The Triple Helix
Encyclopedia
The Triple Helix, Inc. is a completely student-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
with over 500 student staff from across the world. The organization operates on a chapter-based system with 19 total chapters around the world, including 15 in the United States
and 4 more at universities in Europe
, Asia
, and Australia
. Chapter universities are carefully selected and currently include the many of the top universities across the globe. The organization publishes both a print and electronic publication, featuring articles on interdisciplinary topics involving political, legal, social, and ethical issues in science, as well as fostering a science policy division which is devoted to providing a platform for scientific discussion and its necessary place in societal discourse. In addition, the organization has most recently launched a high school division, which gives outstanding students in secondary schools the opportunity to publish alongside collegiate staff.
campus journal. The first edition of The Science in Society Review, released with 1000 copies in March 2005, was met with overwhelming recognition from both students and faculty at Cornell. Several months later, chapters at the University of California at Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, Brown University
, Georgetown University
, Columbia University
, and the University of Pennsylvania
were successfully formed and work on the first national issue was underway. By January 2006, sixteen chapters at the Ivy League
and its peer institutions were founded. Domestic expansion within the United States halted in February 2006 despite nationwide interest to pave the way for international expansion. International chapters were founded and subsequently flourished at Cambridge University, the National University of Singapore
, and the University of Melbourne
. These pioneering chapters became the framework for the future growth of the organization, and for administrative purposes, chapters were organized into four geographic clusters: North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. In 2007, the Triple Helix formed a partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), with which it has since held its annual conference in conjunction with, including a poster session which allows Triple Helix writers to present research topics based on their articles.
division, The Triple Helix Online, which has come to extend across all chapters and features shorter pieces than those featured in the print journal. In early 2011, Jennifer Ong developed the The Triple Helix’s first online subscription platform and oversaw the expansion of the organization to include high school chapters.
Operations in North America
Operations in Europe, Asia, and Australia
Finance
Marketing
Science Policy
Encourages chapters to hold events locally and
Internal Affairs
Electronic Publishing
Literary
Production
, often including a faculty review process.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
with over 500 student staff from across the world. The organization operates on a chapter-based system with 19 total chapters around the world, including 15 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 4 more at universities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Chapter universities are carefully selected and currently include the many of the top universities across the globe. The organization publishes both a print and electronic publication, featuring articles on interdisciplinary topics involving political, legal, social, and ethical issues in science, as well as fostering a science policy division which is devoted to providing a platform for scientific discussion and its necessary place in societal discourse. In addition, the organization has most recently launched a high school division, which gives outstanding students in secondary schools the opportunity to publish alongside collegiate staff.
Stated mission
- To educate students at every level about the dynamic relationship between science, society, business, ethics, and law in order to bridge the archaic divide between these various fields of study
- To instill academic interest in a broad range of topics, inspire scientific curiosity and discovery, and encourage undergraduates to explore interdisciplinary careers that span across traditional boundaries
- To provide opportunities for students to learn and practice writing, editing, reviewing, communicating, researching, layout and design, marketing, web design, and management and leadership in a real world enterprise with both peer and professional guidance.
- To encourage critical analysis of the most legally and socially important issues in science through the free exchange of ideas within a diverse national community
- To build a lasting social network of some of the nation’s most capable undergraduate leaders as a positively reinforcing resource
- To inspire entrepreneurship and innovation through participation in an organization that continuously builds upon and reinforces those ideals
- To give back to the local communities through student-run outreach workshops and conferences and teach younger students on how to think critically about science in society and further their editorial abilities.
2004-2007: Early Years
Kevin Hwang originally founded the Triple Helix in October 2004 as a Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
campus journal. The first edition of The Science in Society Review, released with 1000 copies in March 2005, was met with overwhelming recognition from both students and faculty at Cornell. Several months later, chapters at the University of California at Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
were successfully formed and work on the first national issue was underway. By January 2006, sixteen chapters at the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
and its peer institutions were founded. Domestic expansion within the United States halted in February 2006 despite nationwide interest to pave the way for international expansion. International chapters were founded and subsequently flourished at Cambridge University, the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
, and the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. These pioneering chapters became the framework for the future growth of the organization, and for administrative purposes, chapters were organized into four geographic clusters: North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. In 2007, the Triple Helix formed a partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(AAAS), with which it has since held its annual conference in conjunction with, including a poster session which allows Triple Helix writers to present research topics based on their articles.
2008-2011: Divisional Expansion
Julia Piper founded the science policy division in 2008, engaging students across the globe in meaningful scientific discussion. In 2009, Zain Pasha founded the electronic publishingElectronic publishing
Electronic publishing or ePublishing includes the digital publication of e-books and electronic articles, and the development of digital libraries and catalogues. Electronic publishing has become common in scientific publishing where it has been argued that peer-reviewed scientific journals are in...
division, The Triple Helix Online, which has come to extend across all chapters and features shorter pieces than those featured in the print journal. In early 2011, Jennifer Ong developed the The Triple Helix’s first online subscription platform and oversaw the expansion of the organization to include high school chapters.
Organizational structure
Operations within the The Triple Helix are split both horizontally -- at the chapter and international levels -- and vertically. This arrangement ensures that no project, component, or objective of the organization is neglected at any level. For example, Literary includes staff from the International Editorial Board to chapter-level writers and editors, and it is everyone's responsibility that the objectives of the Literary Division are achieved each cycle. While oversight of these divisions differs from division to division and each leadership structure is designed to best fit the daily functioning of each division, the Executive Management Team -- and the Chief Executive Officer and Chief of Global Affairs, in particular -- directly oversees all divisions.Operations in North America
- Supports existing chapters
- Plans the Annual Conference and AAAS Joint Poster Session
Operations in Europe, Asia, and Australia
- Supports existing chapters
- Solidifies international regions through university outreach and potential expansion
Finance
- Locates funding for the international level to cover international operations like website design, production software and hardware needs, conference logistics and reimbursements, and crisis chapter funding
- Operational costs for running international are estimated to be $10,000 a year
Marketing
- Expands The Triple Helix reputation globally and domestically through PRPRPR commonly stands for* Public relations, a field concerned with maintaining public image* Puerto Rico* Proportional representation, a property of some voting systemsPR, P...
campaign standardization of brand and rhetoric - Updates divisional guides for literary and production
- Compiles ready-made marketing materials for chapters
Science Policy
Encourages chapters to hold events locally and
- Utilizes The Triple Helix professional network
Internal Affairs
- Keeps alumni involved within the organization
- Utilizes specific skill sets to keep alumni on as resources for undergraduate members
- Supports the overall goals of the organization by streamlining divisional operations
Electronic Publishing
- Maintains a standard rhetoric and citation style across all articles
- Keeps the blog fast-paced and online-only
Literary
- Maintains a standard rhetoric and citation style across all articles
- Recruits and manages the Senior Literary Editor team
- Works with the Production division to ensure that all needs are met based on individual academic calendars
Production
- Recruits and manages the Senior Production Editor team
- Establishes guidelines for layout and writers
- Works with the Literary division to ensure that all needs are met based on individual academic calendars
Print and Electronic Journal
The print journal, The Science in Society Review, is published twice per year. One half of an "edition" usually consists of national/international features, which are the best articles published around the world. The other half of an "edition" consists of articles written by the chapter and only published at the chapter. Writers undergo multiple rounds of editingEditing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, often including a faculty review process.