Students launch UK's 2nd edition of undergrad research journal
LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 18, 2025) — Undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky who participate in research under the guidance of faculty mentors now have the opportunity to publish and broadly share the outcomes of their work and collaborative experiences. The second edition of Aperture Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR) is now available and highlights the projects of 15 student-professor partnerships.
Published by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), the annual, open-access, peer- and expert-reviewed journal showcases the rich scholarship conducted by UK undergraduates and promotes the advancement of knowledge by publishing reports of their unique experiential endeavors.
"Aperture is distinctive in that it is a student-led publication – for students, by students,” said Chad Risko, OUR faculty director and professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Not only does Aperture present a way for undergraduate researchers to publish the outcomes of their research, it also provides students the chance to peek behind the curtains of the peer-review and publishing process.”
Founded in June 2023, AJUR is an entirely student-led publication dedicated to promoting a culture of curiosity. From branding to intellectual property and recruitment, the AJUR student launch team met weekly and invested hundreds of hours to establish a sustainable undergraduate research journal.
“Aperture is a high-level, student-led research publication and publishing work in our journal gives students the unique opportunity to experience a vital part of the research process that typically doesn't happen in one's undergraduate research career,” said Connor Stuart, a 2025 biology, neuroscience, and Lewis Honors College graduate and co-editor in chief.
AJUR’s second edition includes:
Hannah Allen, 2025 biology and Lewis Honors graduate; Mentor: David Weisrock, Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences. Project: “Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiome Diversity Across Three Clades of Rodentia: Species, Gender, and Age-Dependent Variations.”
Gracie Burrows, physics and mathematics senior; Mentor: Pashupati Dhakal, Ph.D., Old Dominion University, Department of Physics. Project: “Simulation of Magnetic Flux Expulsion on 5-Cell and Half-Wave Coaxial Niobium Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavities.”
Gracie Burrows, physics and mathematics senior; Mentor: Carol Street, UK Learning Lab. Project: “Thomas Henshaw, The Forgotten Alchemist Who Saved the Scientific Journal.”
Noah Edgar, English senior; Project: “Bullets Of The Mind.”
Jason Kash, 2025 art studio graduate; Project: “I-Beam (Husk).”
Sophie Kelley, 2025 art history and visual studies graduate; Project: “More than Pin-Ups: Alberto Vargas’ 1943 Esquire Calendar and Gender Politics of WWII.”
Faith Lindsay, 2025 arts administration graduate; Project: “Rewriting History: Hung Liu’s Transcultural Critique of the Portrayals of Chinese Women.”
Anna K. Melchers, landscape architecture senior; Kamryn Lin, landscape architecture senior; Madelyn Blankenship, landscape architecture senior; “Project: “Walk Across Time.”
Anna K. Melchers, landscape architecture senior; Mentor: Jayoung Koo, Ph.D., Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; Project: “Reclaiming Cultural Landscape Management: A Case Study of Tongariro National Park and Indigenous-Led Frameworks.”
Colin Nelson, 2024 natural resources and environmental science graduate; Project: “Pallbearer Once, Twice.”
Liam O’Brien, 2024 human health sciences and Lewis Honors graduate; Mentor: John J. McCarthy, Ph.D., College of Medicine. Project: “The Impact of Microbial Derived Exerkines on the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway in Skeletal Muscle During Disuse Atrophy.”
Genesis Peña-Lozada, media arts and studies, Spanish, and history senior; Project: “Immersion Through Transmedia Storytelling: Mattel’s Intentionality Across Monster High Brand Generations.”
Mallory Sparks, Spanish senior; Mentor: Juan Canedo, Ph.D., College of Medicine; Project: “Perceptions of Need and Opportunities for Cancer Prevention and Screening in the Hispanic Community in Kentucky.”
Dexter Vilt, 2025 biology and Lewis Honors College graduate; Mentor: David Westneat, Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences. Project: “Influence of Sex and Residency on Northern Cardinal Wintering Behavior.”
Anna Zheng, arts administration and digital media design senior; Project: “It's Okay; I Will Protect You Forever.”
Each submission goes through five stages of review. Initially, the student’s adviser or principal investigator (PI) reviews and approves the paper. Then it goes to the Office of Technology Commercialization’s legal team for review and approval. Next, Aperture’s editorial team assesses the submission to ensure adherence to the journal's submission guidelines, checking for errors or inconsistencies. The fourth stage involves a thorough review by graduate students or faculty advisers specializing in the specific research field under discussion. The final phase of the review process occurs as the editorial team revisits the revised paper, confirming that all necessary changes have been incorporated and ensuring the article is polished and ready for publication.
The journal will appear online through ISSUU, an open-access platform. A digital issue of AJUR’s second issue is now available online.