July - A note from the founding team - JUNC Volume 1, Issue 3

A look back at the first two months and what's coming up next

From Noah - Founder

What a first two months! JUNC has been off to a great start, with the exact kind of response I was hoping for. Back in May, Becca, Frank, and I launched with our handful of articles ready to go to keep us afloat for a couple of weeks. In June we had our first guest authors join the platform. Brien submitted his timely law review of ongoing legal battle between outdoor company Patagonia and outdoor drag queen activist Pattie Gonia, breaking down the nuances of trademark law. In the final week of June, freshly minted mathematics PhD, Caleb Hill used his expertise to draw comparisons between network optimization and education system congestion.

Every week in July will feature an article from RPI alumni! In the lineup we have, an industrial consultant, a two local professors, and a science art studio founder, each with their own story to share. Involvement from RPI alumni has been a great source of collaboration so far.

The RPI community has helped support JUNC in the early weeks and this now includes The Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at RPI which has joined as a sponsor. CBIS director Juergen Hahn has given support on behalf of the research center to help build a sustainable publication platform.

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From Becca - Founding Writer

Over the past two months I’ve written several exciting pieces for JUNC! I started out with a very personal recount of my journey through the US medical system, “The Unexpected Burden of Being Not-a-Medical-Doctor”. I explored the ways that physicians and scientists can team up to give better care to patients and reduce physician burnout.

In July, I jumped into my other interest area - higher education. In “An Ode to the Dying System of Schooling: The Liberal Arts College”, I paid tribute to the start of my scientific career at Wheaton College MA, and discussed the ways in which the liberal arts education can produce the next generation of AI-savvy professionals.

My third article, “Dear Artists, the Scientists are Starving, too” is another personal recount of my struggle with the 2026 job market, bogged down by equal parts economic uncertainty, politics, and financial challenges. I also discuss the added challenge of navigating this job market alongside my PhD (and JUNC founder) partner, Noah.

I have been working on my next series of articles, following up on my original article to explore exactly how physicians and scientists can work together. As well as an analysis on the current state of the PhD education system. Stay tuned and enjoy our next few articles by guest authors!

From Jordan - Founding Editor

It’s been a privilege to work with Noah, Becca, Frank, and JUNC’s contributing writers for the last two months. As the journal’s copyeditor, I’ve been exposed to information and ideas I otherwise wouldn’t have encountered. It’s an ever-expanding playground for curiosity, bolstered by our writers’ experiences and expertise, that I look forward to visiting each week. The breadth of topics ensures there’s always reason to return, and what Noah and co. do best is balance depth and accessibility, providing keen insight for those within science and academia and those (like me) looking in from outside the fields.

From Frank - Founding Writer

It’s been an absolute pleasure to write for JUNC. For those that know me, I always have a lot to say. Normally I just torture Noah, Becca, and Jordan my theories and suppositions in person. Thanks to this team and all of the work they have been doing, I’ve had the opportunity to share some of the crazier ideas with a wider audience.

Writing for JUNC has also allowed me to look much deeper into ideas and science that I previously would not have. I learned a lot about philosophical schools of thought while preparing my submission on quantum computing and free will.

I’m excited to get more of them out in JUNC soon. I look forward to share some perspectives soon on successful hallmarks of startup companies, and my take on the current issues surrounding basic science research.

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