Rachel Mckeown (2017, Natural Sciences), a St Catharine’s alumna who has returned as a Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholar to pursue a PhD in developmental neuroscience, has taken over the helm of BlueSci, a science magazine run by students and researchers at the University of Cambridge.
BlueSci was actually co-founded by another St Catharine’s alumna back in 2000, Rend Platings (née Shakir), who wanted to create a new platform for student science communication in Cambridge. Originally an online science communications portal, BlueSci is now the longest running science magazine in Cambridge, with a new issue released each term.
To find out more about their reasons for getting involved in BlueSci and how the publication has developed, we caught up with both Rachel and Rend.
How did you come to be involved with BlueSci?
Rend: The seed for the idea came about during the Freshers’ Fair when I was at the Scientific Society stand. The odd person would pass by and comment, "Oh, I'm not interested in science – I'm doing English” or something to that effect. I was baffled at how anyone could say they weren't interested in science: science is everywhere, in everyone and in everything that we could be interested in. I knew something had to be done about it.
Cambridge was (and fortunately still is) a leading centre for science and technology, so it was odd that the University did not have a publication dedicated to science. Believe it or not there was not even a dedicated section for science news in Varsity at the time, and I had to plead with the editor for a double page spread in which we covered topics like internet dating and technologies to prevent banking fraud. There was always a plea for contributions but they were thin on the ground, and meant I often had to think of various things to cover those two pages.
Two students from other colleges, Lauri Ora and Risto Paju, agreed that there was huge opportunity for a science publication, and that is how BlueSci was born.
Screengrab of the original BlueSci website
Rend with a laptop screen showing the original BlueSci website (credit: Denys Rumiantsev/Namysto)
Rachel: I originally got involved as Managing Editor for Issue 56 and then as President of BlueSci because I am passionate about science communication. That’s actually a bit of an understatement as I’ve been a voracious reader of science publications ever since I subscribed to New Scientist during my undergraduate studies at Catz – I actually bought my first ever copy on the journey for my admissions interview!
My PhD means I’m now focused on a specific area of neuroscience, but getting involved in BlueSci means I can keep up-to-date with and be inspired by developments in a whole host of fields such as quantum physics and climate change. It’s incredible to see the breadth of amazing research across the University. I hope that my year as President will give me more insight into a potential career in science journalism after my PhD.
Rachel with Issue 56 of BlueSci
How has BlueSci changed and adapted over the years?
Rend: Originally, Lauri and Risto created the BlueSci site using MySQL and PHP. We also brainstormed how, through a digital medium, we could incorporate features like a discussion section or sorting content about a topic based on a chosen level of detail or difficulty – all possible online but impossible for a traditional magazine. I imagine if we were starting out today we could incorporate things like machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)…
I'd never have imagined BlueSci would evolve into a print magazine format since, at the time, everything was going digital. People were thinking and saying, “In the year 2020 will there even be newspapers and magazines? Won't everything be online?” We were promised flying cars in the year 2020 and the end to anything written on paper!
Rachel: BlueSci is now a hybrid publication, i.e. we aim to publish online and in print. In addition to the magazine, the BlueSci team now produces additional science-related content online and on Spotify. Sadly, a drop in sponsorship meant that we cannot afford to print Issue 57 and it is ironic that for a term we will revert to the online-only model that Rend and the other co-founders would be more familiar with.
What does the future look like for BlueSci?
Rachel: Issue 57 is out next and it is the first that I’ve been involved in from start to finish: reading through applications from potential Issue Editors, recruiting and liaising with authors and artists, editing and production. It is on the theme of “new realities”, encompassing technologies and advancements that could impact the future – think everything from AI to the microbiome.
There will soon be a call for Issue Editors and pitches for Issue 58 and I really hope that Catz students will want to get involved. While Issue 57 was managed by a Wolfson student (Ella Plevin), there are three Catz students who contributed content. In addition to an article from me on how physical forces shape embryonic development, there’s another piece on the psychedelic effects of mushrooms by Isabella Bentham-Clark, a third-year Natural Sciences undergraduate, and artwork by Barbara Neto-Bradley, a Plant Sciences PhD student.
We’re always looking for new approaches and topics to cover, and the scope is broad enough for lots of students from different subjects to get involved. The best way to get started is subscribing to our mailing list so you can find out about future issues and calls for submissions. I would also love for BlueSci to expand into podcasts and filmmaking and would be delighted to hear from students interested in pursuing these avenues too.
Rend: As a Catz alumna, I’m so proud to see that Rachel is the new President of BlueSci and I predict the best year yet for both the magazine and the online site!
