 While
some professors may think of undergraduate students in the lab
as mere
dishwashers, Paul D. Saltman was known for his deep commitment
to undergraduate research. Until his death in 1999, the UCSD Nutrition
and Biochemistry professor was known for helping undergraduate
biology students get out of the classroom and into the lab. He
told one prospective student, “Come follow me kid and I’ll
give you a workout.” That student was Greg Emmanuel, ’04,
one of the founding members of the new undergraduate research publication
The Saltman Quarterly, named in memory of the man who believed
undergraduates could contribute significantly to research. Emmanuel,
along with Louis Nguyen, ’04, and Marika Orlov, ’04,
served as the editors-in-chief of the publication. “It is
surprising that we didn’t have this already since UCSD is
such a biology research power house,” said Nguyen.
The Saltman Quarterly publishes two
kinds of articles. Students can submit original research findings
or reviews that comment on scientific topics. The latter are geared
to the general public, not just those in lab coats. So although
this is a forum for biology undergraduates, even those who haven’t
passed molecular biology may be able to follow along. The publication
also allows students to experience the peer review process, in which
others who are knowledgeable in the field read through the articles
and return them with comments. So rather than those final reports
from the lab getting filed away, never to see the light of day again,
the Quarterly allows budding biologists a chance to practice for
the day when their work will grace the pages of Science. Professor
Saltman would have been proud. 
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