LETTER FROM THE
ADVISER
Welcome to Volume 16 (the 2020-21 issue) of the Northwestern Undergraduate Research Journal! NURJ is an annual student-produced print and web-based publication funded by the Offices of the President and the Associate Provost. We are very grateful to President Morty Schapiro and Associate Provost Miriam Sherin for their continuing generous support, especially during these challenging times. During the past three years, NURJ has been led by an extraordinary group of student Editors whose dynamism and vision has been breathtaking. Using the successful print edition of NURJ as the foundation, our Editors have greatly expanded the reach of NURJ to generate a multiplicity of online and print publications, far beyond what was conceived at the beginning of this journal in 2003. The NURJ staff now exceeds 70 undergraduate students. Our NURJ Editors have even taken a leading role in organizing a new national organization of undergraduate collegiate publications, the Society of Undergraduate Humanities Publications (SUHP). From January 7-10, 2021, NURJ hosted the 2nd Annual SUHP Conference. This conference took place entirely on Zoom with feature panels open to any student, anywhere, interested in research journalism. Panels organized by our Editors included noted academics and professionals having deep and diverse experiences in research publication and using research and journalism to catalyze change in their communities. Please note that all of these developments originated with our Editors, not me. The wonderful growth of NURJ has been completely organic! As readers of NURJ Volume 16 and as online visitors to thenurj.com, you will experience the results of the Editors’ year-long efforts: excellent Northwestern undergraduate student research published in a professional manner. This is my final “From the Adviser” letter, since after 37 years on Northwestern faculty’s and 18 years as NURJ’s founding faculty adviser, I am retiring. I relinquish the adviser role with the assurance that the dynamism of NURJ and its excellent positive impact upon the Northwestern community and beyond will continue. Best regards, Allen Taflove, Professor Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering McCormick School of Engineering Northwestern University
