As the largest private research university in the United States, NYU's size is both one of its greatest strengths and the source of one of its greatest missed opportunities. With how expansive NYU is, it is easy for research to become compartmentalized. Students find themselves immersed in their discipline; they collaborate within laboratories, research groups, and within their departments, yet rarely have the opportunity to engage with scholarship being produced just next door. A biology student may go their whole NYU career without encountering an economist's analysis of public policy; an engineer may graduate never having read a historian's archival discoveries. Each field advances knowledge within its own sphere, with few opportunities for the full breadth of undergraduate scholarship to be appreciated together.

We believed this was a missed opportunity. NYU's greatest strength lies not only in the excellence of its individual schools and departments, but in the diversity of ideas they produce as a whole. We wanted to create a space where these ideas could exist in conversation with one another, somewhere undergraduate researchers of all disciplines could learn from, inspire, and celebrate each other's work.

This journal is our attempt to bridge those divides.

Bringing this inaugural issue to life has been both a rewarding challenge and a lesson in patience. Building a journal from the ground up demanded far more than collecting manuscripts. It required developing rigorous editorial standards, establishing a thoughtful review process, recruiting an exceptional editorial board, and refining every aspect of the publication. There were moments when progress felt slow, but looking back, the time invested in this first issue laid the foundation for a publication we hope will continue to grow and inspire for years to come.

The articles collected in this inaugural issue are, in many ways, a reflection of NYU itself. Just as the university brings together students from around the world, this journal brings together scholarship that would rarely otherwise occupy the same pages. These works demonstrate that meaningful research takes many forms; whether advancing scientific understanding, addressing pressing societal challenges, or illuminating overlooked histories and cultures, each article reflects the creativity, rigor, and intellectual curiosity of undergraduate researchers across the university.

We aim for this inaugural issue to be only the beginning. Our hope is that this journal becomes more than a recurring publication; we envision it as a lasting home for undergraduate scholarship at NYU. We hope the students that read these pages are inspired to pursue ambitious questions, foster collaborations across disciplines, and understand that all undergraduate research work contributes to a much larger intellectual community.

To our authors, we thank you for entrusting us with your scholarship. To our editors and reviewers, thank you for your countless hours of feedback and your unwavering dedication to this publication. And to our readers, thank you for joining us at the beginning of what we hope will become a lasting tradition.

We are proud to present the inaugural issue of New York University's Undergraduate Research Journal. We hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to life.

The Editors