Sage Kiernan-Sherrow | News Editor
Originally founded by Camila Gabladon, the collection development librarian at Western, PURE Insights is an annual publication of student work, both creative and research-based, which has been sponsored by at least one faculty member at Western. Currently on its ninth issue, the journal — which stands for Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences — serves to connect students to mentoring faculty members with the hopes of bolstering the student’s academic record.
“One of the really nice things about attending a small college is that you are in contact with actual professors doing actual research … the PURE organization was born of the idea that we weren’t seeing students take advantage of that,” said Maren Anderson, an adjunct professor at Western and Managing Editor of the publication.
Having a published research paper is an excellent thing to put on resumes and grad school applications because, according to Anderson, it’s proof that students know how to do research and work collaboratively with people.
“Student-led research is particularly attractive to us,” Anderson stated, but as long as that research or body of work is submitted by the deadline, follows correct formatting and is sponsored by a faculty member, the work is eligible.
“I really enjoy the cross-pollination of student work on campus,” said Anderson, mentioning The Northwest Passage and the Academic Excellence Showcase as similar outlets who have published work also featured in the PURE Insights journal.
The current issue included the winners of the Peter Sears poetry contest, as well as a couple of fiction pieces in addition to the traditional research papers, and the cover is always designed by a Western student.
Students interested in submitting can visit the PURE Insights webpage and click on the “submit article” link located on the left hand bar. If they’re not sure where to start, they can peruse the list of mentors and their past research topics in order to find someone who fits their objective. They also have the opportunity to explore the map at the bottom of the page, which shows the downloads of past submitter’s work in real-time. If students are still having trouble navigating the page or want more information, they can email the director at pure@wou.edu or the managing editor at insight@wou.edu
The next issue is set to publish in week 10 of the upcoming fall term and the deadline for submissions is June 22.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Western’s Digital Commons
