A Note from the Editorial Team…

This volume of Howard Community College’s Journal of Research in Progress (JRIP) marks the fifth year that a group of dedicated student researchers and artists, mentors, faculty, staff, and all of their support systems has worked together to bring a volume of peer-reviewed articles and artwork to fruition. Launched in 2017, the idea of JRIP was first conceived by a Faculty Professional Learning Community (FPLC) that initially gathered to discuss undergraduate student research. Since then, 44 papers representing the work of 76 student researchers and their advisors have been published in JRIP alongside the artwork of 18 students. Even with an uncertain return to campus in the midst of a global pandemic, the emergence of COVID variants and resulting spikes in infection, and changes in campus and journal administration and personnel, the number of papers and represented researchers and artists in JRIP continued to grow this year to almost 50, 90, and 25, respectively. What was first imagined by STEM folks as a publication of STEM undergraduate research has since expanded to also include exceptional student work in the health professions, social sciences, arts, and humanities whose publication is overseen by an editorial team with representatives from an equally varied collection of academic disciplines and departments on campus. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to what the next five years will bring.

In gratitude and service,
The JRIP Editorial Team

Students interested in submitting articles for next year’s volume of JRIP
should contact the editorial team at JRIP@howardcc.edu.