LETTER from the EDITORS

Back Cover

Dear Readers,

Where to start? We've jumped back into the full swing of things—rushing from Galbraith to our next class in Warren, attending professors' office hours in the depths of the H&SS building, and spending late nights on the 7th floor of Geisel. As a collective, we've acquired a heightened sense of awareness about our time commitments. Committees were hard-pressed to find a 30-minute slot that works with everyone's schedules. But through the process of re-orienting ourselves in the chaos of college life, Saltman Quarterly has been our steady home base.

The views expressed in this publication are solely those of Saltman Quarterly, its principal members, and the authors of the content of this publication. While the publisher of this publication is a registered student organization at UC San Diego, the content, opinions, statements, and views expressed in this or any other publication published and/ or distributed by Saltman Quarterly are not endorsed by and do not represent the views, opinions, policies, or positions of the ASUCSD, GSAUCSD, UC San Diego, the University of California and the Regents or their offices, employees, or agents. The publisher of this publication bears and assumes the full responsibility and liability for the content of this publication.

In an effort to engage the UC San Diego Community, Saltman Quarterly holds an annual photo contest. The winners of this contest have their images featured on the cover and interior pages of the journal.

Within and surrounding SQ exists a desire to return, to connect. After the nerves and shifty awkwardness of the first few meetings wore off, we were reminded of just how vibrant SQ can be. This year, our staff aimed to foster this community while expanding SQ into new creative realms of science communication. We launched our inaugural podcast episode, highlighting student and faculty voices on campus in a new medium. We created Research Features, which summarizes our primary scientific manuscripts into accessible language for a broader audience on our website. Our website also now proudly boasts SQ B-Sides, a portfolio for biology-related artistic works designed to inspire and encourage our members to share their creative side.

This year's edition of Saltman Quarterly would not exist without the spirit and vitality of the biology community at UC San Diego, which remains the driving force of our work. Our Features articles cover snippets of ongoing biological research in several little corners of campus, ranging from efflux transporter proteins in sea urchins to the prediction of inflammatory disease severity using the Boolean method. The primary research manuscripts and literature reviews on pages 26 through 45, written by UC San Diego undergraduates, as well as the Senior Honors

Theses on page 46, are proof that UC San Diego is home to enthusiastic undergraduate student researchers who are highly involved in their projects, often conducting research independently.

It’s clear that all over campus, stories are waiting to be told. In the pages of this magazine, we've narrowed in on a select few, highlighting the creative and imaginative work that arises from unwavering passion for science—a passion that has carried on despite the chaos. As more stories unfold, we’re confident that Saltman Quarterly’s staff will continue to bring them to life in a way that invites new, curious minds into the ever-expanding world of biology.

Our time in this organization has given us a deep understanding of the necessity for engaging communication of scientific findings. Though many of us may not end up working in science journalism down the line, the value of storytelling in science is one we’ll carry with us into our respective careers. As you read, we hope you’ll come to share this value, too.

We’re excited to present you with the 20th volume of Saltman Quarterly.

Sincerely,

Lina Lew and Sharanya Sriram Editors-in-Chief, Saltman Quarterly 2022-23