Before I came to University, I had all kinds of dreams as to what university life would be like. I imagined walking down the hall where a lab next door would be making great scientific discoveries. When I first came to university, I was really excited. This is it! This is the place where all those wonderful research studies are happening. I suppose I was quite naïve at the time. University, especially undergraduate studies, was really not what I was expecting. I was lost in the busy hallways and large lecture halls. I then thought that would be the extent of my university experience: reading about interesting experiments and exciting research in textbooks; until I stumbled upon undergraduate research. This was exactly what I was hoping for in university life! Here you are able to work on something unique, under the mentorship of an expert in the field, towards something about the world around us that is not yet known. I was really happy when I realized that undergraduate students have the opportunity to be involved in research, and I was very glad to be apart of that. Now our university is more strongly encouraging students to become engaged in their studies by creating research-orientated courses where students can be involved in the research first-hand as an undergraduate. Earlier this year, the Student Union and the newly launched Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) jointly organized a symposium for students to present their research. Several undergraduate journals at the University of Alberta, including Eureka, are also helping students to showcase their research to the university as a whole. Many undergraduate students are currently involved in undergraduate research, are becoming heavily involved in laboratories are undertaking interesting research, ranging from neuroscience to clinical psychology, and from electrical engineering to genetics. Here I would like to share some of their results with you in this issue. University years are some of the most wonderful years in your life. It is a time we believe that everything is possible; dream big, aim high. Yvonne Chen Eureka Editor-in-Chief Eureka is a student-founded and student-run initiative whose mission is to promote the world class undergraduate research done in the faculty of science. This journal offers undergraduate scientists the unique opportunity to share their discoveries with the scientific world, while learning the peer review process. Most undergraduate students do not get to experience the publication process as part of their scientific education. Eureka is an educational institution, with a diverse team of reviewers from many scientific backgrounds. Through clear, effective scientific writing students will be able to work together with faculty members to promote University of Alberta science.