Spring Semester 2023 Update

AAAR@UIUC has had a great spring! We have kept up with our weekly Friday writing sessions, where members have been able to give each other feedback on projects ranging from grant applications to preliminary exam proposals. We also have held a journal club, an ice skating social and have been busy planning our exhibit for Engineering Open House.

Manho Park led the journal club on January 31, 2023, which discussed the paper: "Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time" (Park et al., 2023). We discussed the ideas in this paper, as well as ideas to combat this trend, such as reducing publish and perish culture, promoting interdisciplinary research and the need to read broadly (including outside your specific field).

We also had an ice skating social on March 3, which attendees all agreed was pretty cool!

AAAR@UIUC has been busy preparing an exhibit for Engineering Open House on March 31 - April 1. Engineering Open House is expected to attract over 35,000 visitors to the university to explore engineering and STEM related fields. AAAR@UIUC's exhibit will demonstrate "Smog in a Jar" (see below video), display a QuantAQ sensor and C-R box, and give students the chance to build their very own "pollution catcher".

Our Vice President Erin Emme will be taking her qualifying exams next month, and President Tessa Clarizio her preliminary exams in May. We wish them the best of luck!

By Tessa Clarizio

References

Park M, Leahey E, Funk RJ. Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time. Nature. 2023 Jan;613(7942):138-144. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05543-x. Epub 2023 Jan 4. PMID: 36600070.