YSM Issue 96.2

The Editor-in-Chief Speaks
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
This summer, I had the immense privilege of interviewing Dr. Vivek Murthy,
the 19th and 21st U.S. Surgeon General and an alumnus of the Yale School
of Medicine. When asked about the role of science journalism in our society,
Dr. Murthy told me, “There could not be a time in my life where I think we have
needed science journalists more to be there for us explaining what people need to
know in a world where we’re awash in misinformation.”
Indeed, with the polarization of online forums and social media platforms,
conspiracy theories are spreading like never before, while the public’s distrust in the
notion of ‘experts’ has rapidly grown. How, then, can we bridge the chasm that has
emerged between science and society?
There is no simple or straightforward answer, but as Dr. Murthy emphasized,
science journalism plays a pivotal role in connecting the two. While I would
typically use this space to tell you about the articles in this issue, I found it would
be fitting to re-examine the mission of the Yale Scientific itself. At its core, our
work strives to highlight the relevance of recent innovations in our daily lives,
spark scientific interest in youth, help communities make informed decisions, and
build public trust in science. We aim to present scientific, medical, and engineering
discoveries to a general audience—no matter their background—in an accessible
and unbiased manner.
Recently, we’ve had the privilege of poring through the archives from the YSM
offices in Welch Hall on Old Campus and in 305 Crown St. Flipping through the
yellowing pages of our hand-bound volumes from the 19th century and learning
about the history of the Yale School of Medicine, the Sheffield Scientific School,
and the Yale Scientific Magazine itself has revealed that while a lot has changed,
our central mission has remained steadfast. In fact, it has only been reaffirmed as
science has become the center of attention in debates surrounding deeply divisive
issues, ethical concerns, and public policy controversies. At YSM, we will continue
to question the assumed, communicate the abstract, and weave distinctly human
stories around technical scientific developments.
I am honored and humbled to continue the Yale Scientific’s long legacy of
science journalism alongside our incredible masthead, student contributors, and
community partners. With you, our readers, let’s embark on the formidable quest
to which we aspire at the Yale Scientific—to maintain objectivity without the loss of
nuance, present technicality without the loss of perspective, and highlight science
without the loss of humanity.
About the Art
Alex Dong, Editor-in-Chief
Researchers have identified a
pheromone that may influence the
behavior of flies that spread disease
in Africa. This cover illustration
depicts two Tsetse flies with
pheromones, represented as glowing
particles, between them.
Catherine Kwon, Cover Artist
MASTHEAD
May 2023 VOL. 96 NO. 2
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editors
News Editor
Features Editor
Special Sections Editor
Articles Editor
Online Editors
Copy Editors
Scope Editors
PRODUCTION & DESIGN
Production Manager
Layout Editors
Art Editor
Cover Artist
Photography Editor
BUSINESS
Publisher
Operations Managers
Subscriptions Manager
Outreach Manager
OUTREACH
Synapse Presidents
Synapse Vice President
Synapse Outreach Coordinators
Synapse Events Coordinator
WEB
Web Managers
Head of Social Media Team
Social Media Coordinators
STAFF
Sanya Abbasey
Luna Aguilar
Ricardo Ahumada
William Archacki
Dinesh Bojja
Risha Chakraborty
Kelly Chen
Leah Dayan
Steven Dong
Chris Esneault
Erin Foley
Mia Gawith
Simona Hausleitner
Tamasen Hayward
Katherine He
Miriam Huerta
Sofia Jacobson
Jenna Kim
Catherine Kwon
Charlotte Leakey
Ximena Levya Peralta
Yurou Liu
Samantha Liu
Helena Lyng-Olsen
Kaley Mafong
Georgio Maroun
Cindy Mei
Lee Ngatia Muita
Lea Papa
Hiren Parekh
Himani Pattisam
Emily Poag
Madeleine Popofsky
Tony Potchernikov
Zara Ranglin
Yusuf Rasheed
Alex Roseman
Ilora Roy
Ignacio Ruiz-Sanchez
Noora Said
Alex Dong
Madison Houck
Sophia Li
Sophia Burick
Anavi Uppal
Hannah Han
Kayla Yup
Krishna Dasari
Mia Gawith
Will Archacki
Matthew Blair
Jamie Seu
Samantha Liu
Anya Razmi
Malia Kuo
Ann-Marie Abunyewa
Sydney Scott
Kara Tao
Catherine Kwon
Jenny Wong
Lucas Loman
Dinara Bolat
Tori Sodeinde
Georgio Maroun
Yusuf Rasheed
Hannah Barsouk
Sofia Jacobson
Jessica Le
Kaley Mafong
Lawrence Zhao
Anjali Dhanekula
Abigail Jolteus
Emily Shang
Elizabeth Watson
Keya Bajaj
Eunsoo Hyun
Jamie Seu
Kiera Suh
Yamato Takabe
Joey Tan
Kara Tao
Connie Tian
Van Anh Tran
Sheel Trivedi
Robin Tsai
Sherry Wang
Elise Wilkins
Aiden Wright
Elizabeth Wu
Nathan Wu
Johnny Yue
Iffat Zarif
Hanwen Zhang
Lawrence Zhao
Celina Zhao
Matthew Zoerb
The Yale Scientific Magazine (YSM) is published four times a year by Yale
Scientific Publications, Inc. Third class postage paid in New Haven, CT
06520. Non-profit postage permit number 01106 paid for May 19, 1927
under the act of August 1912. ISN:0091-287. We reserve the right to edit
any submissions, solicited or unsolicited, for publication. This magazine is
published by Yale College students, and Yale University is not responsible for
its contents. Perspectives expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of YSM. We retain the right to reprint contributions, both text and
graphics, in future issues as well as a non-exclusive right to reproduce these
in electronic form. The YSM welcomes comments and feedback. Letters to the
editor should be under two hundred words and should include the author’s
name and contact information. We reserve the right to edit letters before
publication. Please send questions and comments to yalescientific@yale.edu.
Special thanks to Yale Science and Engineering Association.