOL. 97 NO. 1<br />
EDITORIAL BOARD<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
Managing Editors<br />
News Editor<br />
Features Editor<br />
Special Sections Editor<br />
Articles Editor<br />
Online Editors<br />
Scope Editors<br />
Copy Editors<br />
Archivist<br />
PRODUCTION & DESIGN<br />
Production Manager<br />
Layout Editors<br />
Art Editor<br />
Cover Artist<br />
Photography Editor<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Publisher<br />
Operations Managers<br />
Subscriptions Manager<br />
Community Coordinator<br />
OUTREACH<br />
Synapse Presidents<br />
Synapse Vice President<br />
Synapse Outreach Coordinators<br />
Synapse Events Coordinator<br />
WEB<br />
Web Manager<br />
Head of Social Media Team<br />
Web Coordinator<br />
Web Developer<br />
Social Media Content Creator<br />
STAFF<br />
Ebru Ayyorgun<br />
Gabriela Berger<br />
Ryan Bose-Roy<br />
Andre Botero<br />
Risha Chakraborty<br />
Kelly Chen<br />
Yuanyu Chen<br />
Kenny Cheng<br />
Cara Chong<br />
Rayyan Darji<br />
Sara de Ángel<br />
Pempem Dorji<br />
Ian Gill<br />
Molly Hill<br />
Elisa Howard<br />
Nusaiba Islam<br />
Patricia Joseph<br />
Genevieve Kim<br />
Paul-Alexander Lejas<br />
Nyla Marcott<br />
Cullen Matthews<br />
Kenna Morgan<br />
Lee Ngatia Muita<br />
Diya Naik<br />
Brandon Ngo<br />
Kimberly Nguyen<br />
Nicole Isabel Oo<br />
Faith Pena<br />
Ethan Powell<br />
Yusuf Rasheed<br />
Ignacio Ruiz-Sanchez<br />
Sharna Saha<br />
Fareed Salmon<br />
Alondra Moreno Santana<br />
Hannah Han<br />
Sophia Burick<br />
Kayla Yup<br />
Mia Gawith<br />
William Archacki<br />
Keya Bajaj<br />
Evelyn Jiang<br />
Cindy Mei<br />
Lawrence Zhao<br />
Matthew Blair<br />
Lea Papa<br />
Katrin Marinova<br />
Yossi Moff<br />
Patrick Wahlig<br />
Matthew Blair<br />
Kara Tao<br />
Nina Yorou Liu<br />
Jiya Mody<br />
Madeleine Popofsky<br />
Luna Aguilar<br />
Annli Zhu<br />
Emily Poag<br />
Tori Sodeinde<br />
Gia-Bao Dam<br />
Megan Kernis<br />
Henry Chen<br />
Samantha Liu<br />
Hannah Barsouk<br />
Brandon Quach<br />
Jordan Thomas<br />
Sarah Li<br />
Sunny Vuong<br />
Michael Sarullo<br />
Abigail Jolteus<br />
Elizabeth Watson<br />
David Gaetano<br />
Henry Chen<br />
Sunny Vuong<br />
Jamie Seu<br />
Helen Shanefield<br />
Nikolai Stephens-<br />
Zumbaum<br />
Lynna Thai<br />
Melda Top<br />
Hien Tran<br />
Proud Ua-arak<br />
Qinyi Wang<br />
Max Watzky<br />
Elise Wilkins<br />
Estella Wittstruck<br />
Aiden Wright<br />
Nathan Wu<br />
Aaron Yu<br />
Johnny Yue<br />
Hanwen Zhang<br />
The Yale Scientific Magazine (<strong>YSM</strong>) is published four times a year by Yale<br />
Scientific Publications, Inc. Third class postage paid in New Haven, CT<br />
06520. Non-profit postage permit number 01106 paid for May 19, 1927<br />
under the act of August 1912. ISN:0091-287. We reserve the right to edit<br />
any submissions, solicited or unsolicited, for publication. This magazine is<br />
published by Yale College students, and Yale University is not responsible<br />
for its contents. Perspectives expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect<br />
the opinions of <strong>YSM</strong>. We retain the right to reprint contributions, both text<br />
and graphics, in future issues as well as a non-exclusive right to reproduce<br />
these in electronic form. The <strong>YSM</strong> welcomes comments and feedback. Letters<br />
to the editor should be under two hundred words and should include the<br />
author’s name and contact information. We reserve the right to edit letters<br />
before publication. Please send questions and comments to yalescientific@<br />
yale.edu. Special thanks to Yale Student Technology Collaborative.
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