A letter from the outgoing 2022-2023 Editor-in-Chief

(Photo provided by Incé Husain)

Dear all,

As the new year begins, so too does a new chapter for The Synapse. I’m thrilled that I get to say this!

When I started The Synapse in August 2022, I had no idea how things would unfold. I didn’t know if students would read The Synapse, contribute to it, care for it, talk about it. I’d wondered if it was too ambitious to establish a publication in a year’s time.

The Synapse began with my spontaneous decision to run for the 2022-2023 Undergraduate Psychology Society executive team. As I ran for Neuroscience Representative, I thought about what I could contribute to psychology students that would be meaningful and long lasting.

After some extensive journalling, the gears started to turn. I had a journalism background; I was committed to strong scientific communication; I’d wished that the student psychology research scene was more visible at the University of New Brunswick.

I brainstormed ideas for what would become The Synapse - a student publication featuring student psychology research in simple language accessible to all. I planned how it would run, designed The Synapse site, pitched it to the Undergraduate Psychology Society, and put together a managing team.

Now, I look back on an excellent start for a young publication. We published fifty-one articles across five columns featuring psychology research. We extended our scope beyond the University of New Brunswick to other universities in Atlantic Canada, building bridges between student researchers. We invited researchers from psychology-related disciplines to write with us, allowing us to learn about psychology and neuroscience from chemists, biologists, computer scientists, and educators. We showed how perspectives in research evolve by featuring faculty, grad students, honours students, research assistants, and basic research students alike.

I am fulfilled in knowing that we established a solid foundation for The Synapse that will enable it to thrive in future, and I have many people I would like to thank.

I want to thank all those who read The Synapse, and to convey a special thanks to the students and faculty who wrote with us and are featured in our columns.

I want to thank my managing team for their commitment and enthusiasm, and my 2022-2023 Undergraduate Psychology Society executive team for their open-mindedness in welcoming The Synapse with open arms.

I want to thank this year’s 2023-2024 Undergraduate Psychology Society executive team for prioritizing The Synapse and committing to keeping it running.

And lastly, I want to give a huge thanks to Brianna Burns, The Synapse’s incoming 2023-2024 Editor-in-Chief who will honour its concept while making it her own in ways I am excited to see.

Warmly,

Incé Husain

Neuroscience PhD Student, Western University | BSc Honours in Neuroscience (2023) Ψ

Written by Incé Husain