Student editors highlight John Martinson Honors College’s achievements in FORGE Magazine

Students and faculty in Purdue’s John Martinson Honors College (JMHC) published the first edition of FORGE Magazine to highlight the college’s success from the 2023-2024 year. Named for the college’s motto “Forge the future,” the publication showcases how honors students, staff and faculty contribute to the college’s pillars of interdisciplinary academics, undergraduate research, community and global experiences, and leadership development.

Dr. Ashima Krishna, clinical associate professor in JMHC, shares the magazine was inspired by a desire to filter Honors projects through a “faculty and student lens.” She credits student editors Annie Cash and Karim Hijazi for their contributions to the magazine.

Pictured: Ashima Krishna, JMHC professor

Hijazi, a senior in political science, says working on the magazine provided opportunities to network with other students and staff within the Honors College and exposed him to topics outside his major. He adds that FORGE Magazine recognizes projects like artwork and study abroad that aren’t consistently spotlighted. This, he says, is a testament to how interdisciplinarity is ingrained in the college and the publication.

In one article, students studying in Colombia during Spring Break are highlighted for their examination of food sustainability within the context of Colombian and West Lafayette culture. Another article shares a student's research on AI tools and their social implications.

Beyond showcasing these undergraduate research projects happening in the Honors College, the publication also provides student editors with ample opportunities to develop their research and interview skills.

Cash, a junior in political science and philosophy, says editing the magazine helped her develop leadership skills and communication competencies. Over the summer, she worked alongside Krishna and Hijazi across three international time zones to develop content. Despite the challenges of limited communication, Cash learned to trust in her abilities to produce publication-worthy work. This experience improved Cash’s leadership skills through navigating a variety of professional environments.

Both Hijazi and Cash share that their visual storytelling has improved since joining Krishna’s team. They both developed design skills to create layouts for the magazine. Krishna, who has a design background in architecture, said it was important for the team to present the Honors College’s story in a visually appealing way.

Krishna previously produced the Ideas Magazine, with the goal of contextualizing the work of researchers who visit the Honors College as part of the “Visiting Scholars” series. The content for this magazine was developed by students in the Visiting Scholars seminar class and curated by various student editors.

Pictured: JMHC student Annie Cash

Pictured: JMHC student Karim Hijazi

Krishna says her publications benefit from getting students involved. She also hopes that involving students in the research and editing processes of media production will improve their information literacy and promote responsible social media use.

Krishna is proud of her team’s collaborative effort in presenting “a window into everything that we do at the Honors College.”

To explore the digital issue of FORGE Magazine visit this link.

Giuliana Corliss

Communication Assistant for Teaching and Learning, tlcoms@purdue.edu