Editor’s Note, 2015

Dear Reader,

We are pleased to present volume five of Young Scientist, a peer-reviewed journal of original research authored by high-school students.

Over the years, Young Scientist has continued to grow in scope and stature. Volume five includes research from 18 authors working in 10 departments at Vanderbilt University and two other research institutes. The areas of research represented in this volume include, anthropology (slave burials in Tennessee), genetics (double-strand break repair), cosmology (gravitational lensing of quasars), geology (soil formation), medicine (cell signaling and drug discovery), and biomedical engineering (robotics and micro-fluidics), among others. We think you will find them fascinating. Each article in the journal represents the individual research of a high-school student working in a research laboratory at Vanderbilt University or another highly regarded institution, mentored by an expert in the field. It’s inspiring to see the work of these promising young scientists.

In the usual fashion for a research journal, each article that appears in Young Scientist has been reviewed by at least two referees and re-reviewed after the authors have responded to the referees’ comments. The editors wish to extend their special thanks to the expert referees who carefully reviewed each article; it is their voluntary effort that maintains the quality of the journal. We would also like to recognize the contributions of the editorial board, Drs. Chris Vanags and Jens Meiler.

Finally, we would like to thank the patrons who have supported the Young Scientist journal and the Center for Science Outreach at Vanderbilt University. Through its mission to stimulate the scientific interest and imagination of high-school students, the center is creating the scientists and engineers on which our future will depend. The support of our patrons, as well as the dedication of the mentors who have guided the students in their research, is gratefully acknowledged.

We hope that you enjoy this latest volume of Young Scientist, both for its scientific content and for the remarkable achievements of the young scientists that it represents. To learn more about the journal, to support or engage in its production, or to submit a manuscript, please visit youngscientistjournal.org.

Charles A. Brau, Ph.D.
Mary E. Loveless, Ph.D.
Editors