Frontiers for Young Minds is a journal about neuroscience that is actually edited by kids between 8 and 18 years old. According to this article from CBC News, the idea for the journal was dreamed up by Bob Knight, who serves as the editor in chief, and is also a professor at UC Berkeley. It came “from the depths of my mind, in a moment when I was bored at a scientific meeting,” he told CBC News.
Students who are accepted as editors are paired with volunteer neuroscientist mentors to review submissions from professional scientists for the journal. With the help of the mentors, students will determine that the articles are written clearly and make sense to young people. You can find out more about the editing process, and how to apply to be a student editor, here.
This is a great opportunity for students, but it is also a great resource for teachers. Current online articles include: “The Amazing History of Neuroscience”, “Why Sleep?”, and “How do we See Color?” The site could be a great research tool for students of all ages. (Great for Genius Hour!) The graphics are “kidually” appealing, and the readability level , though still not primary level, is much more workable than many other neuroscience sites that are geared more toward adults.
I would love to see similar journals developed for other areas in addition to neuroscience. Hopefully, this will be the first of many!
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