Scientia, Volume 13 (2022)

Research serves as an essential function for educating undergraduate students in the College of Science. Undergraduates at Notre Dame have the opportunity to tackle pressing research questions alongside accomplished faculty in world class laboratories and facilities. At the core of *Scientia*’s mission is to provide a platform for undergraduates to participate in the dissemination of their research efforts. As Sir Mark Wilport, the United Kingdom’s chief scientist explains, “Science is not finished until it is effectively communicated.” As evidenced by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the global climate crisis, a scientist’s role must include effective communication in writing and in speech, with other scientists and the public. In the 2021-2022 academic year, *Scientia* fulfilled its mission of serving undergraduate research at Notre Dame through general membership recruitment, Talk Science lectures, and the Charles Edison Fellowship. This year, we saw increased interest in participation from first and second year students, many of whom wrote articles for this year’s publication. Through *Scientia*’s Talk Science lecture series, undergraduate researchers shared their experiences and results alongside faculty speakers with our general membership. Our talks featured research from the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Physics and Astronomy. Through establishing avenues for sharing student research and hearing from our expert faculty, *Scientia* strives to make Talk Science an integral part of knowledge dissemination for our members. *Scientia* is proud to support two undergraduate researchers each year through the Charles Edison Fellowship. Our 2021-2022 Charles Edison Fellows, Bailey Perczak and Christina An, demonstrated research excellence throughout the year. Notre Dame’s transition away from COVID-19 related restrictions meant students were able to once again participate in meaningful in-person research in laboratories across campus. In the thirteenth volume in *Scientia*, we are excited to share some of this laboratory work. This year’s volume also features a broad array of new College of Science faculty hires, news articles, and student spotlights. We are grateful for the sustained hard work and dedication of our editorial board and staff, who are integral in the successful assembly and publication of the journal. *Scientia* also benefits greatly from the guidance of our advisor, Dr. Xuemin Lu, and the College of Science Marketing Communications team, Lotta Barnes, Deanna Ferrell, and Tammi Freehling. Finally, we would like to formally recognize and extend our appreciation to the new Dean of the College of Science, Dr. Santiago Schnell, from whom we are excited to receive support in the years to come. As we enter the 2022-2023 academic year, we hold great confidence in the upcoming Editors-in-Chief, Emily Hunt and Alexandra Noble. In Notre Dame, Abigail Abikoye & Drew Langford Editors-in-Chief