Dear Readers, 

It is with great excitement that I am able to present to you the CUSJ Volume 14 - 2020 
Edition. Since our very first volume in 2006, it has been the mission of CUSJ to provide an 
accessible and professional, open access platform for undergraduates to communicate their 
research advances in various scientific fields. We CUSJ editors believe, as a community of 
young scientists and writers, that it is absolutely essential for researchers of all ages and 
levels of experience to have the opportunity to share their ideas and learn from their peers. 
Creating a space to facilitate that discussion is exactly what CUSJ aims to achieve not only 
with each volume, but also with our outreach to the public and numerous research oriented 
events. 

COVID-19 has posed an incredibly difficult and tragic challenge to communities all over the 
world, scientists and non-scientists alike. With the shutdowns of universities accompanied by 
sudden changes in employment status and housing, the perseverance and determination 
shown by both our authors and editing team has been a true testament to their character, 
work ethic, and resilience. The hard work evident in each article of this volume, from 
experimental design to data interpretation, is a display of the talent and strength of our 
authors, and their ability to push on through an unprecedented global emergency. These 
undergraduates have shown that even during the most trying of times, while physically 
isolated, we can all still come together and communicate through science. 

Volume 14 of CUSJ is diverse in scientific fields represented, ranging from biochemistry and 
the development of enzymatic nanoreactors for industrial synthesis, to the social science of 
shame in teens. Our cover features a graph from author Aidan Reddy’s cutting-edge 
investigation into X-ray absorption spectroscopy data processing, in which he develops a new 
method for spectra correction. His work should allow for more accurate analysis of various 
materials’ atomic properties, advancing the fields of both materials science and physics. 

It has been a pleasure to serve as the Editor-In-Chief of CUSJ for the 2019-2020 academic 
year. My sincere thank you to everyone involved in the creation of this volume for their 
passion and commitment.

Julia Parsley
Editor-in-Chief

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