We’ve been having some exciting meetings about EDGE, the upcoming online undergraduate research magazine. It isn’t planned to launch until next fall, but meanwhile we’re building the framework and experimenting with website structure and formatting. We want to make it as easy as possible for students and faculty to present work, and we want to make it as visually appealing as well. Since I’m in charge of creative aspects, I’m looking into ways to have student input into the visual elements, for example having a logo that changes frequently (like the Google Doodles) and is submitted by students, and a resource of student-submitted stock photography or illustrated ledes (the header image for an article).

We want EDGE to be a place for undergrads and professors to extend the reach of student work. Usually, once you submit a project for grading, it’s the end of the road. EDGE will be “outward facing,” meaning it’s promoted to those outside GSU as well, so it’s a way to give that work new legs, and to present it to prospective and existing students, alumni, working professionals and who knows who else?

Since we’re still in the planning stages, there’s opportunity for fellow SIFers to make suggestions or submit cool undergraduate work that we can use to build a prototype site. The more diverse the types of content we have to play with at the start, the more flexible and effective the magazine will be at launch. If you would like to contribute any of the above for consideration for inclusion, let me or Valerie know!