Fraternal twins Ciri and Cora Fessler, seniors at Providence Day, helped start the STEM Journal Club last spring because they wanted to combine their strengths: all things science and writing.

To inspire a passion for both among their peers, they also started The Science Journal, an online newspaper that includes student-written science articles on everything from coral to stem cells to laundry machines causing a crisis.

Ciri and Cora answered questions regarding The Science Journal. Answers are edited for brevity.

Q. What gave you the idea for The Science Journal?
Ciri: We noticed that there weren’t many newspaper or writing clubs at our school. We love to read and write, so we thought combining the two, writing and reading engaging, current science-based articles, would be cool. We also know that so many other students have a passion for research and writing, and we wanted to allow them to showcase their work.
Cora: We originally got the idea after noticing that there was not a lot of emphasis on science in the regular newspaper. We also realized that many students don’t have much access to or knowledge of the real world or current issues. With this in mind, we decided to create a club where students could write about their own interests. It’s a great way for them to expand their research abilities while also gaining valuable insights on different issues.

Q. How did you get interested in science?
Ciri: I first got interested in science by just watching a lot of National Geographic and nature documentaries. I found them to be very interesting but also calming. In high school, I became really interested in animal behaviors, which led to an interest in environmentalism and biology. I love studying DNA, genes, and just human, animal, and plant behavior in general.

Q: How are you creating content that students are interested in?
Cora: All of the topics are entirely student-chosen. We offer a variety of umbrella topics, but those are really only suggestions. Members are allowed to choose basically whatever science-related topic they want to write about as long as it gets approved by the supervisors.

Q. How often will there be new content?
Ciri: Right now, we plan to release a new set of articles each semester. The website features our first set, which was created last spring.

Q. What do you hope your fellow students gain from The Science Journal?
Ciri: I hope our students develop a deeper passion for journalism and research. It’s a good skill to learn and display, and it can come in handy in the future. The students can even reference their work in their college resumes if they would like.
Cora: We hope that our writers will gain a better understanding of what it takes to be capable writers and researchers. We also want to inspire a sense of social awareness and responsibility. Being a part of a club like ours requires a lot of commitment due to the level of research and writing. For students to take that on outside of the classroom is important because it promotes a greater sense of responsibility and understanding set expectations.

Q. Final thoughts?
Ciri: The club works really well with Cora and me because I’m more interested in science, and she loves writing and journalism.
Cora: I really wanted to put my love of reading and writing to use by helping other students. I love being able to edit all the member’s articles because it allows me to watch them grow and develop as writers.